Dear Celo community,
As we celebrate Celo’s 6 year Mainnet Anniversary and continue building momentum in this new era, we want to take a moment to refocus on one of the most important parts of what makes Celo unique: our governance.
Celo was founded on the principle of being a governable blockchain, a system where decisions are made transparently, collaboratively, and with meaningful community participation. Over the past several years, governance has guided everything from hardfork activations, technical roadmap decisions, treasury allocations, and countless upgrades that have shaped Celo into the thriving network it is today.
But strong governance only exists when the community remains actively engaged. As Celo grows, the importance of reliable, responsive, and thoughtful participation grows with it.
A Call for Active Governance Approvers
Today, we want to call on the community to help strengthen the role of Governance Approvers.
Approvers play a critical function in the governance pipeline by reviewing proposals after they pass on-chain voting and before they move into execution. This step ensures proposals are sound, safe, and aligned with the network’s long-term health.
With this proposal, we plan to refresh and re-evaluate the current Governance Approver set. We’ll be reviewing the existing group to ensure members are:
• Active
• Responsive
• Participating consistently in governance review and approval
If you’re interested in serving as a Governance Approver or re-committing to active participation, please reach out directly to express your interest.
Extending the Approval Window
Currently, approvers have 3 days to approve proposals once they pass.
We are proposing to extend this window by 4 days to give Approvers more time to:
• Conduct thorough review
• Coordinate with technical experts when appropriate
• Ensure proposals move forward safely
A longer window reduces rushed decision-making and strengthens the overall governance process.
Streamlining Non-Executable Proposals
Another change we would like to introduce is removing the requirement for Approver sign-off for proposals that do not trigger an on-chain transaction.
This includes, for example:
• Temperature checks for technical integrations
• Requests for comment
• Informational or signaling proposals
• Any governance item that does not require an on-chain function to be executed
These proposals will still require voting and quorum, but they will no longer need Approver approval before finalization.
This change reduces unnecessary friction, speeds up community decision-making, and focuses Approver attention on proposals that enforce state changes on-chain.
Why This Matters
Governance is one of the most powerful tools we have to ensure Celo remains community-driven, secure, and aligned with its mission. Strengthening the Approver set, improving review timelines, and streamlining unnecessary overhead will help governance scale alongside the network.
As we move into a new chapter of Celo’s evolution, your participation, whether as a voter, contributor, or approver, is essential to shaping what comes next.
Celo Core Co.