Please describe your proposed solution.

<u>BACKGROUND: </u>

Catalyst Campus Train was voted and funded in Fund9 with plans to return to project catalyst for further funding to scale the impact and extend outreach to more audiences. It was successfully executed from November 2022 to February 2023 with a total of 200+ students being onboarded to project catalyst. Reference here - https://www.lidonation.com/en/proposals/catalyst-campus-train-f9

The Scale-up Catalyst Campus Train is the second version of the Campus Train and seeks to organize a series of conferences to be hosted at five (5) university campuses in Ghana where CARDANO PROJECT CATALYST is ABSENT or NOT ACTIVE, to introduce and promote the ideals of Project Catalyst. These train of events seek to educate the students on the ideas of blockchain technology and develop their skills in blockchain entrepreneurship and empower them with the catalyst funding opportunity for them to create solutions and leverage catalysts to solve problems in their communities.

<u>IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY</u>

The Scale-up Catalyst Campus Train will be a one-day event to be hosted at each of the targeted five (5) university campuses in five(5) months; each month for a campus, on the topics; Introduction to Cryptocurrency, Blockchain technology, and Cardano Blockchain & Project Catalyst.

INTRODUCTION TO CRYPTOCURRENCY SESSION:

This will be a meetup to introduce students to the cryptocurrency and blockchain revolution since most of them may be newbies or newcomers to the crypto space. This will provide an insight into the fundamentals of digital currencies, the impact of the satoshi community and what potentials and resources are available in blockchain technology. The session will also educate participants on the evolution of money; from barter to bitcoin. Participants will also learn how to download, install and set up Yoroi wallets; mobile and web wallets, and then be trained on sending and receiving ADA, staking ADA and trading ADA with other tokens and currencies on exchange platforms.

BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY SESSION

This session will educate participants on the blockchain revolution, and the history of the bitcoin whitepaper by the anonymous Satoshi Nakamoto group. Attendees will get the opportunity to learn other use cases of blockchain such as smart contracts, metaverse, supply chain, operations, fintech, and web3 among others. Participants will learn about the Cardano blockchain and how they can build innovative solutions on it as well as benefit from the existing solutions on the Cardano blockchain.

CARDANO BLOCKCHAIN & PROJECT CATALYST SESSION

This session will introduce participants to project catalyst to explain its purpose, opportunities and resources available for these students to leverage. The session will cover catalyst challenges, Proposal Assessment, Challenge Team, Ideascale account creation, proposal submission, governance, execution and reporting of proposals to the catalyst community. Participants will at the end of the day, be abreast with cryptocurrencies, Cardano blockchain and project catalyst.

How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

This project will provide students; undergraduate and graduate students with a FREE platform to access entrepreneurial tools and resources that will empower them to implement their business ideas conveniently. This will boost graduate employment and minimize the high rate of graduate unemployment in Ghana. We believe that, when these students are introduced to the Catalyst learning resources, networking communities and funding opportunities, it will equip students to venture into social entrepreneurship, Blockchain entrepreneurship, and financial and economic initiatives which will contribute to the scientific and socioeconomic conditions in Ghana.

How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

KEY SUCCESS INDICATORS OF PROPOSAL

1. A total of 300 participants in this project will get adequate education and understanding of Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.
2. A total of 300 ADA wallets (Yoroi, Eternl, etc) are to be created, owned and managed by participants of the events.
3. Our beneficiaries should have 300 new accounts on IdeaScale, which will boost the patronage of Catalyst in the ecosystem.
4. There will be 300 new ideas from the participants on all the challenges for Fund11 and subsequent funding cycles and opportunities.
5. More traffic will drive to the Cardano website, blogs and social media channels such as Discord, and Telegram community groups.
6. These events will contribute to numerous projects and efforts working towards the goal that Cardano becomes the world's largest decentralised Blockchain.
7. These events serve as catalysts for improving the marketing of the Cardano and catalyst
8. Cardano will become attractive to newbies, developers and entrepreneurs to build solutions on.
9. Customer as a key metric of the Cardano roadmap shall be enhanced through these events
10. Young people, entrepreneurs and institutions will appreciate the essence of financial freedom and the ways Cardano is providing decentralised mechanisms to promote open banking and governance.

Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

IMPACT AUDIBILITY:

The following tools and methods will be adopted to evaluate the success and progress of the project:

1. We shall register all participants using google forms and then extract the database containing the First and Last Names, Emails and Contacts of participants to be shared with the Catalyst team for newsletters and email marketing.
2. There will be an Excel tracker document which will contain a roadmap and timelines to deliver the project.
3. Participant testimonial videos' shall be taken to assess their understanding of topics taught and to take feedback on their impression of the project.
4. Feedback surveys will be conducted at the end of each event to evaluate our strategies, logistics, refreshment and presentations for improvement.
5. Cardano will become attractive to the masses in the institutions and even the general public
6. The user experience on Catalyst and ADA wallets will be improved
7. Catalyst will become more noticed in the Crypto media which will give it more outreach for adoption.

MILESTONE REPORTING:

1. The project will ensure to submit a monthly progress report to IOG before the deadline (on or before the 20th of each month) via the monthly progress report form.
2. The project lead will ensure to join the Catalyst Coordinator telegram page to follow updates and track the distribution of funds to ensure smooth execution.
3. The project team will also make time to join the bi-weekly coordinator calls held every Tuesday at 5 pm UTC to learn from other funded proposers, experts and also share experiences to benefit others.
4. The project team will ensure post successes on all social media platforms for wider coverage of the progress.
5. We will leverage Google tools such as Drive, and Sheets, to organize Proof-of-Achievement (PoA) that will be traced anytime before, during and after the project.

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

I am the project lead for the Catalyst campus train project and have successfully coordinated its execution. I have rich experience in organizing blockchain events for youth, especially for students and universities, and had built a good rapport with students, student leadership, and university management in most unis in Ghana such; as the University for Development (UDS), SD Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD UBIDS), University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Tamale College of Education (TACE), Tamale Technical University (TaTu), Kumasi Technical University (KTU), University of Cape Coast (UCC), among others. I am an alumnus of the University for Development Studies and a graduate student reading the MBA programme at the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE). I am also working with student leadership and student ambassadors who are current students at the target campuses for easy and effective coordination of campus events. These student representatives help to secure a suitable venue on or around campus, marketing and invitations, registration, ushering, and all other tasks to ensure the success of the catalyst event.

Also, I have strong knowledge of the Cardano blockchain and project catalyst and have held more than 10 Cardano meetups in Ghana including community-led events of the annual Cardano Summit since 2021. Take a look at my presentation on the Cardano blockchain and use cases here -

With my background in accounting and fintech, I am conversant in managing project funds both in fiat (GHS), (USD) and crypto (ADA). I was able to optimize the use of funds from Fund9 to execute the project effectively and efficiently. With ADA treasury, it is always good to convert some of the funds to stablecoin (DJED) or Tether (USDT) to avoid depletion of project funds due to crypto volatility. This will ensure an optimum use of resources for the success of the project. I believe in teamwork and hence always ensure to work with a capable team of 4-5 consisting of a technical person, organizer, secretary and logistic person to support the implementation of ideas. These teams also have a good understanding of events and the Cardano blockchain, contributing greatly from the start to the end of the project.

<https://youtu.be/i-NfsHA6kR0>

What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

MAIN GOAL

The project is aimed at increasing the numbers in the Cardano community by onboarding 300+ students to innovate on Cardano through project catalyst. This will be achieved through the hosting of campus events for five(5) tertiary institutions in Ghana from October 2023 to February 2024.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES:

1. To organize five(5) Cardano conferences at five(5) campuses in Ghana from October 2023 to February 2024 targeting 300+ participants from all campuses.
2. To make comprehensive presentations on the Cardano blockchain; indicating the potentials and use cases of Cardano to the audience
3. To introduce participants to Cardano's project catalyst to be able to innovate and access funds from the catalyst.
4. To provide a reliable capacity-building platform (Project catalyst) for these students and startups to leverage for the start and growth of their ventures.
5. To make Cardano attractive to students, universities, community stakeholders and cryptocurrency developers which will invite them to explore Cardano.

Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

ACTIVITY PLAN FOR SCALE-UP CATALYST CAMPUS TRAIN

MILESTONE 1: FIRST EVENT - OCTOBER 2023

OCTOBER 1 -7,

1. Confirm receipt of funding from Catalyst
2. Onboard the Project Team and outline the next steps.

OCTOBER 8 - 17

1. Setup Social Media Handles - Mid-September
2. Create a Google form to invite and pre-register participants
3. Share event details with flyers on social media
4. Prepare flyers, banners, print T-shirts and conference materials - Mid-September
5. Contact University leadership to initiate action plans -

