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TLcom Capital Appoints Eloho Omame as Partner
TLcom, the Africa-focused venture capital firm, has appointed Eloho Omame as a Partner, bolstering its capabilities as it ramps up deployment of TIDE Africa Fund II, its new $150mn pan-African tech fund.
As well as focusing on the firm’s traditional remit of seed to Series B investments in high-growth, tech-enabled startups, Eloho will bring more senior capacity to TLcom’s high-touch approach with entrepreneurs and support deal flow generation at the pre-seed stage, as TLcom doubles down on its commitment to Africa’s thriving tech opportunity. There will be even greater emphasis on attracting more female-led companies into TLcom’s portfolio.
Eloho is a Co-Founder & General Partner at FirstCheck Africa, a female-focused early-stage venture capital firm that has to-date invested in ten high-growth tech start-ups with a female founder or co-founder.
Eloho will combine her new role at TLcom with her existing responsibilities at FirstCheck Africa, which was founded in January 2021 to address the severe funding gap for Africa’s female tech entrepreneurs. TLcom will also support the launch of FirstCheck Africa’s $10mn debut fund with a $2mn co-investment commitment from its TIDE Africa Fund II.
With a professional career spanning more than 20 years, including time at General Atlantic, FirstBank Nigeria and Credit Suisse, Eloho brings a wealth of expertise to the team.
An important contributor to the startup and venture capital ecosystem in Africa, she has worked with several of Africa’s leading entrepreneurs, companies and teams, supporting their ambition to transform the continent’s heavily underserved markets and economies.
As the founding Managing Director of Endeavor Nigeria, she led the company’s mission to drive high-impact entrepreneurship, creating a leading membership community that includes tech founders from pioneering startups such as Paga, Migo and Flutterwave.
Eloho’s track record in early-stage investing will prove vital as TLcom expands its current portfolio from 13 companies to 30. With TLcom widening the range of its core ticket sizes to $500k – $15mn, the firm will continue to primarily target seed to Series B founders that are tackling some of the continent’s most complex challenges in sectors including fintech, mobility, agriculture, healthcare, education and ecommerce. Geographically, TLcom will expand its traditional focus on East and West Africa to include North Africa, starting with Egypt.
Speaking on TLcom’s expansion and the appointment of Eloho, Maurizio Caio, Founder and Managing Partner at TLcom, says “With the launch of our new fund, we are more committed than ever to Africa. As we partner with more entrepreneurs, it is vital that we are able to maintain our existing level of high-quality, on-the-ground strategic support to unlock the full value-generation potential of these companies. With our portfolio companies, and our investors, we are building for the long term and fully focused on the upside of the tech sector.”
“We are especially proud to strengthen our team with a Partner of Eloho’s calibre — a seasoned investor who mirrors our founder-first ethos, and will play a critical role in enabling us to deepen our commitment to the founder journey in Africa through her early-stage experience.
“Equally, her expertise will prove invaluable in strengthening our existing support for female entrepreneurs. We look forward to working with Eloho to drive the next phase of our mission to transform Africa’s key verticals through tech-enabled solutions.”
Following the first close of its new $150mn fund announced in January 2022, TLcom has gained even greater momentum, with a number of additional commitments to its fund and significant new deal flow for its growing portfolio. The firm recently led a $10mn Series A round in Seamless HR, a Nigerian platform providing payroll and HR software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions to companies in Africa and a seed round in Pastel, a Nigerian fintech company.
Eloho Omame, Partner at TLcom, adds “It’s an honour to join one of the most prestigious investors in African tech. TLcom has seen the benefits of an early-stage approach through the success of both new and repeat founders in TIDE Africa Fund I. As we deploy capital from TIDE Africa Fund II, it’s crucial that we continue to win the race to find the continent’s best entrepreneurs and support their companies to scale.”
“The firm has always demonstrated its commitment to Africa and to the development of its startup ecosystem. It’s exciting to be in a position of mission-alignment with respect to female founders and I’m thrilled to step up the important work we’ve started at FirstCheck Africa with this incredible show of support from an established, high-calibre fund like TLcom.”
Eloho’s appointment increases TLcom’s experienced and growing team from four to five Partners, comprising Founder and Managing Partner Maurizio Caio based in Kenya, Senior Partner Omobola Johnson based in Nigeria, and Partners Andreata Muforo in Kenya, and Ido Sum in the UK. With the new addition, TLcom’s senior leadership is now 60% female.
Crime syndicates have made billions scamming victims in Asia and are now expanding their operations to Africa, Europe, South America and further, according to a United Nations report on Monday.
The UN said Chinese and Southeast Asian gangs were targeting victims through investment, cryptocurrency, romance and other scams.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), cyberscams are now a sophisticated global industry, featuring sprawling compounds housing tens of thousands of mostly trafficked workers who are forced to con other people online.
“It spreads like a cancer,” said Benedikt Hofmann, UNODC Acting Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific said. “Authorities treat it in one area, but the roots never disappear; they simply migrate.”
While the activity had largely been focused on the border areas in Myanmar, a country torn by civil war, and dubious “special economic zones” set up in Cambodia and Laos, UNODC reported networks are expanding their operations to South America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and some Pacific islands.
“This reflects both a natural expansion as the industry grows and seeks new ways and places to do business, but also a hedging against future risks should disruption continue and intensify in Southeast Asia,” Hofmann added.
Countries in east and southeast Asia lost an estimated $37 billion (€32.5 billion) to cyber fraud in 2023, while the United States reported more than $5.6 billion (€4.9 billion) in losses the UNODC report said.
There were also raids in Cambodia, but they prompted the crime syndicates to move to “more remote locations” and border areas.
Cambodian government spokesman Pen Bona said the country is among the victims of the cyberfraud industry and is committed to fighting it.
According to Bona, the government has established an ad-hoc commission chaired by Prime Minister Hun Manet which seeks to boost law enforcement and legal tools while working with international partners and the UN.
UNODC urged the international community to act, saying it was at a “critical inflection point.”
According to the UN, staying aside would have “unprecedented consequences for Southeast Asia that reverberate globally.”
Consumer Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation (CADEF) a leading not for profit organisation in consumer rights and advocacy in Nigeria has announced a high-level Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Stakeholders’ Workshop scheduled to hold on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at The Providence Hotel, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.
Themed “Overcoming Barriers to a Sustainable Energy Transition”, the workshop aims to provide a platform for robust dialogue and action among policymakers, energy sector experts, investors, development partners, and clean energy advocates.
The Federal Government of Nigeria had in May 2015 approved the National Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policy (NREEEP) as well as the National Determined Contribution (NDC), 2015, which seeks to increase the share of on-grid renewable energy in the total electricity supply from 1.3% in 2015 to 30% in 2030.
As Nigeria pursues its Vision 30:30:30 to generate 30,000MW of electricity by the year 2030, with 30% from renewable energy, CADEF with other experts in the sector will through the stakeholders workshop provide practical and scalable DER solutions, with sessions addressing access to Solar Financing and Investment Opportunities, DER integration strategies and grid resilience, policy and regulatory developments, emerging technologies and case studies.
Speaking ahead of the event, Prof. Chiso Ndukwe-Okafor, Executive Director of Consumer Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation (CADEF), stated: “This workshop is not just about dialogue, it’s about driving action. Distributed energy resources hold the key to unlocking sustainable and inclusive energy access, especially for underserved communities. Through this engagement, we aim to foster cross-sector collaboration and equip stakeholders with the tools and insights needed to scale solutions that work.”
Participants will gain first-hand insights from trailblazers in the clean energy space, while shaping policy and investment discourse on Nigeria’s energy transition. With a rapidly growing demand for reliable electricity, DER technologies such as solar mini-grids, battery storage, and hybrid systems are increasingly vital for Nigeria’s energy mix.
Lovelyn Okafor, CADEF’s Director of Programmes, emphasized the significance of the workshop: “The time is ripe to leverage distributed energy innovations to build a resilient and inclusive energy future. We are bringing together voices that matter, from grassroots change-makers to top-tier investors and government officials to spark lasting transformation.”
Consumer Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation has been at the fore, driving change in the renewable energy sector through some key innovative interventions such as the unveiling of the Distributed Energy Resources (DER) one-stop shop at der.cadefng.org in 2024, a digital platform created to revolutionize how stakeholders and businesses across the DER ecosystem perceive, access and manage energy solutions.
CADEF also announced the launch of the greenlabs programme in collaboration with Jacob’s Ladder Africa, an initiative designed to inspire, equip, and empower young Nigerians to create sustainable, climate-smart solutions that address critical environmental and socio-economic challenges.
Sessions during the workshop will include a live demonstration of the newly launched DER platform (Renew Energy Naija) at DER.CADEFNG.ORG, panel discussions on financing and incentives, public-private partnerships and international collaborations.
CADEF believes that by strengthening multi-stakeholder collaboration, Nigeria can unlock the full potential of decentralized renewable energy, boost energy access, and empower millions of underserved households and businesses.
The workshop is strictly by confirmed registration and part of CADEF’s broader commitment to advancing energy equity and sustainability through advocacy, innovation, and capacity building.
For inquiries or partnership opportunities, please contact: info@cadefng.org | +234 (0) 7088873723
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a stern warning to social media influencers, bloggers, and celebrities, urging them to desist from promoting unregistered and fraudulent investment schemes. The warning was issued by the SEC’s Director-General, Dr Emomotimi Agama, in a notice released on Sunday in Abuja.
Dr Agama noted that the Commission is working in close collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigeria Police Force, and other relevant government agencies to identify and prosecute those found guilty of flouting investment regulations.
Highlighting the provisions of the newly enacted Investments and Securities Act (ISA) 2025, Dr Agama said the law specifically targets the promoters of unregistered investment schemes, including individuals who use their platforms to endorse such ventures.
“The law also covers influencers and bloggers who promote fraudulent schemes, with clear penalties, including imprisonment,” he stated.
Citing the recent collapse of CBEX—a digital investment platform accused of defrauding Nigerians of over ₦1.3 trillion—Agama described the incident as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by unregulated financial platforms. CBEX allegedly promised unrealistic returns and falsely claimed international partnerships.
“The collapse of CBEX underscores the urgency of our crackdown. We are shutting down their operations, and the promoters will face the full weight of the law,” he added.
Agama reiterated the Commission’s resolve to protect investors and develop Nigeria’s capital market. He urged Nigerians to verify any investment opportunity with the SEC before committing their money, advising: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
He also reassured the public of the SEC’s capability to detect and shut down Ponzi schemes, stating, “We have dealt with similar schemes in the past and will continue to do so, leveraging the powers of the ISA 2025 to safeguard investors.”
In a bid to strengthen regulatory oversight, the SEC has established dedicated departments tasked with monitoring market activities and conducting inspections aimed at detecting irregularities early.
“These proactive measures are designed to prevent large-scale frauds like CBEX from recurring,” Dr Agama said.
He concluded by emphasising the significance of the ISA 2025 as a critical tool in securing the Nigerian investment landscape and building a resilient and transparent financial market.
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