Afropolitan

Jaksot

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  The Dark Side Of Being A Female Afrobeats Artist Nobody Talks About - Fave 16.09.2026 1t 6min

  A major label signed her, handed her enough money to go buy a car, and then let her music sit. So she asked to leave. Less than a month after she got out, "Intentions" took off and it hasn't slowed down since. Fave doesn't dance around why she walked. "What I want as an artist from my label is the money to market my music," she says. "I don't think they truly understand how things work here in Africa." Two years into a deal with Atlantic, she decided she would rather bet on herself than keep fighting to be somebody's priority. She started as a law student posting one-minute freestyles to Twitter. Within 24 hours the internet couldn't look away. Since then she's been named Rookie of the Year, tapped as an Apple Music Africa Rising act and a Spotify EQUAL Africa ambassador, and pulled onto tracks by some of the biggest names in the game. This is the artist behind Baby Riddim, Kante and Intentions. In this episode we get into the double standard female artists face across Africa, the "Afrobeats Queen" label and why crowning one woman for 200 million people makes no sense, rebelling against a strict Pentecostal home to chase music, getting stranded at a Kenyan airport by a promoter who cancelled the flights home, why she left Atlantic, and how Kante with Davido actually came together. Become a Member of The Room (Afropolitan Private Membership) Join our private community for deeper insights and exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast EPISODE SPONSORS Zobo Money — Zobo is a money transfer app built for Africans in the diaspora. It lets you send money from the US, UK, and Europe to countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and more. https://www.zobo.money/afropolitan BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get a $10 bonus when you sign up, complete your KYC, and send $50 or more to Africa. Hisa — Hisa is an all-investments platform that lets you invest in Nigerian stocks, US stocks and ETFs from one app. https://invite.hisa.co/7fkf/AFROPOLITAN BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get your first two trades commission-free. CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ WHERE TO FIND FAVE Music: https://onerpm.link/RNBling Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faveszn TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@favesavage X/Twitter: https://x.com/faveszn AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast TIMESTAMPS 0:00 "It's hard to manage a female artist" 0:23 The law student who went viral in 24 hours 2:08 Subscribe to the Afropolitan family 2:36 The difficulty of a male-dominated industry 3:00 "We're held to very different standards" 3:45 Judged by everything but the music 4:16 Why female artists give more on stage 5:06 Sexual advances just to get in the room 5:21 The labels that won't sign women 6:33 Wanting to put other women on 7:18 How streaming changed who gets to blow 7:47 Grouped together, never seen as individuals 8:31 Tiwa Savage vs Ayra Starr makes no sense 9:00 Too scared to headline a show at home 9:52 "Afrobeats Queen? One woman for 200 million?" 10:57 Why the comments still keep her up 12:24 A strict home and the case for rebellion 13:42 The talent her parents wouldn't let her nurture 15:31 The viral video before the song existed 16:40 A text from Olamide and a run to Lagos 17:43 Follow Chika and Eche on Snapchat 18:23 The Room: join the Afropolitan Patreon 19:14 Sponsor: Zobo Money 20:02 Sponsor: Hissa 21:06 "Wage war against your parents" 22:01 Studying law and why she couldn't be a lawyer 22:48 Baby Riddim was too big to ignore 23:31 Building a team you can actually trust 25:32 "It's a jungle, especially in Lagos" 27:00 Did law school help the business of music 30:43 Where "Dutchie girl" came from 32:00 Rebelling against the stylist template 33:49 Why she keeps getting compared to Tems 36:15 Men, women, and thumbnails that perform 37:45 Leaving Atlantic Records 38:24 "Money to ball vs money to market" 39:53 What Don Jazzy spent on Calm Down 40:52 Independent, then Intentions exploded 41:10 Is independence actually worth it 43:00 The Kenyan promoter who stranded her team 46:26 The artist's side of leaving a label 48:00 "I was very depressed at my label" 50:08 Kante with Davido: how it came together 52:55 The European tour and reaching the diaspora 54:00 Does music travel organically 56:03 Rapid fire begins 56:33 Studio at 2am, the night crawler 57:02 Dating apps or meeting organically 58:45 Why she's building on Snapchat 1:00:08 Favorite Nigerian food and city 1:01:49 Why artists are leaving Nigeria 1:03:11 The first time she hit the stage 1:05:10 Who should be in this chair next
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  Dangote Refinery’s IPO Is Not What You Think It Is 09.09.2026 1t 9min

