Growing The African Tertiary Sector

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem.

Diversify the Cardano and Project Catalyst adoption rates in the African tertiary sector through a series of online workshops for university students, developers, and instructors.

[GENERAL] Summarize your relevant experience.

• Two (2) years of Cardano advocacy experience in the sub-Saharan region.
• Risen through the various ranks of Cardano community roles, except for CC rep and dRep.
• Mentored, educated, and guided most of the new African community members onboarded through Wada and personal workshops.

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

It is good to look at the picture from a broader perspective. However, focus on getting things done from one stage to another. The broader picture is to cover the whole of Africa, whilst the first stage is to start with Ghana, where I reside currently. 

I envision establishing this project to ensure it lasts and runs through till Catalyst is no more (if and only if it will be over though 😌)

My solution to the proposed problem is to host a series of online workshops titled "Time With Nana Safo" to engage, guide, and mentor tertiary students, developers, and instructors on how to become and contribute to not just the Catalyst community, but the Cardano ecosystem at large. The plan is to run this project around the following topics:

• Cardano 
• Project Catalyst

Various Catalyst roles (PA, vPA, Proposer, Referral, Challenge Team member, etc.)

• Cardano Dev Tools
• Cardano Wallets (Yoroi, Nami, CC Vault, Daedalus, etc.)

Project Structure:

• A new series will be launched right after the 'Assess QA stage' of each and every iterating catalyst funding round. This is to prepare the group of participants for their contribution to the community in the next cycle.
• This is going to be strictly an online workshop.
• Offline and online scouting strategies will be used to create awareness and onboard potential participants to social media platforms (WhatsApp).
• The target participants are university students, developers, and instructors.
• It is my goal to have at least 10 new active participants per series.
• For offline scouting, I plan to visit university blockchain hubs to deliver a foundational presentation on Cardano to arouse their interests, whilst scheduling a one-to-one meeting with instructors to run them through a foundation presentation/discussion.
• For online scouting, I plan to host meetings with potential participants who live on the outskirts of Accra to deliver the foundational presentation on Cardano. I see LinkedIn as a good spot where I can also scout for Ghanaian university students, developers, and instructors who can be tagged as potential participants prior to their engagements and activities.
• A WhatsApp platform will be created to onboard and engage potential participants for the workshops, whilst I migrate active participants to Telegram and Discord platforms for further engagement.
• As time goes on and the project begins to realize expansion with more hosts emerging from participation, the name of the series will be changed from "Time WIth Nana Safo" to "Time With African Catalyst" to reflect the true growth, mission, culture, and inclusiveness for all.

• Each series would have a time span of 6 weeks and iterate prior to the launch of the government phase of the next fund.

For each series, there will be 6 episodes.

Each episode would be scheduled for Sunday from 19:00 UTC to 20:30 UTC.

• The first episode of the series will cover a general introduction to blockchain, Cardano, Project Catalyst, Cardano Dev Tools, and Cardano Wallets. - Week 1
• The second episode of the series will dive deep into the "Proposal Assessor" process. - Week 2.
• The third episode of the series will dive deep into the "Proposer" process - Week 3.
• The fourth episode of the series will dive deep into the "Challenge Team" process - Week 4.
• The fifth episode of the series will dive deep into the "veteran Proposal Assessor" process - Week 5.
•  The last episode of the series will dive deep into the "Proposal Mentor" process - Week 6.
• With the help of online examination tools, participants would be evaluated to determine the rate of understanding at the end of each series. 
• A close-out report on that season would be drafted and posted on the reporting website.

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

The main aim of this proposal, which seeks to focus on Ghana as the first stage, is to ensure that the Ghanaian tertiary sector, especially students, instructors, and developers, is exposed to the accuracy of information revolving around blockchain, its capabilities, and most importantly, the opportunities it has for everyone.

This solution will increase the number of Ghanaian tertiary folks interested in the growth of the Cardano Community and blockchain solutions. At the end of a successful implementation, there will be an increase in the number of catalyst participants, the quality of Project Catalyst projects coming through from the Ghanaian tertiary sector, an increase in the number of Cardano Dev participants, and an increase in the number of individuals interested in blockchain. 

