Unlocking Africa

Episode 206 with Robert Hornsby and Franck Tcheukado, Co Founder and Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Operating Officer of Jobomax Homes, a West African real estate developer focused on delivering secure, high quality housing for Africans in the diaspora and on the continent. Robert brings a unique perspective as a former US Air Force veteran turned entrepreneur, while Franck brings deep operati...

Episode 205 with Conrad Tucker, Director of Carnegie Mellon University Africa, the only United States research university with a full time teaching and research presence on the African continent. Based in Kigali Innovation City, CMU Africa was established to address the shortage of high quality engineering and technology talent required to drive Africa’s digital economy. Conrad brings deep experie...

Episode 204 with Andrew Osayemi, Founder of YapTime and co creator of Meet the Adebanjos, the hit British Nigerian sitcom now streaming on Netflix. Andrew Osayemi is a diaspora entrepreneur whose career spans FX derivatives trading in London and New York, African diaspora television production, and now language learning and education technology. In this episode of the Unlocking Africa Podcast, And...

Episode 203 with Stella Nse Okuzu who is the Director and CEO of the Royal African Society, one of the UK’s oldest and most influential Africa focused institutions, dedicated to promoting a deeper understanding of Africa and strengthening relationships between Africa and the rest of the world. She also brings extensive experience from her work leading East Africa partnerships at Radio Workshop, wh...

Episode 202 with Melissa Mbugua, East Africa Partnerships Lead at Radio Workshop. Melissa Mbugua leads partnerships across East Africa at Radio Workshop, an award winning organisation that trains young people across the continent to create powerful radio programmes and podcasts. Through storytelling, Radio Workshop equips youth with the skills, tools and confidence to inform their communities, inf...

Episode 201 with Dr Mercy Korir, CEO and Editor in Chief of Willow Health Media. Dr Mercy Korir is a medical doctor, award winning journalist, and business executive who is redefining health journalism in Africa. As CEO and Editor in Chief of Willow Health Media, she leads the first dedicated Health and Science Newsroom in Kenya and the region, with a mission to empower communities through credibl...

Episode 200 with Zodwa Mkandla, Founder and Managing Director of Traverze Travel, one of Zimbabwe’s most successful travel management companies and a leading player in Africa’s tourism and aviation industries. Since 2003, Traverze Travel has redefined corporate and leisure travel in Zimbabwe through exceptional service, innovative travel solutions and strong regional expansion into South Africa an...

Episode 199 with Kosta Scholiadis, Founder and CEO of Street Wallet, a South African fintech company empowering informal traders and street vendors to access the digital economy. Kosta brings a wealth of entrepreneurial insight and purpose driven innovation to this conversation about financial inclusion and the digital transformation of Africa’s informal economy. Founded in Cape Town, Street Walle...

Episode 198 with Anaporka Adazabra, Founder and CEO of Farmio Limited, an agritech company redefining agriculture through smart, accessible technology that empowers farmers to build profitable and climate resilient agribusinesses across Africa. Anaporka is a Bayer Foundation Women Empowerment Awardee and a driving force behind the transformation of Africa’s agricultural sector. Through Farmio, she...

Episode 197 with Omar Lababidi, CEO of Wafroex and Founder of Goldswarm, a premium West African honey brand that is redefining sustainable luxury while empowering thousands of smallholder farmers across Nigeria. With over twenty years of experience investing in, leading and scaling companies, Omar combines deep business expertise with a passion for innovation, sustainability and community developm...

Episode 196 with Dr Alaa Salih Hamadto, Founder and CEO of Solar Foods, a pioneering Sudanese enterprise transforming food preservation, agriculture, and sustainability across Africa and the Middle East. Dr Hamadto is an award-winning scientist and social entrepreneur whose company merges traditional solar drying techniques with modern IoT and clean technology to build climate-resilient, community...

Episode 195 with Thomas Kingombe, Managing Director and Partner at BCG South Africa and co-author of Bridging Africa’s Infrastructure Execution Gap Africa is on the verge of an infrastructure transformation that could redefine its economic future. With more than 130 cross-border projects across energy, transport, digital and water sectors, the continent has the potential to unlock 500 billion doll...

Episode 194 with Dr Henry Clarke Kisembo, Group Global Lead and Executive Chairman of Development Associates Link International (DALI), an organisation driving inclusive finance, digital transformation, and sustainable business development across Africa and beyond. Dr Kisembo is a respected financial economist, development finance specialist, and digital economy advocate with over twenty five year...