OCTOBER 18 - 30

1. Book Venues, book hotels for the team and arrange transportation to campuses
2. Organise and order water, snacks and food for participants
3. Embark on on-campus marketing of the event to invite and register students
4. Hold the MAIN EVENT last Saturday of September
5. Make social media posts and prepare a report for the catalyst

CAMPUS: CK TEDAM UNIVERSITY FOR TECHNOLOGY AND APPLIED SCIENCES (CKT UTAS)

The Train will start from CKT UTAS with three focus topics; Introduction to Cryptocurrency, Blockchain technology, and Cardano Blockchain & Project Catalyst. The academic year usually begins in September/October and hence we will engage both continuing and fresh students, date and time will be decided per the academic calendar of the University but events will be held at University Auditoriums or event centres on campus. The target students here are 70 students.

MILESTONE 2: SECOND EVENT - NOVEMBER 2023

NOVEMBER 1 -7

1. Prepare flyers, banners, print T-shirts and conference materials
2. Create a Google form to invite and pre-register participants
3. Share event details with flyers on social media
4. Contact University leadership to initiate action plans

NOVEMBER - 8 - 15

1. Book Venues, book hotels for the team and arrange transportation to campuses
2. Organise and order water, snacks and food for participants
3. Embark on on-campus marketing of the events to invite and register students
4. Hold the MAIN EVENT last Saturday of September

NOVEMBER 16 -30

1. Finalize presentations with the team
2. confirm participants
3. Host the event Saturday
4. Make social media posts and prepare a report for the catalyst

CAMPUS - TAMALE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (TACE), TAMALE - GHANA

The Train will proceed to the TACE to engage also both continuing and fresh students.

PROPOSED DATE: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26

PROPOSED VENUE: SACKEY HALL, TACE.

TIME: 8 AM - 2:30 PM GMT+0

TARGET: 50 students/participants

MILESTONE 3: THIRD EVENT - DECEMBER 2023

DECEMBER 1 -7

1. Prepare flyers, banners, print T-shirts and conference materials
2. Create a Google form to invite and pre-register participants
3. Share event details with flyers on social media
4. Contact University leadership to initiate action plans

DECEMBER - 8 - 15

1. Book Venues, book hotels for the team and arrange transportation to campuses
2. Organise and order water, snacks and food for participants
3. Embark on on-campus marketing of the events to invite and register students
4. Hold the MAIN EVENT last Saturday of September

DECEMBER 16 -30

1. Finalize presentations with the team
2. confirm participants
3. Host the event Saturday
4. Make social media posts and prepare a report for the catalyst

CAMPUS: UNIVERSITY OF ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES (UENR), SUNYANI/DORMAA

PROPOSED DATE: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17

VENUE: CONFERENCE THEATRE

TIME: 8 AM - 2:30 PM GMT+0

TARGET: 70 students

MILESTONE 4: FOURTH EVENT - JANUARY, 2024

JANUARY 1 -7

1. Prepare flyers, banners, print T-shirts and conference materials
2. Create a Google form to invite and pre-register participants
3. Share event details with flyers on social media
4. Contact University leadership to initiate action plans

JANUARY - 8 - 15

1. Book Venues, book hotels for the team and arrange transportation to campuses
2. Organise and order water, snacks and food for participants
3. Embark on on-campus marketing of the events to invite and register students
4. Hold the MAIN EVENT last Saturday of September

JANUARY 16 -30

1. Finalize presentations with the team
2. confirm participants
3. Host the MAIN event ON Saturday
4. Make social media posts and prepare a report for the catalyst

CAMPUS: KUMASI TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY (KTU)

PROPOSED DATE: SATURDAY, JANUARY 13

PROPOSED VENUE: CONFERENCE AUDITORIUM

TIME: 8 AM - 2:30 PM GMT+0

TARGET: 50 students/participants

MILESTONE 5: FIFTH/FINAL EVENT - FEBRUARY 2024

FEBRUARY 1 -7

1. Prepare flyers, banners, print T-shirts and conference materials
2. Create a Google form to invite and pre-register participants
3. Share event details with flyers on social media
4. Contact University leadership to initiate action plans

FEBRUARY - 8 - 15

1. Book Venues, book hotels for the team and arrange transportation to campuses
2. Organise and order water, snacks and food for participants
3. Embark on on-campus marketing of the events to invite and register students
4. Hold the MAIN EVENT last Saturday of September

FEBRUARY 16 -29

1. Finalize presentations with the team
2. confirm participants
3. Host the event Saturday
4. Make social media posts and prepare a report for the catalyst

