Cardano Lagos Festival 2025: Catapulting Africa Into An Era Of Decentralized Governance.

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Mubarak Abayomi Oladimeji

[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

100000

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

5

[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)

To organize a large-scale Cardano event in Lagos to create more brand awareness and visibility for Cardano in Africa.

[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

The Cardano Lagos Festival Team will provide the following contents or documents to ensure the open-source status of the project;

1. A document highlighting the detailed acceptance metrics and statistical impact value for the project after completion.
2. The team will publicise the event's agenda at the moment of its commencement on its official social media platforms.
3. The team will provide media coverage of the main focal points of the event on social media for the perusal and entertainment of the general Cardano community.
4. The team will provide easy access, for the general public, to any data collated or gathered during the execution of this project.
5. Any other content relating to the open-source status of the project will be published on the official GitHub of the project or the medium account of any member of the team or any social platform

[METADATA] Horizons

Governance

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

PROBLEM: The Cardano Blockchain presents distinctive and unique features regarding technicality and fantastic use cases as a solution-providing blockchain. Over the years, entities like Input Output Global and Project Catalyst have commandeered a drive for innovative projects, products and solutions from community members, enhancing creativity and innovation in the Cardano ecosystem.

Despite this, Cardano has fallen short in terms of adoption and visibility for several reasons, ranging from; Negative Brand Perception in the wider blockchain ecosystem to Low Brand Awareness in certain regions or geographical locations in the world.

Compared with other mainstream adopted blockchains like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana, Cardano ranks quite high in terms of features and capabilities and even surpasses all three of them regarding certain features such as the decentralized governance model. Yet, these blockchain brands remain a step ahead with visibility and adoption.

SOLUTION: Tackling Cardano's marketability issues will require a multi-faceted approach from several avenues. Cardano Lagos Festival is an initiative designed and created to help in one of those avenues: the utilization of educational and promotional events to increase brand visibility and awareness at targeted regions. Our focus is on the African - or more specifically - the Nigerian geographical region.

Aside from Asia, Africa is the largest continent in terms of population and land mass. Within Africa, Nigeria is the leading country in population, with an estimated 218,500,000 million people and the fourth-largest GDP in Africa as of 2023.

Lagos state, the hub of commerce, industrial innovations and IT in Nigeria, ranks as the second most populous state or city in Nigeria with an estimated 17.5 million inhabitants and a GDP estimate of $136.6 billion. This places Lagos as a strategic and significant focal point in the initiation and execution of small and large-scale Cardano events to increase Cardano's brand's awareness and visibility.

With these statistics in mind, the Cardano Lagos Festival aims to bring a large-scale promotional event to the African community in Nigeria. The event, slated for 2025, will be the first large-scale Cardano event of the same similitude in Nigeria.

The Cardano Lagos Festival presents a well-ordered and arranged sequence of agenda items, chronologically arranged to give the best possible experience to the attendees. Cardano Lagos Festival 2025 will host at least 3500 Nigerians, who will be attending the event free of charge. All attendees from countries other than Nigeria will purchase tickets to participate in the event. The ticket prices will be very reasonable and affordable and will also account for accommodation costs and services for the duration of the event.

Cardano Lagos Festival 2025's theme; "Catapulting Africa Into An Era Of Decentralized Governance."

The event will feature many experienced and well-knowledgeable Nigerian and African speakers from the African Cardano community and potentially also some notable, global Cardano community leaders like Charles Hoskinson, Lloyd Duhon and Terence McCutcheon. The speakers aim to ensure that all attendees gain an in-depth understanding of the Cardano Blockchain, ecosystem and governance structure.

How does the Cardano Lagos Festival aim to improve Cardano's brand awareness in Nigeria?

Compared to blockchains like Solana, Ethereum and TON, Cardano is relatively unknown in the Nigerian community and crypto market, resulting in very little engagement in the Cardano ecosystem. Cardano Lagos Festival, as a large-scale promotional event project, provides an outlet to increase the brand awareness and visibility of Cardano. This method has proven very effective by other Blockchain and Web3 Brands who have successfully scaled mass adoption in the African Blockchain community.

