Podcasts about african smes

Episode 160 with Luni Libes, a serial entrepreneur, investor, and impact-driven venture builder. Luni is the founder and CEO of Africa Eats, an innovative investment company tackling food insecurity and poverty across Africa by scaling profitable, for-profit agribusinesses. He also leads SEMX, a groundbreaking initiative unlocking public capital markets for African SMEs.Africa Eats invests in and supports early-stage, fast-growing food and agriculture companies that are solving critical supply chain inefficiencies, reducing post-harvest losses, and improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Through its long-term, equity-holding model, the company has helped businesses grow 50%+ annually, transforming subsistence farmers into sustainable entrepreneurs while delivering strong returns for investors.Luni shares his philosophy on impact-driven capitalism, why traditional venture capital isn't the right model for African SMEs, and how SEMX is pioneering a new segment on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius to connect fast growing African enterprises with global investors. His mission is clear: build a thriving ecosystem where African agribusinesses don't just survive but scale, creating lasting economic transformation across the continent.What We Discuss With LuniLessons from founding multiple businesses and investment ventures that have shaped the approach to building and growing Africa Eats.How Africa Eats' long-term equity investment model differs from traditional VC funding and the reasons behind this approach.The benefits of Africa Eats' "Forever" equity model for both investors and entrepreneurs compared to traditional venture capital.The key factors driving the impressive growth of Africa Eats' portfolio companies, scaling from tens of thousands to millions in revenue.How the SEMX initiative is bridging the capital gap for African SMEs by leveraging access to public markets.Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss Incubation and Innovation: Shaping Gambia's Business Landscape by Nurturing Young Innovators? Make sure to check it out!Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!Connect with Terser:LinkedIn - Terser AdamuInstagram - unlockingafricaTwitter (X) - @TerserAdamuConnect with Luni:LinkedIn - 'Luni'​ LibesTwitter (X) - @lunarmobiscuitDo you want to do business in Africa? Explore the vast business opportunities in African markets and increase your success with ETK Group. Connect with us at www.etkgroup.co.uk or reach out via email at info@etkgroup.co.ukSubscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content, behind-the-scenes insights, and bonus material - Unlocking Africa Newsletter

Episode 155, we speak with Dr. Austin Okpagu, the Country Manager for Nigeria at VertoFX. Dr. Okpagu joined VertoFX in June after an impressive tenure at JumiaPay, where he spent nearly four years driving business growth and expanding partnerships, culminating in his role as Managing Director for West Africa. His extensive experience in the payments and fintech sectors is further highlighted by his impactful contributions to Opay and Pagatech, where he led business development and partnerships. Beyond his professional roles, Dr. Okpagu holds a Ph.D. in Organisational Psychology and serves as a seasonal mentor at Innovest Afrika.VertoFX is a global B2B financial technology company that enables businesses of all sizes to access advanced cross-border payments, FX and banking solutions. Using a purposefully built tech infrastructure and payment rails, businesses can instantly send and receive money in over 170 countries and convert between 49 currencies. Today, Verto helps 4000+ businesses from startups, SMEs to large corporate companies send millions of dollars per year. What We Discuss With Dr. AustinHow his leadership roles at JumiaPay, Opay, and Pagatech influenced his vision and strategy at VertoFX.The longstanding challenges of cross-border payments for African SMEs and the factors contributing to their persistence.The unique challenges of the African payment landscape compared to regions like Asia or Europe.How VertoFX is helping businesses access the $725 billion digital economy and address the challenge of only 17% of African exports staying within the continent.The impact of regulatory inconsistency on cross-border payments in Africa and how VertoFX navigates these challenges.Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss A History of Western Ignorance: Why We Need to Think Differently About African Economics? Make sure to check it out!Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!Connect with Terser on LinkedIn at Terser Adamu, and Twitter (X) @TerserAdamuConnect with Dr. Austin on LinkedIn at Austin Okpagu, Ph.D, and Twitter (X) @VertoFXDo you want to do business in Africa? Explore the vast business opportunities in African markets and increase your success with ETK Group. Connect with us at www.etkgroup.co.uk or reach out via email at info@etkgroup.co.uk

