Last updated 5 months ago
Africa has strong demand for blockchain, yet many people lack structured ways to learn about Cardano. Access to knowledge, ecosystem pathways and onboarding support remains uneven across regions.
We will set up Cardano hubs in strategic African regions. These hubs will offer learning, community support and clear pathways for people to join, build and take part in the Cardano ecosystem.
Please provide your proposal title
Wada-supported Cardano Africa Hub Expansion
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
60000
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
6
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Africa has strong demand for blockchain, yet many people lack structured ways to learn about Cardano. Access to knowledge, ecosystem pathways and onboarding support remains uneven across regions.
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
Please provide details on the intellectual property (IP) status of your project outputs, including whether they will be released as open source or retained under another licence.
All code will be published on GitHub under a permissive license. All educational resources including tutorials, documentation, templates and training materials will remain freely accessible. This ensures that hubs, developers and community members can reuse, adapt and expand the materials to strengthen Cardano’s growth.
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?
We are targeting young people, students, developers, entrepreneurs and local innovators who want to use technology to solve real problems in their communities. These groups are active learners and early adopters. They are the most likely to explore Cardano tools and share what they learn with others.
We will reach them through workshops, training and community meetups delivered through Wada-supported hubs across new strategic regions. We will also partner with universities, innovation centers and local tech groups to meet people where they already gather. Our hub leads and partners will use their existing community networks to make the outreach practical, trusted and easy to access.
This matters for Cardano because long-term adoption in Africa requires strong local communities who understand the technology and can apply it. We are creating clear pathways for people to learn Cardano, build skills and contribute to real ecosystem growth. This is to be done by expanding into new regions and strengthening hub-based engagement.
Such an approach will grow the developer base, deepen partnerships and anchor Cardano more firmly in Africa’s emerging digital economies.
Provide a list of key activities of your project:
What are your success metrics?
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
Our solution is to expand Wada’s proven regional hub model into new strategic African locations using the lessons, systems and results from our previous Catalyst-funded project “Expanding Cardano's Reach in Africa: New Hubs Outreach & Onboarding.” - https://projectcatalyst.io/funds/12/cardano-open-ecosystem/expanding-cardanos-reach-in-africa-new-hubs-outreach-and-onboarding
This new phase focuses on setting up 2–3 new Cardano hubs. They will be equipped with training, governance onboarding, community programs and partnerships that support long-term adoption.
Build on a proven Framework
Our earlier work showed that communities engage more strongly when support is local, hands-on and continuous. Based on those insights, we will apply the same tested framework which includes:
Summary stats from previous hub launch activities in Nigeria, Tanzania and Kenya from our past Catalyst Fund 12 project. - https://docs.google.com/document/d/14yYigTunzFtuNiW0UA0ldvr6MJ-eGhRe3F0iMgjS33M/edit?usp=sharing
Launch New Hubs in High-Potential Regions
We will establish new Cardano hubs in 2–3 strategic African markets such as Ethiopia, Rwanda, Zambia or other identified economies through our research in the previous work. Each hub will act as a local gateway for:
Wada Regional Hubs Map highlights the significant groundwork we have already laid across the continent with support from past Catalyst funding and strong community partnerships. - https://drive.google.com/file/d/11IUjOH8mHdu2tH_YUwMfA3x5zGGTf6KT/view?usp=sharing.
We have built an active and distributed network that drives education, innovation, governance participation and local adoption of Cardano with **13+ established hubs **operating in key African countries. This foundation enables us to strategically expand into new regions, strengthen ecosystem presence and scale impact. As we seek additional funding, our goal is to extend Cardano’s reach into more high-potential locations, deepen developer capacity and activate new communities across Africa.
Deliver Community Training and Governance Workshops
Each new hub will host a series of trainings and practical activities Such as:
This ensures communities learn by doing not only by listening.
Establish Local Partnerships
We will secure partnerships with:
These partners have helped to expand outreach, provided venues and shared knowledge as well as ensured local continuity. - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EN_Z5SdaN94exEMFBS9d8OMjxGqLmUdA?usp=sharing
Train and Support Hub Leads
We will recruit, onboard and train hub leads and volunteers. This includes:
Experienced hub leads from Nigeria, Kenya, Cameroon and Ghana will mentor new hubs directly.
