August 2025 marked a turning point for Ethereum in Nigeria with ETH Enugu ’25 — the country’s first-ever Builder Residency, Pop-up City, and Ethereum Conference rolled into one bold experiment in decentralized co-creation for two weeks.
People came from Ghana, United States, Kenya, Colombia & across many states/regions in Nigeria like Lagos, Abuja. Port Harcourt, Anambra, Abakaliki, Nsukka, Owerri and more to be part of the 2-week experience!!
The Tripartite Experience
– Builder’s Residency:
The journey began with the ETH Enugu builders Residency. With 300+ applications from across 15 countries, 50 builders were approved and these developers, designers, and thinkers came together to shape new ideas. For 2 weeks, residents immersed themselves in workshops, late-night coding sessions, and mentor-led discussions.
It wasn’t just about writing code or ideating – it was about building confidence, friendships, and projects that will keep pushing the Ethereum ecosystem forward.
- Pop-Up City:
Surrounding the builder residency was a larger builder playground: the ETH Enugu Pop-up City.
Open to the public, the ETH Enugu Pop-up City became a live playground where hundreds of local and international builders, creators, and ecosystem contributors joined curated sessions, meetups, demo days, and cultural exchanges — all while engaging with residency fellows and local communities. It was a real-world experiment showing Ethereum not as a far-off concept, but as a living technology shaping everyday experiences.
It drew participants from across Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas – a playground for reimagination with 70+ speakers & mentors helping refine their knowledge.
- ETH Enugu ‘25 Conference: The 1st Ethereum Conference in Nigeria
The final day on August 16th brought everyone together for the ETH Enugu Conference. Across a full day, the stage hosted panels and keynotes from 40+ speakers that stretched from technical deep dives to conversations about regulation, adoption, and the human side of blockchain.
Over 1,000 attendees — from founders and researchers to developers and students — came together for conversations that left the community with a shared sense of possibility.
A Global Gathering, Rooted in Local Energy
ETH Enugu ’25 drew participants from across Africa and beyond, with 500+ pop up city participants joining the 50+ who got into the builder residency; 40+ speakers and thousands of attendees making their mark.
What made the event special was how global and local energy blended seamlessly – International guests found themselves inspired by the passion of Nigeria’s developer community, while local builders got a front-row seat to the world stage of Ethereum.
- Sponsors: Lisk, Avalanche, Sui Foundation
- Local Ecosystem Backers: IoTeX, Jetpad Finance, Digitpay, Horus Labs & even Ethiopian Airlines.
- Public Sector Allies: Enugu State Government (via the Enugu SME Center & Office of the Digital Economy)
- Dozens of grassroots Web3 communities as Ecosystem partners
📸 Explore the full ETH Enugu ’25 photo archive here
Beyond Work: Culture, Fun & Bonding
Even though ETH Enugu ’25 was filled with workshops, sprints, and intense collaboration, it wasn’t all heads-down work. Participants of the residency and pop-up city also immersed themselves in Enugu’s cultural heartbeat and natural wonders — from exploring the National Museum of Unity to hiking Awhum Waterfall and wandering the serene Ngwo Pine Forest.
Each day often kicked off with group fitness sessions that set an energetic tone, while evenings unfolded into shared dinners, music, and laughter.
Looking Ahead
ETH Enugu ’25 may be over, but its spirit lives on. The residency projects, Pop-up City collaborations, and conference conversations are already shaping what’s next. With Ethereum Research Village on the horizon, ETH Enugu has proven it’s more than an event – it’s a movement, and 2026 is set to be even bigger.
ETH Enugu is convened by Okoye Kevin Chibuoyim (Ezemmuo Blockchain), and the smooth delivery of the experience is made possible courtesy of the strong contributor network who make up the team and are committed to unlocking the full potential of the South-East, and connecting it directly to the Ethereum network.
What’s next? – Ethereum Research Village (ERV)
Originally planned to run alongside the Pop-up City, the Ethereum Research Village (ERV) will now debut post-ETH Enugu – serving as a dedicated hub for deep experimentation and exploration, focusing on;
- Workshops on node operations, security, and blockchain infrastructure
- Academic paper discussions and P2P networking experiments
- A hub where the technical met the practical in real time
🔗 Connect with ETH Enugu
ETH Enugu ’25 showed that Nigeria is not just adopting Ethereum — it’s helping build Ethereum’s future
🌐 Website: ethenugu.xyz
📧 ethenugu@gmail.com
👥 Telegram: t.me/eth_enugu | X: x.com/eth_enugu
