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TLcom Announces 3rd Africa Tech Female Founder Summit

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TLcom Capital, the Africa-focussed venture capital firm, has officially announced the launch of the 2021 Africa Tech Female Founder Summit, which will be held virtually on Wednesday 13th October 2021.

The keynote session is headlined by Julia Gillard, former Prime Minister of Australia and Chair of Andela, who will discuss how founders should think about establishing and working with their boards from early stage growth to scale.

With the event now being held for the third successive year, TLcom has opened applications for female tech founders across Africa and the Diaspora to attend this year’s virtual summit, which also features female C-Suite executives from Africa’s leading tech startups including Desiree Craig of uLesson, Mayokun Fadeyibi of Autochek, Kristen Kelly of Terragon, and Susan Kiama of Twiga Foods.

Themed “Board and C-Suite Matters – Counsel, Coach and Collaborate”, the third Female Founder Summit will deliver expert insights on how to build and leverage a senior team and board to drive strong execution and growth.

The goal of the summit is to build an even larger community of female tech founders in Africa that can be a support for one another as they scale their businesses. Julia Gillard’s keynote will be followed by an open Q&A session with attendees as well as a panel discussion on how to attract, motivate and retain high-quality senior talent,moderated by Eloho Omame, co-founder of FirstCheck Africa.

Speaking on the event, Omobola Johnson, Senior Partner at TLcom Capital, says, “Over the last 18 months, African tech has broken into a completely new threshold of investment activity and as the ecosystem continues to mature, founders are being exposed to an entirely new set of challenges.

From our conversations with entrepreneurs in our network, the most pressing of these issues lie in building a core team both above and below a founder and ensuring they all work in the interests of the organisation.

If we want our sector to continue on its current trajectory, it’s vital we equip founders to successfully execute these processes both in terms of establishing a more deliberate C-Level hiring strategy and effectively partnering with their boards to amplify the value generation process for their businesses.”

Due to the global pandemic, TLcom’s 2020 Female Founder Summit was also held as a virtual event with over 100 tech female entrepreneurs and executives from across the continent gathering to experience the power of connecting, learning and being a resource to each other.

The 2021 virtual conference has been complemented by local networking cocktail events in Nairobi and Lagos.

Andreata Muforo, Partner at TLcom Capital, adds “Whilst the evolution of a board may present a new journey for founders across African tech, we cannot deny that there are fundamental differences in how female entrepreneurs are viewed in these settings.

Women in leadership still have to deal with harmful stereotypes and biases irrespective of their position but a strong and supportive network can make a huge difference in this journey.

This is why the Female Founder Summit is so important as nobody understands our experiences like other women and in Julia, and our incredible panellists, we’re delighted to have people who can not only identify with our attendees, but can also share expert strategies on how to navigate these spaces.”

TLcom’s TIDE Africa Fund, which is one of the most active funds across Sub-Saharan Africa, boasts a leadership team which is 50% female and has actively supported female founders not only through its annual summit, but notably through its recent investments in female-led startups over the last 18 months such as Okra and Pula.

The fund also recently welcomed the first unicorn into its portfolio after Andela’s $200mn Series E round valued the company at $1.5bn.

Currently, TLcom manages total commitments of approximately 200mn USD and holds eleven African startups in its portfolio including Andela, Ajua, Autochek, Ilara Health, Kobo360, Okra, Pula, Shara, Terragon Group, Twiga Foods and uLesson.

With an on-the-ground presence in Kenya and Nigeria as well as offices in the UK, the firm invests across all stages of the venture capital cycle and a wide range of industries including agriculture, education, data analytics and logistics.


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Breaking News…Hackers Allegedly Expose EFCC Data, Operatives’ Identities

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Nullsec Nigeria, a threat actor, has claimed responsibility for leaking the identities of operatives and sensitive internal data linked to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Breaking News...Hackers Allegedly Expose EFCC Data, Operatives’ Identities

Ola Olukoyede, chairman, EFCC

The leak raises fresh concerns over cybersecurity vulnerabilities within Nigerian public institutions and safety the agency’s operatives.

The breach surfaced on April 21 on a dark web forum, where a user identified as “ki4t,” reportedly affiliated with the group, published details of the dataset.

The exposed data is said to include agent names, phone numbers, operational code names, and password hashes tied to EFCC personnel.

The breach allegation comes amid growing concerns over cyber risks facing government agencies, following a recent reported compromise involving the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

Cybersecurity analysts say that if confirmed, the exposure of such sensitive operational data could pose risks to both personnel security and ongoing enforcement operations, particularly if password hashes are successfully decrypted or linked to other compromised systems.

The development adds to increasing pressure on public institutions to strengthen digital infrastructure, access controls, and internal cybersecurity protocols as threat actors continue to target government databases.

