OSSAfrica Governance Repository

An Open Community Initiative

This repository contains the governance framework, organizational structure, policies, and operational documents for Open Source & Security Africa (OSSAfrica). It is intended as the authoritative source for how the community operates, makes decisions, and evolves over time by providing documentation that guides governance, leadership, and community practices.

Overview

Open Source & Security Africa (OSSAfrica) is a community-driven initiative focused on strengthening open source collaboration, security awareness, and contributor engagement across Africa. Our governance model draws heavily from practices established by the Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) and the Linux Foundation (LF) - prioritizing transparency, fairness, openness, and community participation.

Mission

To build a secure, collaborative, and thriving open source ecosystem across Africa by empowering contributors, security professionals, developers, and communities with education, tooling, mentorship, and sustainable governance.

Scope

This repository covers:

• Governance framework & operating model
• Working group charters
• Leadership responsibilities & processes
• Community expectations & participation guidelines
• Onboarding processes
• Communications, moderation, and conduct policies
• Templates, meeting notes, and operational documents

Principles

OSSAfrica governance aligns with the following values:

• Open participation: Anyone may join, contribute, or participate.
• Transparent governance: Decisions, meetings, and processes are documented and accessible.
• Community-first leadership: Roles are earned through contribution and sustained engagement.
• Meritocratic evolution: Leadership evolves as contributors demonstrate initiative and responsibility.
• Neutral, vendor-agnostic operations: No single company or entity controls OSSAfrica.
• Security-focused culture: Our operations emphasize safe, responsible engagement with open source security.

Governance Structure

At this stage, OSSAfrica operates with a streamlined governance model designed to ensure clarity, accountability, and alignment with the broader open source security ecosystem:

• OpenSSF BEAR Working Group: Serves as the governing body, providing strategic guidance, mentorship, and ensuring that OSSAfrica’s activities align with global open source security standards and initiatives.
• OSSAfrica Special Interest Group (SIG): Acts as the operational liaison between the Core Team and the BEAR Working Group, driving community growth, coordinating administrative efforts, and facilitating alignment with governance priorities.
• Core Team: Responsible for day-to-day management, operational decision-making, coordination of community activities, and engagement with contributors. The Core Team implements strategies approved by the SIG and ensures the smooth functioning of OSSAfrica initiatives.

As OSSAfrica evolves, additional working groups and formal leadership roles may be established to focus on specialized missions such as community outreach, security research, educational programs, and regional or country-specific chapters. This flexible structure allows the organization to scale while maintaining clear governance and accountability.

Contents

The repository is/should be organized as follows:

/docs
  governance-framework.md
  leadership-roles.md
  working-groups.md
  decision-making-process.md
  code-of-conduct.md
  conflict-resolution.md
  community-onboarding.md
  community-policies.md
  moderation-guidelines.md
  discord-structure.md
  community-call-playbook.md
  roadmap.md
  leadership-expectations.md
  security.md
/templates
  proposal-template.md
  charter-template.md
  role-description-template.md
  meeting-notes-template.md
  weekly-leadership-check-in.md
CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE
README.md

Contributing

Contributions are welcome from all community members. Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for instructions on proposing changes, submitting updates to governance documents, or participating in discussions.

Roadmap

A formal community roadmap will be maintained in docs/roadmap.md.

Initial focus areas include:

• Launching country chapters
• Establishing working groups
• Running community calls and contributor onboarding
• Publishing governance framework v1.0
• Creating educational/security initiatives across Africa

Getting Started

• Read the governance framework in /docs/governance-framework.md.
• Join the community Discord: https://discord.gg/xKaFkRGvxq
• Participate in general community meetings
• Contribute to governance documents
• Propose new initiatives or improvements
• Volunteer for roles or leadership positions

We encourage everyone—beginners and experts alike—to take part in shaping OSSAfrica.

Licensing

This repository is licensed under Apache 2.0 unless otherwise specified. See the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgements

This governance model draws inspiration from established open source governance practices used by global foundations and working groups, adapted to the African open source and security context. Noteworthy among such organizations are:

• Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF)
• Linux Foundation (LF)