Date: June 14, 2025
Time: 4:00 PM (UTC) / 6:00 PM (Goma)
Moderator: Boaz
Participants: Representatives from Congo (DRC), Burkina Faso, Cameroon
Opening and Meeting Context
The meeting opened by recalling the mission of the Francophone Cardano community, which is to facilitate French-language discussions on blockchain-related issues and maintain community cohesion to ensure no important information from the global Cardano community is missed. The community currently brings together Francophone countries with representation from the Democratic Republic of Congo, mainly Goma, Burkina Faso with Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso, as well as Côte d’Ivoire. The international openness of the community is illustrated by the participation of members residing in Europe, such as Chanceline, a Cameroonian member based in Italy.
The meeting proceeded with twelve participants, following the usual format of weekly sessions organized every Saturday at the same time. The agenda included a recap of the previous meeting, an update on Intersect MBO activities, followed by a discussion on problems identified in African communities and possible blockchain solutions.
Previous Session Recap
A brief summary of the June 7 session was presented. This session focused on African blockchain and its development by the Cardano community to embody African philosophy. The discussions had identified several major problems in the represented regions, including financial difficulties in Goma with bank closures and Mobile Money service malfunctions, security issues in Burkina Faso related to terrorism financing, student data archiving problems, and inaccessibility of medical records. Proposed solutions included stablecoin integration, real-time monitoring of suspicious transfers, and creating secure medical histories on blockchain. The main obstacles identified remain the overly technical nature of current training, governmental reluctance toward transparency, and the lack of Francophone blockchain developers in the community.
Intersect Activities Update
The latest news from Intersect, the Cardano member-based organization, was presented. The recently approved info action obtained 63.66% approval from DReps, 93.26% approval from SPOs, and six out of seven constitutional committee members voted favorably. This approval unlocks the treasury withdrawal process that will enable funding for thirty-nine projects submitted under Intersect administration.
A complex community decision was made following a survey on Ecclesia, where the community chose to proceed with thirty-nine individual treasury withdrawals rather than a single consolidated withdrawal. Although this process proves complex, Intersect commits to respecting it. Constitutional committee elections began on June 12 and will continue until July 2, marking an important change with the transition from a stake-based voting system to voting by DReps.
Regarding technical developments, the GovTools platform has been revised with a new modular proposal offering a funding model open to the community. This tool allows anyone to participate in governance without requiring major technical knowledge.
At the organizational level, Nicolas Séni became president of the Civic committee with a commitment toward more transparency and community engagement via the new Intersect Civics account. The continued growth of Intersect members was also noted.
New Member Participation and Contributions
The meeting welcomed several new participants, including a participant from the Nyiragongo territory in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a peripheral entity of Goma. He confirmed that the problems affecting Goma directly impact all peripheral territories of the province. He emphasized that his community encounters the same difficulties as those identified by members during the previous session, but his connection was interrupted before he could further develop his observations.
A female participant from Goma, a graduate of the April training organized by Goma Hub, emphasized the importance of maximizing blockchain training, particularly in health and banking sectors. She reinforced three major points raised during previous meetings, notably the education problem, lack of materials and ideas about blockchain in local communities, as well as adoption problems and reluctance toward this technology.
Comprehensive Synthesis of Identified Problems
A complete synthesis of problems raised during previous meetings was presented, specifying that this list would serve as a basis for future discussions on solutions. It was emphasized that despite possible duplicates, this recap would help identify main lines for viable and acceptable solutions.
In the financial domain, the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly Goma, faces major monetary circulation difficulties due to bank closures and recurring mobile money service malfunctions. These problems result in liquidity shortages in several important cities like Goma, Bukavu, and major cities in North and South Kivu in the eastern part of the country. Operators impose unfavorable exchange rates, and cryptocurrency volatility, initially considered as a solution, itself constitutes a problem. High costs of accessing blockchain services, due to market fluctuations, further complicate adoption. Communities also face challenges in adopting blockchain innovations against established financial habits.
Security issues particularly concern Burkina Faso where terrorism financing poses a major challenge. The absence of adequate surveillance systems facilitates these illicit transfers, while infiltration of cities by terrorist groups complicates the security situation. Governments experience difficulties controlling financial flows, not knowing who transfers what to whom, and must deal with limitations of traditional bank transfers that require justification for high amounts.
Archiving and documentation problems affect all represented African communities. Traditional archiving systems show their failures with inefficient manual document management methods. Loss or inaccessibility of academic and administrative documents, including diplomas and certificates, poses considerable problems for citizens. Inefficient manual organization of archives and vulnerabilities of centralized digital data expose important information to risks of loss or manipulation.
Blockchain education and adoption encounter several significant obstacles. Limited access to blockchain education constitutes a major brake, despite efforts to translate documents for local communities. Available training is considered too technical and unsuitable for the general public, while the goal would be to adapt blockchain education to all levels of understanding. Lack of educational support, reluctance from governments and businesses, as well as adoption difficulties related to organizational unpreparedness significantly slow the development of the local blockchain ecosystem.
Introduction of a New Challenge: Electoral Fraud
A major problem common to many African countries was introduced: electoral fraud. It was emphasized that these sessions are interactive and that each participant should contribute to identifying problems that undermine African societies and for which no reliable solution has yet been found.
Drawing on her experience in Cardano governance and participation in ecosystem voting processes, this participant considers that adoption of blockchain voting systems by African countries could significantly resolve electoral fraud problems. She described a situation unfortunately common in Africa where leaders perpetuate themselves in power not by popular will but through systems allowing manipulation of electoral results in their favor.
