Please describe your proposed solution.

<u>THE CHALLENGE </u>

Knowledge indeed is power. Sadly, when it comes to knowledge on Cardano ecosystem, blockchain technology, cryptocurrency etc this is very lacking among students in Basic schools in Ghana.

This situation if unchecked will lead to the continuous backwardness of Africa when it comes to emerging technologies. Also if Cardano ecosystem is not sold to the youth early, other ecosystems might take advantage of this loophole and capitalize on it to their advantage.

<u>OUR APPROACH</u>

Children in Basic schools love to join innovative clubs that teaches them new and exciting things about computing and IT all the time. So we intend to start Cardano Academic GH across schools in Ghana. We will start these clubs in one of the fastest growing cities in Ghana, which is Tamale. Children in this part of Ghana mostly lack a lot of current and relevant information about so many things.

We will start Cardano Academy GH in the school I teach (Stepping stones education centers). The students in my school are very inquisitive and will love to be part of a club that will satisfy their

passion for new knowledge. These students will serve has the Ambassadors for this club. They will be preaching the good news of the Cardano ecosystem to their colleagues in other schools. This will lead to an explosion in membership and Ambassadors of Blockchain Academy GH.

<u>UNIQUENESS</u>

Cardano Academy GH is going to be one of its kind in Northern Ghana. This club will train children to eventually build dapp, smart contracts etc that could be deployed in the Cardano ecosystem for continuous improvements and development.

<u>BENEFICIARIES</u>

This project is going to immensely benefit the Cardano community in that as more and more children become aware of the Cardano ecosystem they will love to be a part of it and even choose a career path that will help to develop innovative ideas for the ecosystem.

Secondly their parents and older siblings will get to know of Cardano ecosystem and will join the community.

Thirdly Ghana will benefit from this increased awareness and knowledge of the Cardano ecosystem, cryptocurrencies and smart contracts etc. All these will go a long way to reduce youth unemployment, crime and poverty which are currently a major challenge for governments across the length and breadth of Africa.

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

By starting Cardano Academy GH the following will be addressed;

• The ignorance about the Cardano ecosystem will be resolved through aggressive education to give people in-depth knowledge.

• The misconceptions about cryptocurrency will be wiped out of the minds of the youth and the general public at large.

• There will be increased participation of Africans in the development of smart contracts, dapps etc

• Cardano will be a house hold name in Ghana and it’s currency the ADA will be the most preferred cryptocurrency in the country.

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

The following are the foreseeable hurdles likely to hinder the successful implementation of our project;

• <u>Resistance from parents</u>

People usually fight what they don’t understand or have misconstrued information about.

<u>SOLUTION</u>

We intend to embark on an intensive radio and television awareness program aimed at informing both parents and the general public of what Cardano Academy GH is all about and the benefits of being a part of the Cardano ecosystem.

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

• 4 Weeks from commencement

We will embark on a serious publicity campaign on Radio and Tv, thrice a week for four weeks. We will also have a float within the Central Business District before the launch of the club.

• 1 month after commencement

First Cardano Academy GH club will start in Stepping stones education centers

We will start another club in one of the schools we have included on our target list two weeks after the first club has been commissioned.

• 6 months from inception

At least 30 Cardano Academy GH clubs will start in six different schools with a total membership of 300.

Please provide a detailed budget breakdown.

<u>PUBLICITY</u>

• Radio advert 3x/week @$100=$300 x 4 = $1200
• Radio live session 1x/week @$500=$500 x 4 = $2000
• Television live session 1x/week@ $1500= $1500 x 4 = $6000

TOTAL = $9200

<u>LAUNCH & FLOAT</u>

• Hiring of low-loader truck for float for 3 hours @ $1100
• Renting sound system @ $300
• Renting canopies 6 @ $10 = $60
• Renting of chairs 200 @ $3 = $600
• Printing of banners 6”x3” 6pcs @ $300 = $1800
• Printing of branded T. Shirts 500pcs @ $10 = $5000
• Police escort and permit @ $600
• Rental of premises for launch @ $700
• Refreshment for 200 students @ $10 = $2000

TOTAL = $12160

<u>GADGETS</u>

• Canon camera 1pc @ $980
• Macbook Air 1pc @ $1330
• Projector 1pc @ $1000
• Projector screen 1pc @ $450

TOTAL = $3760

<u>MOBILITY</u>

• Means of transportation @ $9500

<u>ALLOWANCES</u>

• Blockchain Advocate and IT specialist = $2000

• Child Education Specialist = $2000

• Ambassadors (2 each in 30 schools) $20 x60 =$1200

TOTAL = $5200

CONTINGENCIES = $3000

GRAND TOTAL = $42820

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

• <u>Jeremiah Baani </u>

Jerry will be responsible for explaining and educating both the general public and students on radio and television about Cardano, Blockchain technology, cryptocurrency ( ADA),Smart Contracts, Dapps etc.

Jerry has been educating the youth in Ghana especially those in tertiary institutions about blockchain technology since 2016.

Currently, over 1000 youth in Ghana have been educated by Jerry.

He is also the ICT Tutor for the Nalerigu Nursing and Midwifery college.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/lqelGH_GqGk<https://meet.google.com/xnf-yjjs-xfo>

• <u>Appiah Kojo Owusu</u>

Appiah will be responsible for liaising with school Heads to start the Cardano Academy GH in their schools

He will also work to get the police permit for the float, the low loader truck, the canopies and chairs.

Appiah will also be taking part in the education of the public on radio and television. He will also be responsible for ensuring that the Cardano Academy has a well structured learning outline so that the children will not get bored.

Appiah has been teaching children in Basic schools for the past 12 years. He is currently the Curriculum Development Officer in Stepping Stones Education Centers in Tamale.

<u>AMBASSADORS</u>

There will be two teachers in each of the two schools who will serve as Ambassadors of Cardano Academy GH in their schools.

Their duty will be to get more students to join the club.

They will also help to organize the students when it is time for the club activity in their schools.

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

<u>LATER FUNDING</u>

Cardano Academy GH aspire to be a national club for Blockchain advocacy. In this regard we wish to spread from Tamale to the rest of the country.

As a result, after the successful implementation of this project in Tamale we will be replicating in the rest of the cities.

We will therefore return for further funding.

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

• <u>Questionnaire Response</u>

After one month of launching the Cardano Academy GH, a questionnaire will be prepared and given to people as well a student in schools to determine their knowledge/awareness of Cardano Academy GH. When we get 80% of respondents stating that they know about the Cardano Academy GH, then we are on track to achieve the goals of the project.

• <u>CLUB</u> <u>ATTENDANCE</u> & <u>ESTABLISHMENT</u>

Two month after inception, there should be at least 10 Cardano Academy GH clubs functional in ten schools with a membership of not less than 30 students in each of them.

<u>PICTURES & VIDEOS </u>

Pictures and videos of activities done in the Cardano Academy GH clubs will be taken and reviewed to assess the progress of the project.

What does success for this project look like?

By the end of the first phase of this project we expect to see the following,

• An increased involvement of people of Ghana in the Cardano ecosystem

• Increased development of dapps and smart contracts emerging from Ghana.

• The adoption and integration of blockchain technology into the educational curriculum of Ghana.

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

This is an entirely new project we are presenting