Cardano Ghana CIP-1694 Governance Working Group

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

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

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

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

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

To establish a team of passionate individuals for DReps role and Cardan’s Governance. Also to prepare for the upcoming CIP-1694 Global Constitutional Workshops and participation in Project Catalyst.

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

[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?

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

Frequent Updates: Meetings and activities of the working group will be publishing to keep the Cardano community updated via Cardano forum and our media handles.

Registration: Google Form will be used for membership registration. This form will constitute all the details of each member. The registration form will be made available to dReps and the entire Cardano community.  

Publication of Working Group Discussion: We will at the end of each meeting conduct a survey to know how members are responding to the training. The results from this survey will be made available to the Cardano community via Cardano forum and our media handles. 

Media Engagement & Marketing: Every meeting will be advertised on mainstream social media platforms and direct email to members of the working group. 

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

Working Group Overview

Blockchain governance working groups are cohorts formed to address the multifaceted challenges of governing decentralized blockchain networks. Their essence lies in their ability to foster collaboration, consensus-building and Educational outreach.

Collaboration: Cardano Ghana governance working group will bring together passionate individuals from various backgrounds, among will be potential DReps, delegators, developers, researchers, educators, entrepreneurs and users of the Cardano blockchain. By facilitating collaboration among these diverse groups, it will enable the pooling of expertise and perspectives necessary for effective implementation of CIP-1694. The working group will contribute to more informed and balanced decision-making processes of CIP-1694 and Project Catalyst.

Consensus-building: Governance in blockchain networks often requires making decisions that affect multiple stakeholders. The working group will be a forum for discussing different proposals, debating their merits and demerits, and ultimately reaching consensus on the best path forward. This consensus-building process is crucial for maintaining the integrity and stability of the Cardano blockchain as CIP-1694 comes to stay.

Educational outreach: The working group will also engage in educational initiatives to raise awareness about Cardano governance mechanism and its potential applications. This includes organizing workshops, webinars and conferences to share insights, discuss emerging trends and promote active participation in the Cardano governance and project catalyst.

In Summary, the essence of Cardano Ghana governance working group lies in the role as catalysts for collaboration, consensus-building and Educational outreach to promote Cardano blockchain and onboarding experience people to become DReps, vote power delegation and active participating in project catalyst.

Delegate Representatives (DReps)

DReps are a new role introduced in the Age of Voltaire as part of the governance model proposed under CIP-1694. DReps, stake pool operators, and the Constitutional Committee are responsible for voting on governance actions. Any ADA holder can register as a DRep.

DReps will play a crucial role in the decision-making process within the Cardano ecosystem, contributing to the democratic nature of the governance model. ADA holders may delegate their voting power to representatives who they feel are best equipped to best represent their interests. DReps play a pivotal role in shaping Cardano's governance.

Project Catalyst

Project Catalyst turns economic power into innovation power by using the Cardano Treasury to incentivize and fund community-approved ideas. The Cardano Ghana community plays active roles in project catalyst. The community participates as Proposers, Community Reviewers, Moderators, Milestone Reviewers and Proof of Live Verifiers. In Fund 11, eight (8) of our members were selected as PoL verifiers. The highest from all countries participated.

Implementation Strategy 

The working wills commerce by organizing a public event to officially launch the Cardano Ghana governance working group. This will be a one-day conference comprising of Cardano project teams in Ghana, potential DReps, delegators, developers, researchers, educators, entrepreneurs and users of the Cardano blockchain. The target number of attendees is — 50 in-person and 50 virtual, making it a hybrid event for those who cannot take part physically, totaling 100+ participants for the launch. The event facilitators will introduce participants to the Cardano Blockchain, Roadmap, Project Catalyst, the concept of Delegated Representative (DReps) and SPOs roles in Voltaire as well as the constitutional committee.  

After the launch, registration will be open for interested members. We will filter out the most experience member to constitute the working group. The selection process will be based on experience in project catalyst. The role/level in project catalyst as well as the number of Cardano events attended. We will prioritize more experience people over less once that is to say Milestones reviewers, Proof of Live verifiers, proposers and Catalyst L2 reviewers will be considered first, after few L1 and L0 will be added. The target number for the group is 30 people.   

Discussions on Cardano governance will follow by hosting series of webinars to delve more into the parameters of CIP-1694 and Project Catalyst. We will be discussing the Code of Conduct document written for DReps. This will make potential DReps in the group to understating the rules governing the DReps program. We will also have hand on practice of how to connect wallet to the SanchoNet site, how to request for Test ADA (TADA) and use it to register as a DRep and also delegate vote to a DRep. We will explore on the website as that is what will be used for implementation of the DRep program. Campaigning platform for DReps will also be explore for member to know where to look for delegators.