  The entire stock market of Africa's biggest economy is worth about $114 billion. One refinery just outside Lagos is asking investors to value it at $50 billion. On day one. That is one company reaching for almost half of a whole national exchange, and it just opened its doors to outside money through a private placement that raised billions. So we brought in someone who actually builds the rails for this. Eke Urum walks through what the Dangote Refinery IPO really is, why he calls it "anchor infrastructure," and why he thinks it joins the short list of Nigerian companies you can almost never go wrong buying. He also names his own reservations, from the crude supply risk to the way the business has leaned on the Nigerian system. Eke Urum is the founder and CEO of Risevest, the dollar investment platform that acquired Chaka and now runs Hisa, the app letting everyday people own Nigerian and US stocks in minutes. He has spent years tearing down the paperwork that kept regular people out of the market. Sign up for Hisa - https://invite.hisa.co/7fkf/AFROPOLITAN In this episode we get into where a Nigerian in the diaspora should actually put money right now, why refineries make money from far more than fuel, the $80 to $100 billion number Eke puts on Dangote over the next decade, how private placements work and who really gets in first, the 600,000 trading accounts in a country of 200 million people, and a step by step plan to get ready for the September IPO. Become a Member of The Room (Afropolitan Private Membership) Join our private community for deeper insights and exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast EPISODE SPONSORS Zobo Money — Zobo is a money transfer app built for Africans in the diaspora. It lets you send money from the US, UK, and Europe to countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and more. https://www.zobo.money/afropolitan BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get a $10 bonus when you sign up, complete your KYC, and send $50 or more to Africa. Hisa — Hisa is an all in one investing app that lets you own Nigerian and US stocks. Sign up with your BVN or NIN and start trading in minutes. https://invite.hisa.co/7fkf/AFROPOLITAN BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get your first two trades for free. Download on the App Store or Google Play. CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ WHERE TO FIND EKE URUM X/Twitter: https://x.com/eldivine LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekeurum RISEVEST Website: https://www.risevest.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rise.vest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rise-vest HISA Website: https://hisa.co Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hisaapp AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Owning a piece of Dangote 1:23 Quick one: subscribe to the family 1:40 Where should I put my money in Nigeria? 2:19 Start with the stock market 3:35 Real estate in Lagos and the liquidity trap 4:23 The small businesses nobody is funding yet 5:33 Robinhood, Hisa and democratizing access 6:56 Own things that go up in value 7:45 Our parents did it the broker way 9:17 Why we made this episode 9:50 What the refinery really represents 10:46 Why refineries print money through byproducts 11:42 Getting the shares before the open market 12:16 A $50B valuation next to the whole NGX 12:37 Stop anchoring to the past 14:53 Why it could be worth $80 to $100B in 10 years 15:49 The 4 or 5 stocks you can't go wrong buying 16:40 50/50 diaspora signups since relaunch 17:54 Dividends in dollars and currency risk 19:15 Follow Chika and Eche on Snapchat 19:55 The Room on Patreon 20:47 Sponsor: Zobo Money 21:35 Sponsor: Hisa 22:39 A rocket, two chopsticks, and a fact 23:54 Story vs numbers in the internet era 25:45 His reservations about Dangote and the system 27:03 The $20B in remittances that just gets consumed 31:01 Money you consume is gone 31:55 What private placements actually are 33:47 Don't chase the IPO, own the business 35:50 India and Kenya as diaspora playbooks 38:35 A stock market built by colonial masters 41:45 The 7-Eleven that doesn't exist in Nigeria 43:40 Wounded by paperwork at the exchange 46:29 600K accounts in a country of 200 million 48:43 Betting everything on convenience 50:26 The real risks: crude supply and the debt 51:47 The crude supply risk nobody talks about 52:50 How to prepare for the September IPO 56:18 Can you become a millionaire off Nigerian stocks? 1:00:53 Proof homegrown capital can build Nigeria 1:02:57 $1M per megawatt: the power plant nobody built 1:04:10 Rapid fire 1:06:19 Give your money a worldview 1:08:16 Who should be in this chair next
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  Nigeria's Minister Exposes Why The World Makes Us Look Worse Than We Are - Tunji Alausa 02.09.2026 1t 48min

  For over 40 years, one problem broke every education minister who walked in before him. Strikes that shut universities for months at a time. Students who started a four-year degree with no idea when they would actually graduate. He says it took one president and a handful of honest meetings to end it. When his team asked the president to approve a 40% salary increase for academic staff, he thought the number was too much to ask for. The president looked up and said yes. "It was as if I won a jackpot," he says. "I was about to run out of his office before he called me back." Dr. Tunji Alausa is a physician and nephrologist who built a career across Nigeria, the UK and the US, and served as chief resident at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. He came home to serve as Minister of State for Health, and today he runs education for a country of 220 million people, roughly 70% of them under the age of 30. In this episode we get into the real number of out-of-school children and why he says UNICEF and UNESCO have it wrong, flipping classrooms from 70% theory to 80% practice, taking nursing enrollment from 28,000 to over 140,000 a year, why he tore up the idea that a plumber ranks below a doctor, bringing Nigerian history and a new national anthem back into the classroom, and a blunt message to the diaspora: come back home before the opportunity is gone. Become a Member of The Room (Afropolitan Private Membership) Join our private community for deeper insights and exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast EPISODE SPONSORS Zobo Money — Zobo is a money transfer app built for Africans in the diaspora. It lets you send money from the US, UK, and Europe to countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and more. https://www.zobo.money/afropolitan BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get a $10 bonus when you sign up, complete your KYC, and send $50 or more to Africa. Follow Chika on Snapchat https://snapchat.com/t/c1ercPU6 WHERE TO FIND DR. TUNJI ALAUSA X: https://x.com/DrTunjiAlausa Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtunjialausa LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-tunji-alausa FEDERAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION X: https://x.com/NigEducation AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast TIMESTAMPS 0:00 The lines that stopped a 40-year problem 1:41 Quick favor: hit subscribe 1:57 The biggest myth about running education 2:52 "ASUU will be your biggest problem" 4:26 40 years of broken promises and mistrust 7:17 No more bogus agreements 8:06 "No committee between you and me" 8:44 The 40% raise he thought was too much 9:00 "It was as if I won a jackpot" 9:23 Diverting looted funds into education 10:11 "Nigeria is in a renaissance" 11:40 The 20 states that couldn't pay salaries 14:16 The president who reads every paper by dawn 15:32 A message to the diaspora 16:48 Equipping Lagos hospitals from Chicago 18:50 How Tinubu became his mentor 19:20 The year he knew Tinubu wanted the presidency 20:53 "I'd be a hypocrite to stay in America" 21:41 "Polish your shoes" — the offer to serve 22:48 From Health to Education in 18 months 23:25 Flipping the classroom to practical-first 25:10 "Government needs more madmen" 25:52 How technical schools were made to look primitive 27:49 "A plumber earns more than a doctor" 28:37 Suffering in the midst of plenty 30:22 The fight over polytechnic degrees 33:57 The dual-mandate win for colleges of education 36:13 "Why send your child abroad?" 38:03 How Ilorin stayed number one by banning strikes 40:44 24 Nigerian universities ranked, 17 of them public 43:14 Billions into med schools, labs and hostels 47:09 Taking campuses off the grid with solar 50:02 Building job creators, not job seekers 52:53 Nursing: from 28,000 to 140,000 a year 54:55 Medical seats: from 5,000 toward 20,000 57:36 The "Olodo uprising" and graduates of nothing 58:34 When Nigeria had water and light 24/7 1:04:02 Putting real skills back in school 1:05:41 Coursera certificates for global jobs 1:07:48 Rewriting the curriculum from the ground up 1:10:38 "Without data, you're flying blind" 1:12:17 Why history was cut, and how it came back 1:15:39 Why the national anthem changed 1:17:00 "We do not have 15 million out-of-school children" 1:20:20 Counting on the grid: the real numbers 1:25:00 "It's not the West's job to fix us" 1:28:17 Keeping children safe in school 1:32:25 A message to the bandits 1:34:37 Rapid fire: Chicago or Lagos? 1:37:33 What Africa should stop waiting for 1:42:48 Favorite food: beans and dodo 1:43:31 The book that shaped him 1:45:53 Who should be in this chair next
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  Beauty Founder Exposes What It Takes For A Woman To Build In Africa - Diiadem 26.08.2026 1t 19min

