This is going to be a learning journey wherein we will challenge local developers to solve a problem of group intellectual identity and ownership with an end goal of providing a verifiable certification on the Cardano blockchain.

Main Deliverable:

Create an NFT platform where local communities are given visibility in the global market in a way that allows them to claim rights as a community to their intellectual property.
Specific example: We will work with local communities to document fabric weaving pattern and design specific practices on the Cardano blockchain in such a way that designers like Louis Vitton will have a specific way to legally and fairly lease the rights to that pattern and print the designs on their merchandise. This is the long term vision. First, we need to address the problem of identity and ownership, especially in this context where it is a cultural identity belonging to many people and also holding similarities amongst geographically similar areas.

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How does the proposal fit into this challenge?

Solving this problem of arts, crafts IP ownership will give these groups a starting point to reclaim their rights to intellectual property in the form of creative arts where historically such things are often unfairly appropriated and drive business use case on Cardano.

How will this campaign add value to our ecosystem?

This will be a win win in preserving culture, cement NFTs IP use case and has the potential to create businesses with recurring NFT use requirements which increase utilization of the Cardano blockchain.

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Reference & Past Successes:

The Cardano protocol is becoming the go-to place for diverse NFT use case due to it's metadata capabilities and eUTxO model
This project will start in Ghana where WADA has a rapidly growing presence.
WADA continues to hold both virtual and in-person events for mentoring and onboarding new developers and entrepreneurs from Africa and diaspora. https://twitter.com/jaycidiq/status/1432106218923888640

Activities

Physical and virtual consultative research of SMEs (Subject Matter Experts)
General discussions surrounding group identity and ownership viewed through the African lens
Market Research
Hackathons to tackle specific identity and ownership solutions (subsequent phase)
Trainings related to ownership solution building (subsequent phase)
Live prototyping sessions (subsequent phase)
Showcase consultations with Anthropologists, local chiefs and local experts at live events and online through YouTube and podcast conversations (subsequent phase)

Budget 3 month $17K

Event Logistics (online platform, event registration, physical space rental) $4K
Events Publicity, Organization, Travel & Attendee incentives: $5K
Market Research $3K
Outreach Coordination & Team costs $5K

Roadmap

Launch Date: Q1 2022

Consultation & Documentation of Selected Indigenous Crafts in Ghana (focus of this proposal) -> Digitize with 3D artists and animators -> Certify with Cardano Native Token (Dev & legal team) -> Showcase on B2B/B2C web app (eg. sale of Kente fabric to Western buyer, Kente accredited as traditionally made and money goes back to the indigenous peoples via WADA community centers)

Risk Management

This will ultimately be a complex multi country endeavor and interactions with a wide range of cultures and communities within West and Central Africa with attendant complex logistics and implementation issues
To minimize risks, we will start in one country and one community and scale up based on our learnings.

Proposing Team

Thaka - Is the founder and CEO of https://www.takaii.com/ and is passionate about ethically sourced native crafts, art and designs.
Manfo - Technical Lead at WADA, passionate about identity solutions and ownership and honoring traditional practices through the modernization of technology https://www.linkedin.com/in/felicienfotiomanfo1642a479/
Mercy - Cordination Lead at WADA https://www.linkedin.com/in/mercy-tachie-menson-77b10931/

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What success looks like

Roadmap for creating NFT platform where local communities are given visibility in the global market created from Identity & Ownership consultation data.

Key Metrics:

No of event attendees
Quality consultation and market research data that feeds into an effective project roadmap
Roadmap for creating NFT platform
Follow-up questions and engagement from attendees
Number of attendees onboarded into WADA membership and Cardano platform

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Affiliated Proposals

Completed outcome

Download report

Monthly report

April 24, 2022 Progress report

Status:

On track: No

Estimated completion date: 05/25/2022

Summary

Ghana: Our partner Thaka is currently in Ghana visiting with different fashion contacts and learning more about traditional weaving methods, a more formal report of her trip will follow next month. Cameroon/ Congo: Manfo visited Congo to meet Ntumoi (Subject matter expert). Making the first contact in person was very valuable as this is someone who is extremely busy and we were able to lay out the groundwork for how we want to work with him. We set up a communication channel with and will develop a more specific track in terms of discussion topic details in the upcoming months.