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 of Dints International, a company that leverages industry expertise and cutting-edge technology to provide supply chain solutions to the mining, construction, and heavy equipment industries, enabling them to connect with new customers and enter new markets.What We Discuss With GeoffreyCan you tell us about your entrepreneurial journey and what inspired you to launch ViaTrade and Dints International?Dints International and ViaTrade are heavily focused on Africa. Why do you think these solutions are needed on the continent?What are some of the particular challenges that African SMEs face when accessing credit for expansion, and how does ViaTrade solve them?How does ViaTrade use technology to digitise various areas of the supply chain, and what effect does this have on efficiency and transparency?Could you tell us more about the intersection of finance and technology in trade, and how ViaTrade navigates this landscape?Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss Pulse Sports Journey and the Rise of African Sports Media? Make sure to check it out!Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!Connect with Terser on LinkedIn at Terser Adamu, and Twitter (X) @TerserAdamuConnect with Geoffrey on LinkedIn at Geoffrey de Mowbray, and Twitter (X) @geoffdemowbrayDo you want to do business in Africa? Explore the vast business opportunities in African markets and increase your success with ETK Group. Connect with us at www.etkgroup.co.uk or reach out via email at info@etkgroup.co.uk

Noluthando Mthonti-Mlambo speaks to Reabetswe Motsamai, Marketing Manager at Makwa IT about cyber attacks and small businesses. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Overview: Today, we're going to talk about Nomba (formerly known as Kudi) , the FinTech payments solutions provider. We'll explore the story across the following areas: African & Nigerian SME context Nomba's early history  Product & monetization strategy Competitive positioning & potential exit options Our overall outlook. This episode was recorded on December 3, 2023 Companies discussed: Nomba (Kudi), MoniePoint (TeamApt), Yoco, Kuda Bank, Flutterwave, Paystack, Stripe, Safaricom, Brass Banking, TradeDepot, Sabi, Paystack, Flutterwave, MTN, Airtel, Bumpa, Vendease, Orda, OPay, OnePipe, Paga, FairMoney, Omnibiz, Interswitch & Kippa Business concepts discussed: SME Agency Banking, Informal retail, banking, Open banking & Mobile Money, Merchants solutions, Points-of-Sale devices, SME Lending & hardware and software bundling Conversation highlights: (01:25) - Nomba context (06:29) - Context of African SMEs and Informal retail (19:10) - Founding story and founders' background (29:02) - Fundraising (43:07) - Partnerships, Geographical expansion and Team (47:55) - User metrics (52:55) - Product and Monetization strategy (1:02:24) - Competition and options for exit (1:12:35) - Olumide's overall thoughts and outlook (1:18:50) - Bankole's overall thoughts and outlook (1:24:40) - Recommendation and small wins  Olumide's recommendations & small wins: Recommendation: TBD Interested in investing in Africa Tech with Olumide: Read about Adamantium fund & contact me at olumide@afrobility.com. Founders looking for funding: If you're a B2B founder working on Education, Health, Finance or food, please contact me for funding at olumide@afrobility.com Checkout my FIREDOM book = FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) + Freedom = personal finance and financial independence book. Website, Read: Substack Newsletter & Buy: Print, eBook or Audiobook) Jay-Z at Madison  Square Garden. Incredible. He performs so many of his hit songs with an ensemble of other artists. I was jumping of my chair rapping along. Charlie Munger died last week.. What a hero. What a legend. What a mind. I love the guy. I can recommend all his books and videos Bankole's recommendations & small wins: Recommendation: Constellation Software on Business Breakdowns Small win: Running in Paris and Ray-Ban Meta glasses Listeners: We'd love to hear from you. Email info@afrobility.com with feedback! Founders & Operators: We'd love to hear about what you're working on, email us at info@afrobility.com Investors: It would be great to link up with you. Contact us at info@afrobility.com Join our insider mailing list where we get feedback on new episodes & find all episodes on Afrobility.com

Discover how South African SMEs are navigating the challenges posed by COVID-19, economic fluctuations, political factors, service delivery issues, and natural disasters. Explore the opportunities emerging from these impactors as entrepreneurs strive to build resilience and drive growth. Gain in-depth insights into opportunities, strategies and success stories that are shaping the future of SMEs in South Africa. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/standard-bank-southafrica/message

