Unlocking Africa

Episode #81 with Gerrad Olisa-Ashar, the visionary Co-Founder of Diaspora Investment Partners Africa. Join us as we delve into the remarkable story behind this groundbreaking networking platform that is revolutionising the landscape of African entrepreneurship and sustainable development. Gerrad Olisa-Ashar, an inspiring entrepreneur and thought leader, shares his personal journey and the pivotal...

Episode #80 with Nneka Chime, who is a Partner at CrossBoundary and has a profound interest in utilising technology, innovation, and investments to foster a more equitable and sustainable world. CrossBoundary is a mission-driven investment firm dedicated to harnessing the potential of capital for sustainable growth and robust returns in underserved markets. With a transaction-centred approach to u...

Episode #79 Amaechi Nsofor, who is a partner and Head of Africa, Insolvency, and Asset Recovery at Grant Thornton, and his multi-award-winning and renowned team have pioneered the use of insolvency powers to facilitate litigation and trace and recover misappropriated assets.  Grant Thornton is a firm with a global network that employs 58,000 people in 135 countries. They combine global scale with...

Episode #78 with Samuel Brooksworth, who is the Founder and CEO of Remoteli, which is a tech-led on-demand staffing organisation with HQ in the UK. Remoteli supports organisations around the world in growing their teams with talented and ambitious graduates based in Africa. Using AI, they match organisations with staff members based on personality matching and organisational culture. Companies see...

Episode #77 with Celina Lee, who is a Co-Founder and CEO of Zindi, which is a professional network for data science, and they are on a mission to make data science and AI accessible to everyone.  Celina has a passion for unleashing the power of data for social good. She has a proven track record of thought leadership in the intersection between data and development and has played central roles in...

Episode #76 with 5 Off The Cuff. Join us as we delve into the inspiring stories of 5 off the Cuff—a remarkable collective comprising five dynamic and accomplished African women who have made significant strides in their respective fields and industries while living in the diaspora.  During this engaging episode, we explore the extraordinary achievements, innovative ideas, and influential roles the...

Episode #75 with Marie Lora-Mungai, who is an investor, strategic advisor, and entrepreneur specialising in the African Creative Industries and Sports Business, with an 18-year experience spanning 27 countries on the continent. She is the publisher of the popular newsletter HUSTLE & FLOW about investment opportunities in the African entertainment space. Marie is also the founder and CEO of Res...

Episode #74 with Gerald Black, who is a highly accomplished expert in the realms of entrepreneurship and business development. Renowned as a successful serial entrepreneur, Gerald brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in entrepreneurship, business development, and project management, making him a highly sought-after consultant and mentor within the African startup community. Moreover, Gerald...

Episode #73 with Leonard Mudachi, who is the Chief Vision & Growth Officer at BRRAL (Branded Restaurants & Retail Africa Ltd), which is a restaurant and retail development & management company that identifies local restaurants and retail brands with high potential for scale.  They achieve this through "The BRRAL Play Book," which allows them to unlock business growth potentia...

Episode #72 with Mélanie Keïta, who is the CEO and Co-Founder of Melanin Kapital,  which is a climate fintech platform that provides a last-mile carbon financing solution to finance the green transition of African businesses.  Their goal is to finance the clean-energy equipment that SMEs need to scale while simultaneously reducing their carbon footprint. They finance electric transportation, renew...

Episode #71 with Subomi Plumptre, who is the CEO of Volition Cap, which is a game-changing and SEC-licenced asset manager for Africans and Diasporans. Since 2018, they have been at the forefront of investments for individuals and businesses. They created a $30 million fund for agriculture and real estate projects in Africa, pioneering the first structure to leverage traditional cooperatives.   Wha...

Episode #70 with Affiong Williams, who is the founder and CEO of Reel Fruit, whose vision is to be Nigeria's largest end-to-end fruit processing company. The company is unlocking the value in Nigeria's fruit value chain by building an end-to-end fruit processing company. We all know that fruit should be a staple in our daily diet, but it’s not always easy or convenient to eat fresh fruit...

