Wada DRep - Team Introduction

[Nana_Kwadwo_Safo]

Wada DRep - Team Introduction

To delegate your votes, choose DRep ID:
CIP-105: drep155cz0w692c98wgf46zq4cz8sg9z8ycdat3qd39egygz6k2yawm6
CIP-129: drep1y2jnqfamg4tq5aepxhggzhqg7pq5gunph4wypkyh9q3qt2cru5m2j

Wada

• Voting Consensus:
  While our team is equipped with diverse expertise, we believe in the simple majority consensus-building mechanism. However, before we even get to the stage of consensus, our dedicated team conducts a series of research to inform their decisions, which ultimately feeds into the decision of the DRep vote pattern. For each governance action, the team pays attention to details in ensuring that the interest of the proposal is in alignment with the broader interest of the ecosystem. The key impacts of the proposal and its constitutionality are what inform a YES or ABSTAIN vote from our camp. However, we will unanimously vote NO on all proposals that portray interests that are in contrast with the ecosystem’s interests.

• Team Bio:
  Wada gives voice and access to people of African heritage and interest by providing the tools to reimagine new socioeconomic models in a way that reflects local cultures, values, and future aspirations. Although our focus is on Africa, Wada is an all-inclusive organization structured to provide seekers with providers. This is done with a focus on decentralization, self-organization, and distributive governance. In simple terms, we bridge Web3 into and out of Africa. Delegate to Us and be part!

• Members & Roles:

Wada Global Ltd.

1. Provide high-level direction and governance for the DRep initiative.
2. Ensure alignment with Wada Global Ltd.’s mission and broader objectives.
3. Facilitate access to necessary tools, infrastructure, and resources for the DRep.
4. Protect the Wada DRep brand within the Cardano ecosystem.
5. Support outreach efforts to enhance visibility and credibility.
6. Ensure adherence to governance policies, reporting standards, and ethical practices.
7. Conduct periodic reviews to evaluate performance and outcomes.

Nana Safo: IT Project Manager who has contributed to the Cardano ecosystem through the Project Catalyst initiative since Fund 3, where he has risen through the various community roles, including the implementation of innovative projects, which overall led to Cardano community expansion into the African region.

1. Act as the DRep lead, managing daily operations and guiding strategic initiatives.
2. Oversee proposal reviews, voting strategies, and engagement within Cardano governance.
3. Coordinate with the Wada Hubs Network team to ensure tasks are executed effectively.
4. Facilitate regular communication between all stakeholders, including Wada Global Ltd. and the network.
5. Represent Wada DRep in Cardano governance forums and discussions.
6. Build relationships with other DReps, projects, and the broader community.
7. Deliver periodic updates on DRep activities, achievements, and challenges.
8. Monitor reward metrics and suggest optimization strategies.

Wada Network: A team of individuals with diverse knowledge and expertise from the various Wada hubs selected to act as the execution team for the DRep. Their roles will be to:

1. Handle the operational tasks necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of the DRep role.
2. Conduct research, analysis, and preparation for governance voting activities.
3. Collaborate on thorough evaluations of governance proposals within the Cardano ecosystem.
4. Provide insights and recommendations to guide governance voting decisions.
5. Lead initiatives to educate and engage the community on the DRep process.
6. Support onboarding new members into the governance ecosystem.
7. Create and disseminate educational materials, reports, and updates on DRep-related activities.
8. Manage social media, newsletters, and other communication channels.
9. Develop and implement a comprehensive marketing strategy to promote Wada DRep’s activities.
10. Highlight key achievements, milestones, and value propositions through blogs, videos, and social media campaigns.
11. Use data-driven insights to improve strategies, marketing efforts, and overall processes.

• Communication: Website, X, Mail, and Community
• Network: Mainnet dRepId=drep1y2jnqfamg4tq5aepxhggzhqg7pq5gunph4wypkyh9q3qt2cru5m2j or drep155cz0w692c98wgf46zq4cz8sg9z8ycdat3qd39egygz6k2yawm6
• Payment Address: addr1q8eh784q7jknkznwa43saj5qu0mtgekvj73e0vsvwgjdr09yjtcuxltzs9r9h3duxafpf2k6w8emjw9adk0hjansr78s4l5dy2

[Nana_Kwadwo_Safo]

Wada || DRep | SPO

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Wada’s vote on the “Cardano Constitution to Replace the Interim Constitution” governance action is locked in!

