The company disclosed this in a notice to the Nigerian Exchange Limited, shareholders and the investing public.

Over the two decades with Access Holdings, Bolaji Agbede held several leadership positions and played an influential role in its growth and development.

Her most prominent assignment came in February 2024 after the death of the Group’s former Chief Executive Officer, Dr Herbert Wigwe. She was appointed Acting Group Chief Executive Officer and led the company through a difficult period while ensuring business operations continued without disruption.

In a statement signed by the Group Company Secretary, Sunday Ekwochi, the Board thanked Agbede for her years of service and the leadership she provided during one of the company’s most challenging moments.

“The Board expresses its profound appreciation for her dedicated service and for the exemplary leadership she provided as Acting Group Chief Executive Officer of the Company following the tragic passing of the former Group Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Herbert Wigwe, CFR, in February 2024. 

“During a critical period in the Group’s history, she demonstrated remarkable professionalism, stability, and commitment, helping to ensure continuity of leadership and sustained business performance.”

The Board also acknowledged her contributions to the Group over the years and wished her success in the next phase of her career.

“The Board thanks Ms. Agbede for her invaluable contributions to the Group and wishes her continued success and fulfilment in all her future endeavours.”

Before taking on the acting Group CEO role, Agbede served as Executive Director, Business Support, and had built a career spanning human resources, banking operations and customer relationship management.

She joined Access Bank in 2003 as an Assistant General Manager after earlier working at Guaranty Trust Bank and later leading JKG Limited, a business consulting firm. Over the years, she also oversaw the Group’s human capital function, leading people development and supporting major organisational changes.

Agbede holds a degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Lagos and an MBA from Cranfield University in the United Kingdom. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management, UK, and the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria.

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The CyberSafe API (Application Programming Interface) Security Training Program is a 12-week intensive learning experience designed to equip aspiring cybersecurity professionals with the skills to secure APIs.

Participants gain hands-on training in API fundamentals, authentication, encryption, and advanced penetration testing techniques.

Through expert-led instruction and practical labs, learners build technical expertise and develop the confidence to thrive in global cybersecurity careers.

Speaking on the next Cohort, Confidence Staveley, executive director, CyberSafe Foundation, disclosed that, unlike the first Cohort, this next Cohort will accommodate, not only the CyberGirls Alumni Community, but all interested women.

She announced:

“Looking ahead, this October, Applications will reopen for our API Academy. And for the first time, we will be admitting women, not only from the CyberGirls Alumni Community,but from anywhere in the world, from ages 20-40, who want to master the art of securing APIs. So keep an eye out for our Call For Applications, until then, stay Cyber Safe.”

She further noted:

“At cybersafe Foundation, we envision a future where every woman trained at our API Academy, is not just skilled, but empowered to lead, innovate and transform the way APIs are secured across industries.”

Reflecting on past cohorts, Staveley disclosed that the programme has been highly impactful and successful, especially going by the testimonials of the participants from across Africa.

She said:

“The journey has been nothing short of transformative. In fact, a participant shared that although she was employed in a GRC role, she was recently tasked with testing a web application with API calls. Thanks to the training we provided her, she identifies dozens of vulnerabilities that have now been remediated by her company.

Several other participants who had never touched API testing tools before, are now working at expert level proficiency, and some others have even decided to pivot their careers into application securities building on the solid foundation this programme has given them.”

According to Staveley, to achieve this result, students went through an intensive hands-on journey covering API security fundamentals, OWASP API Security Top 10, Authentication, Documentation best practices, securing API servers, Gateway Security best practices, PCI Compliance, APIs Security for connected cars and fleets, penetration testing, securing LLM and NLP APIs and API products management.

“This was, no doubt, a high pressure, high accountability programme where every participant submitted weekly technical reports on their security tasks. So today, I am super proud to celebrate the incredible women who successfully completed the programme,” she concluded.

Also speaking, CyberSafe Foundation Trainer and CyberGirls Alumna, Damilola Abiona said:

“Leading the CyberSafe API Academy has been a deeply rewarding experience. Watching women who started with little to no offensive security background grow into confident vulnerability hunters in just twelve weeks shows how powerful structured and hands-on learning can be.

This program is not only breaking barriers in cybersecurity education but also positioning Africa as a hub for the next generation of API security leaders.”

Aside the CyberSafe API Security Training Program, CyberSafe Foundation also organises CyberGirls+, an advanced professional development program by CyberSafe Foundation, in partnership with the SANS Institute, designed exclusively for CyberGirls Fellowship alumni.