Episode #69 with Marcia Ashong, who is CEO of TheBoardroom Africa,  which is an organisation that promotes exceptional female talent to boards across the continent.  TheBoardroom Africa breaks down barriers to help organisations realise the benefits of increased diversity on boards. They’re accelerating the placement of female leaders by connecting peer-endorsed, board-ready women with CEOs and bo...

Episode #68 with Kola Oyeneyin, who is CEO of Opportunik Global Fund (OGF), which is a private wealth fund designed by Africans for Africans. At Opportunik Global Fund, the belief is that everyone should have access to opportunities regardless of their location. To that end, OGF offers USD investments to middle-class and mass-affluent Africans and Diasporans with a starting capital of $5,000. Thei...

Episode #67 with Vivian Lawal, who is Founder of Medsaf, which is a curated medication marketplace for African hospitals and pharmacies.  Medsaf is a global organisation with headquarters in the United States and a presence in Nigeria. They believe that quality medication is a fundamental human right. They focus on bringing high-quality medication manufacturers directly to pharmacies and hospitals...

Episode #66 with Nthabiseng Sejake, who is a rising star in the world of property investment. Nthabiseng is the founder of B Evolution, a rapidly expanding rental business based in Soweto. Despite having a portfolio with dozens of quality apartments on three sites in Soweto, Nthabiseng's business has been unable to secure funding from South Africa's formal banking sector.  Nonetheless, h...

Episode #65 with Thierry Ngoga who has 16 years of experience providing strategic and operational solutions to governments and development partners in relation to land management, agriculture, and urban development. His deep experience, which spans at least 17 countries across both Anglophone and Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa, has often focused on designing low-cost, locally grown solutions to is...

Episode #64 with Pritish Behuria who is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester. The university boasts Europe's largest department dedicated to studying global and international development issues, making Pritish an ideal guest to speak on the topic.  Additionally, he is a renowned expert in the fields of industrial policy and comparative developmental trajectories, particularly in...

Episode #63 with Jessica Hope,  who is Founder and CEO at Wimbart, which is a boutique public relations company with a heavy emphasis on Africa & emerging markets. They produce hyper-targeted, relevant & meaningful media campaigns for a range of international clients. They work across technology, start-ups, entertainment, social enterprises, entrepreneurs and consumer products, to deliver...

Episode #62 with Noam Kan,  who is Director of International Business Development at XML International, a company that provides unique workforce solutions by partnering with local entities to recruit, onboard, oversee, and pay teams around the world. This approach allows the company to have a deep understanding of the local culture, language, and employment laws, making it easier to provide tailor...

Episode #61 with Amir Hussain,  who is a Senior Underwriter of Political & Credit Risk at Africa Specialty Risks. With an African-focused and experienced team of underwriters, Africa Specialty Risks provides coverage aimed at facilitating trade and investments for financial institutions, traders, and exporters, to name a few, transacting in Africa. Their mission is to provide the protection an...

Episode #60 with Tunji Andrews,  who is CEO at Awabah, which is digital platform that helps millions of Nigerians get on the Micro Pension Scheme, which is the first step to a financially secure future. They make planning for retirement easier for many Nigerians . What We Discuss With  Tunji Andrews What is the importance of having access to pensions, health insurance, life insurance, and accident...

Episode #59 with Mark Kleyner,  who is Co-Founder & Program Director of Dream VC, which is an investor accelerator for Africa. Through their community-driven educational platform, they run highly selective remote training programs on Venture Capital & the Innovation Ecosystem across Africa's Startup Ecosystems. What We Discuss With  Mark Kleyner You and your team have big plans to acc...

Episode #58 with Emmanuel Adegboye, who is the Head of Madica, which is an Africa-focused pre-seed investment program empowering underrepresented and underfunded mission-driven founders on the continent. The sector-agnostic platform, affiliated with Flourish Ventures, aims to empower entrepreneurs with the provision of funding and also democratizing access to world-class company building support....

Episode #57 with Jaco Maritz, who is the Founder of How We Made It in Africa, which is an online publication that talks to Africa’s most interesting entrepreneurs and businesspeople to reveal: - How they built their companies – from the initial idea to commercial success - The business lessons they’ve learnt on their journeys so far - The latest business trends and untapped opportunities in their...