[Nana_Kwadwo_Safo]

As article V section 3 of the Cardano Constitution demands of every DReps to have their Code of Conduct live to the public, I am happy to share a compilation of Wada DRep’s Code of Conduct and Voting principles.

1. Code of Conduct

1.1 Purpose

The Wada DRep Code of Conduct establishes the values and guiding principles by which all members and representatives of Wada agree to abide by. Its purpose is to ensure that our organization operates ethically, transparently, and inclusively in every aspect of our governance and community engagements.

1.2 Core Values

• Inclusivity and Diversity
  • Recognize and embrace the diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and expertise that each individual brings.
  • Maintain an environment that encourages equal participation and respects cultural differences.
• Integrity and Accountability
  • Conduct all activities transparently, honestly, and with the highest ethical standards.
  • Take responsibility for decisions, actions, and their outcomes.
• Collaboration and Empowerment
  • Foster open communication, collaboration, and support among all members of Wada.
  • Encourage self-organization, distributive governance, and local decision-making where appropriate.
• Innovation and Decentralization
  • Embrace new technologies and socioeconomic models that align with the principles of decentralization.
  • Strive for continuous growth and improvement in service of local cultures, values, and future aspirations.

1.3 Expected Behaviors

• Respect and Professionalism
  • Treat all members and stakeholders with courtesy and respect, regardless of position or opinion.
  • Engage in constructive dialogue, avoiding harmful or offensive language.
• Transparency in Decision-Making
  • Clearly communicate decision-making processes, criteria, and outcomes.
  • Document and share any relevant research or supporting data that influences governance decisions.
• Community-Centric Approach
  • Prioritize the wellbeing and interests of the ecosystem when making recommendations or decisions.
  • Support educational and empowerment initiatives that bring value to communities of African heritage, while remaining inclusive to all.

1.4 Enforcement and Accountability

• Wada’s governance team is responsible for upholding this Code of Conduct.
• Any behavior or action that violates the Code of Conduct should be reported through an established complaint mechanism.
• Violations may result in warnings, temporary suspension from decision-making processes, or other appropriate actions, depending on the severity of the breach.

2. Voting Policy

2.1 Guiding Principles

Wada follows a simple majority consensus-building mechanism, supplemented by thorough research and analysis before each governance action is voted on. Decisions are made in the best interest of both Wada’s stakeholders and the broader Cardano ecosystem.

2.2 Decision-Making Steps

1. Research and Analysis

• The Wada team conducts research to understand each proposal’s implications thoroughly.
• Special attention is paid to constitutional alignment, potential economic, social, and cultural impacts, and consistency with the broader Cardano ecosystem values.

2. Discussion and Deliberation

• The research findings are shared within the team.
• Team members discuss the proposal’s alignment with Cardano’s core values (decentralization, self-organization, inclusivity) and its potential to uplift or empower communities, particularly those in Africa and beyond.

3. Consensus-Building

• The team strives for unity, engaging in constructive debate and using a simple majority to finalize a stance.
• If a proposal appears misaligned with the overall ecosystem interests or poses negative consequences, the consensus will lean toward a unanimous “NO.”

4. Final DRep Vote

• The final vote (YES, NO, ABSTAIN) is cast based on:
  • Yes – If the proposal aligns with Cardano’s mission, ecosystem interests, and demonstrates a clear benefit to stakeholders.
  • Abstain – If the proposal is not clearly beneficial or detrimental, or if there is insufficient information.
  • No – If the proposal conflicts with Cardano’s mission or poses risks to the broader Cardano ecosystem.

