Bobby Unser said, ‘success is where preparation and opportunity meet’. It suffices to say that WADA is preparing today’s youth for blockchain opportunities in the future.
WADA is focused on connecting African developers and entrepreneurs to the Cardano ecosystem and distributed ledger technologies. In addition, the activities of WADA nurture individuals’ ideas into reality by guiding unique proposal submission and exploring funding avenues through the Cardano Project catalyst.
Given this, WADA through the Youth Outreach Program sought to engage and present youth in Ghana with blockchain opportunities. The conference commenced with a welcome address by Afia Asamoa Owusu (Sub Regional Coordination, WADA) who doubled as the moderator for the conference.
The Youth Outreach Program featured educative speakers on the theme ‘Exploring Blockchain as an Economic Opportunity for Young People’.https://35bd35821aa93c621d4903f32415f9fa.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
The first presentation was done by Nathaniel Dwamena, on the topic, ‘Blockchain and Economic Opportunities for Young People’. The presentation explained blockchain and the benefit of a decentralized ledger. The presentation distinguished between Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) and Traditional Company.
DAO is opened and driven by codes. It is participatory, improves, changes, and evolves. Most significantly, DAO cannot be shut down by anyone or the government, unlike traditional companies that can easily be shut down by the government. He concluded that cooperation, financial investment, fundraising, and ending the problem of inflation are some economic opportunities that contribute towards a peaceful society.
Also, Nana Kwadwo Safo, presented on the Cardano Project Catalyst. He explained how the Cardano community is supporting ideas through funding innovative proposals that great impact on the community and add to the Cardano ecosystem. Nana Safo, shared insight about Cardano Project Catalyst and how participants can get funding for various entrepreneurial ideas.
The Cardano Project Catalyst is in various categories and participants were admonished to submit proposals in the right categories. He added that Cardano Project Catalyst has an unending reward for proposers, community advisors, and voters
The speaker concluded that the Cardano Project Catalyst has a lot to offer individuals, therefore, participants should be innovative and creative problem solvers.
More so, the third presentation was done by Mercy Tachie-Menson (Coordination Lead, WADA) on the topic, ‘NFTS: Now and in the future’. This presentation helped explain non-fungible tokens (NFT) and the opportunities it presents in the future. NFT is a digital asset on the blockchain and presents a better way of safeguarding intellectual property in Ghana.
NFTs have a unique digital signature with blockchain serving as a public ledge that allows individuals to verify and own it. NFTs are bought with crypto-currency and blockchain keeps the record of transactions.
NFTs come in different kinds including images, videos, music, text, and even tweets which gives creators the best value for their unique creativity. In sum, NFTs represent the future of ownership, and this includes contracts, real estate properties, and tickets.
In addition, Oshomah Abubakar and Genty Samvura, contributed to the discussion on NFT as well.
Finally, Megan Hess admonished participants with her presentation which was titled ‘WADA: Call to Action’. This presentation informed a lot about WADA and offered a reason why the youth should get involved to enjoy the numerous benefits thereof.
It is the goal of WADA to aid every aspiring entrepreneur and youths to explore opportunities on the Cardano Project catalyst.
The event was engaging as participants were allowed to ask questions on speakers’ presentations. Participants were allowed to undertake a short quiz for rewards. The majority of participants downloaded the Yoroi wallet to receive their reward from the quiz.
The event unfolded on 13th November 2021 simultaneously at the AITI-KACE (Advance Information Technology Institute- Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence), Accra, HapaSpace, Kumasi, and Northern Ghana.
The youth conference was joined by several other individuals online via Zoom, Facebook, and YouTube. In all, there were a total of 220 youths participated in the conference. The event was also supported by Cardano, Project Catalyst, and UpDev.
In all, the youth outreach program was a success and inspired hope for entrepreneurial ideas. WADA is welcoming individuals to become campus ambassadors at their various tertiary institutions in Ghana and beyond.
WADA always adds to multiple, therefore, be part of the train and enjoy blockchain opportunities including Cardano Project Catalyst.
Article by: Nathaniel Dwamena
