FAQ
Questions, answered plainly.
Including where the answer is unwelcome.
Programme
Do I need prior digital asset experience?+
No. The absence of a route to acquiring it is the problem this Fellowship exists to solve. You need professional competence in a relevant field and the capacity to learn quickly.
Is this online or in person?+
Primarily virtual, with two fixed live sessions a week and everything recorded. There are in-person convenings where feasible, and the Demo Day and Graduation Summit are in person, with travel support available for selected Fellows.
Is the certificate accredited?+
It is issued by the Legum Compliance Institute with a grade classification and is independently verifiable. University credit recognition and professional association CPD recognition are also targets.
Who owns the work I produce?+
You are credited as author on anything published. Legum holds a perpetual licence to publish and use it; you retain the right to cite, present and list it in your portfolio and academic record. Where a capstone has commercial application, a separate agreement is negotiated in good faith. The full position is disclosed in the Fellow Agreement before you accept a place.
Why is Cohort 1 called “founding”?+
Because they build the thing. The Dialogue's research, sessions, partnerships, community and operating infrastructure are produced by this cohort. The designation is permanent and non-repeatable.
Time
How much time does it really take?+
10–12 hours a week. Two fixed live commitments; the rest is flexible. We say this plainly because attrition among working professionals is the largest delivery risk we carry, and we would rather you decline now than disappear in Week 9.
Can I do this alongside a full-time job?+
Yes: it's designed for exactly that. Most Fellows will be working full-time. What it does not survive is a quarter where you're also moving house, changing jobs and getting married.
What if I miss sessions?+
Everything is recorded. But 80% live attendance is a gate on certification, not a scored component, because the value of the live sessions is the discussion and you can't get that from a recording.
Cost
What does it cost?+
Every seat is substantially discounted for the Founding Cohort.
Can my employer sponsor my place?+
Yes. Employer-sponsored seats are available and include employer reporting.
I'm a regulator. Can my institution take multiple seats?+
Yes, and we would like it to. Public-sector seats are prioritised for scholarship funding and we work through institutional MoUs where personal-capacity participation is restricted.
I'm not in Africa. Can I apply?+
If you work on African markets, yes. The cohort is built around African jurisdictions and the research agenda is continental.
After
Will I get a job at the end?+
We won't promise that, and you should be sceptical of any programme that does.
What we do commit to: Fellows graduating with Distinction enter the Talent Pool automatically and are guaranteed an interview for relevant Legum roles. Merit graduates are Talent Pool eligible. Demo Day is attended by employers, and we build placement partnerships with organisations that commit to interview. Beyond that, the portfolio, the publication and the network do the work, which is considerably more than a certificate does.
What's the Talent Pool?+
The pool of graduates first considered for roles across the Legum ecosystem- the Dialogue, Legum Compliance, the Compliance Institute, the African Stablecoin Compliance & Policy Lab, the research center and the consulting practice, and introduced to placement partners.
What if my mentor match doesn't work?+
You can request one no-fault re-match at the mid-programme review.
What happens after graduation?+
A 12-month structured alumni year: continued mentorship at bi-monthly cadence, platform access, the Alumni Council, regional chapters, the jobs board, and the Annual Summit. Founding Fellows keep alumni access for life.
Still deciding?
Register for an information session: thirty minutes with the Programme Director, then open Q&A, including the awkward questions. Especially those.
Founding Cohort
Still deciding?
Read the Fellowship in full, ask the programme a direct question, or start your application.
Applications close 30th November, 2026.