Unlocking Africa

Episode 131 is with Onyeka Akumah who is a serial entrepreneur. He is the Founder and CEO of Treepz, Africa’s leading corporate mobility solutions startup, with more than 5 million customer journeys completed across Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and Uganda. As a seasoned executive with a background in agriculture, real estate, mobility, and e-commerce, Onyeka has founded four startups and exited two. His...

Episode 130 with Edna Frimpong who is an award-winning entrepreneur who is making remarkable strides in the shoemaking business. Affectionately called the "shoemaker girl," Edna is breaking barriers and inspiring others to pursue their passions, regardless of societal norms. Edna's journey as an entrepreneur began while she was a student at Adonten Senior High School. She had always...

Episode 129 with Efayomi Carr, who is Principal at Flourish Ventures, leads Africa investments for Flourish Ventures, and has worked with founders in the startup ecosystem for the last five years. As of November this year, fundraising declined to nearly pre-Covid levels, with startup founders raising only $3.2 billion in a difficult macroeconomic climate that negatively impacted many global compan...

Episode 128 with Ibrahim Toyeeb Ibitade, co-founder and CEO of Leatherback, on his remarkable journey as a fintech founder and entrepreneur and the driving force behind his mission to transform global financial access for individuals and businesses.   Driven by the need to enable global financial access, payments, commerce, and lifestyle opportunities through more equitable financial solutions, Ib...

Episode 127 with Elizabeth Rossiello, who is the CEO and founder of AZA Finance, an established provider of currency trading solutions that accelerate global access to frontier markets through innovative infrastructure. By leveraging cutting-edge technology in its flagship products, TransferZero and BFX, AZA is able to significantly lower the cost and increase the speed of business payments to and...

Episode 126 with Dr. Anne Makena, who is Co-Director of the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx), a cross-university platform for academic and research collaborations between the University of Oxford and African researchers and institutions. The Initiative aims to support the work of universities and research institutions across Africa and to facilitate the development of equitable and extensive collab...

Episode 125 with Paul Breloff, Founder and CEO of Shortlist, which is building a better way to hire, combining the best of tech, data, and human touch to provide executive search and youth employment programming across Africa, India, and 20+ countries globally. Since its inception in 2016, Shortlist has collaborated with more than 900 companies and connected with over 1.5 million professionals. Sh...

Episode 124 with Ebun Feludu, who is the Founder and CEO of Kokari Coconuts & Company, which is an integrated coconut processing company that serves the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical markets in Nigeria and across Africa. Since they began operations in 2016, they have processed over one million coconuts into a range of premium coconut oils, coconut foods, and coconut beauty topicals. What...

Episode 123 with Vincent Li, who is a product manager, seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and mentor. He has more than 15 years’ experience in tech product management and VC investment in China, Africa, and the Middle East. Vincent is also a founding partner of Adaverse, which is the Cardano Ecosystem Accelerator that aggregates entrepreneurs, strategists, and mentors to build its most robust founda...

Episode 122 with Ola Fadiran, who is Co-Founder and CEO at Chiplab, a company that emerged from a critical need—bridging the talent gap in the semiconductor industry and unlocking Africa’s youthful potential. Inspired by conversations with industry leaders seeking to diversify their workforce, including the inclusion of more women and diverse talent, Chiplab was born. ChipLab's mission is to...

Episode 121 with Geoffrey de Mowbray, who is creating a lean and trusted ecosystem for trade through his two business ventures. He is the Chief Executive Officer at Via. Trade, which enables trade by digitising several aspects of the supply chain and bringing customers and suppliers together, all supported by a financial solution and world-leading logistics. He is also the Chief Executive Officer...

Episode 120 with James Torvaney, the visionary Managing Director behind Pulse Sports, a thriving online sports news platform with a staggering 2 million monthly users. James's journey is one of amazing growth, having guided Pulse Sports from its inception to become the leader in the field in Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda. Pulse Sports is part of the renowned Ringier Sports Media Group, which inc...

Episode 119 with Rachel Toku-Appiah, who is the Director of Program Advocacy and Communications for Africa at the Gates Foundation, and is at the forefront of advocating for gender equality across the African continent. Her extensive expertise and leadership within the foundation's advocacy efforts position her at the forefront of this critical movement. Before joining the foundation in 2021,...

