To launch Wada's Nigeria Hub, we seek to start working closely with universities to create orientation programs that introduce students to the world of Blockchain technology. This proposal will support: one major conference introducing students to Blockchain technology and Cardano, and then follow up events providing more hands on support to onboard developers into the ecosystem, followed by technical training and hackathons.
Some of the specific follow up we will provide post event will be concentrated in the two weeks post conference, and followed by more intensive developer training once we have significant engagement.
Week 1: General introduction and orientation program focusing on how blockchain technology works.
Week 2: Hand-holding into the Cardano ecosystem and Project Catalyst. We will help students to create ideascale logins and provide support on how to become a proposer, community advisor, or simply to vote.
Week 3: Once we have at least 50 students who are keen on learning more, we will launch the more technical training program by introducing them to the Plutus eco-system starting with the foundational language called Haskell.
Millions of youth in sub saharan Africa aren't left with many options when it comes to relevant education that reflects the current market situation. It is a pity because these universities are supposed to be hubs of spontaneous innovation and has that potential because of the energy that these environments possess.
We can look at the biggest companies today and trace their origins to a dorm room in a university. So this solution will not only provide education for these students but also be a catalyst by creating an enabling environment through hackathons and seminars that inspire them into creating the next major dApps on Cardano.
Through Wada and Project Catalyst funding we have created a Wada Nigeria Hub here on the ground. Through this proposal we will be boosting our hub's capacity and outreach by organizing one large event that will then funnel young developers into Wada's Haskell and Plutus training program and provide continued support via hands-on support from the Nigeria Hub locally.
There is the potential risk that the university bodies going on strike. Unfortunately this is not uncommon here in Nigeria, so our event date will remain flexible to ensure it can be held at a time where students will be on campus. In addition, there is often tension within the government when it comes to blockchain technology.
We plan to mitigate this risk by offering online options for our events through the Wada network as well as in person events. Additionally Wada's broader education and outreach initiatives include partnerships with organisations such as Global Policy House with whom we are working together to promote positive change at a policy level by gearing certain educational and outreach events at policy-makers and government officials.