To help the blockchain ecosystem in the country thrive, Polygon has announced a partnership with the landlocked nation of Niger in West Africa. 

As a country that ranked 189 out of 191 in the United Nations Human Development Report, Niger seems to have been relegated to the background by its counterparts in the Sahel region. It is one of the countries described to have a poorly diversified economy.

The Polygon blockchain platform believes that Niger has great prospects which are somewhat connected to the younger generation in the country. 

So far, Polygon has linked strategic collaborations with Impact Plus and GeoAnalytics Center, a technology-focused non-governmental organization in Niamey. In the meantime, the trio is focused on three activities which they plan to achieve with outstanding results to show for it. These include;

• Mapping blockchain ecosystem to identify local projects.
• Roundtable discussion with key stakeholders, that is to say, the Government, youth, start-ups, universities, and incubators.
• Debates with the community to discuss findings.

Together w/ @ImpactPlus_web3 & the GeoAnalytics Center we’re developing activities👇🏾

🌍Mapping blockchain ecosystem to identify local projects
🌍Roundtable w/ key stakeholders (govt, youth, start-ups, unis, incubators) to support policy
🌍Debate w/ community to discuss findings

— Polygon (Labs) (@0xPolygonLabs) May 5, 2023

For a start, they have begun to map out blockchain ecosystems with the aim of identifying local projects to embark on. Once these grassroots projects have been identified as a fit for the most appropriate blockchain technology, discussions with stakeholders including the Government, youths, tertiary institutions, startups, and incubators will commence, gaining their support towards the potential policy.

Before this, Jordi Baylina, the technical lead co-founder of Polygon led a team in 2018 to organize a regional hackathon in Niamey. The Sahel hackathon was focused on addressing gender inequality. It was during that time that it was discovered that only one-fifth of developers in Africa are females. Ultimately, Polygon is seeking strategies to promote diversity and inclusion of Web 3.0 in Niger.