Skip to main content
Applications Open — Cohort 1
Comply54 Open Source Fellowship

Build the infrastructure that keeps AI agents safe.

A 4-week contributor program for engineers, researchers, and builders shaping the governance layer for autonomous AI systems.

RegistrationJuly 10 — July 24
4Contribution tracks
4 wksFellowship duration
₦200kRecognition pool
5Award categories
What is comply54

AI frameworks make agents powerful.
comply54 makes them accountable.

comply54 is an open-source runtime governance framework that evaluates AI agent actions before execution — adding a policy layer between an agent and the tools it controls.

It integrates with LangGraph, CrewAI, OpenAI Agents SDK, and Open Policy Agent, enforcing African data protection regulations and organizational policies without rebuilding existing AI workflows.

User request
Action enters the agent
Agent decides action
Tool call, data access, workflow
comply54 evaluates
Policy rules run in real time
Decision returned
AllowBlockEscalate
Who should apply

No single background required.

AI Engineers

Working with LLMs, agents, tool calling, or orchestration frameworks. Interested in how governance fits the inference loop.

Security Engineers

Background in authorization, runtime protection, or risk detection. Keen to apply those skills to autonomous systems.

Backend Engineers

Building developer infrastructure — SDKs, APIs, CLI tools, framework connectors, automation pipelines.

Technical Writers

Translating complex AI governance concepts into documentation, tutorials, and onboarding guides that actually work.

Policy & Research

Interested in Responsible AI, Policy-as-Code, AI risk evaluation, or governance frameworks. Technical background welcome but not required.

Contribution tracks

Choose where to make your mark.

Track 01

AI Agent Integrations

Build the bridge between comply54 and modern AI frameworks so developers can add governance without rebuilding their stack.

Examples: MCP integration, Semantic Kernel adapter, AutoGen connector, agent middleware

PythonTypeScriptAI Frameworks

Track 02

Developer Tooling

Create the utilities that make comply54 easier to adopt — from scanners to IDE extensions to governance scoring.

Examples: Governance Score CLI, GitHub Action scanner, VS Code extension, compliance reports

CLI DevBackendSecurity Tools

Track 03

AI Governance Research

Define how AI systems should be evaluated. Build the benchmarks and test suites that enforcement is measured against.

Examples: Agent safety benchmarks, failure scenario library, policy test suites, compliance simulations

ResearchTestingPolicy Engineering

Track 04

Developer Experience

Improve how developers discover, learn, and adopt comply54. Good DX is what turns a good library into a thriving ecosystem.

Examples: Tutorials, starter projects, sample applications, onboarding flows

Technical WritingEngineeringDeveloper Education
How it works

Four weeks, one shipped contribution.

0

Week 0

Orientation

Meet the community, learn the architecture, and set up your environment.

1

Week 1

First contribution

Everyone ships a first PR — docs, tests, a fix, or an enhancement.

2

Weeks 2–3

Build phase

Work on a larger contribution with maintainer support. Collaborate, review, iterate.

3

Week 4

Demo & recognition

Present your contribution. Outstanding work is recognised and rewarded.

Contributor recognition

Outstanding contributions are rewarded.

Cohort 1 carries a ₦200,000 recognition pool distributed across five categories.

₦75,000

Outstanding Contributor

Highest overall impact across the cohort.

₦50,000

Best Technical Contribution

Exceptional engineering — integrations, core improvements, or tooling.

₦30,000

Best Developer Experience

Outstanding documentation, tutorials, or onboarding work.

₦25,000

Rising Contributor

New contributor who shows outstanding growth and consistency.

₦20,000

Community Impact

Exceptional collaboration — reviews, discussions, knowledge sharing.

₦200,000Total recognition pool · Cohort 1
What fellows receive

Beyond the contribution itself.

Real-world open-source engineering experience on AI infrastructure

Mentorship from comply54 maintainers throughout the program

GitHub portfolio contributions with verified public history

Fellowship completion certificate and public contributor recognition

Clear growth path from contributor toward core maintainer

Eligibility for contributor recognition and Cohort 1 reward pool

Cohort 1 · July 10 — July 24

Help build the governance layer AI agents need.

Applications are open. Beginners and experienced contributors both welcome — curiosity and commitment are the only requirements.