In recent Project Catalyst funding rounds, the introduction of the Partner Category has marked an important milestone for the Cardano ecosystem. Designed to incentivize enterprise, institutional, and governmental collaborations with Cardano, the Partner Category reflects the growing maturity of the blockchain and the community’s desire to extend its reach into the real world through strategic alliances. However, despite the noble intentions behind this initiative, African participants have struggled to gain traction within the category, resulting in a noticeable absence of African representation among shortlisted proposals. This has generated a sense of marginalization among African builders and community members—especially those who have invested significant effort in engaging governments, public agencies, and enterprises in their home countries, only to see their proposals excluded from funding consideration. This imbalance is multifaceted: intense global competition, limited Catalyst resources, and the networking advantages held by more connected and established regions in Europe, North America, and Asia have all contributed to this disparity. While the bar for competition was undoubtedly high, the effect has still been demoralizing for many African contributors. This challenge was raised publicly during a live town hall in Kenya, where members of the African Cardano community directly asked Charles Hoskinson why no African proposals were shortlisted in the Partner Category. Charles acknowledged the concern, noting how imbalanced the results may appear and expressing optimism that the Voltaire governance era would enable African communities to take their future into their own hands—by making direct requests from the treasury and funding partnerships that support the growth of their local ecosystems. This proposal is a direct response to that conversation, that context, and the wider issue at hand. Cardano’s core design—centered around scalability, sustainability, and decentralization—makes it uniquely suited to solve many of Africas challenges. Our robust Proof-of-Stake architecture, low fees, secure smart contract platform, and focus on formal methods offer a reliable foundation for real-world applications in low-trust or under-resourced environments. However, the potential for Cardano to have impact on the continent will remain unrealized if African-led partnerships continue to be underfunded or excluded from institutional engagement pathways.

In the past two Catalyst rounds, the introduction of the Partner Category marked a significant step toward fostering enterprise, institutional, and governmental adoption of Cardano. While this was a noble and necessary initiative, Africa has, unfortunately, not benefitted from it in any tangible way.

Despite strong efforts by many African builders to engage their governments and institutions, no African proposal was shortlisted. This outcome—driven by factors such as intense global competition, limited resource pools, and perhaps the advantage of existing networks in other regions—has left many African contributors feeling disgruntled. We acknowledge that the competition bar was understandably high, but that doesn't diminish the feelings of discouragement among those who participated in good faith.

During the live interaction with Charles Hoskinson at the Constitutional Workshop, members of the African Cardano in Kenya raised this concern directly. Charles acknowledged how skewed this result may appear and expressed hope that the upcoming Voltaire governance structure would empower Africans to take their future into their own hands—by making direct treasury requests and funding impactful partnerships tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities on the continent, this has become the crux of this proposal.

Africa is home to approximately 370 million unbanked adults, according to the World Bank, and it currently leads the world in the fastest rate of crypto and blockchain adoption. Given this context, creating a dedicated pool or strategic mechanism to support institutional, enterprise, and governmental partnerships in Africa is not only justified—it is essential.

This proposal aims to decentralize Cardano partnerships by intentionally extending their reach to underrepresented regions—particularly Africa. While we applaud the impressive partnerships forming in other parts of the world, it's disheartening to see a lack of representation from a continent that arguably stands to benefit the most from blockchain innovation.

The benefits of this proposal are both pragmatic and philosophical. It aligns with Cardano’s core values of decentralization, inclusivity, and real-world impact. Furthermore, it positions Africa as a fertile ground for Cardano-based solutions in areas such as governance, banking, identity, education, and health—where traditional systems often fall short.

If Cardano is to become the blockchain of global relevance, Africa cannot be left behind. On the contrary, it could become the region where Cardano sees its most meaningful adoption. This proposal is a strategic step in cementing that future.

1. Framework Design Document A fully developed framework outlining: Eligibility criteria for proposals Evaluation and review process Funding allocation models Roles of reviewers, facilitators, and community monitors Definition of Done: Document completed, published, and accepted by the Cardano governance community.

2. Launch of the African Partnership Funding Pool A dedicated pool set up through an aligned treasury process and purse. Clearly defined guidelines made available publicly. Definition of Done: Pool is active, with application portals and submission timelines published.

3. Outreach and Capacity Building Activities At least 3 live workshops/webinars hosted (virtually or locally) to: Educate African institutions and proposers about the funding opportunity Assist in proposal development and roadmap alignment Definition of Done: Events conducted, recordings and attendance metrics shared with the community.

4. Open Application Window A well-publicized call for proposals for African partnership projects. Application portal prepared and proposal template provided. Definition of Done: Call for proposals launched and promoted via Catalyst, Cardano, and local channels.

5. Proposal Review and Shortlisting Formation of a review panel with at least 50% representation from Africa-based experts or stakeholders. All eligible proposals scored and shortlisted based on pre-published criteria. Definition of Done: Shortlist finalized and published; feedback provided to all applicants.

6. Community Voting and Selection Shortlisted proposals submitted to the community for voting. Voting tools integrated . Definition of Done: Voting completed; selected proposals announced and ready for funding.

7. Reporting and Documentation Full post-cycle report including: Number of applications received Number and type of partnerships funded Lessons learned and improvement recommendations Definition of Done: Report completed and published for community review

By the end of this funding phase, the community will receive: -A functioning African partnership funding mechanism -A cohort of between 5-10 funded partnership-based projects

• Each partnership brings 10000+ direct or indirect adoption of Cardano. Measured either as the number of blockchain activities,new wallets, new community members or new ADA investments.
  -Funded proposals progress and efforts is public and can be transparently seen by the Cardano community. -A documented implementation playbook for future cycles

Total Requested Funding: $650,000 USD (~1,083,333 ADA @ $0.60/ADA)

This funding will support the first full-cycle implementation of the African Partnership Funding Mechanism, ensuring operational execution, ongoing monitoring and evaluation, and sustained institutional and community engagement across Africa.