Citing examples from many African countries, including her own which she prefers not to name to avoid complications, this speaker illustrated the situation of populations who are born, grow up, and age under the same president, not by democratic choice but through electoral process manipulation. She considers that blockchain could offer a very reliable technical solution to this major political problem, provided governments agree to collaborate and there are honest people at the head of governments, willing to act transparently.
The moderator reacted by highlighting the challenges that adoption of this technology represents for governments accustomed to manipulations, a problem not limited to Africa but also affecting other regions of the world. He recalled that blockchain puts everything in view of everyone and allows no modification, which perhaps explains politicians’ reluctance. He also mentioned that blockchain voting has already been tested in several countries, notably Sierra Leone and certain countries in Asia and America, but these projects were never pursued after the testing phase, possibly because of this imposed transparency.
Educational Solutions and Generational Approach
Another participant proposed a progressive educational approach targeting young generations as a strategy to overcome current authorities’ resistance to blockchain innovation. She suggested that global influencers could integrate blockchain concepts into university curricula or secondary education, particularly from fifth and sixth grade. This approach is based on the principle that young people’s memory is fresher and their capacity to adapt to new technologies greater than that of older adults.
She explained that even if governments currently refuse to accept blockchain innovation because of transparency problems it imposes, a long-term educational strategy could bear fruit. By training the student and university base, one would create a skills reservoir that would facilitate rapid blockchain adoption in Africa when political authorities are ready to accept it. She emphasized that this approach constitutes an important palliative measure to contribute to African blockchain ecosystem development.
Another participant reinforced this proposal by suggesting concrete approaches to university and secondary school administrators to demonstrate the importance of blockchain technology for the future. She proposed collaborating with computer science and technology professors to integrate these teachings and motivate youth. According to her, this approach would allow young people to acquire the desire to document themselves personally, even online, and ensure community continuity for future generations.
She insisted that one should not limit oneself to considering immediate benefits but rather invest in education through passion for technology and community. She considers that if the current generation cannot find ways to apply these technologies, the next generation can benefit thanks to constant and regular education on these subjects.
University Partnerships and Institutional Strategies
In response to this approach, the Inkuba Hub coordinator detailed Inkuba Hub’s efforts in Burkina Faso to establish concrete university partnerships. An agreement already exists with a university in Bobo-Dioulasso, offering the possibility of organizing free blockchain training sessions, although this initiative is not yet fully deployed at the institutional level. Negotiations are underway with other institutions to develop similar partnerships and progressively integrate blockchain workshops into academic curricula.
This approach is part of a larger project that had been submitted for funding but unfortunately was not selected during community votes. This project aimed to establish partnerships in different universities of regions represented by the Francophone community, including Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The objective was to create a network of in-depth blockchain education throughout the Francophone African space.
She also emphasized the importance of this educational strategy as a fundamental vision of Inkuba Hub, an organization that has always valued education. She considers that the current demand consists of raising the level of intervention by working on institutional partnerships rather than limiting ourselves to occasional training. This approach would allow for more durable and deeper impact on African student communities.
Despite the absence of funding for the initial project, she encouraged other represented hubs, notably that of Goma and future partners from Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon, to develop similar initiatives. She insisted that motivation should not be financial but guided by passion for technology and desire to have positive impact in each community.
Local Activities and Continuing Education
The moderator and head of Goma Hub highlighted the regular activities of Goma Hub in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which organizes monthly blockchain initiations at the end of each month. These structured training sessions have already trained several cohorts of local participants. This local approach demonstrates the feasibility of a decentralized blockchain education system adapted to specific contexts of each region.
The Goma Hub example illustrates how local communities can develop their own education and awareness capabilities without necessarily waiting for significant external funding. This local initiative proves crucial for creating a sustainable blockchain skills ecosystem in the Francophone African space.
Long-term Vision and Community Engagement
The Inkuba Hub coordinator concluded the meeting by emphasizing the community’s determination to continue its efforts despite encountered challenges. She particularly praised the active participation of women during this session, noting that Rita and Edwige had spoken remarkably, contrasting with the usual tendency in technological environments where women often remain in the background while men dominate discussions.
The community’s historical commitment was highlighted with seven years of continuous presence in the Cardano ecosystem since 2021, demonstrating remarkable perseverance in education and community development work. The Inkuba Hub coordinator insisted that these efforts are not in vain and that the community will continue to fight until attracting the necessary attention to make the Francophone voice heard in the global ecosystem.
The objective remains to transform discussed ideas into concrete and funded solutions for real impact on African communities. The strategy consists of continuing education and awareness work while developing technical capabilities necessary to implement blockchain solutions adapted to local challenges.
The community maintains its collaborative vision where each regional hub develops its own initiatives while contributing to the collective effort. This decentralized approach reflects blockchain principles themselves and allows fine adaptation to specific contexts of each region while maintaining overall coherence of the Francophone community.
Practical Information and Follow-up
The next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 21, 2025, at 4:00 PM UTC, following the established weekly format. New participants can access the community’s Telegram group to consult previous meeting reports, listen to recordings, and participate in continuous exchanges between sessions.
An important reminder was formulated regarding realistic expectations of blockchain: this technology is not a magic solution to all problems and certain difficulties require traditional local solutions or use of other complementary technologies. This pragmatic approach guides community discussions toward realistic and implementable solutions.
The meeting ended with an Inkuba Hub member who had raised his hand to speak, illustrating participants’ continued engagement and their desire to actively contribute to community discussions. This participatory dynamic constitutes the main strength of the Francophone Cardano community and its principal asset for developing blockchain solutions adapted to African realities.
X: @InkubaA
Discord: Laurentine F. Djatsa