Last updated 8 months ago
Francophone innovators face language and technical barriers in participating in Project Catalyst.
Run a French-language Catalyst Bootcamp teaching submission tools, voting, and proposal writing—unlocking local potential for Fund15 and 16.
This is the total amount allocated to Catalyst Bootcamps 4 inclusion.
Please provide your proposal title
Catalyst Bootcamps 4 inclusion
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
17480
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
8
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Francophone innovators face language and technical barriers in participating in Project Catalyst.
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
The whole project will be public and shared to the community.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
Community
Who you’re targeting, how you’ll reach them, and why this matters for Cardano.
This project targets French-speaking innovators, entrepreneurs, students, and community leaders in Goma (DRC) and the surrounding Great Lakes region who have the potential to contribute to Project Catalyst but face language, technical, and onboarding barriers.
Provide a list of key activities of your project?
Key Activities
-Understanding Project Catalyst
-Using Catalyst app and official voting tools
-Writing strong proposals aligned with Fund challenges
What are your success metrics?
Here are some success metrics you can use for your Catalyst Bootcamp proposal:
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
Context & Justification
Project Catalyst is the world’s largest decentralized innovation fund, with over 2,000 proposals funded globally and +200 millions of ADA allocated to community-driven projects. It has attracted a global base of 85,000+ active participants, ranging from developers to entrepreneurs, NGOs, and educators. However, participation remains uneven, with some regions and language groups especially francophone Africa severely underrepresented.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the surrounding Great Lakes region, French is the dominant language, yet the vast majority of Project Catalyst materials, tools, and documentation are in English. This creates a double barrier:
Language Barrier : Potential contributors cannot easily access or understand official Catalyst guides, challenge briefs, or submission tools.
Technical Onboarding Barrier : Even when motivated, newcomers often lack practical guidance on how to write proposals, use the catalyst app, or participate other roles.
The result is that, despite a population of over 100 million people in the DRC and a rapidly growing digital adoption rate, francophone innovators remain almost invisible in Catalyst’s funded project list.
Other localized initiatives prove the demand exists:
Swahili Learn to Earn, a multilingual education initiative, onboarded 591 unique users (including 101 from the DRC) by offering incentives and accessible materials—showing that language adaptation dramatically boosts engagement.
From a macro perspective:
Mobile penetration in Africa is over 97%, and internet connectivity continues to grow, making mobile-friendly training and voting tools highly accessible.
The francophone population in Africa is projected to reach 700 million people by 2050 (World bank), making this one of the fastest-growing linguistic communities in the world.
The Catalyst Bootcamp directly addresses these gaps by offering:
French-language, localized training to break the language barrier
Hands-on proposal development sessions to overcome technical onboarding issues
Voting education to strengthen governance participation
Sustained engagement across Fund 14, Fund 15, and Fund 16, ensuring long-term impact and a growing pool of skilled community members
By running bootcamps for three consecutive Funds, we create a compounding effect:
This proposal is not just about teaching people to use Catalyst tools it’s about unlocking an entire region’s potential to contribute to Cardano’s growth, governance, and utility. By breaking down language and onboarding barriers, we turn passive observers into active builders, voters, and leaders in the ecosystem.
The Catalyst F14 Goma-Bootcamp
We recently held a successful Catalyst F14 Bootcamp in Goma, slightly after the official launch of Fund 14, Date 4th August with up to 50 In-person participants, bringing together passionate members of the local community eager to learn about Project Catalyst and Cardano’s ecosystem, we leverage our participation to community townhalls and forums to gather content, then adapt them.
The bootcamp featured hands-on workshops on proposal writing, voting processes, Community review and the use of official tools, all delivered in French to ensure accessibility. Despite limited resources, we managed to cover all operational costs including venue, materials, and logistics through personal funding and local support, demonstrating our strong commitment to empowering the community.
The positive feedback from participants and their active engagement throughout the sessions confirmed the high demand for such initiatives, proving that with proper guidance, the region can contribute meaningfully to Project Catalyst.
At the end of the bootcamp 70% of participants successfully created their accounts with Keychains on the catalyst app. See video here.
