How I’m Building Blockchain for Public Fund Transparency
It started with frustration.
I was scrolling through a government portal, trying to trace how a particular public fund was allocated, but the trail ended in vague reports and broken links. Billions were accounted for in theory, but not in practice. I thought: “What if there was a way to trace every single transaction, from top-level disbursement to local implementation, in a way no one could tamper with?”
That’s when the idea hit me—why not use blockchain to build a transparent ledger for public fund management?
This post is my journey so far—technical choices, philosophical drivers, and the mistakes I’ve made (and am still making). If you care about civic tech, transparency, or blockchain for good, this one’s for you.
🧠 The Why: Transparency Isn’t Optional—It’s Survival
Public trust is at an all-time low in many parts of the world, and one major reason is opaque financial governance. Most citizens don’t know where their taxes go. And when they ask, they’re given PDF reports instead of raw data.
Blockchain promises immutability, traceability, and public accountability—values governments often claim but rarely deliver on. It’s not about cryptocurrency. It’s about truth.
🧱 The Stack: Building the Transparent Ledger
Here’s what I’m currently working with:
🧬 Blockchain Layer
- Choice: Ethereum (using a sidechain for scalability)
- Why: Developer-friendly, lots of tooling, good support for smart contracts
- Challenges: Gas fees and complexity for non-technical users
🔐 Smart Contracts
I’m using Solidity to write smart contracts that handle:
- Fund disbursement logs
- Project milestones
- Approval workflows
Each transaction creates a record tied to an actual budget item.
🌐 Frontend
- Framework: React + Next.js
- Web3 Integration: Ethers.js
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Design Goals:
- Easy for regular users (citizens) to navigate
- Visual transparency: flow charts, progress bars, and audit trails
🗃️ Backend / Off-chain Storage
- IPFS for storing documents like contracts, invoices, and receipts
- PostgreSQL for fast querying of mirrored data (used by the frontend)
👥 The People Problem
The hardest part isn’t code—it’s humans.
- Government stakeholders are skeptical of decentralization.
- NGOs are interested but lack technical staff.
- Citizens are curious but wary of “blockchain buzzwords.”
So part of my job became evangelism: running small workshops, creating demo walkthroughs, and building trust.
🔍 Transparency in Action (Demo Use Case)
Let’s say the Ministry of Health allocates $1M to build rural clinics. Here’s how it would work on the platform:
Smart Contract Deployed
Ministry creates a smart contract defining the total budget, deliverables, and timeline.Fund Disbursed
Every disbursement to contractors or NGOs is logged with a transaction hash.Milestone Verified
Once a clinic is built, the contract triggers a milestone payment only after verifiable evidence (photos, GPS-tagged receipts) is submitted to IPFS.Public View
Anyone—citizens, journalists, auditors—can see the full trail from allocation to execution.
🚧 What’s Still in Progress
- Onboarding UX: Making wallet connection and blockchain concepts user-friendly
- Localization: Adapting for languages and regulatory contexts in multiple countries
- Partnerships: Collaborating with civic tech orgs for real-world pilots
🔮 The Road Ahead
I'm under no illusion that tech alone can fix governance. But what it can do is give us the tools to hold power accountable—and to do so in a way that’s verifiable, tamper-proof, and open to all.
This project is open-source, and I’m actively looking for collaborators—developers, designers, civic hackers, and policy nerds alike.
If you’ve ever wanted to use your skills for public good, consider this your invitation.
💬 Let’s Connect
- GitHub Repo: https://github.com/amirofekiti
- Twitter / X: @amirekiti
- Drop a comment or DM me here on Dev.to if you want to get involved!
🙏 Final Thoughts
Building something like this isn’t easy. It’s idealistic, sometimes overwhelming, and constantly evolving. But if even one community can see exactly where their money is going—and demand better because of it—then all this is worth it.
Let’s build transparency, one block at a time.
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