Blockchain Revolution

IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES AND LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Blockchain technology is obviously not a panacea for the world’s economic and
financial woes. Technology does not create prosperity; people do. There are obstacles
to overcome and opportunities for leadership. The first is technical. According to
International Telecommunications Union data, there are still significant gaps in
Internet connectivity, either because the telecommunications infrastructure is poor or
because service is unaffordable.
67
The second is literacy. Using smart phones and interacting online requires a
workable level of literacy. In the United States, 18 percent of adults over the age of
sixteen read below the fifth-grade level, 30 percent have low math literary,
68
and 43
percent of these illiterate adults live in poverty.
69
Literacy is highly uneven in the
developing world. In many parts of Africa, literacy hovers around 50 percent, and the
problem is even more severe when comparing the genders. For example, in places like
Afghanistan, Niger, Sierra Leone, Chad, Mozambique, and other poor nations, the gap
between male and female literacy is a staggering 20 percent.
70
The third is corruption. Blockchain is a powerful tool, but like all technologies, it
is not inherently good or bad. People can harness brilliant technologies, from
electricity to the radio and through to the Internet, for benevolent or malevolent goals.
We need leadership from the institutions in society that can leverage blockchain
technology for good, such as aid groups, civil society organizations, companies, and
governments, right down to the individuals who are connecting to this vast network.
Only when these challenges have been met and overcome will blockchain technology
fulfill its potential as an instrument of global prosperity and positive change.

---

T