Episode 193 with Samuel Efosa-Austin, founder of ECO Africa, Tech for Good Africa, and the ECO Fund. Samuel is leading a bold mission to raise ₦100 billion in local currency to finance Africa’s data infrastructure, proving that the continent can build and fund its own digital future. Samuel shares how verified data, technology, and local capital can drive inclusive growth across Africa. Through EC...

Episode 192 with Lindokuhle Shongwe, Project Leader at BCG and co-author of Africa Unleashed: Harnessing Africa’s Critical Mineral Opportunity. Africa sits at the centre of the global energy transition. With vast reserves of cobalt, lithium, copper, platinum group metals and rare earths, the continent holds the minerals powering electric vehicles, clean energy, digital infrastructure and advanced...

Episode 191 with Joseph Kihara, Africa Practice Lead at Africa International Advisors and author of The Roads We Never Build: Rethinking Access to Infrastructure Finance in Africa . Joseph Kihara is reshaping the way we think about Africa’s infrastructure challenge. Rather than focusing on a shortage of capital, he reframes the issue around access — the ability to design, structure, and deliver fi...

Episode 190 with Darlington Akogo, Founder and CEO of minoHealth AI Labs, a pioneering company using artificial intelligence to transform healthcare access and quality across Africa.  Darlington Akogo represents a new generation of African innovators translating global ambitions for sustainable development into tangible local solutions. In this episode, he shares how minoHealth is tackling systemi...

Episode 189 with Rashad Sinokrot, CEO of Alliad, a global integrated services leader delivering over 300 million dollars’ worth of impact-driven infrastructure projects across Africa and other emerging markets. Rashad shares how Alliad has transformed from a catering firm into a global partner for governments, companies, and aid organisations, while driving inclusive development in challenging env...

Episode 188 with Roeland Menger, CEO of Nithio, a climate fintech platform that invests in clean energy companies and helps others allocate capital to climate solutions that build resilience. Roeland brings deep experience from his work at Google, the World Bank, and Power Africa to this conversation about bridging Africa’s clean energy financing gap. In this episode, he shares how Nithio’s Facili...

Episode 187 with Maxwell Kalu, Founder and CEO of African Warriors Fighting Championship (AWFC), the leading promoter of indigenous African combat sports. Maxwell Kalu brings a unique blend of cultural stewardship, business strategy, and visionary storytelling to this conversation about taking Africa’s ancient fighting traditions to the global stage.  In this episode, he shares how AWFC is transfo...

Episode 186 with Luther Lawoyin, Founder and CEO of PricePally, a pioneering e-commerce platform transforming how consumers access fresh food across African cities. Luther Lawoyin brings a powerful blend of entrepreneurial vision, technological innovation, and deep market insight to this conversation on the future of food distribution in Africa.  In this episode, he discusses how PricePally connec...

Episode 185 with Kailas Nair, Chief Growth Officer and Co-founder, and Jon Kornik, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Plentify, an award winning clean tech AI company transforming home energy management in Africa and beyond. Kailas Nair and Jon Kornik bring a wealth of experience from global leaders such as McKinsey, Google, Tesla, and Vitality to this conversation on how artificial intelli...

Episode 184 with Nkechi Oguchi, Chief Marketing and Community Officer at Itana, Africa’s First Digital Special Economic Zone. As Chief Marketing and Community Officer, Nkechi is at the forefront of positioning Itana as the digital jurisdiction of choice for technology and service-based businesses operating in Africa. In this episode, Nkechi unpacks Itana’s bold vision: a one-stop digital platform...

Episode 183 with Brian Bosire, CEO and Co-Founder of UjuziKilimo, a leading agri-tech company empowering Africa’s smallholder farmers through data science, IoT, and predictive analytics. Brian Bosire is on a mission to digitise Africa’s agricultural value chains by putting powerful, real-time insights in the hands of smallholder farmers. In this episode, he shares the story behind UjuziKilimo, whi...

Episode 182 with Sam Davies, CEO and Co-Founder of Flux, a pioneering climate-tech company based in Nairobi that’s scaling Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) to remove carbon from the atmosphere and restore Africa’s soils. A former British Army reconnaissance officer, Sam transitioned from military leadership to climate entrepreneurship, driven by a personal vision to contribute meaningfully during th...