2.3 Voting Criteria

• Ecosystem Alignment
  • Evaluate whether the proposal supports Cardano’s growth, innovation, and inclusivity.
  • Uphold the principle that decentralized governance should benefit participants without compromising the network’s integrity.
• Local and Global Impact
  • Consider how the proposal might support or hinder socioeconomic models that reflect local cultures and aspirations, especially in African contexts.
  • Review any global implications that could impact broader community interests.
• Feasibility and Sustainability
  • Assess the proposal’s long-term viability, including resource requirements and potential risks.
  • Ensure alignment with Cardano’s ability to support or implement the initiative effectively.
• Constitutionality and Ethical Considerations
  • Confirm the proposal’s compliance with Cardano’s governance framework and fundamental values such as fairness and transparency.
  • Reject proposals if they present ethical conflicts or significant legal uncertainties.

2.4 Transparency and Record-Keeping

• All votes, reasons for decisions, and research findings will be documented for accountability and future reference.
• Feedback from community members will be encouraged and considered in refining future voting processes.

[Nana_Kwadwo_Safo]

2025 Cardano NCL

As Wada DRep, we represent a decentralized and globally connected network of Cardano community builders, innovators, and voters, many based across Africa and the diaspora. Our role in constitutional governance is to act in the best interests of the ecosystem while reflecting the priorities of our community and honoring our internal deliberative frameworks.

We have voted NO on the 200 million ADA Net Change Limit (NCL) proposal currently under consideration. Our rationale is grounded in the fiscal framework we adopted during the budget evaluation cycle, the governance signals already sent by the broader Cardano community, and the practical needs of delivering on our shared roadmap.

As part of our internal governance process, the Wada DRep committee adopted a 280 million ADA Net Change Limit as the basis for evaluating and voting on funding proposals submitted in the 2025 budget round. This figure was selected to strike a responsible balance, well below the community’s maximum cap of 350M ADA, yet sufficient to support high-impact projects advancing the ecosystem.

The vast majority of the proposals we supported under this internal framework are now bundled within the Intersect-administered ₳275.3M aggregate budget. Voting “yes” on a new 200M NCL would directly undermine the logic and consistency of our internal budgeting decisions, calling into question the integrity of the structured assessment we undertook with our community.

Through a robust, DRep-led signaling process, the Cardano community has already approved more than 275 million ADA in funding proposals, all of which passed the required threshold of 50%+1 Lovelace in live DRep stake. These proposals span core development, governance infrastructure, marketing, community empowerment, open-source tooling, and more.

Reducing the NCL to 200M ADA now would effectively block full or timely disbursement of many of these already-approved initiatives. We believe it is a governance failure to approve a project and then retroactively impose fiscal constraints that prevent its execution.

This is the first full year of decentralized, constitutional governance in Cardano. A Net Change Limit is intended to serve as a safeguard and not as a restrictive ceiling that stifles the very processes it was meant to enable. Approving only 200M ADA for 2025 would risk starving essential components of Cardano’s governance experiment: constitutional oversight, DRep operations, auditing frameworks, and the infrastructure required to make Voltaire viable.

We believe a stronger test of governance maturity is not whether we spend less, but whether we spend wisely and deliver results. Artificially suppressing funding capacity may delay the development of tools and insights we need to evolve the governance model.

We acknowledge and appreciate the fiscal caution motivating the 200M proposal. However, we believe that caution is better reflected in the ongoing proposal to establish a 300M ADA NCL for Epochs 563–635, which extends into 2026. That figure is more aligned with expected treasury inflows and allows for continuity of funding without encouraging excess.

In contrast, the 200M proposal feels disconnected from both the scale of approved budgets and the trajectory of Cardano’s growth. Rather than help us build a robust treasury governance culture, it may erode confidence in the predictability and reliability of the on-chain funding process.

Our vote of “No” on the 200M ADA NCL proposal is not a vote against caution; it is a vote for coherence, credibility, and continuity. It reflects our obligation as a DRep to act in alignment with the budgeting framework we adopted, to defend the legitimacy of Cardano governance, and to preserve trust in the roadmap we are collectively building.

Cardano’s governance needs to be accountable, but also functional. That means setting limits that are anchored in realistic funding needs and in the will of the community and not overly restrictive thresholds that ignore context and hamstring delivery.

For all these reasons, we, the Wada DRep, have voted NO.

Let us govern boldly and wisely.