Episode 118 with Princess Adeyinka Tekenah, CEO of Happy Coffee, an indigenous Nigerian coffee brand and coffee solution company that has been actively dedicated to creating awareness about the Nigerian coffee value chain and improving the production and consumption of locally sourced Nigerian coffee since its establishment in 2015. Despite facing challenges common to startups in Nigeria, such as...

Episode 117 with Kingsley Pungong, the Founder and CEO, and James Woods, a Partner and Director of Rainbow Sports Global. Rainbow Sports Global is a leading sports enterprise with a global footprint that has successfully positioned itself as a leading Pan-African sports entity, providing holistic management, marketing, and media solutions for football sports agencies, clubs, and talented African f...

Episode 116 with Deepankar Rustagi, who is a co-founder and CEO of Omniretail, a unified consumer goods distribution platform that improves the inefficiencies of traditional trade through a technology-driven FMCG platform. During Nigeria’s cash crunch in Q1 2023, Omniretail launched an embedded finance platform, OmniPay, which achieved over $100 billion worth of transactions in its first few month...

Episode 115 with Omar Shoukry Sakr, who is the CEO and Founder of Nawah-Scientific. A company on a mission to revolutionise the way people do scientific research in Egypt and beyond. Nawah-Scientific is the go-to place to outsource scientific services online. Nawah is a core hub of high-tech research equipment that provides a multitude of services to the region through an online platform, a world-...

Episode 114 with Harry 'Tomi Davies (TD), who is a Systems Analyst turned Public Speaker and author, Tech Strategy Advisor and Angel Investor, who is also Collaborator-in-Chief at TVC Labs, co-founder of the Lagos Angel Network (LAN) and President of the African Business Angel Network (ABAN). He is also widely regarded as the "godfather of angel investing" in Africa. TD is an active...

Episode 113 with Scott Walker, who is CEO and Founder of Systemic Innovation, which is a systems change innovation practice solving wicked systemic challenges through a collective intelligence model that connects people, ideas, and insights. Scott is also a co-author of the Scaling in Africa report, which is the most comprehensive analysis to date of the African scaling ecosystem. Designed as an a...

Episode 112 with Sunkanmi Ola, who is Co-Founder and CEO of Propel, a platform that has built one of the largest ecosystems of tech and developer communities in Africa—over 200 diverse communities with 500,000+ members spread across 22 countries and 3 continents. With its 'Community-as-a-Service' offering, companies can leverage this ecosystem of tech communities, on-demand, to drive a v...

Episode 111 with Marco Forgione who is the Director General of The Institute of Export and International Trade, which is a professional membership body representing and supporting the interests of everyone involved in importing, exporting and international trade. The Institute of Export & International Trade (IOE&IT) recently launched its expansion into Africa with the opening of its first...

Episode 110 with Yomi Kazeem, from Salient Advisory, which is a healthcare consulting firm that tracks innovations in African health tech, and Jessica Vernon, CEO and Founder of Maisha Meds, which is a company that has created the first and largest network of private pharmacies and clinics in East Africa through a mobile app that delivers subsidised care. Salient Advisory produces comprehensive re...

Episode 109 with Ted Pantone, a dynamic startup leader with a relentless drive to achieve results, boasts a proven track record of guiding young businesses and entrepreneurial teams towards success. With the launch of four startups under his belt, he has secured over $20 million in funding and has actively invested in over 50 businesses. Additionally, Ted serves as the co-founder and CEO of Turaco...

Episode 108 with Julie Gichuru who is the Chief Public Affairs and Communications Officer at the Mastercard Foundation, overseeing corporate, programmatic, policy, and thought leadership communications with a team spanning Africa and Canada. The Mastercard Foundation works with visionary organisations to enable young people in Africa and Indigenous communities in Canada to access dignified and ful...

Episode 107 with chef Selassie Atadika who is an award-winning chef, educator, and food systems advocate. Born in Ghana, her family fled following a military coup, eventually settling in New York.  She credits her mother and travels to over 40 countries as a humanitarian aid worker for the United Nations as influences for her dishes. In 2014, she returned home to Ghana to establish Midunu, Midunu...