As the Celo ecosystem steps into Season 1, a new approach to growth and coordination is taking shape, one designed to align local innovation with global strategy. The Celo Regional Council is leading this charge, requesting funding for its Season 1 operations to serve as a decentralized coordination and growth layer for the entire ecosystem.
Rather than fragmented proposals and duplicated work from individual regional hubs, the Council introduces a unified governance framework that consolidates funding, harmonizes metrics, and drives adoption worldwide.
Why the Regional Council Matters
Season 0 was a proving ground. Over seven months, the Council evolved from an experimental idea into a structured coordination model and uncovered some hard truths:
- Local efforts were often fragmented, leading to duplicated work and missed opportunities.
- High-context contributors needed lightweight support, not bureaucratic overhead.
- Grassroots wins like wallet downloads, community pilots, and transaction growth often lacked visibility or support at the global level.
- The Regional Council addresses these issues by bridging the gap between global strategy and local execution. It translates initiatives like Vision 2030 and Season Intents into localized action plans, and supports local nodes that are deeply embedded in their communities not just running one-off activations, but building for long-term impact.
Season 1: Global Strategy, Local Action
Season 1 marks a major step forward. The Council will formalize a governance structure that balances decentralization and efficiency, featuring:
- 4 voting members (one from each macro-region: Africa, Europe, Latin America, Asia)
- Open participation for all regional nodes
- Internal governance within each region to ensure local representation and transparent reporting
This structure empowers regional hubs to drive measurable contributions to Season 1 goals especially growing transactions and total value locked (TVL) on Celo.
The philosophy is simple but powerful: “Decentralized by design” global alignment, local execution. By sharing playbooks, streamlining reporting, and using milestone-based funding through regional multisigs, the Council will turn real-world demand (stablecoins, mobile payments, remittances) into on-chain growth.
Regional Hubs: Driving Adoption on the Ground
Africa
Africa has emerged as a leading region for Celo adoption, driven largely by MiniPay. In 2023–24, the region processed over $125 million in on-chain value.
Focus areas: expand developer funnels, deepen stablecoin adoption via ramps and pilots, and improve on-chain retention in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, and South Africa.
Requested budget: 102,000 cUSD.
Europe
Europe is home to one of the world’s most advanced blockchain developer ecosystems, with over $200B in crypto adoption. Focus areas: deploy 10+ MCP-compatible mini apps, onboard 20+ builders, and track 50,000+ transactions using KarmaGAP and GitHub dashboards.
Requested budget: 80,000 cUSD + 34,000 CELO.
Latin America
Latin America’s high mobile penetration and economic volatility make it fertile ground for decentralized tech. The LATAM Coalition (CeLatam, Celo Colombia, Celo Mexico) will lead this effort. Focus areas: expand developer pipelines, onboard merchants, and grow on-chain usage with a target of 100,000+ transactions, 190 developers, and 35 dApps launched.
Requested budget: 117,000 cUSD + 20,000 CELO.
Asia (MENA/APAC)
Asia hosts some of the largest Web3 developer ecosystems, with over $600B in on-chain value in 2023. Season 1 consolidates fragmented efforts (Celo India, Arabia, Turkey, PH) into a unified hub led by Rise In. Focus areas: hackathons, roadshows, mentorship, and business development to onboard 650+ developers, generate 250+ projects, and funnel 30+ startups into Celo’s global builder programs.
Requested budget: 83,000 cUSD + 34,000 CELO.
Tracking Impact: Metrics & KPIs
All regional hubs will align on standardized metrics and transparent reporting tools. Using platforms like KarmaGAP and GitHub dashboards, the Council will make it easy to track how every dollar translates into on-chain activity ensuring measurable, accountable growth.
Funding Snapshot
The total Season 1 budget includes:
- Core Operations: 10,000 cUSD
- Rewards/Ops Buffer: 50,000 CELO
- Regional Hub Budgets: ~392,000 cUSD + 138,000 CELO
By pooling resources and removing overhead, the Council will accelerate Celo’s progress toward its Vision 2030 goals and ensure local wins translate into global momentum.
What’s Next
With Season 0 completed, the Council is now moving through the governance process for Season 1 funding. Community discussion, Guardian checks, and on-chain voting are the next steps before execution begins.
Final Thoughts
The Celo Regional Council is more than a coordination layer; it’s a global growth engine powered by local action. By empowering regional hubs and aligning their work with Celo’s long-term vision, Season 1 sets the stage for real-world adoption at scale.
Read the full proposal and join the discussion on the Celo Governance Forum here.
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