• This proposal aims to build on the achievements of our Planting Roots in Africa project by turning the already acquired space into a self-sustaining co-working space set up to attract people for organic blockchain awareness creation. It will fulfill the fund goal of "preparing a group of people willing and able to make contributions to the ecosystem"

• Even though the blockchain technology is fast-growing and being adopted in many countries and gradually being mainstreamed in national development agenda, the lack of requisite knowledge, understanding and capacity is hindering meaningful actions on the ground. This is largely because there is currently no organized effort in Ghana to provide targeted information and knowledge to understand the innovations that comes along with blockchain.

• The proposed Information Center sees tremendous opportunity in adding further innovative resources and technologies that could together enhance outreach, engagement, knowledge dissemination in regard to blockchain technology. In particular, the Center hopes to acquire technologies that will facilitate learning and engagement with students, in formal and non-formal learning contexts. The Center will put together a list of technological resources which when acquired could boost the capacity of the Center to pursue its mandate of knowledge production in blockchain and dissemination of same.

• The Center, when established, will provide opportunity for the public to visit and learn and adopt the blockchain technology. This is likely to have a ripple effect, thereby getting

• new people onto Cardano and Catalyst.

• The Center could also serve as a hub for outreach to the youth in tertiary institutions, workers and business owners to promote and raise awareness of Cardano and Catalyst;

• Other opportunities may include the organization of mini exhibitions and workshops to showcase the application of blockchain technologies, in various sectors in Ghana.

• Key materials to be used for communication include flyers, stickers, pull-ups, brochures, key rings, badges, banners etc, will be developed in different languages for ease of understanding.

Currently, there seem to be no major challenge foreseen in the implementation of this project. However, some risks envisage are outlined below:

1. The fear of schemes that have connections with cryptocurrency could make people reluctant and slow down patronage
2. The previous experience of people who have been involved in savings and loans schemes that ended as scams could affect people's confidence, thereby affecting patronage

However, we proposed to take proactive measures to reach out to prospective participants to alley their fears and encourage them to attend educational sessions

The project is expected to be completely executed within 3 to 4 months. An office space at Wada’s current office premises will be dedicated to the information center and will need to be appropriately equipped for that purpose.

The first month will be used to set up the office with furniture and equipment. Key tasks to be undertaken will be the procurement and set up/installation of office desks, chairs, and a simple office decor to make the center appealing.

During the second month, information materials will be developed in English and translated into French and other major local languages where possible. These will include simple leaflets, flyers, banners, pull ups, and brochures among others. These will be compiled into information packs to provide detailed yet simple information to visitors.

In month 3, the materials developed will go through the design and printing processes after which the center will officially open up to the general public. People will be able to walk in and either pick up an information pack or use the information center as a workspace and by so doing get acquainted with Cardano and blockchain. The center will be publicized mainly through social media ie. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp groups.

Summary of actives

• The first month will be used to furnish and install equipment.

• The second month will be used to develop leaflets, flyers, banners, pull ups, brochure in different , major local languages as well as in French for the benefit of friends from Francophone African countries.

• The third month will be for the production of the materials developed

• The final month will be used for commissioning to open the Center for use by general public.

Equipment

• Furniture (Desk (3), Chairs (8) = $2,000
• Laptop (1)= $1,200.00
• Desktop computer (1) = 1,200
• Video Coverage equipment - $2,500

Development of various information materials

• Translation = $500
• Development of flyers, booklets etc. = $1,500
• Production of the materials = $3,500

Volunteering time

• Transportation= $1,000
• Allowances = $2,000

Subtotal = $15,400

Administrative costs and overheads =1,200

Grand Total = $16,600

The team comprises seasoned persons with years of experience in management of information and development. Members of the team are also familiar with the Cardano protocol and have participated in all funding rounds.

Afia Owusu: Wada West Africa Lead, Environmentalist, CA for funds 6 and 7, vCA for fund 7, Idea Fest Host for funds 6 and 7, active in most Catalyst meetings (C4C, Town Halls, Idea Fest programs).

Mercy: Has a combined 25+ years' experience in Project Management and Engagement (West Africa, Canada) Healthcare (UK, Canada) and brings a wealth of experience and passion to this project. Mercy is responsible for WADA coordination, and building partnerships. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mercy-tachie-menson-77b10931/

Richmond Oppong: Graphic designer with an experience of 6years within Logo Designs, Print & Poster Designs, Business Card Designs, 3D Signages, and Mounting of Billboards. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Graphic Design from Takoradi Polytechnic, Takoradi-Ghana. Richmond is a blockchain enthusiast and actively part of the Cardano project catalyst community.

Telegram: <https://t.me/RichADA91>

Email: [email protected]

Daniel D. Lezu - Web Manager at Wada and a Front-End web developer. He holds Bachelors of Science in Information Technology from Bluecrest College and 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 Catalyst Challenge Team Lead for ‘Scale-UP Cardano’s Community Hubs’ challenge settings for fund 8. He envisioned using Blockchain Technology to bridge the gap between human capabilities and machine learning (AI & IoT). Reach him on the following platforms:

Assor Siaw: Translator

The success of the project will be measure using the following metrics:

1. The number of people patronizing the Center per day in the month
2. The number and types of educational materials produced
3. The number of people who have consulted to obtain guidelines to enable them to participate in Cardano/Catalyst activities
4. The number of people joining Cardano/Catalyst platforms as a result of the education received
5. The number of people presenting proposals for funding
6. Revenue generated from coworking space

Information Centers are designed to storing, processing and retrieving information for dissemination at regular intervals, on demand or selectively, according the needs of end users. At the end of the project we expect to see a fully equipped and vibrant Information Center, with some permanent and volunteer staff attending to the needs of patrons and offering blockchain education. We ultimately want to have a repository of public knowledge with regards to blockchain, Cardano/Catalyst in Ghana.

This project is a new one leveraging on previously funded project from a different source to acquire space.click to view pictures of the acquired space here.