Given the bootcamp combination of proven demand, untapped market potential, and sustainable multi-Fund engagement, the Catalyst Bootcamp in Goma represents a high-return, low-risk investment for the global Cardano community.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
This proposal will significantly enhance the inclusivity and diversity of the Cardano community by empowering francophone innovators from Goma and the Great Lakes region to actively participate in Project Catalyst. By breaking down language and technical barriers, the bootcamp will unlock a wealth of untapped ideas and talents, increasing the quality and quantity of proposals submitted from this underrepresented region. It will also foster a stronger culture of voting participation and governance awareness, leading to more engaged and informed community members who shape Cardano’s future. Over multiple funding cycles, (F14,15 & 16) this initiative will create a sustainable pipeline of skilled contributors, driving regional innovation, local projects aligned with Cardano’s mission, and ultimately accelerating the global adoption of Cardano’s blockchain ecosystem. The bootcamp’s ripple effect will help diversify decision-making, enrich the ecosystem’s creativity, and ensure that Cardano’s growth is truly global and community-driven.
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 Goma Hub stands as one of the most consistent and committed community-driven blockchain hubs in the Cardano ecosystem, with a strong track record of activities since 2020. Its deep local roots, technical capacity, and governance engagement make it highly capable of delivering this project successfully.
We have developed and delivered high-impact educational content through our Onboarding Program, which has been running since 2020, producing videos and practical resources on Cardano and Project Catalyst.
In May 2024, we hosted a Catalyst Working Group that brought together local actors and Cardano community members to co-design future participation strategies. In July 2024, Goma Hub was selected to participate in the DRep Pioneer Education Program, reinforcing our role in educating future decentralized representatives.
We also launched and currently host the Intersect Wada Hub in Goma, further aligning our community with the evolution of Cardano governance structures. In August 2024, we hosted an Intersect Local Meetup, strengthening engagement with governance topics at the grassroots level.
Our consistent governance engagement since 2023, with workshops, meetups, training sessions and participation to the Constitutional Convention in Nairobi, ensures our team and local participants are not only informed but actively contributing to decentralized decision-making.
Other Key Capabilities:
We have the infrastructure, team, community, and long-term experience to scale this new initiative. Our success in hosting governance events and educational programs proves our feasibility and reliability as a local Cardano actor.
Milestone Title
Catalyst F15 Bootcamp Preparations & Delivery
Milestone Outputs
Acceptance Criteria
Evidence of Completion
Delivery Month
1
Cost
7866
Progress
40 %
Milestone Title
Catalyst F16 Bootcamp, Preps & delivery
Milestone Outputs
Acceptance Criteria
Evidence of Completion
Delivery Month
2
Cost
7866
Progress
40 %
Milestone Title
Project Wrap-Up & Impact Reporting
Milestone Outputs
Compile and share the final report and outcomes of the Catalyst Bootcamps sessions, highlighting participation, learning outcomes, and community impact. Provide transparent reporting to the Cardano community.
Acceptance Criteria
Evidence of Completion
Delivery Month
3
Cost
1748
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
The requested budget is 17480 ADA
More details here.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
The costs are based on industry standards, the complexity of tasks, and local market rates, to provide a reasonable budget.
The project team is skilled and experienced with creation and translation of educational content, project management etc., this reflects the costs in the budget.
Contingency Plan: We allocated 1000 ADA as a contingency fund to cover unforeseen events like requirement changes, ADA price fluctuations, or delays. This ensures we can handle unexpected challenges without affecting the project timeline or quality.
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
1. Martin Musagara : Project Lead | Goma DRep
Martin Musagara is a blockchain educator and community builder based in Goma, DRC. Active in the Cardano ecosystem since 2020, he leads the Goma Hub, where he has coordinated impactful initiatives in education, governance, and community development.
He leads the Goma Onboarding Program, produced multilingual educational content, and has been active in Project Catalyst since Fund 8. Martin participated in the DRep Pioneer Program, elected as a Cardano Constitutional convention Alternate, Co-hosted the Catalyst F14 Bootcamp, and several other Cardano related activities.
X account is here.
2. The Goma Hub team