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, renewable energy equipment, waste management facilities, and green cooking equipment. What We Discuss With MélanieWhat are some of the biggest challenges that African SMEs face when it comes to accessing green equipment and financing for sustainable projects?What are some of the biggest challenges that you've faced setting up the fund?How does Melanin Kapital leverage carbon credits and climate financing to help these SMEs access the funding they need?Could you provide examples of successful SMEs that have benefited from Melanin Kapital's services? How has the financing they received helped them drive sustainability and foster business growth?What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs who are looking to drive sustainable innovation and impact in their businesses? And much more...Full show notes and resources can be found here: Unlocking Africa show notesDid you miss my previous episode where I discuss How to Harness the Investment Potential of Africa's Middle Class to Drive Economic Growth with Subomi Plumptre? Make sure to check it out!Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!Connect with Terser on LinkedIn at TerserAdamu, and Twitter @TerserAdamuConnect with  Mélanie  on LinkedIn at Mélanie Keïta, and Twitter @melani_n_keitaSupport the showDo you want to do business in Africa? Explore the vast business opportunities in African markets and increase your success with ETK Group. Connect with us at www.etkgroup.co.uk or reach out via email at info@etkgroup.co.uk

In this episode, I sat with Roberts Yakubu, a seasoned sales and marketing expert who has helped numerous B2B brands acquire high-ticket clients. Roberts shares his insights on the most effective ways to attract and retain top-quality clients for your business. With years of experience under his belt, Roberts understands the unique challenges that B2B brands face when it comes to client acquisition. He discusses the importance of building trust and credibility with potential clients, as well as the role that sustainable marketing and sales systems play in driving long-term success. Roberts also shares practical tips on how to identify and target high-value clients, how to nurture relationships with existing clients, and how to adapt your approach to different markets and industries. If you're looking to take your B2B client acquisition strategy to the next level, this episode is a must-listen. Roberts provides actionable advice that you can start implementing today to drive sales and increase your market share. Don't miss out on this valuable opportunity to learn from one of the best in the business. Some topics we discussed in this episode The biggest challenges African SMEs face when it comes to marketing and sales, and how they can overcome them How client acquisition is different for B2B brands compared to B2C brands, Effective strategies that B2B brands can use to generate leads and attract new clients Role of content marketing in B2B client acquisition How B2B brands can measure the success of their client acquisition efforts, and what metrics to track ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Episode Links ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It comes as no surprise that we have another incredible taking over our podcast, but this year with a focus on African communities. On one end, the incredible Anie Akpe and AWIT provide high-quality small business education and relevant comprehensive assistance to the African Diaspora Community, and furthermore Zach Bijesse and PayHippo - whose mission is to make financial services seamless for African SMEs. Education and access made easy by these two industry leaders - that accepted to sit at the hot seat in the intense busy WebSummit week, in conversation with Matteo Rizzi and Francesca Aliverti - now available on all #BBE channels. More on our guests:Connect with Anie Akpe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anie-akpe-abb48312/africanwomenintech.com/ Connect with Zach Bijesse: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zbijesse/payhippo.ng

Episode #40 with Brendan Mullen, who is Co-founder and Managing Director at Secha Capital, a lower-market impact private equity fund in Southern Africa employing an Operator-Investor model and investing in traditional industries making the green economy, tech-enabled, and/or post-COVID transition.Secha was founded in 2017. Its first fund invested in ten South African companies, creating 300+ jobs with an average revenue growth of 12x. Its $50M second fund scales its Operator-Investor model into Southern Africa.What We Discuss With Brendan MullenWhat differentiates Secha Capital from other private equity firms operating in Africa?You look for sectors in which South Africa can make use of local resources. Why is that?You concentrate on established Southern African companies in large, underserved, "boring" sectors rather than technology companies. What exactly do you mean by "boring" sectors?What is the significance of these boring sectors? What value do you think they add to the African economy?What are some of the challenges you've encountered in establishing funds dedicated to investing in African SMEs?And much more...Full show notes and resources can be found here: Unlocking Africa show notesDid you miss my previous episode where I discuss How Tourism in Africa Is Being Reinvented. A Bright Future for African Tourism with Yaa Ofori-Ansah? Make sure to check it out!Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!Connect with Terser on LinkedIn at TerserAdamu, and Twitter @TerserAdamuConnect with Brendan Mullen on LinkedIn at BrendanMullen, and @BrendanJMullenSupport the showDo you want to do business in Africa? Explore the vast business opportunities in African markets and increase your success with ETK Group. Connect with us at www.etkgroup.co.uk or reach out via email at info@etkgroup.co.uk