Authorities are yet to confirm the extent of the alleged breach or whether any mitigation measures have been activated.

Nigeria has lately experienced a growing activities of hacktivists defacing websites and leaking data.

 

 

 


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Leo Stan Ekeh Foundation to Open Portal for 1,000 University Tech Scholarships on Monday

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The Leo Stan Ekeh Foundation (LSEF), in collaboration with TD Africa, Konga Group, Zinox Technologies, and Task Systems, is set to officially launch its highly anticipated scholarship programme aimed at empowering 1,000 exceptional Nigerian indigent whiz-kids in the field of technology.

Leo Stan Ekeh Foundation to Open Portal for 1,000 University Tech Scholarships on Monday

Leo Stan Ekeh

The dedicated application portal, initially scheduled to go live on April 22, will now launch on  Monday,  April 27, 2026, following final technical enhancements to ensure a seamless, secure, and transparent application experience for prospective candidates nationwide.

This landmark initiative, first announced by Leo Stan Ekeh, Africa’s foremost tech icon and chairman of Zinox Group, forms part of his unwavering commitment to national development and youth empowerment.

The programme was unveiled on February 22, 2026, when Ekeh marked his 70th birthday. Rather than host an elaborate celebration befitting a man of his stature, he chose to channel resources into a cause that would create long-term impact for an economy, offering university scholarships to indigent but brilliant Nigerian youths to study Computer Science in federal institutions.

Building on a legacy of over 6709 beneficiaries trained over four decades by him and his companies, Mr. Ekeh at the time said the goal is to nurture a new generation of highly skilled technology professionals capable of supporting both the private and public sectors, while positioning Nigeria for greater competitiveness in the global digital economy.

This vision reflects his decades-long commitment to building sustainable  positive disruptive capacity within Nigeria’s technology ecosystem that shall alter the nation’s GDP.

The scholarship programme is designed to transcend mere financial support, offering beneficiaries access to a comprehensive ecosystem powered by the initiative’s distinguished partners. Beneficiaries will receive technical support, mentorship by very successful members of Nigeria Compute Society, and industry exposure to ensure that recipients are equipped with practical, market-relevant skills.

This multi-faceted approach ensures that scholarship beneficiaries gain not only theoretical knowledge but also hands-on experience and professional networks that will propel their careers in technology.

By leveraging the combined expertise and infrastructure of these industry leaders, the initiative is poised to deliver a transformative learning experience that prepares young Nigerians to compete effectively on the global stage. Beneficiaries will emerge as future-ready innovators capable of driving digital transformation across sectors and contributing meaningfully to Nigeria’s economic growth.

The initiative builds on the longstanding legacy of Leo Stan Ekeh, whose contributions to Nigeria’s technology landscape and by extension Africa have spanned decades and fundamentally reshaped the nation’s digital infrastructure. From pioneering indigenous computer manufacturing through Zinox Technologies to driving digital transformation across public and private sectors, Ekeh has consistently demonstrated a commitment to building sustainable technological capacity within Nigeria.

His investments in digital infrastructure, talent development, and indigenous innovation have positioned Nigeria as a formidable player in the global technology landscape.

This scholarship programme represents the latest chapter in that transformative journey, directly addressing the critical need for skilled technology professionals in an increasingly digital global economy.

As anticipation builds ahead of the April 27 launch, interested applicants are advised to visit the Konga.com website and click the Foundation banner on 1000 Tech Scholarships Awards where the application link and detailed participation guidelines will be published on the launch date. The organisers have assured that the selection process will be merit-driven, inclusive, and transparent, with a focus on identifying truly outstanding young talents from across Nigeria’s diverse regions.

 


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US Library Blames Hackers for Viral Posts Urging Violence in Nigeria

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Westerville Public Library, a public library that serves the community of Westerville, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus in United States is in the news after its social account urged violence against Nigerian politicians.

US Library Blames Hackers for Viral Posts Urging Violence in Nigeria

Library staff said the inflammatory messages were not written by any employees and moved quickly to purge the feed and regain control of the account, rattling regulars who are used to the library’s usually low-traffic presence in Uptown Westerville.

The Columbus Dispatch reported that the library’s X account first posted a message calling for the death of Nigerian politicians, starting with the country’s president.

According to the paper, most of those posts were wiped from the feed within about half an hour.

The Dispatch also noted that the account had been sitting dormant since 2024 before the violent statements suddenly went live, and its full report includes the timeline and language that circulated on the platform.

After the posts appeared, the library issued a short note on X that read, “Please disregard any recent posts you may have seen from the Westerville Library on this platform today. Thank you for your understanding.” As reported by The Columbus Dispatch, communications director Tamara Murray told the paper the account was hacked shortly before the messages were published and that staff were working to recover passwords.

The library did not immediately say whether law enforcement had been notified.

 

 


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