The working group will also make time to delve more into the roles of Project Catalyst, here members will share experience on how to scale to the top role in project catalyst (Milestone reviewer/PoL Verifier). What work best in writing proposals and aftermath of funding. The group will also select some Ghanaian catalyst funded projects for review by inviting the project team for discussing and their experience.

Going through this comprehensive discussing of knowledge sharing, the working group will be well prepared to contribute to the upcoming global constitutional committee workshops.    

Activity Timeline

August 2024, Working Group Launch

Organizing a public event to officially launch the Cardano Ghana governance working group. This will be a one-day conference comprising of Cardano project teams in Ghana, potential DReps, delegators, developers, researchers, educators, entrepreneurs and users of the Cardano blockchain. The target number of attendees is — 50 in-person and 50 virtual, making it a hybrid event for those who cannot take part physically, totaling 100+ participants for the launch.

September 2024, Registration of Members

Registration will be open (Two Weeks) for interested members. We will filter out the most experience member to constitute the working group. The target number for the working Group is thirty (30) people.

October 2024, Working Group Operations   

We will organize series of webinars to delve more into the parameters of CIP-1694 and Project Catalyst. We will be discussing the Code of Conduct document written for DReps. We will be exploring SanchoNet and LidoNation’s DReps Campaigning tools. Review of some funded proposals and other pertinent concepts about Cardano governance. 

November 2024, Educational Outreach   

The working group will organize physical event to raise awareness about Cardano governance mechanism and its potential applications. The event will commerce with an enlightening keynotes and panels on Voltaire (CIP-1694), Cardano Use-cases and roles in project catalyst. It will serve as platform for newbies to join the Cardano ecosystem. The target participant here is 50 people. 

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

Establishing a working group to participate in Cardano governance will have a significant impact on the overall effectiveness of Cardano Blockchain. Here are some potential impacts;

Decentralization and Security

Onboarding a diverse group of participants enhances decentralization, which is a fundamental principle of Cardano blockchain. This will help in distributing power and decision-making across the network, making it more resistant to attacks and censorship. Indeed, poorly executed onboarding process of DReps may lead to centralization if a small group gains excessive influence or control over the governance mechanisms.

Education and Skill Development

The onboarding meetups will serve as educational tools, helping participants understand the technical and governance aspects of Cardano blockchain. This will contributes to a more informed and capable community. Inadequate education and support during onboarding DReps may result in participants making uninformed decisions or being unable to contribute effectively.

Community Engagement

Effective onboarding fosters a sense of community and encourages active participation. This engagement is crucial for the success of CIP-1694 integration, as it ensures that decisions are made with input from a broad range of shareholders. If discussions are not inclusive or accessible, it can lead to a lack of diversity in governance, potentially excluding valuable perspectives and reducing the legitimacy of decentralization.

Transparency and Trust

Transparent onboarding of dReps will build trust among delegates. When individuals understand how decisions are made and have confidence in the governance mechanisms, they are more likely to actively participate. Lack of transparency in onboarding dReps may lead to suspicion or distrust within the community.

1. In summary, the impact of establishing Working Group for Cardano governance and project catalyst will ensure registered DReps and delegators from Ghana and continues participation in project catalyst.

2.    Enhanced Decision-making: By bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise, the governance working group will facilitate more informed and balanced decision-making processes as did in Catalyst working groups’ workshop.

3.    Efficiency and Effectiveness: By streamlining governance processes and eliminating redundancies, the working group will improve the efficiency and effectiveness in the implementation of CIP-1694 by participating in the constitutional workshops.

4.    Capacity Building: Through knowledge sharing and skill development initiatives, the governance working group will build the capacity of members to effectively fulfill their governance responsibilities in project catalyst and as delegated representatives.

5.    Long-term Sustainability: By establishing passionate team, the working group will contribute to the long-term sustainability and success of the Cardano ecosystem and project catalyst.

6. 180 people will be engaged on Cardano's governance.

7. 30 experience people will be prepared to participate in the incoming global constitutional workshops.

8. 50 newbies will be onboard through the educational outreach event which will be lead to 50 wallets creation and ideascale registration.    

[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?