Funding Allocation

1. African Partnership Funding Pool – 75% of total budget Amount: $487,500 USD / ~812,500 ADA This core allocation will directly fund qualified partnership-driven proposals involving African institutions, enterprises, and governments. All funded proposals must align with Cardano’s product roadmap and showcase tangible real-world impact and scalability.

2. Program Implementation & Support – 25% of total budget Amount: $162,500 USD / ~270,833 ADA This supports essential functions required for the success and sustainability of the funding mechanism. The components include:

Operations & Program Management – 10% Amount: $65,000 USD / ~108,333 ADA Covers staffing, coordination, infrastructure setup, and governance framework to effectively administer the funding pool.

Outreach & Capacity Building – 7% Amount: $45,500 USD / ~75,833 ADA Enables engagement campaigns, proposal development workshops, webinars, and institutional outreach throughout the continent.

Proposal Evaluation & Community Coordination – 5% Amount: $32,500 USD / ~54,167 ADA Provides fair compensation for local reviewers and evaluators, and ensures effective coordination of the assessment and voting processes.

Monitoring & Evaluation – 3% Amount: $19,500 USD / ~32,500 ADA Supports continuous tracking of funded initiatives, milestone verification, and final impact reporting across a 6–12 month timeline.

To deliver on the proposal’s key objectives and outcomes, we estimate an initial implementation phase of 4–6 months for setting up and executing the first cycle of the African community centric Partnership Funding Mechanism. However, it's important to note that funded partnership projects will each require between 6 to 12 months to complete, depending on their scope and complexity. This means that continuous monitoring and evaluation will extend beyond the initial implementation window, ensuring accountability, support, and knowledge sharing throughout the project lifecycle.

Estimated Duration Framework Design & Planning:3–4 weeks Outreach & Capacity Building: 2–3 weeks (ongoing) Application & Submission Window:4 weeks Proposal Evaluation & Shortlisting :3–4 weeks Voting & Fund Disbursement: 2 weeks Monitoring & Reporting Setup: Ongoing after launch Project Execution by Awardees:6–12 months Long-term Monitoring & Evaluation: Continuous

Team Composition & Roles We anticipate a core implementation team of 6–8 members mostly from the Africa Coalition team, supported by additional regional advisors, community facilitators, and reviewers in Africa.

Core Roles Project Lead / Coordinator (1) Oversees end-to-end delivery, stakeholder alignment, and milestone tracking.

Strategic Partnerships Lead (1) Interfaces with African institutions and partners to support proposal development.

Framework & Governance Designer (1) Develops the partnership pool framework, review criteria, and voting structure.

Outreach & Engagement Specialists (1–2) Execute webinars, regional activations, and onboarding sessions with community hubs and institutions. Proposal Evaluation Team (3–5) Includes Africa-based reviewers with subject matter expertise to assess partnership value and roadmap alignment.

Monitoring & Evaluation Lead (1) Develops and implements a long-term M&E framework for funded projects, with regular check-ins and public reporting.

Communications & Reporting Lead (1) Manages documentation, community updates, and end-of-cycle performance reports.

The Cardano Africa Coalition team is a group of cardano based entities in Africa who are working on ground in different capacities in Africa. It is also led by reputable members of the Cardano Community who have worked on several projects that show experience and capacity to deliver on this project. The coalition comprises primarily of Remostart led by Ubio Obu (an Intersect Constitutional Member), CATH led by Daniel Lezu( a Cardano Ambassador) and Giiyotech led by Maureen Weppong(A Cameroon community lead). Remostart has been at the forefront of onboarding talents and developers to the Cardano ecosystem, with up to a thousand onboarded by the team, Remostart has a strong Nigerian presence where it has partnered with VCs and governments in Nigeria-(Africas most populous country) for several projects, currently is organizing an event called ecosystem mixer where government and tech industry come together to discuss challenges and network. Remostart beckons on that wealth of experience working with relevant government and industry experts to facilitate this project. Catalyst African Town Hall(CATH) is one of the foremost meeting point for most Africans with attendance from more than 15 African countries, CATH has the experience that is purely Pan African, and with successfully managing funds that are meant for projects all over Africa that experience is even more important here. Giiyotech is an active platform pomotin STEM education in Cameroon, Led by Maureen who has shown her competence in the Cardano ecosystem, they bring a flavor that will be needed for institutional adoption and engagement, especially in the STEM sector.

We will create a structured funding cycle which will let us apply for continued support based on impact-driven metrics. But other than that, we will -Launch developer bootcamps and technical training programs, equipping African institutions with the expertise needed to sustain their Cardano adoption. -Partner with universities to integrate blockchain courses and research programs, ensuring a steady pipeline of skilled Cardano Builders. This means more projects being built and some income coming in over the longterm.

1. Identification and Onboarding of African Reviewers / Evaluators Dependency Type: External Details: A diverse, knowledgeable pool of African-based or African-experienced reviewers is needed to evaluate partnership proposals fairly and contextually. These individuals will be sourced, trained, and onboarded early in the implementation phase.

2. Outreach and Community Engagement Infrastructure Dependency Type: External Details: To raise awareness and encourage participation, partnerships with existing African Cardano communities, ambassadors, regional hubs, and relevant institutions will be necessary. These stakeholders will help run webinars, workshops, and educational campaigns.

3. Transparent Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism Dependency Type: Internal Details: A system for tracking progress, measuring impact, and reporting transparently on funded partnerships will be developed or adapted from existing tools.