The IOTA DLT Foundation, a pivotal subsidiary of the global IOTA Foundation, marked a significant milestone by successfully hosting its first-ever IOTA Developers Meetup in Nigeria. This highly anticipated event took place on November 29, 2025, in Ikeja, Lagos, drawing an impressive assembly of over 80 developers. The diverse group included specialists such as Blockchain Developers, Frontend Developers, Backend Developers, Full-Stack Developers, and AI & ML Engineers, all gathered in a singular space to delve into the foundational concepts, technical stacks, and forward-looking vision of the IOTA ecosystem.
The event, meticulously organized by Oluwadara Okunlola (DaRa), was explicitly engineered to be a catalyst for knowledge, networking, and direct education for the local developer community on building within the IOTA framework. The presence of Gino Osahon, Developer Advocate at the IOTA Foundation, alongside other recognized industry experts, underscored the foundation’s commitment to establishing a solid presence and offering Nigerian builders direct access to opportunities within the IOTA landscape.
The program commenced with participant registration and check-in, leading into an opening session led by Samuel Adeyemi. Adeyemi warmly welcomed attendees, highlighting the historic nature of the event as the first of its kind in Nigeria and emphasizing that the participants were, in effect, the pioneers of a much larger plan for Nigerian builders within the IOTA ecosystem. Following introductory interactions, DaRa took the floor to articulate the vision and goals of IOTA, delivering a focused presentation on the Trade Worldwide Information Network (TWIN), a significant initiative powered by IOTA. DaRa meticulously outlined the vast opportunities for developers and the unique programmability offered by IOTA, briefly touching upon its decade-long presence in the Web3 space. The core focus remained on IOTA’s foundational role as the infrastructure designed to power global trade and its essential concentration on supply chain management. The presentation involved exploring the IOTA homepage and a detailed breakdown of TWIN’s innovative solutions, highlighting the structure of the TWIN Foundation and the TWIN Ecosystem, which includes the Trade Logistic Information Pipeline (TLIP) and the Africa Digital Access and Public Infrastructure for Trade Initiative (ADAPT) initiative by AfCFTA.
A key highlight followed with a virtual address from Richard Mands, Head of DevRel at the IOTA Foundation. Mands delivered an electrifying opening statement, sharing insights into the meetup’s focus and current IOTA events worldwide. He passionately explained IOTA’s pragmatic strategy for achieving mass adoption in the Web3 domain: by becoming the core technology that enables Real World Assets (RWA) on-chain and facilitates tangible, practical blockchain use cases. Mands positioned IOTA as the indispensable Trust Layer for governing bodies, institutional players, and SMEs. Crucially, he provided detailed information on the incentivization programs available to developers, articulating a compelling case for why Nigerian builders should choose IOTA for their projects and expressing his profound enthusiasm for the local talent.
Following the strategic overview, the event transitioned into technical deep dives. Developer Chukwuemerio Ukeje delivered a comprehensive technical breakdown of the Move language, detailing its object-centric model, smart contract architecture, and essential practical development workflows. Subsequently, Gino Osahon, the Developer Advocate, explored IOTA’s sophisticated framework for Decentralized Identity (DID), clearly outlining the foundational Issuer–Holder–Verifier model and providing concrete examples of its real-world applications for achieving self-sovereign identity.
Finally, the meetup addressed the vital aspects of project growth and market engagement. Abisagboola Beloved AKA Achiever, a seasoned Business Development Expert, provided developers with crucial insights into effectively scaling their projects and navigating the complexities of the marketing landscape to ensure long-term viability and success.
The culmination of the day was an engaging Question and Answer session. All the speakers, including DaRa, Chukwuemerio Ukeje, Gino Osahon, and Abisagboola Beloved (Achiever), participated in a comprehensive discussion moderated by Samuel Adeyemi. This session provided attendees with a final opportunity to pose direct questions, fostering interactive dialogue and cementing the educational value of the entire meetup.
IOTA is evolving into a new phase to help builders globally scale their products on IOTA with rightful mentorship, grants, and hands-on development support from a robust DevRel team, marking the beginning of more workshops and IRL events, starting in Nigeria.
Check out iota.org and twindev.org to learn more about IOTA and it ecosystem