CAPABILITY

Seidu, is a follow of Cardano Blockchain Certified Associates here , Administrator at Cardano Ghana Community, member of Intersect MBO and Technical Director at Chosen fintech solutions, a company Providing Blockchain & Cloud Computing Education and Empowerment to Newbies and users in the fintech space to enhance Mass adoption, Financial inclusion and Digital Asset Management. Seidu, is a graduate in economics and has strong skills in IT. Good at branding and graphics technology. He has over seven (7) years of experience in Blockchain & Cryptocurrency education.

Seidu, played a pivotal role at the launch of the Cardano Ghana community which is a Fund 10 funded project. Seidu, was also bill to speak on governance of Cardano at the 2023 Cardano Summit in kumasi. Seidu has been an active participant of Cardano project catalyst since fund eight (8), he has been a proposer, community reviver, moderator, voter and Proof of live verifier.

FEASIBILITY

Considering the reputation established by the Cardano Ghana community team on the number projects completed. It makes this project more feasibility as there is evidence of track record of past projects in both project catalyst and with Cardano foundation. We just hosted physical catalyst working group in Tamale Ghana. The focus area was funded projects incubation and acceleration for project catalyst as part of the catalyst working groups’ workshops. You can find evidence here. The team has hosted the Cardano summit three consecutive times in Ghana.

Our team is made up of four active participants in the Cardano ecosystem, the lead of the team is a Cardano Ambassador the person of Mohammed Mustapha. We are almost done with another funded project in fund 11 thus DReps Onboarding: Empowering Cardano Ghana Community. This project lay the foundation for this governance working groups as we have identify people who are interested in the Voltaire but lack information on. It is 75% complete, you can find evidence here.

The Cardano Ghana community was a fund 10 project which we have successful implemented. You can find closeout report here. We have also successfully executed a project in fund 9 thus Catalyst Campus Train. The aim was to educate and onboard 200 newbies in tertiary institutions to project catalyst. You can find the closeout report here.

The milestones of this project, it is clear for measurement of the progress. We have structure the project into four milestones with its associated estimated cost. Our budget is clearly breaking down showing how funds will be used to ensure success of the project. The timelines are also clearly stated and enough for us to execute the project thus four months. 

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

Estimated Cost: ₳ 12,000

Launch of Working Group

Organizing a physical event to officially launch the Cardano Ghana governance working group. This will be a one-day conference comprising of Cardano project teams in Ghana, potential DReps, delegators, developers, researchers, educators, entrepreneurs and users of the Cardano blockchain. The target number of attendees is — 50 in-person and 50 virtual, making it a hybrid event for those who cannot take part physically, totaling 100+ participants for the launch.

Estimated Cost: ₳ 10,000

Registration of Members

Registration will be open (Two Weeks) for interested members. We will filter out the most experience member to constitute the working group. The target number for the working Group is thirty (30) people. 

Estimated Cost: ₳ 11,000

Working Group Operation

We will organize series of webinars to delve more into the parameters of CIP-1694 and Project Catalyst. We will be discussing the Code of Conduct document written for DReps. We will be exploring SanchoNet and LidoNation’s DReps Campaigning tools. Review of some funded proposals and other pertinent concepts about Cardano governance. 

Estimated Cost: ₳ 12,000

Educational Outreach

The working group will organize physical event to raise awareness about Cardano governance mechanism and its potential applications. The event will commerce with an enlightening keynotes and panels on Voltaire (CIP-1694), Cardano Use-cases and roles in project catalyst. It will serve as platform for newbies to join the Cardano ecosystem. The target participant here is 50 people. 

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

Seidu Ziblim - Project Lead

Seidu, is a follow of Cardano Blockchain Certified Associates here , Administrator at Cardano Ghana Community, member of interest MBO and Technical Director at Chosen fintech solutions, a company Providing Blockchain & Cloud Computing Education and Empowerment to Newbies and users in the fintech

space to enhance Mass adoption, Financial inclusion and Digital Asset Management. Seidu, is a graduate in economics and has strong skills in IT. Good at branding and graphics technology. He has over seven (7) years of experience in Blockchain & Cryptocurrency education.

LinkedIn Profile here X(Twitter) Profile here

Mohammed Mustapha - Project Moderator

Mohammed Mustapha, is a Cardano Ambassador and founder of Cardano Ghana community, hosting Cardano meetups and community-led events at the Cardano Summit with the Cardano Foundation since 2021. He is an advocate for Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology in Ghana, with 8 years of experience hosting crypto events; educating, onboarding newbies and engaging crypto users for mass adoption and enhanced use cases. Catalyst Fund9 & Fund10 Funded Proposer (FP) & Catalyst Moderator, PoL Verifier, Milestone reviewer, Fund8 & Fund9 Challenge Team (CT) Lead for Grow Africa, Grow Cardano challenge category.