  She landed in China with $1,500 in her pocket. That money had to cover the flight she had already booked, somewhere to sleep, and the products she came to manufacture. The factory told her the minimum order was 12,000 pieces. She stayed anyway. She paid a $1,000 deposit on a $6,000 order, called her cousin and her father from a hotel room until they sent what they could, and flew back to Lagos still owing the balance. Then she signed her car papers over to a loan company. "Collect the car. Just give me the loan." Ten years later Beauty by AD makes 37 shades of foundation and sold out a three day London pop up on the first afternoon. Adeola Adeyemi, known everywhere as Diiadem, is the founder and CEO of Beauty by AD, one of the few Nigerian cosmetics brands that manufactures its own base products from scratch instead of buying and stamping. She joined The Real Housewives of Lagos in season 3, represented the Nigerian beauty industry at the UK House of Lords in 2025, and was one of the first Nigerian creators Snapchat ever paid. In this episode we get into the manufacturer who told her her money could not do anything for her, why 15 shades of foundation were not enough and 37 are, the blogger who accused her of sleeping with a sitting governor and what she did about it, the mother she only met once before a stroke took the answers away, the empty refill palette she designed while sitting on a toilet seat, why she hands every new product to working makeup artists before it ships, and the $3,000 to $5,000 she pulls off Snapchat every two weeks. Become a Member of The Room (Afropolitan Private Membership) Join our private community for deeper insights and exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast EPISODE SPONSORS Zobo Money — Zobo is a money transfer app built for Africans in the diaspora. It lets you send money from the US, UK, and Europe to countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and more. https://www.zobo.money/afropolitan BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get a $10 bonus when you sign up, complete your KYC, and send $50 or more to Africa. CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ WHERE TO FIND ADEOLA DIIADEM ADEYEMI Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/@diiadem Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diiadem TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adeoladiiadem X: https://x.com/adeoladiiadem Threads: https://www.threads.com/@diiadem LinkedIn: https://ng.linkedin.com/in/adeola-adeyemi- Website: https://adeoladiiadem.com BEAUTY BY AD Website: https://beautybyad.com Shop: https://beautybyad.com/shop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautybyad TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@beautybyad Threads: https://www.threads.com/@beautybyad AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast TIMESTAMPS 0:00 "I will debunk it" 0:40 The $1,500 that had to cover everything 1:15 Her first 800,000, made by hand 1:38 Subscribe to the Afropolitan Podcast 2:09 Driving around Lagos with a makeup box in the car 2:57 Mixing shades by hand because nothing matched 3:25 "How long do you want to do this for?" 4:29 Why Western brands still miss African undertones 5:32 Building from customer feedback instead of trends 6:56 37 shades and the for us by us rule 7:42 Self funded, and why that is not an excuse 8:47 $1,500 for a flight, a factory and a bed 9:32 The manufacturer's verdict 11:02 Paying the $1,000 deposit anyway 12:13 Her cousin and her father borrowed the rest 13:13 Handing over her car papers for a loan 14:31 What the first production run actually cost 14:54 The first store in Lekki 17:26 Letting people go in peace 18:53 The Room on Patreon 19:45 Sponsor: Zobo Money 20:30 Joining Real Housewives of Lagos on purpose 23:48 Why every influencer needs an exit plan 27:19 Why she does not overpay influencers 28:34 The mother she never got to know 30:36 Refusing to blame her mother 33:26 The blogger who tied her success to a governor 36:11 "Even if a man is sponsoring me, what is your business" 38:33 The naira going from 318 to 1,600 42:15 Sephora versus a beauty brand in Lagos 44:44 The influencers abroad who would not touch African brands 45:38 The London fair that sold out on day one 48:27 What Nigerian women actually spend on beauty 51:52 People copying her products 52:59 The empty palette she thought up on a toilet seat 56:54 "Two things I can't keep are friends and men" 1:00:17 In no hurry to be married 1:04:53 Giving every makeup artist a sample 1:05:58 Why Snapchat builds cult followings in Nigeria 1:07:46 Getting verified, then getting paid 1:08:59 $3,000 to $5,000 every 2 weeks 1:11:52 Rapid fire 1:15:15 Her favourite product she makes 1:16:26 Who should be in this chair next
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  The Dark Side of Afrobeats Nobody Talks About - WurlD 19.08.2026 1t 2min

