Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2026

1. Who We Are

The Leadership Network Africa is a leadership development institution dedicated to identifying, developing, and connecting Africa's next generation of leaders. We operate a flagship Fellowship Programme and provide institutional advisory services to African governments, organisations, and foundations.

For the purposes of applicable data protection law, TLNA is the data controller in respect of personal data collected through this website and our programmes. Our contact details for data protection matters are set out in Section 13 below.

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide to us

When you interact with our website or express interest in our programmes, we may collect:

• Identity data: first name, last name, professional title
• Contact data: email address, telephone number (if provided)
• Professional data: organisation, sector, country of operation, leadership background
• Programme data: nature of interest in TLNA (nomination, fellowship, partnership)
• Communication data: messages, motivations, or other content you share with us

Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, we and our service providers may automatically collect:

• Technical data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system
• Usage data: pages visited, time spent, referring URL, click interactions
• Cookie data: as described in our Cookie Policy

Information from third parties

We may receive information about you from partners, nominating institutions, or publicly available professional sources (such as LinkedIn or organisational websites) where this is relevant to assessing Fellowship nominations or partnership enquiries.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• Programme administration: Processing Fellowship nominations and expressions of interest, evaluating candidates, and communicating outcomes
• Partnership development: Reviewing and responding to partnership, sponsorship, and institutional enquiries
• Communications: Sending updates about the TLNA programme, cohort openings, events, and thought leadership content (where you have consented or where we have a legitimate interest)
• Website improvement: Analysing how visitors use our site to improve content and user experience
• Legal compliance: Meeting our obligations under applicable law, including record-keeping and reporting requirements
• Security: Detecting and preventing fraudulent or unauthorised activity

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on one or more of the following legal bases, depending on the jurisdiction and the nature of processing:

• Consent: Where you have given clear, specific consent (e.g., subscribing to communications). You may withdraw consent at any time.
• Legitimate interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests in operating TLNA, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.
• Contract: Where processing is necessary to take steps at your request prior to entering into, or in performance of, a contract or programme agreement.
• Legal obligation: Where we are required to process data to comply with applicable law.

For individuals in the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom, the above bases correspond to those set out in Article 6 of the UK/EU GDPR. For individuals in South Africa, processing is conducted in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA). For individuals in California (USA), rights are additionally governed by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

5. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share your data only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers: Trusted third-party providers who assist us with website hosting, email delivery, analytics, or programme administration — acting as data processors under our instruction and bound by confidentiality agreements
• Nominating institutions: Where a nomination is made on your behalf, we may liaise with the nominating institution as part of the evaluation process, with appropriate confidentiality
• Partners and co-conveners: With explicit consent, where sharing is necessary to facilitate a programme or partnership arrangement
• Legal authorities: Where required by applicable law, court order, or regulatory requirement
• Successors: In the event of a merger, restructuring, or transfer of TLNA operations, where personal data may be transferred as part of that process

6. International Transfers

TLNA operates across the African continent and may engage service providers located in other regions, including the EEA and the United States. Where personal data is transferred outside your home jurisdiction, we take appropriate steps to ensure an adequate level of protection, including the use of standard contractual clauses, binding corporate rules, or reliance on adequacy decisions where available.

If you would like further information about the safeguards we apply to international transfers, please contact us at the address in Section 13.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law. Our general retention periods are:

• Fellowship and nomination enquiries: Up to 5 years from the date of submission, to allow consideration across multiple cohort cycles
• Partnership and sponsorship enquiries: Up to 3 years from the date of last meaningful contact
• Active Fellows and programme participants: For the duration of the programme and up to 10 years thereafter, in accordance with our institutional records obligations
• Website analytics data: Up to 26 months in aggregated or pseudonymised form
• Marketing consents and suppressions: Indefinitely, to honour opt-out requests

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have some or all of the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Right of access: To obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to rectification: To request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to erasure: To request deletion of your data in certain circumstances ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restriction: To request that we limit how we use your data in certain circumstances
• Right to data portability: To receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to object: To object to processing based on legitimate interests, including for direct marketing
• Right to withdraw consent: To withdraw any previously given consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing
• Right not to be subject to automated decisions: We do not make solely automated decisions with significant legal effects on individuals

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@tlna.africa. We will respond within 30 days (or such shorter period as may be required by law). We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

If you are in the EEA or UK and are unsatisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority. South African residents may lodge complaints with the Information Regulator at inforegulator.org.za.

9. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, destruction, alteration, or disclosure. These include encrypted data transmission (HTTPS), access controls, and regular security reviews of our systems and processes.

No method of transmission over the internet is entirely secure. While we take all reasonable precautions, we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a high risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the relevant supervisory authority as required by law.

10. Children's Privacy

Our website and programmes are directed at professionals and are not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a minor, please contact us immediately and we will take prompt steps to delete it.

11. Cookies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website. For detailed information about the types of cookies we use, why we use them, and how to manage your preferences, please see our Cookie Policy.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or operational requirements. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Where required by law, we will notify you directly of significant changes. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Continued use of our website after any changes constitutes your acknowledgment of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: