The CyberSafe Foundation, a prominent mission-driven organization dedicated to closing the digital gap by providing impactful cybersecurity and AI training to marginalized communities, has revealed that it will start accepting applications for its API Academy program.
The CyberSafe API Security Training Program is a 12-week immersive educational initiative aimed at preparing future cybersecurity specialists with the knowledge required to protect APIs. Students receive practical training in API basics, authentication methods, encryption, and sophisticated penetration testing approaches. With guidance from experienced instructors and interactive lab sessions, participants enhance their technical abilities and acquire the self-assurance needed to succeed in international cybersecurity roles.
Commenting on the upcoming Cohort, Confidence Staveley, Executive Director of the CyberSafe Foundation, revealed that, in contrast to the first Cohort, this one will include not only the CyberGirls Alumni Community but also any women who are interested..
She stated, "Moving forward, applications for our API Academy will open again this October. For the first time, we will be accepting women, not just from the CyberGirls Alumni Community, but from all over the world, aged 20 to 40, who are eager to learn the skills of API security. So make sure to watch for our Application Announcement, and until then, remain Cyber Safe."
She added: “At the Cybersafe Foundation, we imagine a future in which every woman who has completed our API Academy training is not only proficient but also empowered to take leadership roles, drive innovation, and reshape how APIs are protected across various sectors.”
Considering previous groups, Staveley revealed that the program has been very effective and successful, as indicated by the feedback from participants throughout Africa.
She stated, "The experience has been truly life-changing. Indeed, a participant mentioned that although she was working in a GRC position, she was recently assigned to test a web application using API requests. Thanks to the training we offered her, she discovered numerous vulnerabilities that have since been fixed by her organization."
Many other individuals who had no prior experience with API testing tools are now operating at an expert level, while some have chosen to shift their careers toward application security, building on the strong foundation provided by this program.
As per Staveley, students undertook a rigorous practical experience that included API security basics, OWASP API Security Top 10, Authentication, optimal documentation methods, securing API servers, best practices for Gateway Security, PCI Compliance, API security for connected vehicles and fleets, penetration testing, protecting LLM and NLP APIs, and managing API products.
This was undoubtedly a demanding, high-responsibility program in which each participant provided weekly technical reports detailing their security-related activities.
"So today, I am extremely proud to honor the remarkable women who successfully finished the program," she added.
Additionally, CyberSafe Foundation Trainer and CyberGirls graduate, Damilola Abiona stated: “Guiding the CyberSafe API Academy has been an incredibly fulfilling journey. Seeing women who had minimal or no background in offensive security develop into self-assured vulnerability hunters within twelve weeks highlights the effectiveness of organized, practical learning. This initiative is not only overcoming obstacles in cybersecurity education but also establishing Africa as a center for the upcoming generation of API security leaders.”
In addition to the CyberSafe API Security Training Program, the CyberSafe Foundation also hosts CyberGirls+, an advanced professional development initiative by CyberSafe Foundation, developed in collaboration with the SANS Institute, specifically for CyberGirls Fellowship graduates.
Other initiatives within the Foundation's portfolio include:
- CyberGirls Fellowship, a one-year free cybersecurity program offering training, guidance, and job placement opportunities for young African women, has helped over 1,500 girls and women from 27 African nations gain in-demand cybersecurity skills, enabling them to launch careers in the field.
- The PCI DSS Academy, a leading initiative for women professionals, offers intensive training and development programs in emerging markets, equipping businesses, cybersecurity experts, and payment industry participants with the expertise, abilities, and assurance needed to meet and sustain international payment security requirements.
- The HerAI Fellowship, created to address the gender and opportunity disparities in new technology sectors, is a program focused on providing 5,000 disadvantaged young women throughout Africa with specialized training in AI and cybersecurity, covering areas like AI creation and management.
Introduced in 2019 through its main campaign #NoGoFallMaga, the CyberSafe Foundation has, in recent years, conducted cybersecurity awareness initiatives that have reached more than 20 million individuals, provided cybersecurity training to over 4,000 small and medium enterprises, educated more than 11,000 employees from these companies, enhanced the skills of over 17,000 women and girls across 27 African nations, launched Africa's first story-based cybersecurity awareness manual, and possibly Africa's first afrobeat cybersecurity awareness song. These efforts, along with numerous other contributions to technology education and empowerment, have gained it international acclaim.
"Through practical training, collaborative alliances, and involvement within communities, we are creating a safer, more fair future, making sure that no one is excluded from the fast-changing digital world. By providing underprivileged communities with the understanding and resources to succeed in cybersecurity and AI, we are promoting local creativity, broadening job opportunities, and enhancing digital strength throughout Africa, Asia, and more," stated the Foundation. The Foundation will reveal the application and start dates for the API Academy.
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