  WurlD went digging through his own royalty data and found somebody else's name sitting where his publisher should be. Three, four years of money had already moved. He only caught it because he knew what to look for. Back in 2015 he started showing Nigerian producers how to register their records properly. IPI numbers, publishing splits, performing rights organizations, all of it. "I made some enemies in the process," he says, because he was walking into rooms telling people the person handling their paperwork was putting the records under their own name. WurlD is Sadiq Onifade. Born in Lagos, studied computer science at Georgia State while sneaking into Atlanta studios at night, wrote records for Akon and B.o.B before anyone would sign him as an artist, co-wrote Davido and Chris Brown's Blow My Mind, and made I Love Girls With Trobul with Sarz. His new album Born To Win is on the way. In this episode we get into the EP he pulled off every streaming platform, the two years he sat on a finished hit, the night he almost got stuck in Berlin filming COLORS as the world shut down, why he left clothes behind to fit his recording rig in a suitcase, and why he gave Blow My Mind away. Become a Member of The Room (Afropolitan Private Membership) Join our private community for deeper insights and exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast EPISODE SPONSORS Zobo Money — Zobo is a money transfer app built for Africans in the diaspora. It lets you send money from the US, UK, and Europe to countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and more. https://www.zobo.money/afropolitan BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get a $10 bonus when you sign up, complete your KYC, and send $50 or more to Africa. CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ WHERE TO FIND WURLD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisiswurld TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisiswurld Twitter/X: https://x.com/thisisWurlD YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/thisiswurld WURLD LIVE Website: https://www.wurldlive.com/ Live in Atlanta at Terminal West, Sunday September 6. Doors 7:00 PM, show 8:45 PM. Full live band, new music. Tickets: https://www.axs.com/events/1540218/wurld-tickets AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast TIMESTAMPS 0:00 The producers he worked with were not registered 0:59 "We don't like it when it sounds too American" 1:21 Someone else put their name on his publishing 1:40 A quick word about that subscribe button 2:12 Lagos to Atlanta, and how the career started 2:29 The calling he had to hide from his parents 2:45 "People wanted songwriters more than African artists" 4:27 Writing for Akon and B.o.B 5:37 When labels wanted the artist instead of the writer 6:10 The EP he pulled off every streaming platform 6:38 A house record that blew up in Eastern Europe 7:04 The beat that became Show You Off 8:10 Do writing code and writing songs rhyme? 9:17 The Tiny Desk moment that explained songwriting 9:38 How the money actually moves 11:57 Coming home to a business run on vibes 12:37 The registrations that kept coming back blank 12:54 "I made some enemies in the process" 13:47 Producers with huge records still chasing credits 14:34 "If that can happen to someone like me that's informed" 15:14 Lagos-born, US-raised, and why that is the advantage 16:11 Quiet in life, loud in the music 16:41 Meeting Sarz in LA 18:49 Recording Mad in Lagos 19:01 The Room on Patreon 19:52 Sponsor: Zobo Money 20:38 Sitting on a hit for two years 21:41 Putting the producer's name on the front 22:46 Where the blue came from 24:55 Why he slowed the tempo down 27:28 "Trust your gut and the God feeling" 27:59 "Show You Off was not a trend" 29:21 The Afrobeats and Nigerian-American disconnect 30:54 "If you're going to speak Yoruba, speak it with the gut" 32:16 CDs to iTunes to streaming 33:51 The 2021 breakdown 34:50 Filming Ghost Town at COLORS as the world shut down 35:30 Almost stuck in Berlin and London 36:24 Making Lagos feel like home after 18 years away 37:12 He traded clothes for his recording gear 38:09 "The industry only loves you when you're on top" 39:03 "I'm moving on every song" 40:24 "Find your tribe and communicate" 41:44 "Don't sound like another WurlD" 42:11 Keeping Blow My Mind or giving it away 44:20 "More hype than actually great music" 47:06 The new album and what is coming 49:07 What AI is about to do to creatives 51:40 "I've heard more no's in my career than yes" 52:45 Where the name WurlD came from 54:08 Rapid fire 57:48 The producers he loves working with 1:01:13 What legacy looks like for WurlD 1:01:41 Who should be in this chair next
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  Nigerian Fragrance Founder Reveals How She Got into Sephora and Raised $500,000 12.08.2026 1t 27min