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

• Internet Issues: Ghana is predominantly one of the countries with poor internet access. However, the telcos like MTN and Vodafone have special services and fibre broadband offers for businesses, organizations, and individuals who need and can afford the best internet surfing experience. I plan to utilize this service and the fibre broadband offer since my line of work is going to rely mostly on the internet with ultra speed and strength. 
• Attendance: Naturally, people are sceptical about things they do not understand. This can affect attendance. The alternative solution is to be available and open to relevant questions, which would help uplift the understanding of potential participants even before the commissioning of the actual workshop episodes. For potential attendees who could not become active participants, they will still be engaged via the WhatsApp platform to determine what’s blocking them from becoming active participants and then address it if possible.
• Consistency in Financing: Regular funding to ensure the smooth workflow of this project is one of the key factors to consider as a challenge that may hinder the progress of the project. However, since this project is solely focused on the expansion of Cardano adoption in the African tertiary sector, I aim to rely on Catalyst for subsequent funding for a while by submitting a refined version of this proposal in every funding round to mitigate this risk until a suitable business module is generated. Again, I plan to save 25% of my salary in addition to grants and gifts I receive from peers on this project to ensure there’s always some percentage to keep the project going. Humbly open to suggestions and advice.
• Consistency in Workflow: Reliable workflow is essential to mark the return on the intention of a project. One may ask, is this project going to revolve around only one presenter? Well, the answer is no. Although the title of the workshops may sound like it’s going to be a sole presenter task, that’s not the case. Instead, it is going to be a train the trainer to train a trainer situation where Nana Safo is scheduled to be the main presenter. Opportunities would definitely be given to participants who opt to become trainers as well as to host the workshops as presenters. With this mitigation mechanism, there’s always a reliable workflow even when one presenter isn’t available.
• Inflation: It is most likely that the prices of goods and services wouldn’t be the same in the next 2 to 3 months, having studied the inflation margin as it keeps rising. To mitigate this challenge, a 5% gadget price add-on has been added to the original prices of all items to be bought, whilst 30% of the total amount for miscellaneous expenses takes care of unforeseen service fee increments.

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

Roadmap

This project is scheduled to be recurring for as long as Catalyst runs. Remember, the goal is to increase Cardano and Project Catalyst's adoption rate in the African tertiary sector through diversification. This means that I’ll surely host more series in iteration to ensure that the adoption rate of Cardano and Project Catalyst in the African tertiary is being uplifted. With this being said, I plan to attain at least a good percentage boost in the adoption rate per series. 

However, for all of these to be realized, both a virtual platform and a physical space (office) are required. Due to the passion I have for actualizing this project, I have been able to accumulate and use 95% of the rewards I have earned from my CA and vCA work to secure mini office space for the next 4 years ahead. What I am left to do, and for which I need Catalyst support, is to fully furnish and equip it with the necessary tools, like a personal computer, a camera, a microphone, etc., and then set up virtual platforms like Zoom, YouTube, and a website for the project. Thus, the roadmap looks like this:

1st to 30th-day post-funding; furnishing and equipping the office:

• The purchase of furnishings (office table, office chair, curtain blinds, woollen carpet, bookshelf, air conditioner, etc.).
• The installation of furnishings.
• The purchase of digital gadgets (camera, microphone, lighting, laptop, etc.) 
• The installation of digital gadgets.
• The development of a website for the project reports.
• The creation of a YouTube account for the project.

31st to 60th-day post-funding: setting up virtual platforms:

• The creation and subscription of a Zoom account for the project.
• The creation of relevant social media platforms (WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Twitter, and LinkedIn) for the project.
• Scout for potential participants from Ghana Communication Technology University via a face-to-face fundamental presentation.
• Add scouted potential participants to various social media platforms.
• Create and deliver workshop invitations to potential participants.

61st to 120th-day post-funding: preparation for the 1st series launch:

• Host and launch the “Time With Nana Safo” series. 

Each series would have a time span of 6 weeks and iterate prior to the launch of the government phase of the next fund.

• The first episode of the series will cover a general introduction to blockchain, Cardano, Project Catalyst, Cardano Dev Tools, and Stake Pool. - Week 1
• The second episode of the series will dive deep into the Proposal Assessor process. - Week 2.
• The third episode of the series will dive deep into the Proposer process - Week 3.
• The fourth episode of the series will dive deep into the Challenge Team process - Week 4.
• The fifth episode of the series will dive deep into the veteran Proposal Assessor process - Week 5.
•  The last episode of the series will dive deep into the Proposal Mentor process - Week 6.
• With the help of online examination tools, participants would be evaluated to determine the rate of understanding at the end of each series.

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown.