European banks and investors can bring capital and credit to African SMEs.  According to the World Bank, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play vital roles in economies worldwide. Some 90 percent of businesses are SMEs, and SMEs are 50 percent of the world's employers. In Africa, the number is even higher, with SMEs providing 80 percent of its jobs. Yet World Bank figures show that SMEs in Africa and the Global South are far less likely to obtain bank loans, credit, or investment than large firms – suffering from a gaping financing gap.  Mélanie Keïta is the CEO and co-founder of Melanin Kapital, a pan-African impact investment banking platform with offices in Kenya, France, and Germany. In episode #21 of Campus 10178, the ESMT Berlin podcast, Keïta speaks on the efforts to connect European credit and capital with entrepreneurs in Africa. The company's mission is to build pathways between SMEs and financial institutions, educating and supporting both to thus lower barriers to financing and improve financial performance and chances for SME business success in Africa.  “It is our generation's burden – but also its responsibility ­– to be able to find a way to change the way economies work, so that we can be able to stay on this planet longer and provide to our children what we've been able to enjoy.” –  Mélanie Keïta  Guest contact information:  Mélanie Keïta  CEO and co-founder, Melanin Kapital   Website: https://melaninkapital.com/  Email: hello@melaninkapital.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaninkapital/   About Campus 10178 Campus 10178 is Germany's #1 podcast on the business research behind business practice. Brought to you each month by ESMT Berlin, the 45-minute show brings together top scholars, executives, and policymakers to discuss today's hottest topics in leadership, innovation, and analytics. Campus 10178 – where education meets business.

Episode #28 with Viola Llewellyn who is president and co-founder of Ovamba Solutions, which is an award winning African “TradeTech” company that creates culturally attuned technologies for Banks and Central Banks so that they can serve emerging market SMEs with innovative Sharia compliant trade finance products.Ovamba's "BankPartner Innovations" combine ERP & CRM with, eCommerce, logistics services, and proprietary algorithms and short term capital to drive financial inclusion and promote growth. What We Discuss With Viola LlewellynWhat is the importance of the TradeTech industry in Africa? What role can it play in the development of African economies?Despite a clear need, not enough businesses in Africa use banks to gain access to capital, particularly SMEs. What is the reasoning behind this?How can we remove systemic barriers for African SMEs and contribute to the creation of a wealth-creating ecosystem?How is Ovamba bridging Africa's trade finance gap?And much more...Full show notes and resources can be found here: Unlocking Africa show notesDid you miss my previous episode where I discuss How Africa Can Leverage the Diaspora's Untapped Wealth and Power for Future Development with Charles Sekwalor? Make sure to check it out!Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!Connect with Terser on LinkedIn at TerserAdamu, and Twitter @TerserAdamuConnect with Viola on LinkedIn at ViolaLlewellyn, and Twitter @Ovamba4SMEsSupport the showDo you want to do business in Africa? Explore the vast business opportunities in African markets and increase your success with ETK Group. Connect with us at www.etkgroup.co.uk or reach out via email at info@etkgroup.co.uk

Mark Paper, Chief Operating Officer: Business Partners International at Business Partners Ltd,

