The world’s getting smaller, corporations span the globe in an almost empirical manner. This is the age of instant communication, sending and receiving data at the touch of a button. This modus operandi has been greatly expedited by the recent pandemic, Zoom calls and working online have almost eradicated the need for face to face meetings. Indeed, almost everything we could need to operate a business is catered for by current technology. Technological development has made its way (to some extent) throughout most of the world, and even where it hasn’t, purpose driven entrepreneurs will usually find a way to transcend problems such as unreliable internet access. Yet, due to nothing more than a lack of information, the fruits of the Cardano tree remain unknown in their entirety, to a number of people within our sector. When most people hear the word Africa, their initial thoughts aren’t tech oriented. However, the continent has been silently progressing of late, giving rise to a sizable community of developers. This fresh generation is primed and ready to take advantage of Project Catalyst, they just don’t know it yet.
By now most people within the industry (and even those on the sidelines) are aware of Cardano’s relationship with Africa. From the soon to be detailed ‘Ethiopia deal’ to the entire vision at large, Africa and Cardano’s future is seemingly interlinked. Yet, while Africa is on a fast track to social and economic development as a result of the partnership, there are nuanced issues that still need addressing. One being, there is still a widespread lack of knowledge across the continent, especially in West Africa and specifically in relation to the Catalyst funding project
Raising Awareness Across Africa
Fortunately, there are plans in motion to change this. WADA (West Africa Decentralized Alliance) are seeking funding to set up a two day bilingual (French/English) virtual event, in order to raise awareness of Project Catalyst. The event will be attended by guest speakers and will demonstrate previous Catalyst proposals. There will be interviews and also a live Q&A, as well as 2×1 hour webinar workshops. It’s hoped and expected that this will provide entrepreneurs in the area with enough knowledge to plan and submit their own Catalyst proposals, which in turn will serve both their physical community and the Cardano community at large. The initial event will take place after a 30 day marketing campaign, to be initiated once funding is secured. During this period 2+ webinars will be held, offering introductions and ensuring that as many people as possible have a chance to sign up and attend the main event.
The Team Operating Behind the Scenes
Josh Fielding (WADA Global Lead), Mercy Tachie-Menson (WADA Comms Lead) and Vincent Katchavenda (Smart-Chain. fr Consultant) compose the team responsible for organising the project. They have extensive experience of delivering training, creating educational material and hosting online events, bringing expertise from the podcast world and start-up sphere. They also have experience as corporate training consultants. They’ll carry out this project by utilising a mixture of Zoom, Slido and Miro. It’s reassuring to have such a capable team working behind the scenes, on what’s sure to be a highly interactive and highly impactive virtual event. The strategy is clear and concise, they’ll target West African (and Diaspora) developers, entrepreneurs and other firms that are looking for funding and blockchain solutions, via Twitter, Clubhouse, Linkedin and also directly through websites. There’ll also be a heavy element of ad campaigns, across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The plan is to incentivise attendees with a three tier approach, first they sign up, they complete the event and finally submit a Catalyst proposal.
What Does Success Look Like?
The team aims to reach bright entrepreneurs and specialised firms, from within West Africa and the wider Diaspora. The overall goal being to teach them about Project Catalyst, and assist them in the process of submitting high-impact Catalyst proposals of their own. It’s an ambitious yet necessary project, and success will be measured via the following metrics.
- No. of Proposers Onboarded
- No. of Proposals Submitted
- No. of Successful Proposers from Event
- No. of Event Sign-ups
- No. of Event Attendees
- No. of Event Completions (Both days)
- No. of Articles written
- No. of Social Media Posts
- No. of Surveys
- % of Attendees/Catalyst Onboard
- % of Submitted/Success
- % of Surveys/Attendees
- $ of Total Funded (Success)
The team plans to garner at least 100 sign-ups, 50 attendees (to event completion), 20 developers onboarded to Catalyst,10 proposals submitted and two proposals actually funded. If successful, word of Project catalyst will likely spread throughout the region, bringing a host of fresh talent and untapped ingenuity to the Cardano ecosystem.
A Modest Funding Request
Considering what WADA aims to achieve with their proposal, and the value it will bring to both West Africa and the Cardano community, the small sum of $6000 USD does not seem like an extravagant request. In fact, it’s a testament to what this team can achieve with very little.
$2000 will go towards team costs (materials, onboarding and coordination)
$1000 Event costs (hosting, guest fees)
$3000 Marketing (ads, outreach and incentives)
Illuminating the On-chain World
Due to what is essentially just a lack of information, there are still those that remain unaware of the progress being made within our ecosystem. Our digital counterparts across West Africa are currently missing out on a large portion of what Cardano has to offer. However, this situation could be remedied if WADA are successful with their proposal. By raising awareness of Project Catalyst funding they could essentially breathe new life into the region, illuminating the on-chain world to entrepreneurs, developers and everyone else who might benefit, which in actuality will ultimately be the Cardano network as a whole.
“If we grow Africa, we grow Cardano.” Mercy Tachie-Menson.
If you’d like to know more information or have questions/comments regarding WADA’s proposal, check out the link. Log in- Project Catalyst (Ideascale.com).
