By this stage most of us will be familiar with WADA (West Africa Decentralized Alliance) and the pivotal work they do. From education to community engagement, they’re equipping developers and entrepreneurs to build dAPPS and businesses on the Cardano protocol. What makes this even more exciting is that blockchain technology hasn’t fully penetrated the region yet. Although WADA are consistent in their efforts to bring about development, they’re hugely limited by the capacity of their web application, which is currently static. In order to optimize outreach what they really need is a solid integrated management system. In what’s become a recurring theme, the local talent is already on hand to implement this, all that’s required is a little help from the Cardano community.
The Team’s Already on the Ground
WADA has teamed up with DITC (Disruptive IT Cameroon) to develop a solid, scalable, proof of concept decentralized application using Servant Server, Haskell and Elm. The first step is to architect and build a distributed integrated management system. The team of developers estimates they can complete this project within six to nine months. If successful, their proposal could result in WADA having the ability to streamline and optimise its proposed outreach mission. Allowing them to make the Cardano Catalyst project more accessible and understandable to the new developers they onboard. DITC consists of three functional programmers, all well versed in Haskell and Elm, one full stack developer, and an overall enthusiastic team that fully supports the WADA mission. It’s important to point out that this phase would also serve as a preparation programme for upcoming developers and entrepreneurs, who’d be working on a volunteer basis in an almost training school manner.
The Timeline for Completion
Phase 1: (3 month goals)
- Set up CI/CD logistics for web app development and management
- Architect solution and establish core and sub-domains
- Start implementing core domains
- Set up research and development team focused on DAG distributed ledger technology
Phase 2: (6 month goals)
- Finalize first iteration of web app
- Deploy to production environment
- Start initial research and development on DAG technology
Following on from the initial development stage they would explore the potential of the latest in distributed ledger technology (Directed Acyclic Graphs/DAG). This is necessary in order to build the required financial infrastructure for the software developers of tomorrow. The technology used is ground breaking on many levels, yet specifically suited to Africa, which is ripe for disruption. It offers scalability in a manner where blockchain technology currently falls short, addressing concerns at the level of micro-payments such as lower, almost non-existent transaction times, and fees.
A Functioning Integrated Management System
What they’re essentially trying to accomplish is the creation of a fully dynamic website.This updated site will allow them to gather more detailed information regarding onboarded members. They will be able to create task grips around topics like identity solutions, DeFi and other specific areas. In its current form the site is limited to a basic contact page, the team then has to get in touch with contactees via one to one phone calls, noting down all of their key information. An integrated management system would allow them to fully automate this process, creating a decentralized entity. Another functionality will be the importing of proposal information from Catalyst, providing a more in depth visibility and UI, incorporating the many aspects of a proposal that might be outside of PC proposal scope, such as videos and photos etc.
Eventually this will become an internal platform that those with a login (onboarded) can use to access resources in the network, such as developers, marketing experts and graphic designers. If somebody from Cameroon wanted to get in touch with someone in Senegal in order to start a project, this would be catered for. However, those without a login would have access to more fields, such as ‘specific skill set’. They would also be able to convey what they were hoping to bring to and receive from the network. From here they could then be granted ‘member status’.
Steps to complete the integrated management system
- Brainstorm WADA NETWORK SYSTEM domain space through iterative event storming sessions
- Architect solution space using Domain Driven Design principles, Micro Services, and Onion architecture strategies
- Identify and build core sub domains using Servant, Haskell, Elm, and Tachyons CSS
- Build supporting and generic sub domains using any other available tools
- Integrate the whole system and build web + mobile interface
Steps to architect the DAG
- Set up a Research and Development team within our IT Hub to explore graph theory
- Produce roadmap/white paper for eventual DAG implementation
- Follow roadmap
The Measurements of Success
- Training for WADA’s developer network
- Bullet proof developer ecosystem
- Improved Idea-scale proposal outreach and decision making process by optimizing the WADA network’s activities
- Future funding round–> Propose a unique and innovative DAG infrastructure and Developer Ecosystem solution based on the African paradigm
Key metrics to measure
- Number of trained developers
- GitHub repository ongoing activity
- Website traffic statistics
- Number of new partners and members joining the WADA network:
- submitting new proposals
- voting
The Price Tag for Development
The team behind this are driven by their passion to enhance Africa’s blockchain development. Fuelled by an impressive determination, they ‘re keen to point out that this project will be going ahead, with or without funding. The only thing to be affected would be the timeline, which would increase without funding. Their request is a modest $9000 USD, which will be allocated as follows.
Budget Breakdown for Phase 1
- Developers and Architect motivation: $7K (Developers and Architect motivation: This covers three months worth of motivations for our dev team. We would ask for more because what these people deserve could be way more but we really just want a boost to get this done. )
- CI/CD logistics cost: $1K (CI/CD logistics cost: $1K web/cloud hosting costs, code version control, online working space )
- Research and development motivation: $1K (Incentives for additional research players.)
Ecosystem by Name, Ecosystem by Nature
The word ecosystem is used a lot when referring to Cardano, yet it remains appropriate at almost every turn. WADA’s plan to combine completion of this much needed project with an on the job training academy is as practical as it is innovative. By nurturing and growing today’s upcoming talent they are planting the seeds for tomorrow’s harvest, thereby escaping the trap of dependence on external aid. The developers and entrepreneurs of the future will need to look no further than their own keyboards in order to achieve their goals, transcending the barriers that have so far stood in their way.
If you’d like to know more information or have questions/comments regarding the Smart Catalyst proposal, check out the link . Log in Project Catalyst (Ideascale.com) here
