Summary
The Cardano founder was questioned about the absence of updates on the Ethiopia project.
According to Hoskinson, the project is still in development but has experienced delays beyond his control.
Cardano is on track to achieve full decentralisation.
Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano (ADA), recently engaged in another crypto debate on X. It all started when user Fabian inquired about a status update on Cardano’s Ethiopia ID system project. Fabian asked whether any students had been onboarded at all:
Are there any updates regarding Ethiopia?
"Hoskinson said since the system is live, it is expected to cover one million students before the end of 2023."
Are these students onboarded? @IOHKMedia@InputOutputHK#Cardanohttps://t.co/jX1OLI7EWR
— Fabian (@Fabian_vBergen) October 4, 2023
Ethiopia ID System Specific to Education
In 2021, Charles Hoskinson announced that Ethiopia would be using the Cardano blockchain for student IDs. Critics argued that the project was moving too slowly, with some even saying it was dead altogether.
At the time, Hoskinson confirmed that the project was still alive and aimed to cover one million students by the end of 2023. He clarified that it was never intended to cover all IDs in the country and that the agreement was with the Ministry of Education.
No News is Bad News?
User Fabian speculated about the absence of news on the topic and said, “You could think one would like to hide something,” adding that it would be a negative sign if there was nothing to report.
He acknowledged that Ethiopia had been experiencing a two-year civil war and changes in government, which might have shifted priorities away from blockchain for student IDs.
However, Fabian didn’t stop there and continued his criticism, mentioning several unfulfilled promises, including the ERC-20 converter. He also claimed that Cardano was not decentralised and that Input-Output Global (IOG), the company behind Cardano, still held full control.
I think you are missing the point here. Its not just because he probably sold his bag and dumped it on the community, but there were so many promises which never has come true. Ethiopia, IELE, ERC-20 converter etc etc. Keep in mind that IOG still has the full control with BFT-key
— Fabian (@Fabian_vBergen) October 6, 2023
Cardano Founder Responds
In response to these accusations, Hoskinson pointed out that development in Ethiopia was ongoing despite challenges like war and changes in education administrations.
He noted the history of the ERC-20 converter and its usage by projects like SingularityNet but also the subsequent criticism it received due to projects like Milkomeda.
You seem to be remarkably comfortable with lying to people on a regular basis. I'm not sure why you do you it and you know better, but you keep at it.
Ethiopia is still being actively developed despite a war and multiple education administrations. You know exactly the status of…
— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) October 7, 2023
Hoskinson asserted that IOG does not have full control of Cardano and emphasised that Emurgo, the Cardano Foundation, and IOG are all genesis key holders.
He said, “CIP 1694 makes this entire notion irrelevant.” CIP 1694 is a Cardano improvement proposal that will make Cardano fully decentralised.
Hoskinson is no stranger to disputes on Twitter and has been quarrelling with different Twitter users before. However, some have reminded him to not respond to every single accusation, as this can take a toll on one’s mental health.
