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Victoria here, 

Recently, my mental health has taken some heavy hits, and this week has been highly stressful for me. Enough about me, though. What comes to mind when you hear the term "mental health"? A mad person?

Sidebar: It’s encouraging to see how people are coming forward to test for mental illnesses and accept treatment. While this is still a long way off in Africa, we’re certainly getting there. So, thanks to the Internet for bringing it to light!

Back to the matter. Is mental health only related to mental illnesses? Is it limited to schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, anxiety, eating disorder, depression, insomnia, alcohol and substance abuse, and other similar conditions?

Here's your answer: Mental health encompasses more than just mental illnesses. It is related to how a person feels, thinks, and acts.

The World Health Organization (WHO) describes it as a state of well-being in which an individual recognises their own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to their community.

This means that someone may have good mental health, no mental illness or be somewhere in between. This refers to the mental health spectrum.

For instance, Ayo, a 27-year-old graduate, may not exhibit any signs of mental illness but is unemployed, with a negative attitude toward himself and his relationships, or may not have a strong sense of purpose. Can you say Ayo is mentally healthy? Of course not!

Having good mental health and no mental illness is at the top of the spectrum while having poor mental health and a mental illness is at the bottom. While the people in the middle may have good mental health but a mental illness, they may also have poor mental health but no mental illness.

Consequently, we must all strive to be at the top of the mental health spectrum, which begins with prioritising your mental health as much as you do your physical and sexual health.

Today, I’m discussing: 

• The Nigeria Data Protection Bureau
  
• Antler East Africa’s oversubscribed fund
  

Did you know that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFRN) 1999 guarantees Nigerian citizens the fundamental right to privacy?

This means that under Section 37 of the CFRN, citizens have the right to privacy in their homes, correspondence, phone conversations, and telegraphic communications.

The Constitution, however, does not define "privacy" or contain detailed privacy provisions. So, it is unclear how far Nigerian codified law protects data privacy.

But, personal data is becoming increasingly valuable, and it is constantly sought after by nefarious individuals who intend to exploit it to the detriment of the data subjects.

The current state of our laws demonstrates the need for Nigeria to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for data protection, don’t you think?

This, among other reasons, could be why the Nigerian government announced that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the establishment of a new agency, the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB), to focus on data protection and privacy in the country.

Ogheneruemu, a non-practising lawyer and Techpoint Africa Reporter, provided us with additional information about this new data protection enforcing body. What effect will this new agency have on your privacy rights?

Check it out here: Nigeria has a new data protection enforcing body; here’s why you should care

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Antler East Africa, a venture capital firm based in Nairobi, has closed a $13.5 million fund to invest in early-stage tech startups in an oversubscribed round.

Initially, the VC intended to raise $10 million but ended up with $13.5 million. Do the math: they received an additional $3.5 million.

The round's limited partners include Baillie Gifford, Canica, and other institutional investors like the International Finance Corporation.

Antler East Africa launched in August 2019, two years after Antler – its parent company – was founded by Magnus Grimeland. Every year, the VC firm employs a full venture building model with two cohorts.

The company uses a hybrid model acting as both a venture builder and a venture capital firm. From its $300 million fund, the firm has invested in over 250 companies ranging from pre-seed to Series C.

So far, five cohorts of 153 founders have graduated from the accelerator programs, and the firm has made 14 investments. AIfluence, Marketforce-subsidiary Digiduka, Honeycoin, Uncover Skincare, Try Cooked, and Vybe are some examples.

Antler East Africa's new fund will allow it to invest in founders who want to build their startups from the ground up and already formed teams that require capital to scale.

• Understanding others’ feelings: what is empathy and why do we need it?. Read.
  
• 6 ways to heal trauma without medication. Watch.
• The Woman Who Changed Her Brain. Watch.
  

Opportunities

• Techpoint Africa is looking to hire a woman for the role of an associate VISUAL DESIGNER. This you? Send a pitch with your portfolio to careers@techpoint.africa.
• Are you a woman in tech? Here are some internship opportunities for you: backend engineer intern, fullstack engineer intern, product manager intern, QA engineer intern and UI UX product.
• The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize 2022. Get more information about it here
• Get rewarded for gaining tech skills at the Microsoft Spring Skills Challenge. Details here
• Heard about MTN Nigeria's Graduate Intern Scheme for Marketers? Check it out.
• Identitypass is hiring. Check out available roles
  
• OnePipe launches a writing challenge for Nigerian journalists. Three writers to win 1 million naira each. Apply here.
• Pitch Friday is today by 4pm! Register for the the session here
• UN Women plans to select 60 trainees from 10 African countries for coding courses. Find the requirements and how to apply here
• TeamApt has several job openings. Want in?
  
• Paystack is hiring. Want to try out?
• Applications are open for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa GNI Innovation Challenge. Learn more about the challenge and how to apply here.

Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa.

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