• Furnishings {(office chair, office table, bookshelf, lighting, air-conditioning) (Shop)}: 1,139 USD
• Digital gadgets cost {(Camera, Headset with microphone, Laptop) (Shop)}: 3,957 USD.
• Website development: 2,000 USD.
• Marketing and promotion: 2,000 USD.
• Maintenance cost (12 months): 1,500 USD.
• Fibre broadband installation cost: 1,000 USD.
• Workshop incentivization cost (3 months): 3,000 USD.
• Administrative costs (12 months of Internet data subscription, electricity subscription, YouTube subscription, Zoom subscription, G-Suite subscription, social media platform subscription, and project management tools): 2,000 USD
• Miscellaneous costs (12 months): 1,000 USD

Total: 17,596 USD rounded to 17,600 USD (per Catalyst demand).

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

Nana Safo: University Ambassador for Wada and the Blockchain Education Network (BEN) in Ghana, Co-proposer and Community Ambassador to Landano (A Catalyst funded project), Proposer, Project Lead, and Project Lead for Cardano Recycling DApp (A Catalyst funded project), Successful (Community Advisor (now Proposal Assessor) since Fund 4, Veteran Community Advisor (now veteran Proposal Assessor) since Fund 5, Proposal mentor since Fund 6, Challenge Team lead since Fund 7, Co-proposer since Fund 6, Proposer since Fund 7), former video editor for Brain-X TV, and a passionate Cardano and Blockchain advocate since 2020. 

Role: Project lead, management, host, and video editing.

Telegram: @Nana_Safo_01

Discord: Nana Safo#6233

Email: safonanakwadwo2a1@gmail.com

LinkedIn

Richmond Oppong: Richmond is a graphic designer with over 10 years of experience in logo design and marketing. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Graphic Design and Marketing from Takoradi Polytechnic, Takoradi-Ghana. Richmond is a blockchain enthusiast and is actively part of the Cardano project catalyst community. He is the design and marketing lead for Wada.

Role: Design and marketing.

Telegram: @Holiouz

Email: holious45@gmail.com

Daniel D. Lezu: Daniel is a front-end developer with more than five years of experience. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from Bluecrest College and a Professional Diploma in Software Engineering from IPMC Ghana. He is passionate about cloud computing, cyber security, and decentralized applications. He was a Community Advisor in Catalyst Fund 7 and the Catalyst Challenge Team Lead for ‘Scale-UP Cardano’s Community Hubs’ challenge setting for Fund 8. He envisioned using Blockchain Technology to bridge the gap between human capabilities and machine learning (AI & IoT). He is the engineer behind the Wada website.

Role: Website management.

Telegram: @ddlezu

Email: daniel@wada.org

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

Yes, Catalyst is first going to be the ultimate source of funds seeking to ensure that this project is iterating successfully until it reaches the self-sustaining stage. This is due to the nature of the project and the mission and vision it holds, which is to educate and ensure the adoption rate of Cardano among the tertiary sector is uplifting and has a positive impact on the ecosystem.

However, the budget would decrease drastically since subsequent requests for the next 12 months would only be for paying the skillsets helping with project implementation.

Self-sustainability for the project may be generated from the monetisation of the YouTube account in addition to some grants and gifts coming in from community members and participants who are interested in the project.

Humbly open to suggestions and advice.

[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?

Community Tracking of Project Progress:

• For tracking this project, I will be reporting to the community with evidence of progress attained so far through the monthly report form and the Catalyst Coordinator Chat group on Telegram until the project reporting website is fully functional.
• The actual series of “Time With Nana Safo” can be tracked through the website and YouTube channels that are scheduled to be created within the 1st to 30th-day post-funding. Links to these platforms, if ready, will be posted across all Cardano Catalyst communities.

Key Metrics:

• At least 10 active participants for each series.
• Active participants would be onboarded to Project Catalyst to contribute to various roles.
• At least 10 new Cardano wallets would be created for participants of each series (Yoroi, Nami, CC Vault).
• A good number of viewers for the YouTube uploaded version of the series. This cannot be quantified because we do not know who will be visiting YouTube and at what time they will be doing that. However, I expect a progressive viewership and visits to the channel. A figure for this activity can be tracked on YouTube by the community after a month of posting content to the channel.
• Also, I envision participants who may not have grasped the full understanding to follow up with questions seeking clarity and guidance. The figure for this will be posted to the community as it comes along.

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

Having a strong network of university students, developers, and instructors from the tertiary sector engaged in the Cardano ecosystem by contributing to Project Catalyst and other areas like SPO and development would be a win-win-win.

At the end of each series,

• At least 10 individuals (university students, developers, and instructors) in the tertiary sector have participated in the workshops and are aware of Cardano and Project Catalyst.
• A good percentage of the total participants have signed up to become part of the Cardano and Project Catalyst communities.
• Participants who sign up to become part of the community contribute to the growth of the community through their participation in various roles.

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

This is a new proposal.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Rating

Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.