A very efficient way to market Cardano is to market Cardano products. In light of that, the Cardano Lagos Festival aim to partner with several key entities in the Cardano ecosystem;

the founding entities;

Input Output Global

EMURGO

Cardano Foundation.

the governance entity/organisation;

IntersectMBO

the on-chain voting platform;

SummonPlatform

any of the $ADA wallet entities( choose one or two)

VESPR

Eternl

Yoroi

Daedalus

Every partnered entity will have a booth set up by Cardano Lagos Festival to market their products. This will help enhance product sales and boost each entity's brand visibility in Nigeria.

As part of “Cardano Lagos Festival 2025”, we are excited to announce our support to the “Cardano Euphoria Expo 2025”

https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/131038/comments/133110

Together, we are planning to promote Cardano events, ensuring our combined efforts amplify the reach and impact of the ecosystem in Europe and Africa. This partnership will further strengthen our shared vision for a decentralized future, fostering global connections across continents.

In summary, "Cardano Lagos Festival" is an initiative designed to solve the problem of Cardano's low brand awareness and negative brand perception

Cardano Lagos Festival 2025, as per its theme; "Catapulting Africa Into An Era Of Decentralized Governance," will feature educational side-discussions and panel sessions to help the attendees understand the intricacies of Cardano's structure and governance model.

The event will also feature networking activities and programmes to facilitate better collaborations and deeper engagements from Africa in the Cardano ecosystem.

Also, Cardano Lagos Festival 2025 will be looking to set up a meeting between African Investors/VCs and representatives of EMURGO and some other entities in the Cardano ecosystem to facilitate a mutually beneficial relationship for both parties.

Conclusively, the execution of this project is a step in the right direction to facilitate the mainstream adoption of Cardano in Africa's most populous country, and also increase the brand visibility of Cardano in Africa.

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

Cardano Lagos Festival 2025 will have the following impact on the Cardano ecosystem:

1. Increased Adoption of Cardano in Africa; Africa, and most particularly, Nigeria is a rapidly growing market for Blockchain technology due to its youthful population and the rising interest in DeFi. Cardano Lagos Festival, 2025 will introduce Cardano to a broader audience, including developers, investors and Web 3 enthusiasts in Nigeria and Africa, as a whole, thus leading to a surge in the use of Cardano-based solutions to solve African-generic problems.
2. Increased Awareness and Education; Many people in Africa are still unfamiliar with blockchain technology and Web3. Cardano Lagos Festival 2025 will include educational sessions to inform and enlighten the masses about the benefits of blockchain and the specific advantages of Cardano. Cardano Lagos Festival 2025, as per its theme; "Catapulting Africa Into An Era Of Decentralized Governance", will also facilitate educative discussions and panel sessions to enlighten and educate the African community about the intricacies of Cardano's governance model.
3. Expansion of Cardano's SDGs in Africa; Cardano Lagos Festival 2025 would help cement Cardano's position and reputation as a contender in blockchain for social and community good in Africa. This will enhance partnerships with African entities, leading to large-scale blockchain implementations and further establishing Cardano as a critical infrastructure for African economies.
4. Boost to Cardano's Ecosystem Economy: A large-scale event like the Cardano Lagos Festival will potentially attract developers, entrepreneurs, and investors, leading to more African startups building on Cardano's infrastructure and thus enhancing the economic growth of the Cardano ecosystem.
5. Market Confidence and Investor Interest; Hosting a large successful event indicates confidence in the future of Cardano and could attract more investors from the African sphere. Cardano Lagos Festival 2025 aims to showcase successful projects with fantastic use cases, encouraging investments in startups building on Cardano.