CAMPUS: UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST (UCC)

PROPOSED DATE: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY

PROPOSED VENUE: CONFERENCE AUDITORIUM

TIME: 8 AM - 2:30 PM GMT+0

TARGET: 60 students/participants

IN SUMMARY:

1. CKT UTAS, Navrongo - 70 participants
2. TACE, Tamale Metro - 50 participants
3. UENR, Dormaa Ahenkro - 70 participants
4. KTU, Kumasi metro - 50 participants
5. UCC, Cape Coast - 60 participants

GRAND TARGET TOTAL; 5 CITIES, 5 CAMPUSES = 70+50+70+50+60= 300 participants.

Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

As indicated, at the end of each milestone, the following will be realised:

EDUCATION:

All participants (300+) will receive in-depth knowledge about Cardano and the project catalyst. the team will utilise power point presentations, Q&A, quizzing and experiments to teach and train students on the Cardano blockchain and how they participate well in project catalyst.

DATABASE:

Participants' information such as names, contacts and surveys are collected using google forms and are shared privately with IOG to protect data privacy. It is only pictures, videos and numbers we showcase to the community to appreciate the success of the project.

INNOVATION:

Participants after the project will begin to innovate on the project catalyst by taking up roles in the community to perform the associated responsibilities for contribution and rewards. roles such as Proposers, proposal reviewers, challenge team members, moderation, and Cardano ambassador program, and then become familiarised with the community.

IMPACT

A classical example is me, I learnt about Cardano during the Cardano Summit in 2021 at a community-led event, thereafter participated in a local Cardano meetup organized by Wada, and then I started exploring the Cardano ecosystem and opportunities. Today, I am happy and proud to become a builder of Cardano; started as a co-host of the Cardano Summit, to a Cardano meetup organizer, to a proposer and funded proposer, and now accepted as Cardano Ambassador to support Cardano Foundation in growing the Cardano community. And such is the impact of community events on students and young people.

Hence, I believe a lot of participants will enter the Cardano community and grow to become promoters, developers, engineers, community managers, proposers, and ambassadors creating content, translating and organizing events to onboard more people to the Cardano ecosystem.

Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

BUDGET BREAKDOWN

FIRST EVENT - CKT UNIVERSITY FOR TECHNOLOGY AND APPLIED SCIENCES (CKT UTAS), OCT 15

1. Venue/ Conference Hall - 800 ADA
2. Hotel Accommodation - 700 ADA
3. Snack and Water participants - 750
4. Lunch for participants and team - 1000 ADA
5. T shirts printing for participants and Team - 1500 ADA
6. Roll-up banner - 500 ADA
7. Transportation for logistics/ protocol - 550 ADA
8. Marketing, publicity & photography - 650 ADA
9. ADA Airdrop for participants - 500 ADA
10. Incentives for Team ( time, efforts & welfare) - 1500 ADA

Sub - Total for Event = 8,450 ADA

SECOND EVENT - TAMALE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION - NOVEMBER 25, 2023

1. Venue/ Conference Hall - 500 ADA
2. Hotel Accommodation - 550 ADA
3. Snack and Water participants - 900
4. Lunch for participants and team - 1000 ADA
5. T shirts printing for participants and Team - 1000 ADA
6. Transportation for logistics/ protocol - 800 ADA
7. Marketing, publicity & photography - 1200 ADA
8. ADA Airdrop for participants - 600 ADA
9. Incentives for Team ( time, efforts & welfare) - 1000 ADA

Sub - Total for Event = 6,550 ADA

THIRD EVENT - UNIVERSITY OF ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES (UENR), DEC. 16, 2023

1. Venue/ Conference Hall - 800 ADA
2. Hotel Accommodation - 700 ADA
3. Snack and Water participants - 750
4. Lunch for participants and team - 1000 ADA
5. T shirts printing for participants and Team - 1500 ADA
6. Transportation for logistics/ protocol - 550 ADA
7. Marketing, publicity & photography - 1200 ADA
8. ADA Airdrop for participants - 500 ADA
9. Incentives for Team ( time, efforts & welfare) - 1450 ADA.

