Project Duration: July, August & September 2024.
Project: Celo Africa DAO Report
Executive Summary
The Celo Africa DAO Q3 Report provides an overview of the progress, achievements, and key insights from the third quarter of 2024 (July to September). Notable accomplishments and strategic initiatives are highlighted across the core focus areas of the DAO, including the incubator program, Developer Acquisition, Community Growth, and Brand Awareness and Positioning.
The report is authored by Brisa Mukunde, Ronald Nzioki, and Jimoh Tajudeen with contributions from other core members of the Africa DAO.
Find the previous version of the report (March, April, May & June) in the link attached below.
Focus Area 1: Incubator Program.
The Celo Africa DAO Incubator Program has supported 15 teams, guided by over 8 experienced subject matter experts from various fields. Notably, several projects from Cohort 1 have graduated, with 1 project i.e. Pretium Finance progressing to launch on platforms like Opera Minipay and 4 other projects Esusu, Carus Recycling, Pretium Finance, and AjiraPay successfully joining Celo Camp Accelerator. Cohort 1 projects include Nexus, PayLink, Pretium, Earthfi, Zsales, Minicrash, Peerpesa, Celo Gifty, Treasures, AjiraPay, Creative List, Carus Recycling, Brainciawiz, Sum Surge, and Esusu, representing innovations from Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and South Africa.
In addition, we plan to launch a second cohort of the incubator program in Q1 2025, aiming to support and nurture more promising projects within the Celo Africa ecosystem. This next phase will focus on accelerating growth and development for startups with strong potential to drive blockchain adoption across Africa.
For more information about the projects that graduated from Cohort 1, visit:
Notion – The all-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases.
Focus Area 2: Attracting Web 3 talent to build for Celo.
Over the past 3 months (July, August, & September), we have hosted over 18 developer workshops (CodeJams), and over 9 university meetups to attract developers from diverse backgrounds. These workshops aim to introduce Web 3 concepts and Celo blockchain, support BWC hackathons, provide hands-on experience with Celo’s tools and technologies, and foster a community of innovative developers eager to build on the Celo. This initiative has successfully engaged numerous developers, enhancing their skills and integrating them into the Celo ecosystem.
Achievements:
| Activity | Metrics Achieved |
|---|---|
| Community Education and University Programs | We Organized and held over 19 developer workshops and 9 university meetups, onboarding over 400 developers to Celo. |
| Code Jam Event | We organised and held 19 code jams that attracted over 50 built dapps on Celo |
| Number of Activated clubs | 4 university clubs activated |
| Number of Devs from different chains | 54 developers onboarded that came from other ecosystems |
| Online Hackathons | Hosted 4 online hackathons to reach the wider developer community in the African ecosystem |
Celo Gather Africa: Builder’s Workshop, Nairobi
Following a successful month of September, the Celo Africa DAO organised and hosted the Celo Gather Africa event in Nairobi, bringing together builders, developers, and key ecosystem partners. The event was a significant success, showcasing Celo’s expanding role in fostering blockchain adoption across Africa.
The Builders Workshop focused on hands-on development with a specific emphasis on practical applications and integration of local stablecoins, specifically cKES. A total of over 50 builders participated, exploring a range of tools and technologies available in Celo’s ecosystem. Participants explored Minipay and Mento labs stablecoin use cases Integration
Celo Gather Africa: Builder’s Workshop Metrics
| Activity | Metrics |
|---|---|
| Registered Participants | The event hit its maximum capacity of 70 people on Lu.ma |
| Attendance | Over 50 participants attended the event to learn about Minipay and Mento local stablecoin integration |
| Minipay Downloads | 25+ developers downloaded minipay for integrations during that event |
ETHAccra Highlights
ETHAccra, one of the premier blockchain events in Ghana, Celo Africa DAO had a strong presence, furthering its mission to expand across the continent. The event attracted over 150 attendees, including developers, university students, and blockchain enthusiasts, providing an excellent platform to showcase the Celo ecosystem during a side workshop that attracted over 35 developers.
Metrics Achieved
| Activity | Metrics |
|---|---|
| Attendance | 35 developers attended the Celo workshop on Day 2 |
| New developers | 28 developers brought to the ecosystem |
| Smart Contracts | Of the 35 developers who attended the event, 28 of them managed to deploy their first smart contract on the Celo blockchain. |
| Social Media | 100+ followers onboarded to the Celo community |
Focus Area 3: Market Awareness and Community Growth.
This focus area is dedicated to expanding Celo’s visibility across Africa and fostering a vibrant, engaged community. Through targeted initiatives such as X(Twitter spaces), local event sponsorship, town halls and partnerships, we’ve significantly grown our user base while increasing awareness of the Celo ecosystem. These efforts have not only attracted new developers and users but also strengthened community engagement, driving adoption and fostering deeper connections between Celo and local markets across the African continent.
Objective: Build Market Awareness, Community Growth and Event sponsorship.
Key Deliverables: Marketing (Twitter), Local Event Sponsorship, Upcoming events.
Achievements:
| Activity | Metrics Achieved |
|---|---|
| Marketing | We conducted a total of 8 Twitter Spaces, reaching a total of over 700 organic participants. We achieved more than 1000 new followers and more than 300,000 Twitter impressions. |
| Local Event Sponsorship | We successfully sponsored Celo Gather Africa, ETHSafari and ETHAccra. These events attracted and onboarded more than 500 people to the Celo ecosystem. These events onboarded more than 100 developers to the ecosystem. |
| Upcoming Events | Decentralised Intelligence Summit, EthCapeTown |
Celo Gather Africa, Nairobi
Celo Gather Africa was a highly successful event held in Nairobi, bringing together over 200 participants from the Celo ecosystem, including developers, founders, investors, entrepreneurs, and key stakeholders. The event provided a platform to showcase the latest achievements by the Africa DAO and also explore the latest developments in the Celo blockchain, including the cKES stablecoin by Mento, Celo Foundation, Minipay Opera, Fonbnk and other key partners in the ecosystem.