Metrics For Measuring Impact;

The quantitative and qualitative measures of the potential impact of this project are:

1. The number of registered attendees from Nigeria and Africa for the event
2. The number of registered attendees from continents other than Africa
3. Increased number of followers on all partners' social media accounts\
4. Increased long-term organic engagements on key Cardano social platforms and their activities. This can be achieved by making a monumental impression on the attendees regarding education and inspiration.
5. Increased number of members on the Discord Servers for IOG, EMURGO, and Cardano Foundation, IntersectMBO, SummonPlatform. In IntersectMBO's that is about 500% more members of the server.
6. Doubling the pool of African innovators, creators and community members in the Cardano ecosystem
7. Increased Brand Visibility of Cardano in Africa, and erased considerably the negative brand perception of Cardano in Nigeria, Africa. This may help attract African investors and VCs, with the right ethos, to invest, building a symbiotic relationship between African VCs, Investors, and the general African people

[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?

The Cardano Lagos Festival team comprises professionals with diverse expertise and experience, essential to the project's flawless execution. I, Mubarak Abayomi Oladimeji, is the Team Lead of Cardano Lagos Festival. I am a veritable and certified Content Writer/Marketer and Events Organiser. As the Chief Operating Officer of NexTrend Labs, I worked with the NexTrend Labs team, to organize a successful DRep Workshop in Lagos, Nigeria.

I am a certified Volunteer organizer of the 11th All African Universities Games, which was hosted by the Federal University of Lagos (UNILAG) and the Lagos State University (LASU), Nigeria.

Also more recently. I helped as a Core Team member and the COO of NexTrend Labs to facilitate an event in Nigeria. The event's main purpose was to educate community members of NexTrend Labs and Nigerians on the intricacies of Cardano's unique governance model.

I am an active member of the Cardano community, especially in IntersectMBO's Marketing WG, and I am currently contesting for a seat in IntersectMBO's 2024 Committee and Board election. My status as a frequent community contributor in Intersect and the wider Cardano ecosystem has given me comprehensive insight and hands-on experience in the intricacies of governance in the Cardano ecosystem. This makes me a viable representative from the Cardano ecosystem, to spearhead the Cardano Lagos Festival's drive for increased brand visibility and awareness in Lagos, Nigeria and, consequently, in Africa.

Aside from myself, the Cardano Lagos Festival team consists of Product managers, Content Writers, Graphic designers, UI/UX designers, DAO leaders and even past ambassadors of Web3 brands with fantastic track records.

Conclusively, my status as a member and contributor of IntersectMBO's Special Interest Transparency Group is a testimony to my dedication towards transparency and accountability. Hence, I will ensure that the project's report contains all necessary information to ensure accountability.

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

Initial Planning and Goal Setting

Activities;

• Defining Event Objectives: Clearly outline the goals of the event, which is; to increase brand awareness and visibility of Cardano in Nigeria, Africa
• Delegation of Roles: After assembling a team or planning committee, delegate particular roles to team members based on their expertise.
• Budget Reassessment and Partnership Planning: Performing a final budget reassessment of milestones to discover and integrate the discrepancies in estimation over time. Coordination and securing of partnerships and sponsors.
• Stakeholders Identification: Identification of key Stakeholders such as Cardano community leaders, influencers, local blockchain enthusiasts, developers, and government authorities.

Event Planning

Activities;

• Venue Selection: Choosing a venue that can accommodate the expected number of attendees, (about 3500 from Nigeria alone).
• Program Design: Defining the schedule (keynotes, panel sessions, networking sessions, media rounds, educational sessions, quizzes, etc)
• Speaker and Partner Invitations: Securing local and international speakers, including Charles Hoskinson, knowledgeable community leaders in Cardano like; Adam Rusch, Terence McCutcheon, and Lloyd Duhon, members of the Nigerian and African Cardano community and blockchain experts.
• Logistics Management: Ensuring contracts are in place for vendors, catering, AV equipment, signage, and security.
• Regulatory Compliance: Obtain any necessary permissions and ensure compliance with local laws and regulations for large events.

