Last updated 8 months ago
Communities need spaces to learn and grow, yet without resources, we risk losing the expertise of industry leaders who cannot rely solely on volunteering.
Sustain Wada’s weekly Forum series – live community sessions – retaining industry leaders, onboarding to Cardano and expanding community reach.
This is the total amount allocated to Beyond the Chain: Opening Africa’s doors to Cardano.
Please provide your proposal title
Beyond the Chain: Opening Africa’s doors to Cardano
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
60000
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
9
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Communities need spaces to learn and grow, yet without resources, we risk losing the expertise of industry leaders who cannot rely solely on volunteering.
Supporting links
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
No
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
No dependencies.
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
Yes
License and Additional Information
Creative Commons.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
Community Outreach
Who you’re targeting, how you’ll reach them, and why this matters for Cardano.
Africa’s 400M+ youth under 35 are the fastest-growing, most connected generation, turning to blockchain and AI to shape their future. Instead of pushing Cardano directly, we spark curiosity with big ideas—money, digital economies, decentralization—then reveal why Cardano is the best long-term fit. Through forums, web content, social media, and Wada’s grassroots networks, we build a powerful funnel that captures talent and ensures Africa chooses Cardano.
Provide a list of key activities of your project?
The Wada Forum drives impact with weekly online sessions on blockchain, AI, economics, and Cardano, backed by engaging content and interactive discussions. We feature guest experts, showcase projects, and promote across social media, universities, and grassroots networks. A redesigned website anchors resources and archives, while clear onboarding pathways connect participants to Cardano opportunities. Feedback and metrics ensure continuous growth and improvement.
What are your success metrics?
Success will be measured by:
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
The Wada Forum is a weekly conversation session held every Thursday on Zoom and/or X. Each week, we dive into different topics ranging from: Cardano governance, spotlight on funded projects from SNET and Catalyst, and explore emerging themes shaping the Cardano ecosystem. The format varies depending on the topic but generally we have slides to present information and often have panel discussions or round table conversations. It’s an open, interactive space where the community connects, learns, and discusses relevant topics.
We have been consistently delivering high-quality Cardano discussions in the past years with support from Intersect, Catalyst, and SingularityNET. Even beyond funded cycles, we have continued producing content— but the central challenge remains: how do we make this initiative sustainable and scalable?
In this next phase, we propose a strategic pivot: expanding the Forum into a dedicated space designed to engage Africa’s youth and young adults. The new format will go beyond Cardano specific updates to provide a foundational education in blockchain, AI, smart contracts, and economic sovereignty— all contextualized within Cardano’s mission and ecosystem. This ensures participants not only learn about Cardano, but also understand its relevance within the broader digital economy.
We are targeting youth and young adults across Africa, a demographic of over 400 million people under the age of 35— the fastest growing, most digitally connected generation in the world. Internet penetration is now above 40% and rapidly increasing, with millions turning to blockchain and digital finance as alternatives to traditional systems.
Instead of trying to onboard people directly into Cardano, which can feel limiting or overly complex, we first paint the bigger picture: money, digital economies, decentralization, blockchain, and AI. This broad approach captures curiosity and builds understanding, after which we can guide participants to discover why Cardano is uniquely suited for long term, inclusive adoption.
We will reach this audience through:
The reimagined Wada Forum will therefore be:
The program will run on a weekly cadence with rotating themes to maintain engagement:
This approach ensures ongoing education, visibility for community projects, and a pathway for youth to see Cardano not just as a blockchain, but as a vehicle for economic and technological development.
Wada Forum Highights: https://youtu.be/8UQZYpstYx0
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
The Wada Forum creates direct pathways for onboarding, education, and retention within the Cardano ecosystem, particularly across Africa — a region with enormous potential for adoption. By breaking down blockchain, AI, and economic concepts into accessible formats, we make Cardano approachable for newcomers, while also keeping existing community members engaged through advanced discussions and project showcases.
The impact will be felt in several ways:
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 Wada Forum has already proven its ability to deliver. For several years, we have run weekly sessions—even during gaps in funding—sustained purely by the dedication of our community and team. This resilience shows that the Forum is not just an idea but a tested, functioning initiative with strong community demand.