Sub - Total for Event = 8,450ADA

FOURTH EVENT - KUMASI TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY (KTU), JAN 14, 2024

1. Venue/ Conference Hall - 500 ADA
2. Hotel Accommodation - 550 ADA
3. Snack and Water participants - 900
4. Lunch for participants and team - 1000 ADA
5. T shirts printing for participants and Team - 1000 ADA
6. Transportation for logistics/ protocol - 800 ADA
7. Marketing, publicity & photography - 1200 ADA
8. ADA Airdrop for participants - 600 ADA
9. Incentives for Team ( time, efforts & welfare) - 1900 ADA

Sub - Total for Event = 6,550 ADA

FIFTH / FINAL EVENT - UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST (UCC), FEB. 18, 2024

1. Venue/ Conference Hall - 500 ADA
2. Hotel Accommodation - 550 ADA
3. Snack and Water participants - 900
4. Lunch for participants and team - 1000 ADA
5. T shirts printing for participants and Team - 1200 ADA
6. Transportation for logistics/ protocol - 800 ADA
7. Marketing, publicity & photography - 1000 ADA
8. ADA Airdrop for participants - 600 ADA
9. Incentives for Team ( time, efforts & welfare) - 1500 ADA

Sub - Total for Event = 8,050 ADA

GRAND TOTAL - (8,450+6,550+8,450+6,550+8,050)ADA = 38,050 ADA

Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Mohammed Mustapha Yakubu - Project Lead:

Mohammed Mustapha Yakubu is a graduate student at the Manipal Academy Of Higher Education (MAHE), reading MBA programme (Distance). He is an advocate for Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology in Ghana, with 5 years of experience hosting crypto events; educating, onboarding newbies and engaging crypto users for mass adoption and enhanced use cases. Hub leader at Wada Ghana (wada.org), Catalyst Fund9 Fundrd Proposer (FP)& Proposal Assessor (PA), Fund8 & Fund9 Challenge Team (CT) Lead for Grow Africa, Grow Cardano challenge category. Also, a Cardano Ambassador, hosting Cardano meetups and community-led events at the Cardano Summit with the Cardano Foundation since 2021. He is also a hub leader at WADA, a global grassroots movement, that aims to educate local merchants, developers and users about the blockchain technology and economy behind cryptocurrencies and Cardano, as well as how to efficiently utilize them. He also runs a private cryptocurrency startup called the Chosen FinTech Solutions, where he educates and empowers hundreds of Ghanaians to adopt cryptocurrency and fintech solutions for an inclusive and freer financial future.

He is a passionate libertarian and National Coordinator for Ghana at the African Students for Liberty. He manages over 5 student chapters in 5 universities in Ghana where local leaders of these chapters are trained and supported with resources to host a local meetup on their campuses to advance classical liberal ideas such as financial liberty, economic freedom, free markets, drugs wars, injustice, media freedom and tech liberty.

For over four (4) years now, he has organized more than 30 physical cryptocurrency events and about 15 virtual meetups in Ghana. Mustapha remains at the forefront of blockchain education in Ghana and Africa, increasing the adoption of crypto on the continent through educational campaigns and local meetups. Just recently, he joined the Cardano blockchain as an Ambassador and hosted a local meetup to commemorate the Cardano Summit 2021 slated held on September 25 – 26, 2021, mainly to provide training on crypto fundamentals, practical tutorials on how to set up a crypto account - and buy & sell crypto, technical analysis and avoiding scams. Thereafter, he has organised already up to Cardano meetups in Ghana with close to 300 audience outreach. He has rich experience working with schools and students, especially at events due to his strong leadership skills and managerial competence in leading people and managing projects.

Twitter profile - www.twitter.com/cardanoghana

Emails: [email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected]

Contacts: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammed-mustapha-yakubu-a08455125

Telegram - www.t.me/mmustaphayakubu

Discord: mustapha#7312

Seidu Ziblim - IT & Graphics Design

Seidu Ziblim is a graduate of the University for Development Studies (UDS) with a Bachelor of Education in Economics education. He is a professional graphic designer with over 7 years in graphics and printing works. He has worked on several projects in charge of printing T-shirts, conference brochures, and designing logos and flyers. He has strong skills in IT and has worked on many projects as a technical director to control projection and screens, public address systems, lighting and slide control for speakers.

He is passionate about financial technology, entrepreneurship, investment, cryptocurrency and blockchain. He is good at event branding and publicity using graphic technology.

Contact details below:

Email: [email protected]

Twitter- www.twitter.com/seiduziblim

LinkedIn - <https://www.linkedin.com/in/seidu-ziblim-544326172>

Osman Mohammed - Organising Secretary

Mohammed Osman is currently studying BSc in Agriculture Technology at the University for Development Studies at Nyankpala Campus in Ghana. He also has a two(2) year diploma in agriculture technology. He has been in the cryptocurrency space for the past three years. And he also attended several meetups to learn about cryptocurrency. He has strong skills in wallet creation, transactions and trading with Cardno ADA, and also volunteered at numerous blockchain conferences and has gained some leadership and organising skills to contribute to the success of this proposal.

Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

School: [email protected]

website: https://www.uds.edu.gh

Alhassan Adam - Logistics Supplier

Alhassan is an undergraduate student at the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, WA Campus, Ghana. He's studying Bachelor of Commerce. He is the current Vice President of the Students' Representative Council (SRC), supporting the management of a 5000+ student population. He has about 2 years of experience volunteering at Blockchain events. He has strong skills in organising and is very conversant with engaging event attendees, partners and the core team to ensure a successful event. He will contribute to the proposal by ensuring that, all materials and logistics are procured and supplied to the team before every event takes place.

Contacts:

Email: [email protected]

School: [email protected]

Website: https://ubids.edu.gh

Alhassan Sananu Zakaria - Public Relations Officer

A trained professional broadcast Journalist (certificate) writer and spoken word artist. Zakaria has published a quiet number of stories and content.

He is an HND computer science student at the Technical University and has worked on developing some websites, and has trained several students and ladies on web technology.

Email: [email protected]

School: [email protected]

Website: https://tatu.edu.gh

Abdul Soburu Abdulai - Financial Officer

Abdul holds a bachelor's in B.Com with a major in Accounting and is now an MBA student at Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), College of Distance Education. He is passionate about finance and digital technology. He has good experience in youth events and financial management. He will be responsible for managing budgets for events, taking care of expenses and payments and will keep accurate records for future references and decision-making*.*

Email: [email protected]

School: [email protected]

website: https://onlinemanipal.com

How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

Resources are critical to the success of every project. Therefore, there cannot be a project without resources. The cost items indicated in the aforementioned budget represent the cost for the entire project period, and I will highlight on key items below:

1. Conference spaces: for events like Cardano conferences to be successful, there is the need to hire standard conference rooms in order to host a successful event. Although as event conferences, not all institutions now offer free conference rooms for external bodies to do events. Universities have now appreciated the essence of campus events and have built auditoriums solely for commercial purposes to raise monies internally to support teaching and learning. hence, there is a need to allocate a budget to pay for halls and conference equipment. Again, not all institutions have enough rooms for events and in such cases, the project team has to rent an off-campus conference space to house participants.
2. T-shirts & banners, especially Cardano-brand shirts and banners make events colourful attracting participants and the public to the community. It inspires participants and helps market the Cardano ecosystem better with such promotional materials.
3. Feeding - as students, it is important to provide snacks and lunch having kept them for a longer period at the event, knowing that, the participation derains their energy. once refreshed and fed, they get the energy to actively participate in sessions.
4. Transportation and logistics are key in helping the movement of project teams and materials to and from event centres. The project also requires travelling around the country to the target campus for events. There will also be hotel and meal expenses to support project implementation.
5. Media and photography are critical to successful project catalyst projects. The project will hire a camera and video service to cover events which will help us in producing proof of achievement for the IOG and the entire Cardano community for transparency and tracking of success records.
6. airdrops and incentives are provided to inspire and motivate participants and the team respectively for their time, efforts and active involvement in making Cardano grow. This is to ensure everyone gets rewarded in the Cardano ecosystem which is one aim of Cardano; making the world work for everyone.

Obviously, budgets are stated in ADA and not in USD this time around, and hence leaves uncertainties for everyone in the community as the fall in the price of ADA could affect funding and vice versa. Hence, it is prudent to leverage Cardano's DJED or Tether's USDT or other stablecoins to preserve funds and prevent the depletion of project funds. This has been my strategy in projects. Again, local expenses are incurred in local fiat (Ghana Cedis), which are affected by inflation and hence, there is the need to be economically sound in purchases to ensure expenses are covered without any difficulties. It is important to also have a convenient savings account to keep exchange withdrawals for covering project expenses.

I am confident that, the budget will see an optimum use to serve the purpose of the project to achieve the KPIs and deliver successfully without any shortages or loss of funds. I have always ensured I use a reliable ADA wallet for project funds and participate effectively in the project onboarding steps after voting; proof-of-life, confirming test transactions, confirming the first tranche payment to kickstart the project and submitting monthly progress reports for further distribution of funds. This routine and procedure have worked well for me, and I hope to continue using them to deliver projects.