  She spent $225,000 of her own money on a brand that hadn't sold a single bottle yet. Before that, she priced her first fragrance at $250 and the internet came for her. "Who do you think you are? You're not Gucci. You're not Creed." Her team told her the price is the price. She sold out, did over a million dollars in six months, and people started reselling the bottles on eBay for $600. Funmi Monet is the founder and CEO of Influxious, the fragrance brand that launched exclusively at Sephora. She was a licensed therapist first. Then she trained at ISIPCA in Versailles, joined the Sephora Squad, and built an audience of more than 500,000 people who trust her nose. In this episode we get into where the $225,000 went and why she doesn't regret a cent, the standard founder advice she ignored on purpose, the VC who told her a million dollars was too small a check to write, how she studied the Ami Colé shutdown so she wouldn't repeat it, why niche fragrance brands don't pay creators, and the de-auntie era that started with one rude comment about her wig. Become a Member of The Room (Afropolitan Private Membership) Join our private community for deeper insights and exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast EPISODE SPONSORS Zobo Money — Zobo is a money transfer app built for Africans in the diaspora. It lets you send money from the US, UK, and Europe to countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and more. https://www.zobo.money/afropolitan BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get a $10 bonus when you sign up, complete your KYC, and send $50 or more to Africa. CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ WHERE TO FIND FUNMI MONET Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funmimonet/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@funmimonet Threads: https://www.threads.com/@funmimonet LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/funmi-monet-68613363/ INFLUXIOUS Website: https://influxious.co/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/influxious.co/ Shop at Sephora: https://www.sephora.com/brand/influxious AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast TIMESTAMPS 0:00 "You're not Gucci. You're not Creed." 1:15 Quick favor before we start 1:31 The biggest misconception about the fragrance industry 3:12 You don't need a wall of perfume, you need an audience 4:23 The question she wishes people would ask her 5:57 Why that perfume smells different on you 7:40 Charging $250 and the backlash that followed 9:05 Sold out, then resold on eBay for $600 10:15 From Clubhouse to a Sephora shelf 11:54 The founder advice she deliberately ignored 13:34 Raising a $1M pre-seed with $7 in her account 15:15 What she needs from angel investors right now 17:45 The Room: inside the Afropolitan private membership 18:28 Sponsor: Zobo Money 19:13 How her ambition actually changed 20:27 Why scaling too fast kills good brands 22:00 Where the $225,000 of her own money went 23:29 What fragrance houses do to new brands with no money 26:41 Perfume school in Versailles 27:43 Cutting out the middleman on packaging 28:32 How she's avoiding the Ami Colé situation 31:11 Saying no to money she badly needed 32:50 The therapist chapter 33:10 The Dr. Cheyenne Bryant licensing debate 36:35 High functioning vs high value men 37:38 The therapy session that started all of this 39:39 Why she'll probably never hit a million followers 41:19 Nigeria to Oklahoma 42:53 Losing Yoruba and her biggest regret 45:24 The Nigerian parents who let her take art class 46:34 Influxious was a high school art project 47:35 Her mother's perfume and special occasions 49:38 Choosing yourself on the days you don't want to 50:05 The de-auntie era 51:43 Turning 30 with none of the plan intact 54:30 When your parents redirect the prayer 58:36 Dating while launching a business 59:52 Why niche fragrance brands don't pay creators 1:01:56 Lean into your personality and build a series 1:04:51 Building the Influxious Insiders community 1:06:13 "You are the niche" 1:09:38 The lesson that cost her the most 1:11:27 For the woman who thinks her thing is too small 1:13:17 What her clients taught her about what people really want 1:14:48 The stranger who recognized her in Istanbul 1:15:38 One year out, five years out 1:18:24 The delulu number 1:19:51 Rapid fire 1:26:56 Who should be in this chair next
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  Lagos Governorship Candidate Exposes Why He Turned Down MILLIONS! 05.08.2026 1t 58min

  Everyone believes power in Lagos belongs to one man, that he holds it, transfers it at his pleasure, and there's nothing anybody can do about that. GRV has spent three years trying to prove that's a myth. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (GRV) is an architect, activist, and the ADC's gubernatorial candidate for Lagos State, one of the most recognizable political figures of his generation. He took his 2023 election petition all the way to the Supreme Court, and he's back with a harder, more organized run at 2027. In this episode, we get into how Lagos government actually works from the ward level up, the ₦160 million generator hidden in the state budget, carrying a five-generation Lagos family legacy, the Funsho Williams murder that still shapes Lagos politics today, the diaspora land scam that still haunts him, why he calls integrity "expensive," and his unfiltered message to Nigerians abroad thinking about coming home. WHERE TO FIND GBADEBO RHODES-VIVOUR (GRV) Campaign Website: https://grvlagos.com/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/GRVlagos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grvlagos/ X/Twitter (Media): https://x.com/grvlagosmedia Instagram (Media): https://www.instagram.com/grvlagosmedia/ Become a Member of The Room (Afropolitan Private Membership) Join our private community for deeper insights and exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast EPISODE SPONSORS Zobo Money — Zobo is a money transfer app built for Africans in the diaspora. It lets you send money from the US, UK, and Europe to countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and more. https://www.zobo.money/afropolitan BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get a $10 bonus when you sign up, complete your KYC, and send $50 or more to Africa. CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast Timestamps: 0:00 – The Biggest Myth About Power in Lagos 1:41 – Quick Ask Before We Go Deeper (Subscribe to the Afropolitan Family) 2:03 – Is Lagos Really a Six-Horse Race? 4:19 – Why 2027 Feels Different From 2023 5:48 – "The Worst Experience in 20 Years": How Bad Governance Broke the Naira 6:59 – Divide and Rule: How Tribal Politics Kept Nigerians Fighting Each Other 9:39 – What Happens When Voters Finally Wake Up 10:26 – Breaking Down the Six-Horse Race 12:28 – How Lagos Government Actually Works, Ward to State 17:23 – What a Governor Controls That the President Can't Touch 19:04 – The IGR Number Every Diaspora Nigerian Should Know 20:40 – Where Do Lagos's Trillions Actually Go? 23:03 – The ₦160 Million Generator: Inside Lagos's Budget Padding 26:37 – Carrying a Five-Generation Lagos Legacy 27:22 – How Fighting GMOs Turned Into a Political Career 28:38 – The Grand-Uncle Who Died Bombing Nazi Germany 29:46 – "Integrity Is Expensive": Why Not Everyone Can Afford to Stand 32:55 – Zobo Money: How GRV Sends Money Home 33:35 – Why Nigeria's Elite Have Failed the Country 34:04 – From "The Giant of Africa" to Where We Are Now 41:15 – Philosopher Kings vs. Rulers: What Real Leadership Looks Like 45:19 – The Murder That Still Haunts Lagos Politics (Funsho Williams) 48:56 – What a Singapore Minister's Salary Taught Him About Corruption 51:58 – Why Nigerians Sell Their Votes, and Why He Won't Judge Them 53:48 – How a Clean Politician Gets Compromised From the Inside 55:16 – "A Part of Me Died After the Election Cycle" 58:19 – Going to the Supreme Court and Losing 1:01:46 – His Honest Message to Nigerians in the Diaspora 1:07:23 – The Diaspora Land Scam That Still Haunts Him 1:09:04 – "Why Are These Things Unthinkable?": Naming What We Normalize 1:10:51 – We Glamorize Our Suffering, and He's Tired of It 1:14:14 – The Demolition, the Tear Gas, and the Man Beaten in Front of Him 1:16:21 – Anthony Joshua's Emergency and What It Says About All of Us 1:19:20 – The Direct Question: Can He Actually Win? 1:22:01 – Why He Left the Coalition Talks and Joined the ADC 1:24:06 – Building a 50-Year Plan for Black People 1:28:59 – "We Should Be Like Wakanda": On Africa's Vulnerability 1:33:47 – Why Africa Needs Leaders Who Plan in Secret 1:37:51 – The Federalist Papers Quote That Explains Africa's Struggle 1:41:31 – What Lee Kuan Yew Understood That Nigeria's Leaders Don't 1:43:27 – "I Will Not Go to Court": His Line in the Sand 1:46:35 – Rapid Fire: Food, Cities, Songs and Regrets 1:47:59 – The Man He Calls His Hero 1:48:52 – The Unpopular Decision That Cost Him Support 1:53:38 – His Real Plan to Win Lagos 1:55:05 – What Power Does to People Who Were Never Ready for It
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  Billionaire Ex-Gubernatorial Candidate Exposes Why Nigerian Politics Is Rigged 29.07.2026 1t 38min

