Eqwiip - gateway for Developers in Africa to cardano ecosystem

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Kingsley Mensah

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Not Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Requested funds in ada

70000

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

6

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

A tailored made web platform for beginners and developers in Africa with resources and guides needed to understand, onboard, submit, review, and build ideas and tools on the cardano ecosystem.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

No dependencies

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

Our platform will be open to the public for any modifications. Also all APIs used will be open.

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

The current challenge faced by beginners and developers transitioning to Cardano is the lack of adequate tools and educational resources tailored to Cardano's ecosystem. Beginners and Developers in Africa often struggle to find specific guidance when transitioning to Cardano, hindering the growth and adoption of the platform. This gap creates a bottleneck, limiting the number of talented individuals and developers who can effectively contribute to the Cardano ecosystem. 

 

To address this problem, we propose the development of Eqwiip— A tailored made web platform for beginners and developers in Africa with resources and guides needed to understand, onboard, submit, review, build and develop ideas and tools on the cardano ecosystem. This will comprise a library, proposals directory, a local interactive community forum and hackathons.

 Our approach will combine a library, proposals directory, a local interactive community forum and hackathons, offering beginners and developers a personalized and comprehensive learning experience. This combination will empower beginners and developers in Africa transitioning to Cardano, enabling them to overcome challenges during the process.

 

In addition to assisting developers, our platform will provide an opportunity for existing developers and teams in the cardano community to interact with our users. 

 

Eqwiip aims to engage developers and youth in Africa interested in transitioning to Cardano, catering to varying levels of experience—from beginners to experienced developers. We will actively partner and involve the Cardano community to make this a successful platform.

 

Eqwiip in the future aims to ship amazing tools that also aims to reduce cumbersome tasks and process in the cardano ecosystem. 

To measure our impact, we will gather user feedback and evaluate engagement metrics to assess the effectiveness of the assets and tools provided by Eqwiip. Additionally, we will track the number of beginners and developers successfully transitioning to Cardano and showcase the projects they build on the platform. A Metric system will highlight all metrics across our platform demonstrating the impact of our project in expanding the developer community and fostering innovation within the Cardano ecosystem.

 

Furthermore, our platform will provide resources covering the A to Z of building on Cardano, along with specific guidance on Aiken, Marlowe and Demeter, ensuring developers have access to a

diverse range of educational content based on their interests and needs.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

The success of the Eqwiip will empower the Cardano Community by providing a vital resource and educational platform. It facilitates a seamless transition for beginners and developers in Africa fostering growth in the Cardano ecosystem.

We will measure impact through metrics like:

• real-time user engagement and Analytics,
• community engagement, feedback and collaborations
• ecosystem education, training and resources
• interactive Webinars, seminars and hackathons

 

Regular updates on the project's progress

will be shared through blog posts, newsletters and social media channels.

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

We have a team of experienced and qualified individuals with a proven track record of success in developing and delivering complex projects. We are also committed to transparency and accountability in all aspects of our work.

Project lead :

Kingsley Mensah is an experienced serial entrepreneur since 2018. He is the founder and CEO of Kingscel Technologies, a leading cloud hosting service company in Ghana since 2018. He also cofounded Speso Technologies, A next-generation payment and services infrastructure for people businesses and developers in Africa. Speso is currently available in two African countries, Ghana and Nigeria. In 2019, he was honored with the prestigious Star of Innovation Award by Hubei University of Technology in China for his groundbreaking work. The following year, he received the Young Achievers Award at the Pride of Africa Awards in Asia, presented by the Appreciate Africa Network. He was nominated in the 2023 Ghana Fintech Awards. He hopes to integrate Ada payments into Speso in the future. 

 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kingsley-mensah

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Ui/Ux research and design 

• Research to understand users preferences and behaviors to inform the design
• Surveys and user testing with mockups
• Design high-fidelity prototypes of the platform

Timeline: 1 month

Platform development 

• Establish platform architecture and stack
• Develop platform
• Testing and bug fixes

Timeline: 2month 

Integration of tools

• Cardano proposals API integration and testing
• Forum integration and testing
• Integrate a real-time public metric board
• Open beta to a few users for analysis and adjustments
• testing and bug fixes

Timeline: 2 months

Webinars, seminars and promotions

• Webinars and seminars
• Creation of content and resources
• Promotion and onboarding
• Hackathon

Timeline: ongoing

Completion report and close out video

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Project lead/manager – Kingsley mensah

Kingsley Mensah is an experience serial entrepreneur since 2018. He is the founder and CEO of Kingscel Technologies, a leading cloud hosting service company in Ghana since 2018. He also cofounded Speso Technologies, A next-generation payment and services infrastructure for people businesses and developers in Africa. Speso is currently available in two African countries , Ghana and Nigeria. In 2019, he was honored with the prestigious Star of Innovation Award by Hubei University of Technology in China for his groundbreaking work. The following year, he received the Young Achievers Award at the Pride of Africa Awards in Asia, presented by the Appreciate Africa Network. He was nominated in the 2023 Ghana Fintech Awards. He hopes to integrate Ada payments into Speso in the future. 

 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kingsley-mensah/

 

 

 

 

Snr Software engineer - Benjamin Manford

Benjamin is the cofounder and CTO of Speso Technologies, A next-generation payment and services infrastructure for people businesses and developers in Africa. Speso is currently available in two African countries, Ghana and Nigeria. He has worked as a software engineer for many international payments and software companies including Safeboda, AlexPay etc

He improved and maintained codebase using PHP and Elixir, resulting in a 25% increase in performance and a 50% decrease in bugs.

 Developed backend features for various services, resulting in a 40% increase in transactions and a 30% increase in customer satisfaction.

Addressed and resolved issues with services, resulting in an 85% reduction in customer complaints.

 Collaborated with the QA team and reduced code defects by 60% using Postman and code reviews.

 Utilized technologies such as Kubernetes, ElasticSearch, LaunchDarkly, DataDog, Retool, Docker, PostgreSQL, Redis, RabbitMQ, NewRelic, HoneyComb, and CircleCI.

 Conducted regular code and PR reviews to ensure the quality and maintainability of the codebase.

 Worked with a cross-functional team to implement best practices and improve the overall development process.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmanford/

 

Ui/Ux Designer – Thalith

A Visual Designer and UI/UX Designer with hands-on experience teaming up with like minds, corporate brands and personal brands necessary to communicate effectively. Developed and designed tailored pieces and products for startups, corporate bodies, Non-Governmental Organizations, corporations and currently creating people-centered products and designs for progressive thinking brands.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/salisuthalithridwan-3686429a/

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Development and Design: 20,000 ADA

Costs for developers and UI/UX designers for the platform development.

Software licenses and tools required for development.

 

Infrastructure and Hosting: 10,000 ADA

Server costs and hosting fees.

Security measures to protect user data.

 

 

Educational Content Creation: 20,000 ADA

Compensation for subject matter experts and educators.

Creation of educational materials

Webinar and tutorials

Hackathons

 

Marketing and promotion 10,000 ADA

Promotional campaigns to raise awareness.

social media promotion.

 

 

Project Management: 5,000 ADA

Project management tools and software.

 

Miscellaneous: 5,000 ADA

For unexpected expenses or changes in the project scope.

Total: 70,000 ADA

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

The cost of the project provides value for money for the Cardano ecosystem in several ways. The project aims to offer extensive support to developers and stakeholders transitioning to Cardano. By investing in the development of our platform and initiatives, the project ensures that the ecosystem has the necessary support infrastructure in place once the industry sees mass adoption. This comprehensive support enhances the overall experience for developers, making it easier for them to build on Cardano and increasing their productivity.