MODEL ICT HUB FOR DEPRIVED STUDENTS

Executive Summary

• The rapidly advancing ICT sector helps in addressing social and economic problems caused by the rapid growth of youth populations in developing countries. ICTs offer better opportunities to young people for learning, skill development and employment. But there is a big gap in deprived communities as in the case of Northern Ghana. Many young men and women in the North East region (Nalerigu) lacks access to these basic ICT technologies and services. The reason being that there is no ICT center in the community which would have given them first access to these technologies. Nalerigu also happens to be the regional capital of the North east region. The absence of this basic ICT Hub compels these young men and women to travel to other regions to access basic ICT services such as ICT training programs, internet services etc. This is quite a disturbing issue for a regional capital with a population of over twenty thousand people to lack access to a basic ICT center to serve as a training hub for young men and women in the town and its neighboring communities and also serve as a center for rendering basic ICT services for the community.

• It is for this reason that I am seeking for funding for the setting up of an ICT hub for the Nalerigu community and its environs so they can also have access to basic ICT services without having to travel far to other regions to access these basic services.

Statement of Need

• Nalerigu is a fast growing community that has the potential of competing with other regions in terms of access and use of technology. But as it stands now the community lacks access to basic ICT services due to the unavailability of an ICT training/information center in the community. It is just a few people in the community who have access to these ICT services and probably some own a computer at home. These young women and men in Nalerigu and its environs after graduating from high school are in the process of transitioning from school to work. But for the continuous decrease in the employment rate in the country has made many of these young people facing these options; getting jobs in the informal economy with insecurity and poor wages and working conditions, getting jobs in the low-tier service industries, or developing their vocational skills to benefit from new opportunities in the professional and advanced technical sectors. Moreover, a large portion of these young people are not even lucky enough to choose among any of these options facing as a consequence, long-term unemployment, which makes them highly vulnerable and will end up indulging in various social vices.

• Therefore their opportunities for education are shuttered and people's prospects for improving the standard of their lives can seem almost totally absent.

Need for the project

In recent times, people in the town are lagging behind technology, despite the country being the one that evolved in the use of technology. There is little interaction in town due to the lack easy accessibility to internet services and computers. Students in the surrounding environs also find it difficult to research their academic works because of the lack of ICT centers and are forced to travel long distances for such basic services. The idea of Setting-up an ICT Hub is to ensure students of the town and its environs have access to the computers and internet and to serve as a training center to expose them to technologies that will help them build their careers in IT and also assist young people to interact socially and embrace emerging technologies such as blockchain and its opportunities for the African continent.

• The funds requested for the setting up of the model ICT hub in Nalerigu will consist of initial investment costs + 3 months recurring costs.

Main Deliverable:

• Provide basic ICT training for an initial 20 deprived young men and women in North east region.

• Cardano Meetup organization and popularization

• Cardano blockchain education.

• Developer brainstorming sessions on how to utilize cardano blockchain for writing simple dapps

• Education about Project Catalyst and how my audience can participate

• Create a model business hub for the young men and women at the regional level.

• Promote innovation and creativity, role modeling and mentoring in entrepreneurship among young women and men.

*****************IMPACT************

•Efficient utilization of cardano blockchain technology and its opportunities for the African continent.

• List of young men and women trained in ICT and business management skills

• Enhanced cardano blockchain knowledge and participation among these deprived students through project catalyst.

• Increased business development and management skills among young men and women trained.

• Enhanced computer and internet literacy and the use of e-business in business-computer literacy skills imparted.

• Better understanding of the entrepreneurial activities conducted by young men and women trained.

****FEASIBILITY****

Reference and Success stories:

• Over the past months, the WADA team in Ghana has completed several successful Youth and tertiary outreach meetup events in Northern Ghana, significantly increasing our visibility and thereby creating an avenue where we can further engage our audience by providing them with basic ICT services such as access to computers and internet to place them on an equal scale or level with their colleagues in other parts of the country and the world at large who already have access to these basic services.

• https://mobile.twitter.com/Jerrybnj/status/1459834123485384704

• 8 unique African countries and diaspora with expanding teams

• A membership platform in development for onboarding and virtual & in person training sessions

• Mentors and experts willing to support both the goals of WADA and Cardano

Geographical Area Served

In the regional capital of North east region of Ghana (Nalerigu).

Roadmap

1-2 months post funding

• A physical space acquired in Northern Ghana (Nalerigu) furnished with internet access, electricity, computers and other equipment.

3-6 months post funding

• The Model ICT hub is up and running under competent management and leadership.

• The ICT hub is delivering according to the needs and opportunities of the community such as organizing of recurring events, education about project catalyst and blockchain technology education (for all ages) and community outreach and events.

**Activity Launch Date:**

• We intend to commence in the month of February 2022.

****AUDITABILITY****

What success looks like:

• There will be a significant Cardano market awareness, adoption and expansion in Northern Ghana through our series of education & outreach programs, training and solution designs, continuous capacity building etc.

• improved living standards among the young men and women in Nalerigu.

• These students will become more knowledgeable about cardano blockchain and also participate through project catalyst.

• More job opportunities among the young men and women in the Nalerigu and its environs.

• Decrease in the number of young women and men moving into urban areas for basic ICT access.

• Reduction in social vices in the land of Nalerigu.

Metrics

• New participants recruited for the Cardano ecosystem

• New start-ups willing to create on the Cardano Blockchain

• Increase in Cardano protocol transactions originating from Northern Ghana.

**Budget($24000)**

Budget Breakdown:

• Facility – (Space rental & Maintenance.) $1000

Power (Electricity):

• Generator/Fuel $900

• stabilizers $200

• Batteries $100

• Internet Access – (adequate for global communications) $1300

• Computers, printers & other accessories $9000

• IOT devices, phones, projector etc $1200

• Networking – (Equipment/Installations etc) $500

• Insurance sevices - (Safety/ Hazards) $300

• Desks, tables, chairs etc. $3800

• Refreshments and other incentives for participants $800

• Training materials $1300

• Resource persons $1600

• Office supplies $600

• Travel cost $900

• Miscellaneous $500

***TEAM****

• Jeremiah Baani (https://mobile.twitter.com/Jerrybnj)

• Afia Owusu www.linkedin.com/in/afia-owusu-04911816

• Wada (https://wadalliance.org/)