Ghana Legalizes Cryptocurrency as Local Village Demonstrates Bitcoin’s Potential
Ghana’s parliament made headlines at the end of last year as it passed the Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) bill, which establishes a legal framework for regulating bitcoin and crypto assets as well as crypto service providers.
According to a press release from the Bank of Ghana, the Bank in conjunction with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will issue regulatory instruments and directives in the coming months as part of their mission to “create a safe, transparent, and innovative virtual asset ecosystem.”
At an event on December 19, governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Johnson Asiama, stated that “virtual asset trading is now legal” and that “no one is going to be arrested for engaging in crypto.” Asiama added that the new law will provide flexibility for innovation.
This news was surely notable, especially to the over 3 million Ghanaians—17% of the adult population in Ghana—who use bitcoin and other crypto assets.
However, another noteworthy Bitcoin story played out in Ghana last year, though it didn’t receive as much attention as the VASP bill.
That is the story is Bitcoin Dua.
Bitcoin Dua is a community based in Agbozume, a small town located in the southeast corner of Ghana, where some of its residents use bitcoin as everyday money.
The project is modeled after El Salvador’s “Bitcoin Beach”, and it is currently undertaking its most ambitious challenge yet — building an almost half-million dollar sports complex for the community, funded in part by a bitcoin grant from Jack Dorsey’s Block.
Bitcoin Dua’s Mission
Bitcoin Dua was founded by a long-time community leader in Agbozume, Mawufemor Kofi Folivi (who goes by “Kofi”), and a small team at the end of 2023.
It opened its doors shortly after the second Africa Bitcoin Conference, which took place in Ghana’s capital, Accra, in December 2023.
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“Bitcoin Dua started as a grassroots effort to empower young people through Bitcoin education and community development,” Kofi told me in an interview. “It has grown into a vibrant circular economy, where students, teachers, and locals learn, earn, and spend using Bitcoin.”
While empowerment via Bitcoin is at the core of Bitcoin Dua’s mission, Kofi and his team also facilitate courses on coding and robotics as a means to broaden its community members’ digital skills and to prepare them to earn in bitcoin.
“Through school outreach programs, fairs, and digital literacy training, Bitcoin Dua has reached thousands and sparked real change in how people view money and opportunity,” said Kofi.
Bright Kportiklah—founder of the Bitcoin payment app BitSpenda and Bitcoin education program College BTC as well as a member of the Bitcoin Dua community—also commented on Bitcoin Dua’s efforts to increase its community members’ digital literacy and technical skills.
“We focus on empowering young people with digital skills that they need to thrive,” Kportiklah told me in an interview. “We pick one area in tech at a time and then introduce the youth to it.”
Some of these areas include website development, digital marketing, and, of course, Bitcoin development and education.
Both Kportiklah and Kofi also explained how Bitcoin Dua’s broader mission includes generally bringing hope and purpose to underprivileged youth in Agbozume, which is the primary motivation behind why they are building a sports complex in the town.
Building The Bitcoin Dua Sports Complex
Kofi stressed the need for a physical space where teens and those in their twenties can come together to be active and engage in a positive manner.
“In Agbozume, there aren’t many safe or modern spaces for the youth to play, learn, or grow,” said Kofi.
“We wanted to change that. The Bitcoin Dua Sports Complex isn’t just about sports, it’s about creating a place where energy, hope, and opportunity meet,” he added.
“It’s a space where young people can train, connect, and even learn about Bitcoin and financial freedom in a real, practical way.”
The initial donations for the complex came from Block’s Discovery Grant Program. It donated $50,000 worth of bitcoin in November 2024 and $100,000 worth of bitcoin in August 2025.
Block donated the funds because it had taken note of how quickly Kofi had begun to make an impact within his community.
And, as a side note, the team at Block weren’t the only ones who noticed Kofi’s work. He also won the Social Impact Award at the 2024 Africa Bitcoin Conference, earning 0.15 bitcoin for Bitcoin Dua.
Kofi hopes to see the sports complex completed by December 2026, though its completion hinges on him and his team raising another $225,000 before then. (They’re currently accepting donations in bitcoin.)
Once the sports complex is completed, Kofi aims for it to be self-sustaining.
“We plan for it to pay for itself through facility rentals, sporting events, tourism activities, and Bitcoin-powered local commerce, ensuring long-term maintenance without relying on continuous fundraising,” said Kofi.
Building And Educating In The Open
Ghana’s new virtual asset law has taken some of the stress off of Kofi, Kportiklah, and the Bitcoin Dua team, all of whom have been teaching the Ghanaian youth how to use Bitcoin while it’s use existed in a legal gray area.
Having legal clarity around Bitcoin makes it easier for Bitcoin builders and educators in Ghana to do what they do best without fear of retribution.
“The new bill is a really cool thing,” said Kportiklah. “Plus, the president of Ghana has said that he wants young people to innovate and build solutions.”
As a solution-oriented young person, this is music to Kportiklah’s ears, especially as he looks to further develop aforementioned BitSpenda, which facilitates payments from Bitcoin’s Lightning Network that settle via mobile money networks like Ghana’s Momo or Kenya’s M-Pesa, making it easier for Africans to spend their bitcoin.
“Before this law came into existence, I couldn’t obtain the necessary documents to go to the Bank of Ghana for them to ask them to interface with their infrastructure,” said Kportiklah. “But now that crypto is legal, I can.”
He added that he can organize students at his college via his College BTC program to teach them about Bitcoin without fear that the government will question what he’s doing.
With the legislative wind in Ghana now at the likes of Kportiklah and Kofi’s backs, the eyes of many a Bitcoin enthusiast may soon turn toward the West African nation for cues on how to foster greater Bitcoin adoption.
Source: Forbes
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