Marketing and Promotion

Activities;

• Event Branding: Promotion of Cardano Lagos Festival 2025 unique theme, "Catapulting Africa Into An Era Of Decentralized Governance." Promotion of its unique design graphics, and branding for the event.
• Digital Marketing Campaign: Launch a promotional, digital campaign targeting Lagos and the broader Nigerian and African blockchain communities, as well as the wider Cardano community.
• Partnerships: Collaborate with local tech organisations, universities' blockchain clubs and communities, like Blockchain Club Unilag to co-promote the event.
• Registration and Ticketing: Set up free online registration for Nigerians and residents of Lagos state. Utilize a ticketing platform to set up tickets for members of the wider Cardano community, globally.

Pre-Event Setup

Activities;

• Event Logistics Finalisation: Ensure that all materials, AV equipment, and spaces are prepared ahead of time.
• Attendee Communication: Send reminders and event details to all registered participants. Provide travel and accommodation information for out-of-town guests.
• Community Contribution: The Cardano Lagos Festival will utilize ATX_GOV DAO (its partner DAO in the Cardano ecosystem) to equip attendees with the ability to make certain, decentralized decisions about Cardano Lagos Festival 2025, such as breakfast and lunch options, accommodation selection (for migrant attendees), venue selection etc. ATX_GOV DAO is more than capable of executing this role as they already have exper
• Tech Readiness: Test all presentation equipment ahead of time to ensure all equipment is primed for the event.
• Team Training: Ensure all team members and contract staff are briefed on their roles and responsibilities.

Event Execution

Activities;

• Event Kickoff and Registration: Ensuring smooth registration and check-in process for attendees.
• Speakers and Panels: Manage the flow of presentations, ensuring speakers stay on schedule and audience engagement remains high. Facilitate the education of all attendees in Cardano and the structure of governance in the ecosystem.
• Networking Session: Facilitate breakout sessions, workshops, media rounds, and networking opportunities between attendees, developers, and investors.
• Feedback Collection: Distribute surveys or use QR codes to collect real-time feedback from participants, in preparation for the next Cardano Lagos Festival.

Post-Event Activities and Evaluation

Activities;

• Event Wrap-Up: Thank attendees, speakers, and sponsors. Ensure a smooth breakdown of the venue after the event.
• Report Generation: Creation of a post-event report outlining the event's success (attendance, feedback, key takeaways) for stakeholders and sponsors. The event report will contain explicit details about the success rate of Cardano Lagos Festival 2025 in meeting its proposed qualitative and quantitative metrics for measuring impact.
• Content Distribution: Share videos, photos, and keynotes from the event with the attendees (for those who might want to revisit sessions) and on social media to benefit those who could not attend or participate in the event.
• Follow-Up Communication and Onboarding: Send thank-you emails and further engage attendees in Cardano Lagos Festival's Discord and Telegram to ease the onboarding process into the Cardano ecosystem.
• Team Debrief: Conduct a team meeting to review successes, challenges and improvements for future events.

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

Cardano Lagos Festival Team comprises;

Mubarak Abayomi Oladimeji - Founder/Team Lead of Cardano Lagos Festival

Mubarak Oladimeji, also known as Kit Willow, is an active contributor to the Cardano ecosystem and an avid member of the African Cardano community. Mubarak is a Web3 Content Marketer/Writer, Certified Event Organizer, and an active IntersectMBO's Marketing Working Group member. Aside from his marketing skills and experience, Mubarak served as a volunteer organizer at the 11th All African Universities Games and gained hands-on experience in organizing a large-scale event. He will be responsible for coordinating and organising this project's execution, assigning tasks and roles to other team members based on their expertise and strengths, and ensuring that the project's milestones and deliverables are met in ample time.

Some relevant experience that makes him qualified for this role includes his position as the Chief Operating Officer of Next Trend Labs, where he worked to onboard Nigerians and Africans into the Cardano ecosystem, and his certification as a Volunteer Organizer in the 11th All African Universities Games, to mention a few.

