DAOs in Africa: The Dream, The Drift, and the Revival Waiting to Happen

There was a time when “starting a DAO” was the new “launching a token.” Discord & Telegram servers buzzed with proposals, multisigs filled with fresh wallets, and every community wanted a constitution. The dream was simple. This could be a way to coordinate people, money, and missions without needing central control. But in 2025, as the hype quiets down, we’re left asking: what did DAOs actually achieve, especially here in Africa, what are they doing right now, and most importantly is it still worth building one?

What DAOs Are Really For

At their core, DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations), are digital communities governed by code and consensus. They pool funds, vote on proposals, and operate transparently on-chain. Think of them as cooperatives or investment clubs, only without the paperwork and bureaucracy.

In Africa, DAOs found an early audience among creatives, community builders, and developers tired of gatekeepers. They became the backbone for everything from local grants and event funding to NFT collectives and DeFi governance.

Africa’s DAO Moment

Across the continent, DAOs were more than a trend. They were social experiments in economic self-determination. Afropolitan DAO dreamed of a digital nation for the African diaspora. Safari DAO built a funding circle for Web3 founders. Grassroots DAO pushed local developer engagement. Even regional collectives like H.E.R. DAO Kenya took up the mantle, blending mentorship and inclusion into the blockchain space. And then there was Kenya Blockchain Ladies DAO (KBLDAO). One of the first homegrown DAOs focused on women in Web3. At a time when blockchain was still “a guy thing”, They gave us optimism that a DAO could feel like a sisterhood and not just a governance chart.

Over time, African DAOs have paved the way for what’s possible.

Afropolitan DAO launched with the grand vision of creating a “digital nation” for the global African diaspora, successfully raising over $2.1 million to unite talent and fund cultural and economic projects.

Safari DAO functioned as a community-run venture fund, pooling capital and expertise to invest in and support promising, early-stage African Web3 startups.

Kenya Blockchain Ladies DAO (KBLDAO) is a trailblazing community that created a “sisterhood” to onboard women into Web3 through practical mentorship, workshops, and networking.

H.E.R. DAO Kenya stands out as a resilient, education-focused group that builds a sustainable talent pipeline by running hackathons, incubators, and workshops for women across the continent.

NairobiDAO & ETHAccra Guild represent a newer, hyper-local model, focusing on strengthening their specific city’s Web3 ecosystem through developer bounties, meetups, and hackathon support.


DAO Wins: What Worked and Why

Some African DAOs did manage to weather the storm. H.E.R. DAO Kenya continues to champion inclusivity in Web3 education. Afropolitan DAO still funds cultural and creative projects across the diaspora. Smaller experimental DAOs like NairobiDAO and ETHAccra Guild are quietly experimenting with governance, funding bounties, and hackathon participation.

By staying local first, these DAOs focused on actual work. We saw meetups, grants, education and so many great stories that couldn’t have happened without them

Should You Start a DAO in 2025?

Short answer: yes. DAOs today aren’t the hype-fueled rocketships of 2021; they’re leaner, more realistic, and built for niche missions.

If you’re solving a coordination problem, say, funding open-source developers, managing community grants, or running a shared investment pool launch or join one. But the governance fatigue is real.

The real advantage today lies in Layer 2 governance frameworks. Tools like Aragon, Gnosis Safe, and JokeRace make DAO creation easier and cheaper than ever. Combine that with Africa’s rising interest in community savings models (chamas, SACCOs, co-ops), and DAOs could be the natural digital evolution of how Africans have always built together.

The Takeaway

DAOs were never supposed to be like startups. they are shared dreams made executable. In Africa, that dream still flickers.

Between the burnouts, failed promises & scarce funding, Africa, as always, is where the next big governance experiment will always live.