Tessa Pule – Chief Operations Officer, Investment Southern Africa Forum

Our expert hosts, Gwera Kiwana and Kate Moody, are joined by some great guests to talk about the most notable fintech, financial services and banking news from the past week. This week's guests include: Misha Esipov, Co-founder & CEO, Nova Credit Polly Jean Harrison, Features Editor, The Fintech Times With soundclips from: Duke Ekezie-Joseph, Co-founder and Chief Growth Officer, Kippa We cover the following stories from the fintech and financial services space: US fintech Nova Credit expands into Europe to “unlock opportunities” for immigrants - 4:00 Apple's plan to pump up Apple Card and Apple Pay and win the payments war - 15:35 Nigerian fintech start-up Kippa launches digital payments offering for African SMEs - 26:45 Bank of England's fintech chief leaves for digital asset platform Fireblocks - 35:50 Russia has defaulted on its foreign debt, says S&P - 44:30 Meta is reportedly making ‘Zuck Bucks' - 46:15 UK pay falls for second month in a row as cost of living bites - 47:40 The microchip implants that let you pay with your hand - 49:30 This episode is sponsored by Alto IRA Did you know the majority of people are investing in cryptocurrency through a taxable account, when they could be using an IRA and avoiding or deferring the taxes? With an Alto CryptoIRA, you can invest in crypto without tax headaches. Create a free account in minutes. Choose from over 150 coins, and invest with as little as $10. No setup charges and no account fees. To open an Alto CryptoIRA with as little as $10, just go to www.altoira.com/insider This episode is sponsored by TrueLayer Let's face it, cards were not designed for online. Payments can take days to settle, hurting customer loyalty. While high fraud, clunky checkouts and expensive fees mean millions in missed revenue. At TrueLayer, we've made instant payments available for businesses across Europe and the UK. So you can cut costs, fight fraud and get money moving fast. To learn more visit: TrueLayer.com/payments. Fintech Insider by 11:FS is a podcast dedicated to all things fintech, banking, technology and financial services. It's hosted by a rotation of 11:FS experts including David M. Brear, Simon Taylor, Jason Bates and Gwera Kiwana, as well as a range of brilliant guests. We cover the latest global news, bring you interviews from industry experts or take a deep dive into subject matters such as APIs, AI or digital banking. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe and please leave a review Follow us on Twitter: @fintechinsiders where you can ask the hosts questions, or email podcasts@11fs.com! Special Guests: Duke Ekezie-Joseph, Misha Esipov, and Polly Jean Harrison.

Based in Paris, Sébastien Boyé is co-CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Investisseurs & Partenaires - I&P. In this episode, Sébastien discusses COVID19 and its impact on Africa, regional private equity and the resilience of African SMEs, along with opportunities for investment in the sector.You can learn more about I&P at https://www.ietp.com/ and contact Sébastien on LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Financial Due Diligence Associates, a multilingual consulting partnership founded by Guy Rodwell and Zinaida Vasilenko, specialised in holistic, relevant and concise analysis of financially inclusive companies. FDDA also helps impactful asset managers access French institutions through an alliance with Oxondo, a leading Paris-based third party marketer. You can reach FDDA by contacting Guy Rodwell or Zinaida Vasilenko on LinkedIn, or by emailing us at info@fdda-consulting.com. 

4 part series in conversation with Bohani Hlungwane, Allen Asiimwe and Emmanuel Bensah Jr. to unpack the African Continental Free Trade Area. We ask questions on chances of smaller economies benefiting from the free trade area, facilitating payments while preserving value, working capital solutions for African SMEs, and so much more.

On 1 January 2021, trading under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) took effect. The Protocol on the Trade in Goods is aimed at creating a liberalised single market for the free flow of goods within the African continent but SMEs have are struggling to understand what the Agreement means to them. In this episode, Ivan Ojakol, a legal consultant at LECTRAD-Africa (Uganda) and Juliet Aigbe, owner, creative head, T. V Chef, Bakery and Sugarcraft Coach at Cakeflair (Nigeria), breakdown  the Articles in the #AfCFTA's Protocol on Trade in Goods and discuss how each of them relates to African SMEs. Listen if you are an SME owner with questions about the AfCFTA's Protocol on Trade in Goods, how it affects you and how you can position yourself  to take advantage of the trade agreement. This episode was recorded on 13 March 2021.

For our second series of 2021, we have a particularly diverse group of 10 inspiring guests who bring different backgrounds and skillsets to the world of investment. We meet with a retired police officer who entered the investment world through representing the pension scheme, a city trader turned Netflix TV producer, an investor in African SMEs, a venture capital investor, a leader of a think tank, a private equity investor focused on the Latinx consumer, a hedge fund founder and a consulting firm CEO. We examine how access to capital is the last frontier of the civil rights movement, how supposed weaknesses can actually be a source of resilience and strength, how "earning your yes" instead of focusing on the "no' can be key in a business that is full of rejection and how mindful we have to be of how intimidating our industry can be. We explore how constraints in setting up a business can foster creativity and the right kind of pivots, and how sometimes it is worth being that bull in the China shop and how much grit and setbacks can be the arsenal we rely upon. Tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and follow us on Twitter (@fiftyfacespod).This series was produced by Fiftyfaces Productions Ltd.