Links to his social media pages can be found;

LinkedIn X(Twitter)

Miqdad Adams - Product Manager

Miqdad is a certified Product Manager and Blockchain Educator. He is a veritable blockchain expert, with five years of experience in Blockchain and cryptocurrencies relations. He is an executive member of Blockchain Club Unilag and has consequently helped in the Club's facilitation of the onboarding of Nigeria's students and youths into Blockchain and Web3. Over the years, Miqdad has worked as a Campus Ambassador to various Web3 and Cryptocurrency exchange brands like Binance and Huobi Global and has assisted in the organisation of events to promote those respective brands in Nigeria.

As a Product Manager, he will be responsible for defining the event strategies, creating and managing the 2025 Cardano Lagos Festival's budget, identifying potential risks and obstacles in the execution of the project and developing contingency plans to mitigate them.

Some relevant experience that makes him qualified for this role includes; Campus Ambassador, Binance and Huobi Global, Compliance Intern at A&D Forensics, Product Manager at Haut, Quality Assurance Officer at MSSN Unilag, Team Lead at Blockchain Infusion, Vice-President at Blockchain Club Unilag, etc.

Links to his social media pages can be found;

LinkedIn. X(Twitter) 

Nicodemus Rodriguez -Content Marketer and DAO Operator.

Nicodemus is a Content Marketer, Copywriter and DAO Consultant. He is a very active member of the Cardano community and the Lead of IntersectMBO's Marketing Working Group. He is also a member of Cardano's Interim Constitutional Committee (ICC) and has recently been elected as a member of the Constitutional Convention (CC). He has an excellent track record in service of the Cardano community. Nicodemus is the leader and operator of the ATX_GOV DAO which Cardano Lagos Festival will utilise to decentralise decision-making regarding the general experience of potential attendees and users. Hence, his major role as a member of the team will be to operate the ATX_GOV DAO to facilitate the successful integration of its unique decentralised features with Cardano Lagos Festival, 2025.

Links to his social media pages can be found;

LinkedIn X(Twitter) 

Caleb Alikwe-Devloper, Researcher. Founder/President Blockchain Club Unilag

Caleb is a Blockchain Developer and Researcher with over five years of experience in Blockchain and cryptocurrencies and a year experience in Smart Contract Auditing, Reverse Engineering, Systems Engineering, and Data Entry. Caleb will maintain accurate records of attendees' information and oversee the registration process. Aside from his developer experience, Caleb has vast experience organizing and facilitating Blockchain and Web3 Events which he was able to do in his capacity as the President and Founder of Blockchain Club Unilag.

Links to his social media pages can be found;

LinkedIn X(Twitter)

Acer XY- Lead Content Writer & Social Media Manager

Acer is an illustrious and excellent Content Writer and Social Media Manager with over four years of experience drafting highly compelling articles and blog posts. She will be responsible for the creation of captivating content about the project, and also for the management of the official Cardano Lagos Festival social media pages.

Links to her social media page can be found;

Twitter

Ifedimeji Omoniyi- Product Designer & UI/UX

Ifedimeji is a certified Product Designer with several years of experience. Ifedimeji's role will be to optimize user flows for registration and several other aspects of the event. As a UI/UX expert, Ifedimeji will be responsible for creating and designing a user-friendly website for Cardano Lagos Festival.

Aside from his expertise in Product Design, Ifedimeji has experience in the management and organisation of events, having performed in that capability, in the past, for Blockchain brands like Dapps Over Apps. Links to his social media pages can be found below;

LinkedIn X(Twitter)

Moses Adebayo- Content Creator

Moses is a Web3 Content Creator with over two years of experience. Moses will assist the Cardano Lagos Festival Content Creation team with coming up with highly engaging contents for the benefit of all attendees and the general audience.

The link to his social media page can be found;

X(Twitter) 

Olalekan Adeniran- Graphics Designer

Olalekan is a Graphics and UI/UX designer. He is responsible for designing promotional materials, such as; flyers, and social media graphics, for Cardano Lagos Festival 2025. He will also utilize his UI/UX skills to assist the other product designers in designing tools to enhance the overall experience of all users and attendees.

Links to his social media;

LinkedIn.  X(Twitter) 

Rikardo Rodriguez (R1K0)- Digital Artist

Ricardo Rodriguez, known as R1K0 is a graphics designer and digital artist. He will be responsible for coming up with designs and digital art in line with the promotion of the Cardano Lagos Festival. R1k0's artistry and mastery with designs make him a fantastic addition to the team.

Links to his social media pages can be found here;

LinkedIn.  X(Twitter)

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

Venue and Logistics (30% of budget)

• Venue Rental: $20,000 ADA
• Covers a large event space for the main conference, break-out rooms, networking areas, etc.
• Audio-Visual Equipment: $5,000 ADA
• Includes microphones, speakers, projectors, and screens.

   - Event Décor & Branding: $5,000 ADA

• Custom signage, branding, decorations, and booth setups.

   Total Estimated Cost:$30,000 ADA

Marketing and Promotions (20% of budget)

• Social Media Advertising & PR; $10,000 ADA
• Social media campaigns, influencer collaborations, PR services.
• Design & Content Creation: $5,000 ADA
• Costs for promotional material design (videos, graphics, flyers).
• Email Campaigns & SEO: $2,000 ADA
• Costs for targeting relevant audiences and boosting event visibility.

     -Utilizing University Campus societies - $3,000

     -(Campus societies like Blockchain Club Unilag can help spread awareness of the event to their members.)

       

   Total Estimated Cost:$20,000 ADA

Incentives, Workshop Materials, Quizzes, and Merch (14% of budget)

• Incentives for Quizzes and Merch:$10,000 ADA
• Covers fees for keynote speakers, workshop facilitators, and panelists.
• Workshops & Materials: $4,000 ADA
• Costs for organizing Cardano-related workshops, coding labs, and materials.

   Total Estimated Cost:$14,000 ADA

Event Staff and Security (15% of budget)

• Event Management Team: $10,000 ADA
• Event planning, coordination, and on-the-day staff.
• Security & Insurance: $5,000 ADA
• Security personnel and event liability insurance.

   Total Estimated Cost: $15,000 ADA

Food, Catering, and Hospitality (14% of budget)

• Catering Services: $8,000 ADA
• Includes food, drinks, coffee breaks, and snacks for attendees.
• Hospitality & VIP Packages(For Keynote Speakers and Panelist): $6,000 ADA
• Exclusive hospitality arrangements for VIPs and sponsors.

   Total Estimated Cost: $14,000 ADA

Registration, DAO Support and IT Support (3% of budget)

• Event Platform & Registration System: $2,000 ADA
• Software for event registration, ticketing, and attendee tracking.
• ATX_GOV DAO Support: :$1,000 ADA
• Ensures high-quality live streams and recordings for remote participants.

   Total Estimated Cost: $3,000 ADA

1. Miscellaneous & Contingency (4% of budget)

• Contingency Fund; $5,000 ADA
• For unexpected expenses or last-minute changes (permits, extra equipment, etc.).

   Total Estimated Cost: $4,000 ADA

Total Estimated Event Cost: $100,000 ADA

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

This project's value for money is intrinsically tied to its potential impact on the Cardano ecosystem. Cardano Lagos Festival's model, as a brand that brings large-scale Cardano event to Lagos, Nigeria, offers significant value for money due to the relatively low costs for venues, logistics, and staffing.

Also, Nigeria's strong interest in cryptocurrency and blockchain, combined with its large tech-savvy population ensures high engagement. Cardano Lagos Festival could attract local Nigerian sponsorships and endorsements, gain media exposure, and tap into Nigeria's growing tech talent pool, making it a strategic outlet for expanding Cardano's presence and increasing brand awareness.

Conclusively, I do believe the outlined costs combined with Nigeria's high growth potential will make this project a worthwile investment.