[Nana_Kwadwo_Safo]

Set a 300 million ADA Net Change Limit for Epochs 563–635

As Wada DRep, we represent a decentralized and globally connected network of Cardano community builders, innovators, and voters; many based across Africa and the diaspora. Our role in constitutional governance is to act in the best interests of the ecosystem while reflecting the priorities of our community and honoring our internal deliberative frameworks.

We have voted YES on this proposal to establish a 300 million ADA Net Change Limit (NCL) for the period covering Epochs 563 to 635, and we offer the following rationale:

As part of our review of community proposals during the 2025 budget cycle, the Wada DRep adopted an internal NCL ceiling of 280 million ADA. This number reflected a balanced position; conservative enough to avoid excessive Treasury depletion, but generous enough to allow meaningful investments in Cardano’s decentralized future.

The 300M NCL now under vote is closely aligned with this internal benchmark, offering a realistic and responsible ceiling that supports the continuity of projects we already endorsed. For us, voting “Yes” on this proposal reinforces the integrity of the internal budgeting framework we shared with our stakeholders.

We are in a critical phase of implementation. The Cardano community has approved over ₳275.3 million worth of proposals, including those administered by Intersect, alongside other important initiatives like the Amaru node development which is up for voting.

Many of these projects have 12-month roadmaps that will extend into 2026. A 300M ADA NCL for Epochs 563 to 635 ensures that disbursements tied to milestones in 2026 remain viable, and that there is no break in Treasury availability when it’s most needed to sustain development momentum.

In this sense, the 300M NCL is not speculative. It is a realistic reflection of existing commitments that now require a supportive fiscal framework.

We understand that some in the community favor a lower NCL (such as the 200M proposal) out of caution and a desire to protect Treasury longevity. We share the value of sustainability, but we also recognize the risks of underfunding an ecosystem that is entering a new phase of decentralized governance.

The 300M proposal is a responsible compromise. It is lower than the 350M NCL already approved for 2025, but high enough to enable critical functions, including:

• DRep tooling and compensation
• Ongoing constitutional committee operations
• Developer audits and milestone reviews
• Outreach, education, and regional capacity-building
• Infrastructure delivery and protocol experimentation

By voting “Yes,” we endorse a path that supports responsible spending without limiting our ability to learn, adapt, and iterate.

One of the worst outcomes we can invite as a decentralized ecosystem is uncertainty; especially after budgets have been approved. A delayed or insufficient NCL would create ambiguity about whether or how proposals will be funded beyond 2025.

The 300M ADA limit reduces this ambiguity and offers DReps, proposers, and contributors a clearer framework for long-term planning. It also allows Treasury Withdrawal governance actions to proceed with confidence that funds are available up to a predictable ceiling.

Our “Yes” vote on the 300 million ADA NCL proposal reflects a careful balance between fiscal responsibility and ecosystem stewardship. This limit:

• Aligns with our internal 280M fiscal model,
• Supports funding continuity for already-approved projects,
• Avoids disrupting long-term roadmaps,
• Provides a safe, sustainable alternative to both overly high or overly restrictive limits.

In short, it is a measured, community-informed, and execution-ready fiscal guardrail.

As Wada DRep, we believe this proposal offers Cardano a stable foundation to advance its 2025–2026 governance and development agenda. We urge fellow DReps and stakeholders to vote Yes.

Let’s build Cardano’s next chapter boldly and responsibly.

[Nana_Kwadwo_Safo]

Cardano Blockchain Ecosystem Budget: Amaru Node Development 2025

As Wada DRep, we represent a decentralized and globally connected network of Cardano community builders, innovators, and voters; many based across Africa and the diaspora. Our role in constitutional governance is to act in the best interests of the ecosystem while reflecting the priorities of our community and honoring our internal deliberative frameworks.

After careful review and deliberation, we have voted YES on the Amaru Node Development proposal, which requests ₳1.5 million in Treasury funding to support the project’s second phase in 2025. The Amaru project represents more than a technical milestone; it is a foundational step toward realizing the full vision of a resilient, multi-client, and decentralized Cardano. It embodies constitutional alignment, budgetary discipline, and strategic foresight, and its success or failure will significantly shape the ecosystem’s credibility and progress.