We successfully engaged over 200 participants during this two-day event through different keynotes, panels, and fireside chats. This showcased Celo’s strong presence and the growing vibrant blockchain community in Africa. The event also facilitated connections between local talent and ecosystem partners, fostering collaboration and innovation.
ETHSafari, Kilifi
Following a successful event, Celo Gather Africa in Nairobi, we headed to Kilifi for ETHSafari, where Celo Africa DAO continued to make a strong impact. At ETHSafari, we engaged with over 200 attendees at the Celo booth, including developers, founders, and blockchain enthusiasts. Through this 3 day event, keynotes, panels and interactive sessions, we onboarded over 300 new followers into the Celo ecosystem, and over 200+ minipay downloads. The event further expanded Celo’s reach within the African blockchain space, showcasing the potential of decentralized finance (DeFi) and stablecoins like cKES for local markets.
ETHSafari Metrics
| Activity | Metrics |
|---|---|
| Minipay Downloads | 200+ new minipay downloads during ETHSafari that were boosted by cash vouchers to celebrate Minipay’s 1st anniversary |
| Social Media | 200+ followers onboarded to different ecosystem platforms i.e. Celo, Celo Africa DAO, Minipay and Mento. |
| Panel Discussions | We participated in over 8 keynotes, panels and discussions during this event and this further solidified Celo’s presence at ETHSafari |
| Community Onboarding | We onboarded over 200 people i.e. developers, founders, and blockchain enthusiasts who checked in on our booth, to different resources and platforms within the Celo ecosystem |
AfricaDAO TownHalls
To provide early-stage startups and projects with a platform to share their progress, the AfricaDAO rolled out TownHalls. These sessions serve as a valuable space for projects within the ecosystem to engage with the community, share updates, and receive feedback.
One of the standout projects presented so far is Pretium Finance, which has gained significant traction across Kenya, Nigeria, and Malawi. Pretium Finance has built a strong user base by facilitating daily transactions within Minipay, showcasing its potential to scale further within Africa.
The TownHalls have played a crucial role in supporting the project’s visibility and helping connect with potential users and partners within the broader celo ecosystem.
Townhall Video link: https://www.youtube.com/live/v20OGS23JSU?si=vmdEKcQE_2_vdzue
Budget and Spending:
We received 114,300 cUSD as tranche 2 and have been very prudent with our spending, especially in these focus areas. We spent 99,600 cUSD towards DAO initiatives and operations, focusing on three key areas: the incubator program, developer talent acquisition, and community growth and brand awareness.
Plans for Q4 2024
As we move into Q4 2024, Celo Africa DAO has outlined several key initiatives to further strengthen the ecosystem.
- Developer Onboarding: We will ramp up developer onboarding initiatives with more workshops, hackathons, and partnerships, aiming to bring 200+ new developers into the Celo ecosystem.
- Cohort Preparation for 2025: Preparations for the second incubator cohort, set to launch in Q1 2025, are underway. We plan to support startups that show promise in driving blockchain adoption and innovative solutions across the continent.
- AfricaDAO TownHalls: We’ll continue to host town halls to give early-stage projects more visibility and feedback while helping them connect with users and investors. Projects like Pretium Finance will continue to benefit from these sessions as they expand their user base.
- Product Development: In Q4 2024, the DAO will focus on Product Development, aiming to build and support innovative tools and solutions within the Celo ecosystem. This initiative will drive the creation of new products that enhance user experience, foster greater adoption, and address the unique needs of the African blockchain community.
- DAO Curriculum: In Q4, we plan to launch the DAO Curriculum, a structured educational program aimed at empowering our community members and developers to understand different concepts within the Celo ecosystem, participate with the DAO, and leverage DAO frameworks for project development. This initiative will help onboard more contributors to the ecosystem and drive more community onboarding across the continent.
- Validator Program: As part of Q4 2024, we are exploring how the DAO can leverage the opportunities presented by Celo’s transition to Layer 2 on Ethereum. This transition opens up new possibilities for the DAO to actively participate in the Validator Program, helping to secure the network while fostering deeper integration with the Ethereum ecosystem. By becoming a part of the validator set, the DAO can contribute to decentralization, improve network security, and further engage with the Celo community
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Celo Africa DAO has made significant strides in the past quarter, showcasing our commitment to fostering growth and innovation within the blockchain ecosystem. Through successful events like Celo Gather Africa and ETHSafari, we have engaged a diverse community, onboarded numerous developers, and highlighted promising projects that are set to drive adoption across the continent.
Our ongoing initiatives, including the Incubator Program, DAO Curriculum, and developer onboarding, position us to leverage the unique opportunities presented by Celo’s transition to becoming a Layer 2. As we look ahead to Q4 2024, we are excited to continue supporting the development of impactful products, enhancing community engagement, and empowering projects that align with our vision for a thriving blockchain ecosystem in Africa.
We remain dedicated to collaboration, innovation, and driving positive change, and we look forward to the continued growth of the Celo Africa DAO and its community in the coming months.
The Q3 report showcases impressive strides in incubating startups, engaging developers, and expanding the community across the continent. Excited about the upcoming initiatives for Q4, especially the launch of the DAO Curriculum and the focus on product development. Keep up the great work in driving blockchain innovation in Africa! 