Unlocking Africa

Episode 106 with Oswald Osaretin Guobadia, who is the former Senior Special Assistant on Digital Transformation to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, spearheaded the creation and execution of the Nigeria Startup Act (NSA) program. The Nigeria Startup Act project is a joint initiative by Nigeria’s tech startup ecosystem and the Presidency to harness the potential of Nigeria's di...

Episode 105 with Eugene Tawiah, who is co-founder of SecondSTAX, which is a platform and gateway to access and trade all debt and equity securities across multiple African bond and stock exchanges. SSX facilitates transactions by securely and efficiently routing orders onto existing mature capital markets infrastructure in complete compliance with local regulations. SSX simultaneously offers B2B s...

Episode 104 with Charles Shima, who is the founder and CEO of ZaNiheza, a booking software and afrocentric travel marketplace for immersive experiences that connect travelers with local curators. ZaNiheza provides immersive tours and activities that enhance travelers' experiences when they visit African destinations. Their proprietary booking software makes it possible for travel suppliers to...

Episode 103 with Touria El Glaoui, who is the Founding Director of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, which is the leading international art fair dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora, has annual editions in London, New York, and Marrakech. Founded in 2013 by Touria El Glaoui, 1-54 is the first and only international fair dedicated to contemporary African art. With three edit...

Episode 102 with, Dr. Keratiloe Mogotsi, who is the former Program Director at the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI), which works to bridge the gap in the study, research, and practice of philanthropy and social investment in Africa. Global interest in the field of philanthropy and social investment in Africa and continents outside of Euro-America is growing exponentiall...

Episode 101 with Omoniyi Kolade is the founder and CEO of Seerbit, a pan-African enterprise payment platform that enables fast, seamless, inclusive, and secure payments for leading local and global companies present on the African continent. SeerBit is a platform that enables all types of businesses to process payments from their customers with the digital tools they need. In Africa, customers are...

EPISODE 100 with Sherif Nessim who is a  technology specialist with over 24 years of experience in offering solutions and products to corporations, mobile carriers, and service providers (B2B) as well as consumer services (B2C) in Egypt and the Middle East and Africa area. Sherif is the visionary founder of Jedar Capital, a rising venture capital firm. Jedar Capital, which specialises in assisting...

Episode 99 with Tega Iortim, who is an impact-driven entrepreneur with a passion for using technology to solve major supply chain related challenges across developing countries. Tega is the CEO and founder of Figorr, which is an IoT company that offers real-time monitoring and tracking for temperature-sensitive items. Figorr aims to play a part in bridging the gaps in the healthcare cold chain in...

Episode 98 with Ismael Belkhayat, who is the founder and CEO of Chari, an e-commerce app that has recently been valued at $100 million. Chari helps small retailers in French-speaking Africa procure inventory for their stores and get it delivered for free while benefiting from payment facilities. It is a one-stop shop for traditional proximity stores, allowing them to order any consumer goods they...

Episode 97 with Ibrahim Abdel Rahim, who is a managing partner at Moonbase Capital. Moonbase Capital invests in SMEs through Search Funds, an innovative new asset class that combines the stability of private equity with the agility of venture capital in order to yield more consistent returns to our investors at lower risk. Their main focus is on providing entrepreneurs with hands-on support throug...

Episode 96 with Anthony William Catt, who is the founder and director of Ventures 54. A company on a mission to build and strengthen the international investment corridors between Africa’s tech, startup, and investor ecosystems and the rest of the world by mobilising capital and facilitating investment Working with governments, DFIs, and other international funding agencies to provide technical as...

Episode 95 with Rana Abdel Latif, who is an investment professional with cross-transactional expertise in M&A, financing, and restructuring deals across various industries and also a senior principal at Nclude. Nclude is an investment platform for fintech innovation. Founder-centric in design, it supports early and growth-stage entrepreneurs who are tackling financial inclusion and enables the...

