… Expands women inclusiveness globally
CyberSafe Foundation, a leading purpose-driven organisation committed to bridging the digital divide through transformative cybersecurity and AI education, has announced the reopening of applications for its prestigious API Academy training programme this October, reports ITREALMS.
Participants undergo expert-led instruction and hands-on labs covering API fundamentals, authentication, encryption, penetration testing, and emerging areas such as securing AI-driven APIs. The goal is to empower learners with both technical expertise and the confidence to excel in the global cybersecurity industry.
Speaking on the upcoming cohort, Confidence Staveley, Executive Director of CyberSafe Foundation, revealed that the new intake will broaden participation beyond the CyberGirls Alumni Community to include women from across the globe. “Looking ahead, applications for our API Academy will reopen this October,” Staveley said.
“For the first time, we will be admitting women from anywhere in the world, aged 20 to 40, who want to master the art of securing APIs. This expansion reflects our vision to empower women everywhere to lead, innovate, and transform the way APIs are secured across industries. So, keep an eye out for our call for applications, until then, stay Cyber Safe.”
Staveley added that past cohorts have recorded remarkable impact. She highlighted testimonies from participants who, after the programme, advanced from zero experience in API testing to expert proficiency, and in some cases, even pivoted their careers into application security roles.
According to her, one participant shared that although her role was in Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC), she was recently tasked with testing a web application with API calls. Thanks to the training, she identified dozens of vulnerabilities that her company has since remediated. Stories like these, Staveley noted, prove how transformative the programme has been.
The API Academy curriculum is structured as a high-pressure, high-accountability journey. Students cover API security fundamentals, the OWASP API Security Top 10, authentication and documentation best practices, gateway security, PCI compliance, API security for connected cars and fleets, penetration testing, securing LLM and NLP APIs, and API product management. Each participant is required to submit weekly technical reports and engage in rigorous hands-on projects that strengthen their technical and analytical skills.
Damilola Abiona, CyberSafe Foundation Trainer and CyberGirls Alumna, described leading the API Academy as deeply rewarding. “Watching women grow from little or no offensive security background to confident vulnerability hunters in just twelve weeks is proof of the power of structured, hands-on learning. This programme is not only breaking barriers in cybersecurity education but also positioning Africa as a hub for the next generation of API security leaders,” she said.
Beyond the API Academy, CyberSafe Foundation runs several impactful programmes. These include the CyberGirls Fellowship, a free one-year training, mentorship, and placement initiative that has empowered over 1,500 young women across 27 African countries with in-demand cybersecurity skills.
Speaking on the upcoming cohort, Confidence Staveley, Executive Director of CyberSafe Foundation, revealed that the new intake will broaden participation beyond the CyberGirls Alumni Community to include women from across the globe. “Looking ahead, applications for our API Academy will reopen this October,” Staveley said.
“For the first time, we will be admitting women from anywhere in the world, aged 20 to 40, who want to master the art of securing APIs. This expansion reflects our vision to empower women everywhere to lead, innovate, and transform the way APIs are secured across industries. So, keep an eye out for our call for applications, until then, stay Cyber Safe.”
Staveley added that past cohorts have recorded remarkable impact. She highlighted testimonies from participants who, after the programme, advanced from zero experience in API testing to expert proficiency, and in some cases, even pivoted their careers into application security roles.
According to her, one participant shared that although her role was in Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC), she was recently tasked with testing a web application with API calls. Thanks to the training, she identified dozens of vulnerabilities that her company has since remediated. Stories like these, Staveley noted, prove how transformative the programme has been.
The API Academy curriculum is structured as a high-pressure, high-accountability journey. Students cover API security fundamentals, the OWASP API Security Top 10, authentication and documentation best practices, gateway security, PCI compliance, API security for connected cars and fleets, penetration testing, securing LLM and NLP APIs, and API product management. Each participant is required to submit weekly technical reports and engage in rigorous hands-on projects that strengthen their technical and analytical skills.
Damilola Abiona, CyberSafe Foundation Trainer and CyberGirls Alumna, described leading the API Academy as deeply rewarding. “Watching women grow from little or no offensive security background to confident vulnerability hunters in just twelve weeks is proof of the power of structured, hands-on learning. This programme is not only breaking barriers in cybersecurity education but also positioning Africa as a hub for the next generation of API security leaders,” she said.
Beyond the API Academy, CyberSafe Foundation runs several impactful programmes. These include the CyberGirls Fellowship, a free one-year training, mentorship, and placement initiative that has empowered over 1,500 young women across 27 African countries with in-demand cybersecurity skills.
It also organises the PCI DSS Academy, a flagship bootcamp advancing women practitioners and businesses in global payment security standards, and the HerAI Fellowship, an initiative targeting 5,000 underserved African women and equipping them with advanced skills in AI development, governance, and cybersecurity.
In addition, the Foundation runs CyberGirls+, an advanced professional development programme created in partnership with the SANS Institute, designed exclusively for CyberGirls Fellowship alumni.
Since its establishment in 2019 with the #NoGoFallMaga campaign, CyberSafe Foundation has reached more than 20 million people through awareness campaigns, trained over 4,000 SMEs and 11,000 employees, upskilled over 17,000 women and girls across Africa, and launched Africa’s first storified cybersecurity awareness handbook alongside what is believed to be the continent’s first afrobeat cybersecurity awareness song. These interventions have earned the Foundation recognition as a global leader in technology empowerment.
“Through hands-on training, strategic partnerships, and community engagement, we are building a safer, more equitable digital future,” the Foundation reiterated in a statement.
“Our mission is to ensure that underserved communities, particularly women, are equipped to thrive in cybersecurity and AI, thereby fueling innovation and strengthening digital resilience across Africa, Asia, and beyond.”
The Foundation will announce the official dates for the API Academy 2025 applications in the coming days.
In addition, the Foundation runs CyberGirls+, an advanced professional development programme created in partnership with the SANS Institute, designed exclusively for CyberGirls Fellowship alumni.
Since its establishment in 2019 with the #NoGoFallMaga campaign, CyberSafe Foundation has reached more than 20 million people through awareness campaigns, trained over 4,000 SMEs and 11,000 employees, upskilled over 17,000 women and girls across Africa, and launched Africa’s first storified cybersecurity awareness handbook alongside what is believed to be the continent’s first afrobeat cybersecurity awareness song. These interventions have earned the Foundation recognition as a global leader in technology empowerment.
“Through hands-on training, strategic partnerships, and community engagement, we are building a safer, more equitable digital future,” the Foundation reiterated in a statement.
“Our mission is to ensure that underserved communities, particularly women, are equipped to thrive in cybersecurity and AI, thereby fueling innovation and strengthening digital resilience across Africa, Asia, and beyond.”
The Foundation will announce the official dates for the API Academy 2025 applications in the coming days.
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