  Tonye Cole co-founder of Sahara sit down with Eche Emole and Chika Uwazie, one of Africa's largest energy conglomerates, and a Nigerian politician who walked away from the comfort of the private sector to run for office. An architect by training who started out making models for cash in his university years, he went bankrupt overnight when a new administration cancelled every contract his young company had and rebuilt. In this episode we get into why power trumps money every single time, the trick he and his partners used to get around Nigeria's expatriate bias in the '90s, why politics in Nigeria functions like a lottery ticket, what he learned processing the 2023 election, the three reasons business partnerships collapse, 43 years of compounding and why he says he can't go broke, the difference between outward humility and inward pride, and how his wife's housemanship salary kept the family alive while he built the company. Also: mental health, grief, and the year his mother died. A long, unhurried conversation about power, faith, and building something that outlasts you. Become a Member of The Room (Afropolitan Private Membership) Join our private community for deeper insights and exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast EPISODE SPONSORS Zobo Money — Zobo is a money transfer app built for Africans in the diaspora. It lets you send money from the US, UK, and Europe to countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and more. https://www.zobo.money/afropolitan BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get a $10 bonus when you sign up, complete your KYC, and send $50 or more to Africa. AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast
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  Preston Ideh: Why Data is the Most Valuable Asset in Africa 22.07.2026 1t 14min

  Preston Ideh is the co-founder and CEO of Stears, the company building the data infrastructure for African markets (think Crunchbase meets the Bloomberg Terminal, built for Africa). A UK-qualified lawyer who walked away from big law, moved back to Nigeria, and bet everything on one idea: information is power, and Africa is dangerously under-documented. In this episode we get into why data is "structured history," how investors quietly hold the edge over founders, the real difference between PE and VC money, why the next wave of African wealth is hiding in boring businesses, what the AI shift means for builders, and a rare, personal story about learning grief far too young. One of our sharpest conversations yet on money, power, and what it actually takes to build. Become a Member of The Room (Afropolitan Private Membership) Join our private community for deeper insights and exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast EPISODE SPONSORS Zobo Money — Zobo is a money transfer app built for Africans in the diaspora. It lets you send money from the US, UK, and Europe to countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and more. https://www.zobo.money/afropolitan BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get a $10 bonus when you sign up, complete your KYC, and send $50 or more to Africa. CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ WHERE TO FIND PRESTON IDEH LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/preston-timeyin-ideh-06484775 X/Twitter: https://x.com/TimeyinPI Stears (website): https://www.stears.co Stears on X/Twitter: https://x.com/StearsInsights Stears on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stearsco Stears on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stears AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 – Cold open 0:41 – The #1 thing you need to build in Nigeria 1:42 – Building a network from scratch (Twitter DMs & Saturday breakfasts) 3:58 – From UK lawyer to founder: the pivot home 6:01 – Nigerian law school, wig and tie 6:50 – "Data is a form of power" 8:03 – Why data is structured history 9:02 – The investor's edge founders don't have 10:17 – Why Nigeria didn't rebase its GDP for 20 years 14:41 – What Opay & Moneypoint reveal about the informal economy 16:36 – Inside The Room (Patreon) 17:29 – A word from Zobo Money 18:12 – The cultural reasons Africans won't share data 23:21 – What Stears actually is 25:02 – PE vs VC: how the money really works 28:51 – Boring businesses that make money 30:40 – Growth vs profitability: what investors want now 33:24 – The unsexy businesses that will build wealth 35:02 – Logistics, cold storage & agriculture 40:04 – Creative industries as a dollar export 42:25 – The $10 trillion succession problem 44:10 – Why Nigerian family businesses don't sell 49:09 – Franchises: iFitness, Chicken Republic & the PE playbook 55:07 – AI, data, and the future of Stears 56:29 – Why people are the real friction with AI 1:00:34 – Advice to founders who just raised: slow down 1:01:34 – The Loyola plane crash & learning grief young 1:05:27 – What legacy means in the age of AI 1:08:29 – Rapid fire 1:09:45 – Due diligence, culture & "remote intelligence" 1:12:22 – Who needs to be on this couch next?
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  Eni Aluko: How Suing The FA Made Her More Money Than Playing For England 15.07.2026 1t 43min