Episode 94 with Joseph Rutakangwa, who is the founder and CEO of Rwazi, which is a market intelligence platform that provides multinational consumer goods companies with actionable data from developing markets on who is buying what, for how much, from where, when, and why, to help them drive revenue and expand. Rwazi combines technology and a network of 20,000+ qualified data collectors (called &q...

Episode 93 with Thabiso Foto, the Chief Financial Officer at Founders Factory Africa.  Thabiso currently leads the finance and operations departments at Founders Factory Africa, providing invaluable strategic, technical, and operational guidance to their vibrant community of start-ups. Founders Factory Africa is a tailored, corporate-backed accelerator and incubator that builds and scales 100+ tec...

Episode 92 with Yemi Olulana, the CEO of Flex Finance, the leading spend management and corporate card platform for African businesses. Flex Finance empowers businesses across Africa to gain control over their expenses through their user-friendly web and mobile platforms, as well as corporate cards. They have successfully assisted thousands of businesses, liberating business owners and finance tea...

Episode #91 is with William Brent, the Chief Marketing Officer of Husk Power Systems, a global leader in distributed utilities. Since its establishment in 2008, Husk Power Systems has been at the forefront of providing dependable electricity to rural communities and businesses, all powered by renewable energy sources. Their commitment is unwavering—delivering uninterrupted power, 24/7, at a price...

Episode #90 is with Richmond Bassey, who is the CEO and founder of Bamboo, which is an investment platform that gives Africans the tools to build wealth from the ground up through real-time access to global markets. In countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa, individuals often witness their hard-earned savings dwindle away due to weakening currencies and soaring inflation rates. In fact, t...

Episode #89 is with Bemi Idowu, who is a PR and communications specialist with vast experience in leading and delivering successful media campaigns for a wide range of companies, from established global players to Africa-focused start-ups. Bemi is also the founder and managing director of Talking Drum Communications, which is a public relations and communications consultancy that supports companie...

Episode #88 is with Samuel Okwuada, who is the CEO and co-founder of Remedial Health, a ground-breaking company at the forefront of revolutionising healthcare delivery in Africa through the power of data and technology. Remedial Health's mission is clear: to enhance the accessibility and affordability of medicines. They achieve this by establishing a direct supply chain from manufacturers to...

Episode #87 is with Jennifer Baarn is the head of partnerships at  Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), which is an alliance led by Africans with roots in farming communities across the continent. They understand that African farmers need uniquely African solutions designed to meet their specific environmental and agricultural needs so they can sustainably boost production and gain ac...

Episode #86 is with Olusegun Akande, who is the cofounder and director of Samis Online African Foods, which is the UK’s one-stop Afro-Caribbean Online Superstore. They are specialists in African groceries and original products of the highest quality. What sets Samis apart is their commitment to sourcing 90% of their fresh food produce from Nigeria, even though they operate both within and outside...

Episode #85 is with Tarek Mouganie, who is the founder of Affinity Africa, which is an owner and operator of financial services companies in sub-Saharan Africa. Affinity prides itself on establishing digital-forward and branch-light financial institutions, leveraging fintech and innovative design-led solutions to improve financial access and affordability. Affinity supports the unbanked and unders...

Episode #84 with Yemisi Mokuolu, who is an award-winning and highly regarded independent producer and creative industries business consultant. She is the founder and CEO of Hatch Ideas, which develops and promotes African arts and artists. She is also an independent producer and has produced some of London’s largest African arts festivals. HATCH works across the creative, cultural, and social sect...

Episode #83  with Daniel Njiwa, who is Head of Regional Food Trade at Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), an international NGO established by Kofi Annan to drive the advancement of sustainable agriculture in Africa. AGRA leads interventions in improving the predictability of the policy and regulatory environment while coordinating investments for market activation, allowing for inclu...

Episode #82 with Francesca Uriri who is the Co-Founder and Director of Leading Ladies Africa, a women-focused non-profit whose mission is to promote gender inclusivity and diversity by increasing participation and representation of women of African origin in fields of leadership, business, politics, and advocacy. Their vision is to see an increased participation of African women in these fields by...