February 19, (THEWILL) — Very Deep Mission (VDM), a Web3 start-up, describing itself as Africa’s first AI-powered humanitarian token project, has partnered with Elphil Humanitarian Foundation to pilot a blockchain-based transparency model in Nigeria’s aid sector.
The joint outreach programme, recently conducted in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, marked the first field deployment of VDM’s blockchain accountability framework.
VDM Manager, Imoh Austin, who spoke with THEWILL, said the initiative is being presented as a proof-of-concept for the organisation’s $VDM token, which has a fixed supply of one billion units. He explained that the token is positioned not as a speculative digital asset, but as infrastructure designed to fund and document humanitarian projects.
According to Austin, while blockchain technology does not directly deliver social services, it can provide an immutable public ledger showing how funds are allocated and what outcomes are achieved.
Activities from the outreach, including educational sponsorship confirmations, skills-training sessions and material distributions, are to be recorded in a traceable format, with quarterly transparency reports planned.
The longer-term roadmap includes a staking mechanism that allows token holders to participate in funding earmarked humanitarian pilots.
“Nigeria’s aid sector has faced scrutiny over fund mismanagement and opaque reporting: VDM said embedding documentation and media evidence into a blockchain record is aimed at strengthening public trust and differentiating its approach from traditional donor models.
Founded in September 2024 and formally registered two months later, Elphil Humanitarian Foundation focuses on the reform and empowerment of young men aged four to 30.
The foundation links several social challenges, including fraud, violence and substance abuse, to inadequate educational, emotional and vocational support for young males.
In its first year, Elphil reported sponsoring more than 10 students across secondary and tertiary levels and providing vocational skills training to over 20 individuals.
Its programmes combine academic funding, mentorship, vocational training and faith-based character development.
The recent outreach in Uyo included distributing relief materials, mentoring sessions, and emotional intelligence seminars.
Under the partnership framework, VDM provides blockchain traceability, media documentation and transparency reporting, while Elphil contributes local networks and implementation capacity in Akwa Ibom State.
The collaboration sets a six-month target to document and publish impact data. Future milestones include pilot utility launches, governance documentation and a proposed transition toward decentralised oversight mechanisms.
