Sub-Sahara Africa (Cardano Mission)

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Project Brief:

We have come to realization that, at the the individual level, African Lawmakers can accept Blockchain and utilize it. therefore we want to have a have a one-on-one onboarding initiative with the local government representatives.

The Sub-Sahara Africa Project aim to engage with policy makers and local government representatives on a sensitization workshops and one-on-one meetings with the Projects Team; not to persuade but to discuss how Africa can increasingly advance in socio-economic growth through the adoption of cryptocurrency transactions and Cardano blockchain technologies for e-commerce and entrepreneurship frameworks and to onboard the local Government representatives on Cardano Blockchain and Project Catalyst at the individual levels. Fundamentally, the African continent must progressively embrace virtual currency technologies such as Cardano.

This is because Cardano mission in Africa is offering multiple advantages towards easing the way of doing business transactions across the African continent. However, there is still some hesitation within Africa’s governments towards fully adopting and adapting blockchain technologies to enhance digital financial services.

Principally, part of the sluggish embrace of the blockchain technology is due to the decentralization of the technology, making it difficult for governments to control such a technology.

However, such disadvantages should not discourage adoption of blockchain technologies, including cryptocurrencies, because of the upsides that blockchain technology-based solutions can bring for Africa’s challenges.

For example, Africa is reported as the second highest population that remain without banking facilities and technologies among adults in the world. This population is approximately 350 million people across the continent, totaling up to 17% of the global population.

Focused Audience:

Policy makers, Local government representatives, Traditional Banks Operators.

[IMPACT] Please describe how your proposed solution will address the Challenge that you have submitted it in.

Challenge Key Metric:

fundamental issues preventing Cardano adoption in Africa (priority)

The One-on-One meetings with Government Officials to discuss how Cardano Blockchain technology can support Africa’s financial digitalization and how this digital revolution can rescue numerous of Africa’s economies.

Number of new African projects seeded in 2022 (priority)

The Project Team believes that such a digitalization adoption can effectively enhance the service delivery with certain products and services through efficient institutional digitalization processes and data management in Africa.

Local partnerships formed (size of institution + influence) priority

The Workshop’s goal is to gather together practitioners, researchers and people from industry to discuss the progresses on the practical usage of blockchain technologies and smart contracts, focusing on the application and definition of software engineering principles and practices specific for such software technology, and for the technologies relying on it for government officials.

[IMPACT] What are the main risks that could prevent you from delivering the project successfully and please explain how you will mitigate each risk?

For-seen Risk:

Unfortunately, several African countries have banned the utilization of blockchain applications such as cryptocurrencies and consequently, this becomes a limitation towards socio-economic growth because of fears associated with financial fraud, difficulty in taxation control measures, and illicit financing of terrorist operations.

Mitigation Message:

Regardless of such challenges, cryptocurrencies are still touted as the solution to the unbanked Africans because they afford easier access to financial capital investments in the remotest communities. 

https://crystalblockchain.com/articles/2021-crypto-regulations-in-africa/

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed plan, including timeline and key milestones for delivering your proposal.

Roadmap: 

First Month- post funding:

• familiarization visits to the various local governments offices in various regions.
• Kick-off Meeting
• Stakeholders & Financial Regulatory Research, Compliance and Policy
• Identifying Problems in the local governments and how Cardano Blockchain can solve it
• Submitting an official invitation for the Cardano sensitization program
• Preparing Cardano branded souvenirs

Second month- post funding:

• workshops in 2 regions with the local government officials as guest of honors
• one-on-one meetings with various head of financial institutions
• Journal writing on Blockchain Education with the local Governments and the outcome of the projects.

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown.

Budget:

• Team & Internal Traveling cost: $8,500
• Workshops & Onboarding: $3,000
• Sensitization & Publicity: $2,500
• Events hosting & planning: $3,000
• Journal writing & publications: $3,500
• translation services: $3,000
• Sub-Sahara Africa media Coverage: $4500

Total Budget: $28,000

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide details of the people who will work on the project.

Bernard Brown: a Cryptocurrency Financial Advisor who is actively investing, trading, consulting and providing guidance that helps large number of Africans to save and gain financial stability in digital assets.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/Bernard-Brown-50358mac123/

Daniel D. Lezu: Cardano Advocator, Community Manager for the Catalyst Africa Town Hall and the Catalyst Africa School. Actively involved in Project Catalyst and implementing "Theatre For Change" funded in Fund 8. using Theatre to educate Students on Cardano Blockchain Technology and Projects Catalyst.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-david-lezu-7ba04b24/

Mr. Kpakpo Thompson: Financial Manager | Professional Trader & Investor |Cryptocurrency|NFT Talks.

Sarah Ndzigah: she is an independent reporter, focused on cryptocurrencies and NFTs. 

https://news.sarahndzigah.com/blog

Emmanuel Adjei: Policy Analyst, Research and Evaluation personnel.

+ Wada Ghana Team https://www.wada.org/about-us/

[FEASIBILITY] If you are funded, will you return to Catalyst in a later round for further funding? Please explain why / why not.

Notably, Africa is currently having a quiet discussion on digital currencies and associated emerging technologies and such discussions must continually progress and we shall seek for further funding.

[FEASIBILITY] Are you or any member of your team working on any other proposals in this Fund9?

[FEASIBILITY] Are you or your team working on any other proposals from previous Funds?

[AUDITABILITY] Please describe what you will measure to track your project's progress, and how will you measure these?

The Sub-Sahara Africa Project team believes in transparency, accountability and shall periodically update the community via seasonal reporting and welcomes openness to catalyst community members, and progress reports on Discord (https://discord.gg/nbTEHaH4) 

KPIs

The project aims to use the following indicators to measure progress.

• number of local Governments to attend the workshops
• number of policy makers to attend the sensitization program
• The Impact of the events on the financial regulations
• number of people to download the journals
• number of Government officials that will be onboarded at the individual level

[AUDITABILITY] What does success for this project look like?

Success is to see individual local Government representatives holding Ada wallets and onboarded on the Cardano Ecosystem.

See Local Governments considering Blockchain as the alternative Economic booster in Africa

[AUDITABILITY] Please provide information on whether this proposal is a continuation of a previously funded project in Catalyst or an entirely new one.

No, this proposal is entirely new

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Rating

SDG goals:

End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

SDG subgoals:

By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day

Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies, to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions

By 2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization

Key Performance Indicator (KPI):

Existence of a developed and operationalized national strategy for youth employment, as a distinct strategy or as part of a national employment strategy

Pro-poor public social spending

Universal Human Rights Index (UHRI):

#proposertoolsdg