Run Community Driven Launch Events
Each hub will host a Cardano launch event to introduce the ecosystem to local communities and stakeholders. This will help:
Document and Share Progress
To ensure transparency and public access:
Summary
Our solution is to expand Wada’s successful hub model into new regions where demand for blockchain learning is high but access is low. We intend to create long-term pathways for community participation, developer growth and real-world adoption across Africa.
This is strategically planned to be done through launching new hubs, training local leaders and building partnerships in addition to delivering Cardano education and governance onboarding.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
This project will create long-lasting value for the Cardano ecosystem by expanding its presence into new African regions and building structured hubs that help people learn, participate and innovate.
Each hub will serve as a reliable entry point for education, governance and real-world adoption. The impacts below outline how this project strengthens Cardano at multiple levels.
Growing Cardano’s Global Developer Pipeline
By establishing new hubs with clear training pathways, more developers and technical learners will be introduced to Cardano tools, frameworks, and best practices. These hubs will run regular workshops, onboarding sessions, and hands-on activities that help young people and developers gain the skills needed to build on Cardano. This increases the number of early builders, solution designers, and technical contributors entering the ecosystem from Africa’s large and rapidly growing developer market.
Increasing Participation in Cardano Governance
Each new hub will deliver a governance onboarding workshop to help people understand Cardano’s Voltaire framework. Participants will learn how to take part in voting, how proposals work, and how decentralized decision-making shapes the future of the ecosystem. This directly improves governance participation from African regions, bringing new perspectives and balanced representation into Cardano’s global governance system.
Strengthening Community Presence in New Regions
Hubs will serve as local “homes” for Cardano. They will host meetups, training sessions, problem-solving groups, and community-driven events. This kind of physical presence builds trust and consistency, making it easier for people to engage with Cardano in a safe and structured environment. Over time, these activities create stable communities that continue growing even after the project ends.
Creating High-value Partnerships with Local Institutions
The hubs will form partnerships with universities, innovation centers, and tech organizations. These relationships will open doors for research collaborations, student engagement, internship pathways, and industry applications of Cardano solutions. Universities especially provide long-term value as they bring a steady flow of young learners and innovators into the ecosystem.
Accelerating Adoption Through Local Innovation
By supporting entrepreneurs, small businesses, and innovators, the project will help people understand how Cardano can be used in practical ways—such as digital identity, payments, supply chains, transparency tools, and decentralized services. These real-world use cases strengthen Cardano’s position as a platform for solving everyday problems, not just building prototypes.
Improving ecosystem diversity and reliance
Expanding into new African regions brings in new voices, new cultural perspectives, and new forms of innovation. This strengthens Cardano by making it less dependent on activity from a few countries or regions.
Building Long-term Infrastructure for Ecosystem Growth
The hubs set up in this project will remain active after funding ends, supported by trained leads, local partnerships, and continued community engagement. This creates long-term infrastructure that supports Cardano education, outreach, governance, and project development for years. It ensures that Cardano’s presence across Africa becomes stable, sustainable, and deeply rooted.
Summary
This project will significantly expand Cardano’s presence across Africa by establishing new, well-supported regional hubs in high-potential countries such as Zambia, Rwanda and Ethiopia. The initiative directly strengthens Cardano’s global decentralization goals by increasing the number of trained contributors, governance participants and ecosystem builders in emerging markets. The project will create new entry points for key stakeholders like developers, students, innovators and community leaders through structured outreach and onboarding as well as localized activation.
Each new hub becomes a local engine for governance engagement, blockchain education and talent development in addition to project incubation. This will ensure long-term ecosystem growth. The multi-country readiness analysis ensures that expansion decisions are data-driven and this reduces risk and also enables targeted impact. The project maximizes the likelihood of adoption and sustained activity on the back of focusing on regions with strong university ecosystems, growing tech communities and governance openness.
Lastly, this expansion strengthens Cardano’s continental footprint and unlocks new pathways for builders leading to measurable growth in key areas such as participation, governance diversity, skill development and network resilience.
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?
Wada’s ability to deliver this project successfully is grounded in years of grassroots organizing, technical training and hub management across Africa. With 13+ established and operational hubs, Wada has a demonstrated capacity to coordinate large-scale multi-country initiatives with consistent standards and measurable outcomes.
Our existing hubs provide the operational backbone for new expansions. They supply:
Wada’s ongoing process of formalizing and licensing additional hubs further reinforces our commitment to structured growth and operational excellence. This ensures that new hubs do not operate in isolation but become part of a coordinated and a continent-wide network with shared standards and governance processes.