Cardano currently operates with a single block-producing node, i.e.,the Haskell node maintained by IOG. While it has served the network well, relying on one implementation creates systemic risk:

• A single point of failure, with no fallback in case of critical bugs.
• Limited validation of protocol conformance and specs.
• Bottlenecks in innovation, observability, and integration across environments.

Amaru addresses this by introducing a fully interoperable, modular node in Rust, which brings improved performance, memory efficiency, and cross-platform capabilities (e.g., WebAssembly, RISC-V). A second node implementation increases network resilience, fosters protocol transparency, and accelerates feature experimentation without compromising safety.

The Amaru proposal is a textbook example of what Voltaire-era BIA should look like:

• It complies fully with Articles IV.1 through IV.4 of the Cardano Constitution.
• It proposes a multi-signature smart contract system to manage disbursements.
• Each scope of work has a clearly defined owner and budget.
• Safeguards include milestone-gated releases, pause-payment mechanisms, refund capabilities, and credential rotation.

Amaru is governed by PRAGMA, a nonprofit association formed by core ecosystem teams: Blink Labs, dcSpark, Sundae Labs, TxPipe, and the Cardano Foundation. This collaboration brings together some of the most experienced contributors to Cardano’s open-source tooling and node infrastructure. Moreover, the team has committed to:

• Quarterly progress reports, made public via GitHub.
• Working demos every 4–6 weeks, showcasing real deliverables.
• Ongoing community visibility and documentation of all development efforts.

These commitments far exceed the transparency baseline expected of Treasury-funded initiatives.

The proposal seeks ₳1.5 million to fund 6 full-time contributors over six months. This includes a 25% contingency for complexity and overhead, based on a $0.50/ADA conversion rate. The networking scope, already funded via Catalyst, is excluded from this ask.

In relative terms, this is a small investment for a high-impact project, especially considering that community-signaled proposals totaling over ₳275 million is also up for vote.

Rejecting or abstaining on the Amaru Node proposal would have negative ripple effects:

• It would delay node diversity, exposing Cardano to prolonged infrastructure fragility.
• It would discourage developers from engaging in critical protocol-level work.
• It would undermine the credibility of the on-chain governance and treasury processes we are working to legitimize.
• It could stifle future-forward innovation, such as light clients, WASM support, and modular architecture.

The message it would send is that even the most constitutionally aligned, community-driven, technically sound proposals are not safe from political or procedural paralysis.

We, the Wada DRep, have voted YES on the Amaru Node Development proposal because it represents exactly the kind of initiative the Treasury exists to support: strategically essential, technically robust, governed with transparency, and aligned with the long-term vision of Cardano.

If we are serious about resilience, decentralization, and the responsible use of Treasury resources, then we must back the projects that embody those values.

[Nana_Kwadwo_Safo]

2025 Cardano Blockchain Ecosystem Budget - 7.5M ₳ for community builders

As Wada DRep, we represent a decentralized and globally connected network of Cardano community builders, innovators, and voters; many based across Africa and the diaspora. Our role in constitutional governance is to act in the best interests of the ecosystem while reflecting the priorities of our community and honoring our internal deliberative frameworks.

While we deeply value the intentions behind the proposal titled “2025 Cardano Blockchain Ecosystem Budget – ₳7.5M for Community Builders,” we have made the decision to abstain from voting on this Budget Info Action. Our abstention is not a reflection of disagreement with the proposals listed. On the contrary, we voted “Yes” on each of these individual projects during the community review phase and maintained strong support for their impact and alignment with Cardano’s long-term vision.

However, we must also act in a way that preserves clarity and coordination within Cardano’s treasury governance process. All of the individual proposals bundled in this ₳7.5M package also appear in the larger ₳275.3M aggregate budget proposal administered by Intersect, titled “Cardano Blockchain Ecosystem Budget – 275M ADA Administered by Intersect.” That proposal includes the same community-approved projects, has passed DRep signaling, and has been carefully structured to align with treasury guardrails, milestone management, and transparent disbursement practices.