  She went from a Birmingham estate to 104 caps for England, qualified as a lawyer at one of the most elite firms in the world, and wrote a six-figure check to prove women's football is an investable asset. But Eni Aluko's story was never just about sport. In this episode, Eche and Chika sit down with Eni Aluko — former England and Chelsea striker, qualified solicitor, sporting director, and investor — for a conversation about identity, money, and what it costs to stand alone. Eni breaks down why she put her own money into women's football, what she learned taking on the FA and winning a landmark case against Joey Barton, and how Blackness feels different living between the US and the UK. She gets honest about the friendships she lost, the version of herself she had to grieve, and why she'd rather be respected than liked. This is a conversation about legacy, power, and who gets to control the narrative — and it's our first-ever sit-down with a sports figure on the couch. Become a Member of The Room (Afropolitan Private Membership) https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast — EPISODE SPONSORS Zobo Money — Zobo is a money transfer app built for Africans in the diaspora. It lets you send money from the US, UK, and Europe to countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and more. https://www.zobo.money/afropolitan BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get a $10 bonus when you sign up, complete your KYC, and send $50 or more to Africa. Hisa — Borderless investments for Africa. Use code AFROPOLITAN: https://hisa.co/ CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ — WHERE TO FIND ENI ALUKO Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enialuko X/Twitter: https://x.com/Eni_Aluko LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/eniola-aluko-mbe-4922032a — AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast — #AfropolitanPodcast #EniAluko #WomensFootball #Diaspora 0:00 - Intro 2:08 - Why women's football is an investable asset 3:45 - The six-figure check into Mercury 13 7:48 - Birmingham estate, a senator father, an economist grandfather 10:02 - Her mother's sacrifice as a young immigrant 12:18 - Running law and football in parallel 14:48 - The one phone call that changed everything 17:08 - Grieving the "magic circle partner" she could have been 18:44 - The doors football opened: World Cups, royalty, CAF & UEFA 22:14 - The Room on Patreon 23:07 - Zobo Money 23:50 - Blackness in the US vs the UK 28:42 - Stephen Bartlett, proximity to whiteness & African identity 33:17 - Who protects Black women? Shicks & Gigs, BAFTAs, Michael B. Jordan 36:46 - Class: the UK ceiling vs Nigerian "splash" 39:48 - Ambition, guilt, and the UK tax exodus 43:18 - The FA case and standing on principle 45:59 - Taking on Joey Barton and setting a legal precedent 48:06 - What the fight cost her — and getting herself back 50:28 - What the storm revealed about friendship 55:02 - When she stopped hiding being Nigerian 56:39 - On being disliked: haters, Meghan Markle & security 1:00:30 - Online accountability, anonymity & her work with Ofcom 1:03:01 - Living up to her name: dignity and wealth 1:04:40 - Firing managers, Abramovich & the Chelsea winning culture 1:07:27 - Players as assets and the private-equity model in football 1:09:44 - Player leverage: Messi, Beckham & Ronaldo 1:11:40 - Apple TV vs Netflix in sports 1:12:53 - The 2026 World Cup ticket mess 1:17:13 - Why Mexico is the "real Bali" 1:18:22 - Spa & wellness culture in Mexico and Lagos 1:20:18 - Investing in African sports infrastructure 1:23:55 - The AFCON final drama: Senegal, Morocco & the walk-off 1:27:15 - Hisa 1:28:27 - Rapid fire 1:37:54 - Who should be in the chair next 1:41:26 - Come home: the diaspora pulling back to the continent
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  We Are A Generation Of Influencers, Not Builders 08.07.2026 2t 5min

  Iyinoluwa "Iyin" Aboyeji helped build two of Africa's most important tech companies — Andela and Flutterwave. Now he's after something bigger: making sure every African can earn at least $10,000 a year by leveraging AI. In this episode, Iyin sits down with Eche and Chika to break down why "investing is for lazy people," the two competing visions of the future (America vs. China), why the real origins of AI trace back to Africa, and why anyone in the diaspora who doesn't come home in the next two years may regret it. A conversation about power, capital, energy, and who you actually choose to build for. Become a Member of The Room (Afropolitan Private Membership) Join our private community for deeper insights and exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast EPISODE SPONSORS Zobo Money — Zobo is a money transfer app built for Africans in the diaspora. It lets you send money from the US, UK, and Europe to countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and more. https://www.zobo.money/afropolitan BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get a $10 bonus when you sign up, complete your KYC, and send $50 or more to Africa. Hisa — Borderless investments for Africa. Use code AFROPOLITAN: https://hisa.co/ CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ WHERE TO FIND IYIN ABOYEJI Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iaboyeji X/Twitter: https://x.com/iaboyeji LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eaboyeji Future Africa: https://www.future.africa/ Accelerate Africa: https://acceler8.africa/ AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast TIMESTAMPS 0:00 – "Investing is for lazy people" 2:27 – Two visions of the future: America vs. China 7:11 – How China engineered 70 years of growth 9:43 – A message to the diaspora 14:13 – Breaking down the Dangote blueprint 19:01 – The mission: every African earning $10,000 a year 26:44 – Trump, power, and who you make money for 33:41 – Sponsor: Zobo Money 36:01 – The real origins of AI 42:36 – Inside the raise: radical capital, built for Africa 46:38 – Why Africa wins the energy war 49:23 – Owning the rails: data, goods, and payments 53:32 – Data centers, Netflix, and the creative economy 1:00:18 – Building the diaspora bridge with intention 1:09:14 – Future Africa and the fundraising reset 1:15:32 – Co-founders, equity, and valuing contribution 1:29:47 – Accelerate Africa vs. Y Combinator 1:32:32 – One executive order from eviction: why come home 1:39:33 – "Anybody who doesn't come home in the next two years…" 1:43:59 – Unicorns, monopolies, and the Dangote debate 1:48:24 – Validation vs. inspiration 1:59:59 – Who needs to be in the room 2:02:03 – The closing question: who belongs on this chair
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  Nelson Mandela's Widow Has One Warning for the Diaspora 03.07.2026 1t 27min