Our footprint across Africa gives us a clear understanding of logistical, regulatory and community challenges. This allows us to navigate them efficiently and deploy solutions tailored to each region. The combination of technical expertise, local presence, established workflows and experienced leadership makes the project not only feasible but highly scalable.
Wada is well-positioned to deliver sustainable outcomes that strengthen Cardano’s strategic reach, empower local communities and expand the network’s capacity for innovation and governance engagement.
Milestone Title
Outreach Preparation & Location Finalization
Milestone Outputs
A finalized list of 2–3 strategic countries for new hub establishment, supported by desk research, partner consultations, and regional readiness indicators.
Acceptance Criteria
Evidence of Completion
Documented selection crieria - PDF
Shortlist confirmation - PDF
Initial contact details from institutions - PDF
Delivery Month
1
Cost
10000
Progress
10 %
Milestone Title
Local Partnerships & Hub Onboarding Setup
Milestone Outputs
Partnership agreements and onboarding packages for selected regions, including training materials, governance workshop outlines, and community engagement guides.
Acceptance Criteria
Evidence of Completion
Formal acknowledgements from institutions - PDF
Onboarding materials - PDF or Video Links
Contact lists - PDF or Spreadsheet
Delivery Month
3
Cost
12000
Progress
30 %
Milestone Title
New Hub Setup & Training of Hub Leads
Milestone Outputs
Operational hubs established in each selected country with trained hub leads and basic operational structure in place.
Acceptance Criteria
Evidence of Completion
Physical space use documented - PDF
Hub lead agreements signed - PDF
Workshop materials - PDF or Video
Engagement activities - PDF
Delivery Month
4
Cost
17000
Progress
50 %
Milestone Title
Hub Setup and Launch
Milestone Outputs
Launch events delivered in each hub region, including community workshops, governance onboarding sessions, and introductory Cardano education activities.
Acceptance Criteria
Evidence of Completion
Delivery Month
5
Cost
12000
Progress
90 %
Milestone Title
Project Close-Out Report & Video
Milestone Outputs
A comprehensive project close-out report plus a short video summarizing key activities and outcomes.
Acceptance Criteria
Evidence of Completion
Project Close out report - PDF
Project Close out video - URL
Delivery Month
6
Cost
9000
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
Milestone 1 – Outreach Preparation (10,000 ADA)
Regional research, local validation calls, coordination with hub leads, and country readiness assessments.
Milestone 2 – Partnership Building & Onboarding Setup (12,000 ADA)
Develop outreach frameworks, localize content, engage universities, and prepare onboarding agreements and materials.
Milestone 3 – New Hub Setup & Lead Training (17,000 ADA)
Recruit and train hub coordinators, provide onboarding resources, and support knowledge transfer from experienced leads.
Milestones 4 & 5 – Launch Events & Reporting (21,000 ADA)
Run launch events, community activation, governance sessions, media documentation, and final reporting.
Full breakdown: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cdOvlHG7ctSZxtS5JZ54ypLJ_Caf_gWG/view?usp=sharing
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
This project delivers strong value for money by using a lean and an evidence-based approach to expand Cardano’s presence across Africa. The project also minimises operational risk and maximises community-level outcomes. The budget is strategically distributed across five milestones aligned with the lifecycle of hub development including validation, outreach, setup, activation and public launch. This structured approach ensures that resources are invested only after verification of readiness. It is designed purposely to reduce waste and ensure responsible use of treasury funds. The following points further justify value for money for the project.
Wada already operates 13+ regional hubs with established teams, training modules, governance workflows and digital collaboration tools. The project will leverage this structure and hence significantly reduce startup costs as well as avoid duplication of effort. Knowledge-transfer from existing hubs will minimise training expenses whereas shared digital assets will eliminate the need to rebuild systems from scratch.
The project builds on a detailed country readiness assessment from the previous project which ensures that treasury funds are invested only in regions with: high likelihood of community adoption, strong partner ecosystems, clear governance and infrastructure potential and lower operational and regulatory risk. This targeted expansion strategy ensures that every ADA spent contributes to measurable outcomes, that is from developer onboarding to governance participation and ecosystem growth.