LinkedIn Profile here X(Twitter) Profile here

Fidelia Ayaabila - Project Secretary 

Fidelia Atampoaka Ayaabilla, a recent graduate of the University of Cape Coast, holds a degree in Social Sciences with a major in Economics. With a profound interest in technology and its societal implications, she is dedicated to making a positive impact on her community through volunteering. Her journey with Cardano began with organizing programs during Fund 8 at Upper East in Bolgatanga with Wada, where she effectively managed and mobilized participants, resulting in over 50 individuals being onboarded onto the Cardano blockchain ecosystem. Continuing her commitment, she actively engaged in proposal assessment during fund 9 and seized the opportunity to submit a proposal titled "Cardano Ladies Hub" under the theme "Grow Africa, Grow Cardano." Since then, she has remained dedicated to proposal assessment, now focusing on fund 11. Moreover, Fidelia played a pivotal role in the Catalyst Mini Working Group, successfully hosting more than 40 participants at the HOP In Academy and also played the role of a scribe. Through this platform, they provided comprehensive training on blockchain-related topics, emphasizing peer-to-peer mentorship. Excited about the possibilities that Cardano brings to empower communities globally, Fidelia is eager to collaborate with like-minded individuals and teams to drive meaningful impact.

LinkedIn Profile here X(Twitter) Profile here

Osman Mohammed - Project Organizer

Osman, is an undergraduate student at the University for Development Studies. He is studying Bachelor of Science Agriculture technology . He has about 3 years of experience in volunteering on Blockchain events. He has strong skills in organizing and is very conversant with engaging event attendees, partners and the core team to ensure a successful event. He will contribute to the proposal by ensuring that, all materials and logistics are procured and supplied to the team before every event takes place.

Email:osmanmo1988@uds.edu.gh 

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

Conference Hall (2) ₳2,500.00

T shirts printing for 150 participants and Team ₳5,500.00

Roll up banner (2) ₳3,500.00

Events Brochure (100) ₳3,000.00

Handbooks and Pens (30) ₳1,500.00

Internet Data stipends ₳6,500.00

Zoom and Google Meet Subscriptions ₳4,500.00

Snack and Water for 150 participants & Team ₳2,000.00

Lunch for participants 150 and team ₳5,000.00

Transportation and logistics ₳2,000.00

Marketing & Publicity ₳3,000.00

Photography ₳1000.00

Administrative Expenses ₳2,000.00

Incentive for team (welfare) ₳1000.00 

Contingency ₳2,000.00

TOTAL ₳45,000.00

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

• Considering the target participant thus the Cardano Ghana community these are people which so much interest in Cardano blockchain hence providing funds to educate them on Cardano governance will be good investment, the benefits and the need is worth supporting. This will be a win-win for the Cardano treasury and the Cardano community in Ghana.

• Capacity Building: Participation in the working group will provide valuable learning and development opportunities for members, enhancing their skills and competencies, which can translate into improved performance and efficiency in their respective project catalyst roles.

• On the number of people the project will impact is very significant thus 180+ beneficiaries. This will argument the effort of Cardano foundation for good number of people to understand the aim of CIP-1694 of which dReps is key component of. Indeed transition to the liquid democracy needs more collaborations from diverse people across the community to prevent Cardano blockchain from become centralized.

• Knowledge Sharing: The Working group will facilitate the exchange of knowledge and best practices among members, helping to build Cardano and project catalyst knowledge and expertise that can contribute to better decision-making and performance.

• Onboarding newbies: Considering the educational value of the events, it will provide more knowledge to the Cardano Ghana community on CIP-1694 and Cardano governance system. The project will also increase the Cardano Blockchain knowledge among the community members as well as the brand of Cardano blockchain since T-shirts will be provided. The number of newbies to onboard is also significant hence it will contribute to the growth of the Cardano ecosystem. 

• Ultimately, the value for money for the working group is derived from its ability to leverage collective expertise, foster collaboration and drive results that exceed the sum of individual efforts, this will optimizing resource allocation and minimizing costs.

• 30 experience people will be prepare to contribute to the CIP-1694 constitutional workshops.

• 50 newbies will be onboarded to cardano ecosystem along with 50 new wallets and ideascale accounts.

• 50 cardano users will be engage on the governance of cardano blockchain.

• Overall, 180+ participants will benefits from this project in diverse ways to improve the governance of cardano.