For International Women's Day, we feature Amma Gyampo; Co-Founder of dynamic advisory firm, ScaleUp Africa, which is focused on nurturing African Enterprise, Corporate Innovation, SMEs and Women through creative Partnerships. She is also a Strategic Advisor to African SMEs, Entrepreneurs, Philanthropists and Investors.

For decades, Sub-Saharan Africa has been a hotspot for foreign investment and international aid. It has also been subject to the kind of philanthropy that is often more destructive than helpful. As an impact investor, it's imperative to understand what that type of philanthropy looks like and how to avoid it. Africa has also been facing funding challenges in recent years. Even before the pandemic, the continent was seeing a decline in FDI. In fact, investment flows were expected to drop 25% by the end of 2020. Today, the majority of the available funding is streamlined to large corporations or small microenterprises, leaving a major gap for the companies in between. So what does it mean to start an impact fund that makes a real impact for African communities? To find out, we sat down with David Harlley, Jonathan Wilson, and Kwabena Owusu-Adjei - the minds behind Third Way Capital. Launched in 2020, Third Way Capital is an early-stage impact fund investing in African small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Their strategy is to invest in financial structures that make lasting change, alleviating some of the funding challenges that African SMEs and entrepreneurs face. During this episode, we discuss what goes into starting an impact fund. Since David, Jonathan, and Kwabena have all lived or grown up in Africa, we talk about the importance of truly knowing the environment you're investing in. Plus, how impact investors can identify opportunities and gaps, validate their impact with outcome-oriented measurements, and break the mould of traditional fund structures. And be sure to stay tuned to the very end where we discuss the specific kinds of companies Third Way Capital is looking to invest in. Resources from this episode: Third Way Capital's website Contact Third Way Capital by email: info@thirdwaycapital.co Our episode on Employee Ownership with Jon Shell

Viola Llewellyn is the CEO OF Ovamba Solutions Inc, an award-winning African “TradeTech” company that creates culturally attuned technologies to serve formal and informal African SMEs in the trade & commodities sectors. Ovamba's solutions combine innovative Sharia compliant structures with eCommerce, logistics services, and technology to drive financial inclusion and promote growth. Our converation with Viola begins with her journey back to Africa, reshaping her narrative about the continent and loving it for what it is, while she still pursued what she wanted it to become. We spoke about how embracing our problems can be the gateway to innovating solutions to them, with Ovamba finding ways to redefine commerce in underserved Islamic communites. Viola talks about the imperative of high achieving women to find support from the men in their lives, and how she found that first in her dad, and then her husband. We discuss our penchant for moderacy as Africans, and why should be unrepentent about our ambition. It's conversation about introspection, women empowerment, education, mentorship and a whole lot more. Consider supporting our fundraiser to build a mini home studio to improve the listening experience of the podcast via the link attached if you enjoyed this episode. bit.ly/fundCAPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

His Excellency Dr. Rollan Roberts is an advisor and resource to national governments on strong Artificial Intelligence and quantum-proof Cybersecurity and was nominated to Central Command's Department of Defense Civilian Task Force. He is the founder and Chairman of Transform Africa, Inc., Rollan College, and CEO of Courageous!, an Artificial General Intelligence and Cybersecurity research and product development think tank that serves advanced national security initiatives of national governments. He served as CEO of the Hoverboard company, creating the best-selling consumer product worldwide in 2015, and has a record of crafting viral global brands as CEO of both public and private SMB to multi-billion dollar companies.

In this episode, I speak to Beni Ngwamah (@beni.ngwanah) CEO and Founder of impact investment platform WEKA. Beni is a former investment banker turned social entrepreneur looking to address the desire of the diaspora to make profitable and impactful investments back home as well as the financial needs of African SMEs. We discuss how WEKA is solving this problem, what investing in Africa could mean and finally, exploring Beni’s personal entrepreneurial journey: the highs, lows and everything in between. Donate to The Charity Projects who are raising money for mentally disabled children in Africa here

Viola Llewellyn is the co-founder and President of Ovamba Solutions. Ovamba is an award winning African “FinTech” company that creates culturally attuned technologies to serve African SMEs with innovative Sharia compliant finance products, eCommerce, and logistics services to promote growth. Ovamba's technology gives global accredited and institutional investors the opportunity to invest in the fast-growing African private sector.

