Continental Logistics Protocol
Version 1.0 | December 2024
Africoin is a blockchain-based digital infrastructure protocol designed to revolutionize railway logistics and ticketing across Africa. Built on Polygon and Sui blockchains, Africoin introduces a novel 1% Burn Flywheel mechanism and Sovereign Proof-of-Safety (PoS) consensus to create a sustainable, decentralized railway network that scales with freight movement.
This whitepaper outlines the technical architecture, tokenomics, and governance model of the Africoin ecosystem, demonstrating how blockchain technology can solve Africa's infrastructure challenges while creating economic value for all stakeholders.
Africa's railway infrastructure faces critical challenges: fragmented networks, outdated ticketing systems, limited accessibility for rural populations, and lack of real-time tracking. Traditional solutions require massive capital investment and decades of implementation.
Africoin proposes a digital-first approach: a blockchain-based protocol that creates a unified railway network across Africa, enabling instant ticketing, transparent logistics, and community-driven governance. By leveraging NFT-based tickets, gasless transactions, and USSD accessibility, Africoin makes modern railway services available to everyone, from smartphone users to feature phone owners.
African railway networks are disconnected, with different gauge sizes, incompatible systems, and no unified ticketing. Cross-border travel requires multiple tickets, currencies, and operators.
Traditional ticketing systems require internet access, smartphones, and bank accounts—excluding millions of potential users. Feature phone users (60% of Africa's mobile users) have no digital ticketing options.
Freight logistics suffer from opacity: shippers cannot track cargo in real-time, leading to delays, theft, and inefficiency. Revenue leakage is common due to manual ticketing and cash transactions.
Blockchain transaction fees (gas) make micropayments impractical. A $2 train ticket cannot justify a $5 gas fee, limiting blockchain adoption for everyday use.
Africoin creates a single protocol for railway operations across Africa. One token (AFRC), one ticketing system, one tracking platform—regardless of country or operator.
Every ticket is an NFT on Polygon blockchain, providing:
Using Alchemy Gas Policy, Africoin sponsors transaction fees for users. Passengers pay only the ticket price—no gas fees, no wallet setup required.
Feature phone users can purchase tickets via USSD codes (*123#), pay with mobile money (M-Pesa, MTN Mobile Money), and receive SMS confirmations. No smartphone or internet required.
Sui blockchain provides fast event processing for real-time freight tracking. Shippers can monitor cargo location, temperature, and status throughout the journey.
Connects Sui events to Polygon NFT minting. Monitors wallet balance, gas prices, and transaction capacity. Provides HTTP endpoints for health checks and status monitoring.
Handles feature phone interactions via USSD codes. Manages sessions, processes payments, and triggers ticket minting. Integrates with M-Pesa and other mobile money providers.
Real-time operational control center for monitoring system health, blockchain status, wallet balances, IPFS uploads, and ticket lifecycle. Provides service controls and alert management.
Decentralized storage for ticket metadata (route, date, passenger details, QR codes). Ensures data availability even if centralized servers fail.
| Allocation | Percentage | Amount | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community & Sentinels | 45% | 450M AFRC | Rewards for network validators and users |
| Ecosystem Fund | 20% | 200M AFRC | Grants, partnerships, development |
| Liquidity Pool | 15% | 150M AFRC | DEX liquidity and market making |
| Core Team | 8% | 80M AFRC | 4-year vesting, 1-year cliff |
| Treasury | 7% | 70M AFRC | Operational expenses and reserves |
| Advisors | 5% | 50M AFRC | Strategic advisors, 2-year vesting |
A 100-ton shipment from Johannesburg to Lusaka costs 10,000 AFRC. The smart contract automatically burns 100 AFRC (1%), leaving 9,900 AFRC distributed to:
| Year | Freight Volume (tons) | Tokens Burned | Remaining Supply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 1M | 10M AFRC | 990M AFRC |
| Year 3 | 5M | 50M AFRC | 940M AFRC |
| Year 5 | 10M | 100M AFRC | 840M AFRC |
| Year 10 | 50M | 500M AFRC | 340M AFRC |
Sovereign Proof-of-Safety (PoS) is a novel consensus mechanism where network validators (Sentinels) stake AFRC tokens and verify railway safety compliance. Unlike traditional Proof-of-Stake, PoS validators must:
Sentinels are distributed validators who run nodes and monitor railway operations. They earn AFRC rewards for:
Sentinels validate safety metrics including:
Sentinels are penalized (slashed) for:
Africoin is governed by a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) where AFRC holders vote on:
Longer lock periods increase voting power, incentivizing long-term commitment.
Africoin represents a paradigm shift in African infrastructure development. By combining blockchain technology, mobile accessibility, and community governance, we create a sustainable, scalable railway network that grows with Africa's economic development.
The 1% Burn Flywheel ensures that as freight volume increases, token value appreciates—aligning incentives for all stakeholders. Sovereign Proof-of-Safety guarantees operational excellence through distributed validation. And USSD accessibility ensures no one is left behind.
Africoin is more than a token—it's the digital spine of Africa's logistics future.