As such, casting a “Yes” vote on both Budget Info Actions creates a risk of administrative and treasury access conflict if both are passed. There is no clearly defined resolution process for managing overlapping budget actions that authorize separate administrators for the same set of proposals. In this context, a dual approval may create confusion around which administrative pathway; Intersect’s structured oversight framework or an alternate, undefined one, should take precedence.

Our abstention reflects our desire to avoid contributing to that ambiguity while still honoring our prior support for these proposals. We continue to recognize and affirm the tremendous contributions of the community builders represented in this budget. However, we believe that the best path forward is to endorse a single, unified administration for the 2025 budget cycle, specifically, Intersect, which we have already decided to support in the broader ₳275.3M proposal.

We encourage our fellow DReps to consider the importance of administrative consistency and treasury process integrity when casting their votes on overlapping Budget Info Actions.

[Nana_Kwadwo_Safo]

Cardano Blockchain Ecosystem Budget - 275M ada Administered by Intersect

As Wada DRep, we represent a decentralized and globally connected network of Cardano community builders, innovators, and voters; many based across Africa and the diaspora. Our role in constitutional governance is to act in the best interests of the ecosystem while reflecting the priorities of our community and honoring our internal deliberative frameworks.

We have voted YES on the proposal titled “Cardano Blockchain Ecosystem Budget – 275M ADA Administered by Intersect.” This proposal marks a historic step in Cardano’s transition to decentralized governance under the Voltaire era. It represents the culmination of months of community signaling, deliberation, and alignment, bringing together a comprehensive, community-approved set of proposals under a single, well-coordinated treasury framework.

We voted yes because this proposal honors the will of the Cardano community and adheres to the Constitution in both form and spirit. The ₳275.3M budget aggregates 39 community-vetted proposals, each of which surpassed the DRep support threshold (>50%) during the final temperature check via Ekklesia. These proposals represent a wide spectrum of Cardano’s ecosystem needs, from core development, research, and open-source tooling to governance infrastructure, community funding mechanisms, and global outreach.

Importantly, we at Wada had already reviewed and supported the majority of these proposals during our internal budget evaluation process, guided by an internal treasury ceiling of ₳280 million ADA. Supporting this unified budget is therefore not just consistent but a continuation of the signal we already gave through careful review and strategic endorsement of impactful proposals. Voting yes on this aggregate proposal aligns with our previous evaluations and respects the structure and intent of the wider community budget process.

We are especially aligned with the proposal’s administrative design. Intersect’s role as the designated administrator is backed by a constitutionally compliant, smart contract–based fund management system. This includes milestone-gated disbursements, due diligence checks (KYC/KYB), audit and pause-payment mechanisms, and multi-signature oversight involving independent stakeholders. These controls are exactly what is needed to model responsible treasury stewardship in Cardano’s first constitutional budget cycle. The presence of these safeguards gives us confidence that Treasury funds will be managed transparently and only released in accordance with project performance and community expectations.

By voting yes, we are affirming the legitimacy of community-led budget formation. This proposal represents the most coordinated and participatory budget process in Cardano’s history and deserves our support as a model for future funding cycles. Additionally, we recognize and endorse the competence of Intersect to oversee fund disbursement with transparency and accountability. The organization has demonstrated its readiness to fulfill the role of administrator in alignment with the Cardano Constitution and community interest.

This vote also signals our belief that Cardano’s governance system is ready to support proposals from both founding and non-founding entities in a fair, strategic, and verifiable manner. A robust ecosystem must be built on inclusion, legitimacy, and capacity, not on legacy position alone. We believe this proposal successfully integrates contributions from across the community in a way that reflects that principle.

Finally, this vote is a signal to our fellow DReps and community members: we must not fragment our governance process with redundant or competing budget actions. The strength of this proposal lies in its cohesion, as it consolidates a wide array of high-quality proposals under a single, unified administrative track. That clarity and coordination will be essential for maintaining legitimacy and trust as we operationalize decentralized budgeting at scale.

For these reasons, we, the Wada DRep, voted YES on the Cardano Blockchain Ecosystem Budget Administered by Intersect. We see it as both a milestone in governance maturity and a foundation for the community to build upon in future funding cycles.