As part of our series on the Middle East and Africa, this episode explores the digital opportunities in East and West Africa. Africa is on the verge of massive digital disruptions with the explosion of mobile, the increase of cross-border data and the constant focus on development that is skipping a lot of the earlier digital technologies. But even while all this is going on only about 15% of SME's in East Africa have a website. When you compare this to South Africa with 30%, select ME countries with 45% and select European countries with 80-90%, African SME's have a lot of catching up to do, despite the digital disruption that is going on. Considering that between 80 – 90% of buyers in developed markets will conduct some research online before making a purchase decision – the lack of digital presence could be hurting the region. Our guest in this episode wants to help change this and has established a project that will help SME's in East/West Africa get online.

In this month's podcast we hear from Kebba Colley, Director Inclusive Business Development at IDH. Kebba works on Agricultural Value Chain Development in Africa, both with African SMEs and global brands. We'll dive into both perspectives: how can African SMEs reach domestic, regional and global markets; how can global brands increase their sourcing from Africa; and what does this all mean for the continent?

2018's last in-studio taping of the African Tech Roundup podcast is a two-part affair which guest features the force of nature that is Viola Llewellyn. Viola is the UK-born, Cameroonian Co-founder and President of an award-winning fintech platform called Ovamba. Ovamba relies on proprietary technologies to connect African SMEs to sources of short‐term capital to fund their growth. Viola has spent over 15 years working in the management consulting, technology and alternative finance sectors at firms like of IBM, Unisys, KPMG and Preston Gates Ellis. She currently serves on the Boards of Directors of ActivSpaces, AH Partners, the European Women in Payment Network and the International Women’s Think Tank. In this, the second part of Episode 125, Viola joins Andile Masuku and Musa Kalenga to factor in on a “hype vs. reality” themed conversation about the development of Africa’s fintech landscape in 2018. To skip straight to that discussion, head to [40:09] and listen in to hear why Viola is sick and tired with the on-going continent-wide obsession of fintech startups looking to build "last-mile" solutions. Topics discussed in this episode: France's EDF signs deal for USD1.37 billion hydro project in Cameroon [1:26] Cameroonian health-tech entrepreneur Melissa Bime wins the Anzisha Prize [5:04] Benin repeals social media tax [10:57] Novastar Ventures closes USD72.5 million fund for West African Investments [13:17] Ethos announces USD69.8 million AI Fund [14:24} The African Digital Asset Framework (ADAF) is launched [19:35] Econet Group posts great results despite Kwese's poor performance [28:44] Econet and Safaricom not content to stay in their lanes [33:38] African Fintech 2018 Retrospective Discussion [40:09] Resources referenced in this episode: Breaking New Ground In Fintech: A Primer On Revenue Models That Create Value and Build Trust | Omidyar Network and Oliver Wyman (http://bit.ly/OmidyarNetworkFintechReport) Image credit: Tito Pixel

2018's last in-studio taping of the African Tech Roundup podcast is a two-part affair which guest features the force of nature that is Viola Llewellyn. Viola is the UK-born, Cameroonian Co-founder and President of an award-winning fintech platform called Ovamba. Ovamba relies on proprietary technologies to connect African SMEs to sources of short‐term capital to fund their growth. Viola has spent over 15 years working in the management consulting, technology and alternative finance sectors at firms like of IBM, Unisys, KPMG and Preston Gates Ellis. She currently serves on the Boards of Directors of ActivSpaces, AH Partners, the European Women in Payment Network and the International Women’s Think Tank. In this, the first part of Episode 125, Viola joins Andile Masuku and Musa Kalenga as they start to factor in on a “hype vs. reality” themed conversation about the development of Africa’s fintech landscape in 2018. Listen in to hear Viola's candid take on the unfortunate current state-of-play in Cameroon’s Anglophone region. Topics discussed in this episode: Nigeria plans to build an additional 18,000km of fibre infrastructure [41:33] Ashish Thakkar of Mara Group announces plans to launch a smartphone brand called Maraphone [46:50] Tanzania vs. journalists [51:29] Anglophone Cameroon crisis update [53:29] Resources referenced in this episode: Nigeria's National Broadband Plan 2013-2018 | Nigerian Presidential Committee on Broadband (http://bit.ly/NigeriaBroadbandPlan2013) A new model of microfinance for Africa, and beyond | TED Institute (http://bit.ly/ViolaLlewellynTEDTalk) The Democratisation of Financial Services | SLUSH (http://bit.ly/ViolaLlewellynSLUSH) 26 Women of Colour Diversifying Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley, Media and Beyond | Vanity Fair (http://bit.ly/BlackWomenVanityFair)