The idea is designed to produce multiple high-impact outputs at a relatively low cost per country. Each milestone has a clearly defined scope, deliverables and acceptance criteria aligned with direct ecosystem value. Funding is tied to verified location readiness, confirmed partnerships and delivery of governance workshops. Others include documented training outcomes and public reports, photos, videos and data. This structured approach ensures high transparency and prevents resource leakage.
I confirm that the proposal is a non-technical initiative, with ≤20% of the budget for tech support.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal provides verifiable evidence (portfolio, links, reports) of the team's ability to deliver the project.
Yes
I confirm that the proposer and all team members are in good standing with prior Catalyst projects.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal includes clear objectives with both Output Metrics (what proposal did) and Adoption-Focused Metrics (what effect proposal had).
Yes
I confirm that the proposal clearly explains the user journey and provides a credible plan for how the project will equip and motivate users for future on-chain activity.
Yes
I confirm that the initiative clearly demonstrates how it will grow the Cardano ecosystem or onboard users.
Yes
I confirm that the project plan and timeline (≤ 12 months) are realistic and well-defined.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal commits to public outputs and justifies any exceptions.
Yes
I confirm that the budget adheres to all policies: it is for future work, follows the merchandise rule, and excludes establishing local treasuries, incentives/giveaways, re-grants.
Yes
I Agree
Yes
Samuel - Project Manager
Samuel Kobi has over 10 years of hands-on experience in IT Business Management and Administration. As the Hubs Coordination Lead at Wada Global Ltd, he brings a wealth of expertise in strategic planning, technology integration and community-driven innovation. Samuel holds an MBA with a specialization in IT Management and remains deeply committed to leveraging technology to drive impactful initiatives across Africa. His work focuses on building collaborative ecosystems that connect people, technology, and opportunity within the Web3 and blockchain space.
Roles
a) Responsible for overall project planning, coordination and execution.
b) Conducting comprehensive market research to identify regions with high demand for technology education and lack of existing infrastructure. Analyzing demographic data, technological landscapes and educational needs to inform decision-making.
c) Designs the outreach and engagement program to attract potential partners and community members. This role involves creating webinars, workshops, and promotional materials as well as developing strategies to engage with the target audience effectively.
d) Responsible for developing partnerships with local governments, educational institutions, and technology companies. It involves negotiating partnership agreements, coordinating meetings and ensuring that partnerships align with the project's goals and objectives.
Josh - Project Financial Manager
Has a combined 10+ years’ experience in fintech and startups, focused on banking, payments and lending across Europe, APAC and African continents. He brings his years of project management and team leadership experience, running teams for Start Up Bootcamp and as an organizer for a Danish enterprise accelerator.
Roles
a) Managing the project budget, tracks expenses and ensures that financial resources are allocated effectively. He will also prepare financial reports and forecasts to monitor the project's financial performance.
b) Monitoring project progress, evaluating outcomes, and identifying areas for improvement. He will develop metrics to measure the project's success and effectiveness and use data-driven insights to make informed decisions.
Nana Safo - Governance Workshop Coordinator
Nana Safo is a governance and project management professional with over four years of experience leading and delivering IT and blockchain-based initiatives. His work spans Africa and international ecosystems, with a focus on decentralized governance, community education, and project execution. As Governance Lead at Wada Global and a member of the Intersect Civics Committee, he actively contributes to shaping Cardano’s governance framework through education, policy engagement, and community participation. He brings a practical workshop coordination background, strong stakeholder coordination skills, and a commitment to building inclusive and effective digital governance systems across Africa.
Roles
a) Leading the design, facilitation, and delivery of governance workshops to build capacity and participation within the Cardano ecosystem.
b) Fostering collaboration between governance bodies and community members to strengthen decentralized decision-making.
Hub Leads - Community Engagement Coordinators:
Wada has an existing network of highly experienced and qualified hub leads across Africa. These individuals bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table, particularly regarding the intricacies of outreach and onboarding work. With a deep understanding of local contexts and community dynamics, they are adept at tailoring initiatives to effectively engage and empower diverse populations.
Roles
a) Facilitating community engagement efforts to involve local stakeholders in the project. This role involves organizing community events, managing communication channels and gathering feedback from community members.
b) Oversees the setup of physical infrastructure for the technology education hubs. This includes securing office space, setting up internet connectivity, and acquiring necessary equipment and furniture.
c) Coordinating the recruitment and training of hub staff. Ensure that staff members are properly trained to fulfill their roles and responsibilities within the hubs.