Other programmes in the Foundation’s kitty are:

• CyberGirls Fellowship, a free 1-year cybersecurity training, mentorship, and placement program for young African women, which has empowered 1500+ girls and women from 27 African countries with globally sought-after cybersecurity skills, positioning them to start a career in cybersecurity.
• The PCI DSS Academy, a flagship women practitioner bootcamp and capacity building hub across emerging markets, empowering businesses, cybersecurity professionals, and payment ecosystem stakeholders with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to achieve and maintain global payment security standards.
• The HerAI Fellowship, designed to close the gender and opportunity gaps in emerging tech fields, is an initiative aimed at equipping 5,000 underserved young women across Africa with advanced skills in AI and cybersecurity, including AI development and governance.

Launched in 2019 with its flagship initiative #NoGoFallMaga, CyberSafe Foundation has in recent past launched cybersecurity awareness campaigns reaching over 20,000,000 people, organised cybersecurity awareness training for over 4000 SMEs, educating over 11000 employees of these organisations, upskilled over 17,000 women and girls in 27 African countries, launched Africa’s first storified cybersecurity awareness handbook and possibly Africa’s first afrobeat cybersecurity awareness song.

These, and many more contributions to technology education and empowerment, have earned it global recognition.

“Through hands-on training, strategic partnerships, and community engagement, we are building a safer, more equitable future, ensuring that no one is left behind in the rapidly evolving digital landscape. By equipping underserved communities with the knowledge and tools to excel in cybersecurity and AI, we are fueling local innovation, expanding career pathways, and strengthening digital resilience across Africa, Asia, and beyond,” a statement from the Foundation reiterated. The Foundation will announce the application and opening dates for the API Academy.

The post APPLY – Cybersafe Foundation Opens API Academy Applications appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Speaking on the panel “Strengthening the Nigerian Agribusiness Industry for Food Security and Export,” Dr Flosbach highlighted agriculture’s pivotal role in Nigeria’s future while calling attention to the pressing challenges of securing adequate financing for the sector.

He stated, “Agriculture is the future, and agriculture means food processing. However, we also need to address a key challenge—funding. Working capital at 30% interest or more is unsustainable, making it almost impossible to invest in new projects. I believe future forums will need to focus on funding solutions to enable the growth of this critical sector”.

He also highlighted the importance of innovative agricultural practices, noting TGI Group’s investments in rural farming and sustainable agriculture. He called for continued collaboration between Nigerian and international partners to unlock the potential of Nigeria’s agribusiness industry, positioning it to meet both local and international demands.

Organised by AHK Nigeria and Afrika Verein with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, the forum served as a platform for discussions on strategic sectors including agribusiness, renewable energy, construction, and vocational education.

The post TGI Group Makes Case for Improving Funding in Agribusiness appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The appointments were authorized by the Board at its meeting on March 29, 2022, which was held that day.

Ladoja worked for the business for more than ten years before being promoted to Executive Director.

She formerly held the position of Legal Counsel before taking on the crucial responsibility of managing the company’s relationships with all of its important stakeholders as Chief Relationship Officer.

Ladoja is a lawyer, notary public, qualified chartered accountant, and tax consultant & company secretary.

She has worked previously in the leading law firm of Ajumogobia & Okeke and KPMG Professional Services (formerly Andersen), and she has had a niche practice in infrastructure development, regulation, and infrastructure funding gap in Nigeria.

She was educated at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria (LL.B Hons) and King’s College, University of London (LLM International Business Law). She joined Lekki Port in 2012 where she has worked from then to date as a member of the multi-jurisdiction team that brought the Lekki Deep Sea Port project to reality.

She is a founding trustee of the United for Kids Foundation. She will act as one of the representatives of the majority shareholder, China Habour Engineering Company on the board of directors.

Dinesh Rathi, who is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Lagos Free Zone Company, will represent the interest of Tolaram on the board. Dinesh is a member of the leadership team at Tolaram, a Singapore-headquartered conglomerate with major interests in Africa. He is leading the infrastructure vertical in Nigeria which involves the development and operations of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

in Nigeria for 18 years in a variety of positions with a focus on finance, strategy, mergers and acquisitions, manufacturing, and projects. Dinesh formerly held positions at Unilever and the Corporate Banking division of ICICI Bank.

He is a Chartered Accountant by qualification and has also completed his Management Education Program at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. Dinesh is passionate about leveraging the core principles of sustainability in the development and operations of the SEZ in Nigeria and creating a significant socio-economic impact.

The post Lekki Port Appoints Ladoja and Rathi as Directors appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.