The third and last episode of African Tech Roundup's (https://africantechroundup.com) miniseries (http://bit.ly/atrudigitalassets) on digital assets features Viola Llewellyn, the UK-born, Cameroonian Co-founder and President of an award-winning fintech platform called Ovamba. Ovamba leverages proprietary technologies to connect African SMEs to sources of short‐term capital to fund their growth. Viola has spent over 15 years working in the management consulting, technology and alternative finance sectors at firms like of IBM, Unisys, KPMG and Preston Gates Ellis. She currently serves on the Boards of Directors of ActivSpaces, AH Partners, the European Women in Payment Network and the International Women’s Think Tank. In this conversation with Andile Masuku, Viola speaks on the importance of finding smart ways to ensure that Africa secures its unique and invaluable IP, touches on the overlooked advantages of adopting Pan-African digital standards for the establishment and trade of assets in various sectors, and sketches the role that Africa’s financial services industry needs to play in helping us all thrive in an increasingly digital world. Editorial Disclaimer: Raise (https://getraise.io) is the presenting sponsor of this podcast, which is part of an African Tech Roundup miniseries focused on digital assets. Raise is a founding member of the African Digital Asset Framework (http://adaf.io). African Tech Roundup retains full editorial control over all published content. Opinions expressed by the host, Andile Masuku, and his guests, do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the presenting sponsor, Raise.

South African Rushil Vallabh and American Brenden Mullen are the co-founders and co-managing directors of a Johannesburg-based, venture capital outfit called Secha Capital. Secha’s mission is to “provide patient capital to established African SMEs” - primarily within FMCG and agri-business industries - and to support them by providing access to best-in-breed, hands-on business consulting. In this conversation with Andile Masuku, Rushil and Brendan expound on Secha’s hybrid investment thesis and explain how they are channelling all the skills and competencies they acquired at Bain (where they both formerly worked) into promising businesses.

French-born Cameroonian Alec Fokapu is the founder and CEO of FiftyFor, a B2B rating platform for African companies. FiftyFor uses an algorithm to compute ratings on governance structure, financial strength, operational capability, and the social and environmental impact of African companies.  Alec has 10 years of experience working as a financial analyst in international infrastructure projects at Total and Crédit Agricole CIB. Prior to launching FiftyFor in 2014, he founded an investment firm dedicated to financing promising African SMEs and entrepreneurs. In this conversation with Andile Masuku - taped at Afrobytes Tech Conference 2017 - Alec explains why business rating not only helps big business interests vet prospective African investees and suppliers but can also assist local SME’s in improving their investibility and bridge the entrepreneurial culture gap between them and the developed world.

November 24, 2015 - Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1kQSAOK. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Rahel Getachew, founder and Managing Director of Afrolehar, is working to change perceptions of Africa by building business bridges between the U.S. and Africa. Rahel explains the problem, “The African continent has been seen as the dark and hopeless continent. There is a lack of linkages between US investment and African SMEs, a growing youthful continent that needs jobs to keep peace and security in the region and are missing platforms designed to solve these problems.” She is working to address the lack of platforms focused on these problems. She says, “I started this business to strategically transform the image of Africa and contribute in strengthening North America- Africa relations. We provide integrated communications solutions through our advisory or in-house services, business development to penetrate and retain consumer markets in North America and Africa–based on client need–and manage creative productions for government, private sector and non-profit organizations.” A vision of Africa where the economy is driven by value added there more than the commodities grown or extracted. “Ultimately, our success would be defined by the way Africa will be perceived by investors, businesses and consumers markets and African products and works will have greater market value than it currently has. As the world has always turned to the African continent for resources (commodities), we aim to have the world purchase quality added-value African products,” she concludes. Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1kQSAOK. Please consider whether a friend or colleague might benefit from this piece and, if so, share it.