Membership Model · Version 1.0

Four pathways to shape the trust layer.

Council participation is not a single commitment. It is a spectrum — from quiet observation to running validator infrastructure. Choose the pathway that fits your institution's mandate, capacity, and timeline.

Pathway 01

Council Observer.

For institutions interested in the Council but not yet ready to commit publicly. Observers engage privately, receive Foundation briefings, and attend selected Council sessions.

No public commitment

What Observers do

  • Receive private briefings.Quarterly Foundation briefings on protocol development, governance decisions, and ecosystem progress.
  • Attend selected sessions.Access to Council sessions designated as Observer-eligible, with no obligation to participate publicly.
  • Engage confidentially.Direct private dialogue with the Foundation team while internal evaluation continues.
  • No name disclosure.Observer status is held in strict confidence. No institutional name appears in public materials.
  • Convert at any time.Observers may transition to full Council membership when internal alignment is reached.

Best suited for

Institutions whose internal review process requires extended confidentiality. Central banks, regulators, and ministries during early-stage evaluation. Boards considering blockchain participation for the first time.

Pathway 02 · Core tier

Founding Council Member.

For institutions willing to be publicly named as members of the founding cohort. Members participate in governance, shape protocol direction, and are recognized as architects of the network.

Publicly named

What Council Members do

  • Participate in governance.Voice and vote in Council decisions on validator admission, protocol upgrades, and strategic direction.
  • Public recognition.Inclusion in Foundation publications, the whitepaper, and all public materials as a founding institution.
  • Quarterly Council sessions.Participation in the formal Council meetings where direction is set and decisions are made.
  • Term-based seats.Initial seats are held on staggered three-year terms with renewal options, ensuring continuity with rotation.
  • Equal voting rights.One institution, one vote. No tier of membership grants greater voting power than another.
  • Influence over ecosystem direction.A formal role in setting Foundation priorities, grant allocation, and partnership decisions.

Best suited for

Universities, fintechs, civil-society organizations, diaspora institutions, chambers of commerce, and any institution comfortable being publicly associated with Africa's sovereign trust infrastructure from its founding moment.

Pathway 03 · Operational tier

Validator Partner.

For institutions ready to run, sponsor, or co-manage validator infrastructure. Validator Partners actively secure the network and operate at the technical heart of the protocol.

Active infrastructure role

What Validator Partners do

  • Run validator infrastructure.Operate a validator node on the Alkebuleum network, either directly or through a designated technical partner.
  • Earn validator rewards.Receive network rewards for honest, reliable validation, alongside governance role.
  • Technical onboarding.Full Foundation support — documentation, deployment assistance, monitoring tools, and 24/7 technical liaison.
  • Slashing transparency.Clear, predictable, public criteria for what constitutes validator misbehavior. No arbitrary penalties.
  • Geographic clustering.Validator Partners are organized into regional pools for resilience and to ensure continental geographic distribution.
  • All Council rights retained.Validator Partners hold all governance rights of Council Members, plus their operational role.

Best suited for

Banks and fintechs with existing infrastructure operations. Universities with strong computer science programs and the capacity to run institutional-grade nodes. Telecom and payment network operators. Diaspora technology coalitions.

Pathway 04 · Applied tier

Implementation Partner.

For institutions ready to pilot a specific use case on Alkebuleum. Implementation Partners turn the protocol into real-world programs — identity, credentials, records, payments, anti-corruption.

Pilot use case

What Implementation Partners do

  • Choose a use case.Identity, academic credentials, land registries, anti-corruption logs, document verification, payments, or diaspora investment.
  • Foundation grant support.Pilot programs are eligible for Foundation grants covering technical integration, training, and rollout costs.
  • Co-developed scope.The Foundation works directly with the institution to define a realistic, measurable pilot scope.
  • Public case-study recognition.Successful pilots become published case studies, building both Foundation and institutional visibility.
  • Path to Council Membership.Implementation Partners are natural candidates for Council Membership once the pilot demonstrates fit.
  • No exclusivity required.Implementation Partners retain freedom to pilot similar programs on other networks or systems.

Best suited for

Anti-corruption commissions, electoral bodies, national archives, registries, universities issuing credentials, fintechs running remittance programs, diaspora investment vehicles, NGOs running transparency pilots.

— At a glance

Four pathways, side by side.

Pathways can be combined. Many institutions will participate as both Council Members and Implementation Partners.

What it includes Observer Council Member Validator Partner Implementation Partner
Quarterly briefings✓✓✓✓
Public recognition—✓✓✓
Voice in governance—✓✓—
Voting rights—✓✓—
Run validator node——✓—
Validator rewards——✓—
Pilot use case———✓
Grant eligibility———✓
Financial obligationNoneNoneInfrastructure onlyNone

Find the pathway
that fits your institution.

Begin with a private conversation. The Foundation will help you identify the pathway, or combination of pathways, that matches your mandate, capacity, and timeline.

Express interest → Read the full Brief