However, while we have demonstrated that we can operate gaps in funding, we also recognize that this is not sustainable, nor fair to the team members putting in the work. To maintain quality and consistency, our skilled team of moderators, graphic designers, and technical coordinators must be properly rewarded for their contributions. Funding will allow us to fairly compensate the people who make the Forum possible and to bring in external experts to further enrich the content.
Feasibility is grounded in our track record: the Forum has already worked. Over a 62 week span, the Wada forum successfully hosted 62 events, registering a cumulative total of 1,893 attendants. Attendance patterns show an average of 31 distinct participants per session, reflecting steady and meaningful engagement across the community. The majority of these events were hosted on Zoom, with selected sessions simultaneously broadcast live to X, thereby extending accessibility and visibility to a wider audience.
When compared with other community focused initiatives within Cardano, Wada’s engagement levels are notable. For instance, many community workshops and Catalyst town halls often report between 20–40 participants per session, placing Wada’s forum squarely within this active range. This consistency demonstrates that Wada’s forums are not only maintaining competitive attendance but also sustaining it over a long period, 62 consecutive weeks, which highlights reliability and organizational commitment.
To ensure ongoing success, we will validate our approach by continuing to track attendance and engagement, collecting structured feedback, and testing new formats (such as project showcases) before scaling them. This combination of proven delivery and continuous improvement ensures the Forum remains trustworthy, impactful, and accountable.
Milestone Title
Setup & Website Upgrade
Milestone Outputs
Outputs:
Acceptance Criteria
Acceptance Criteria:
Evidence of Completion
Evidence of Completion:
Delivery Month
2
Cost
15000
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
Forum Relaunch & Regular Sessions
Milestone Outputs
Outputs:
Acceptance Criteria
Acceptance Criteria:
Evidence of Completion
Evidence of Completion:
Delivery Month
5
Cost
150000
Progress
50 %
Milestone Title
Expert Engagement & Community Showcases
Milestone Outputs
Outputs:
Acceptance Criteria
Acceptance Criteria:
Evidence of Completion
Evidence of Completion:
Delivery Month
8
Cost
150000
Progress
80 %
Milestone Title
Evaluation & Sustainability Planning
Milestone Outputs
Outputs:
Acceptance Criteria
Acceptance Criteria:
Evidence of Completion
Evidence of Completion:
Delivery Month
9
Cost
15000
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
Expert & Speaker Honoraria – 15,000 ADA
Stipends for 10–15 guest speakers, ecosystem experts, and session facilitators to ensure high quality content.
Content Production & Platform – 12,000 ADA
Website update and hosting, graphic design, slides, session recordings, and editing.
Community Outreach & Engagement – 8,000 ADA
Marketing campaigns, social media promotion, and small participant engagement incentives.
Program Management & Coordination – 15,000 ADA
Staff or contractor time to organize weekly/monthly sessions, coordinate speakers, and track metrics.
Administration – 10,000 ADA
Compiling attendance and feedback, producing the third quarter impact report, hosting the close-out event, and providing follow-up resources.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
The Wada Forum has already proven it can deliver consistent, high quality content even without funding. With a modest budget of approximately 60K ADA for 9 months, we can scale delivery, fairly compensate our skilled team, and bring in external experts—while ensuring maximum community impact.
This investment represents strong value for the Cardano ecosystem because it will fund:
By comparison, 60K ADA is less than the cost of a single large conference, yet delivers almost a full year of sustained programming, education, and ecosystem visibility. This makes the Forum a highly efficient investment: instead of a one-off event, the community gains ongoing onboarding, retention, and global exposure that multiplies Cardano’s reach throughout Africa and beyond.
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
The Wada Forum is led by a committed team with complementary skills that ensure smooth operations, engaging content, and strong outreach:
Together, this team combines strategic direction, operational reliability, subject matter expertise, content preparation, and outreach, ensuring the Forum continues to deliver high quality, accessible discussions for the Cardano community.