  Join us for a historic fireside chat with Her Excellency Graça Machel—liberation fighter, former Education Minister of Mozambique, global humanitarian, and the only woman in modern history to serve as First Lady of two nations. Three days before the first G20 Summit ever held on African soil, this conversation couldn't be more timely. As world leaders gather in Johannesburg, we're asking the uncomfortable questions about partnership, investment, and what authentic solidarity looks like between Canada and Africa. WHO IS GRAÇA MACHEL? At 80, Graça Machel has spent six decades transforming institutions and challenging power structures. As Mozambique's first Education Minister (1975-1989), she increased enrollment from 40% to over 90% and reduced illiteracy from 93% to 72%—with limited resources but unlimited determination. Through the Graça Machel Trust, she's enrolled 5,200+ women entrepreneurs across seven countries, created 30,000+ jobs, and unlocked $5 million in funding pipelines. She's Deputy Chair of The Elders, Chancellor of African Leadership University, and has the credibility to tell uncomfortable truths that others won't. WHAT WE'LL DISCUSS: ✅ Why Canada's Africa Strategy launched with zero new funding—and what needs to change ✅ Can extractive industries ever be true development partners? ✅ How Africa's $4 trillion in mobilizable capital could transform the continent ✅ The AfCFTA opportunity: 1.3 billion people, $6.7 trillion market by 2030 ✅ What gender-lens investing gets wrong—and what it should look like ✅ From aid dependency to investment-driven prosperity: the paradigm shift Africa demands ✅ What Canada's Prime Minister should say at the G20 in three days WHY THIS MATTERS NOW: This isn't a retrospective celebration. It's a strategic intervention. With the G20 in Johannesburg, Canada holding the G7 presidency, and Africa at a critical inflection point, this conversation will hold comfortable assumptions accountable. Machel has earned the right to be "frank and unrestrained" (her words). We're creating space for the truth Canadian decision-makers need to hear—from someone who's built institutions, governed nations, and delivered measurable results across decades. HOSTED BY: The Afropolitan Podcast DATE: November 19, 2025 LOCATION: University of Toronto JOIN THE CONVERSATION: - Drop your questions and thoughts in the live chat - Subscribe and turn on notifications - Tag us and share widely FOLLOW GRAÇA MACHEL TRUST: LinkedIn: @Graça Machel Trust Facebook: @TheGraçaMachelTrust Instagram: @g_macheltrust Twitter: @G_MachelTrust FOLLOW AFROPOLITAN: For unfiltered conversations with Africa's boldest builders and visionaries. - Website: https://www.afropolitan.io - Newsletter: https://afropolitan.io/newsletter - Twitter: https://x.com/afropolitan - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/afropolitannation/ A luta continua. The struggle continues. #GraçaMachel #AfricanLeadership #G20Summit #CanadaAfricaStrategy #WomenInBusiness #AfCFTA #EconomicDevelopment #TheElders #AfropolitanPodcast #GlobalLeadership #WomenCreatingWealth #AfricanEntrepreneurship
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  These AI Stocks Could Print Millionaires You're Investing in AI Wrong 01.07.2026 1t 13min

  She turned $30,000 and one stubborn goal into an eight-figure fortune — then almost lost herself building it. Teri Ijeoma quit her job as an assistant principal, put $30,000 of trading education on a credit card, and went on to make her first million dollars in a single day. In this episode she breaks down the number one myth about trading options, the $26,000 loss that taught her everything, how to actually invest $1,000 right now, her three-layer framework for investing in AI, and the wound that made her rich but still hasn't healed. WHERE TO FIND TERI IJEOMA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teriijeoma TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@teriijeoma Twitter/X: https://x.com/teriijeoma Teri's Latest Book The Risk Worth Taking: https://www.theriskworthtaking.com Become a Member of The Room (Afropolitan Private Membership) Join our private community for deeper insights and exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast EPISODE SPONSORS Zobo Money — Zobo is a money transfer app built for Africans in the diaspora. It lets you send money from the US, UK, and Europe to countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and more. https://www.zobo.money/afropolitan BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get a $10 bonus when you sign up, complete your KYC, and send $50 or more to Africa. Hisa — Borderless investments for Africa. Use code AFROPOLITAN: https://hisa.co/ CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast 0:00 The $26,000 loss in a single trade 1:08 Quick subscribe break 1:24 Afropolitan goes global (recording in the US) 1:48 The #1 myth people believe about trading options 2:30 Do you have to be glued to your screen to trade? 3:28 From assistant principal to multimillionaire trader 5:18 Betting half her salary on a credit card 6:27 Why Black wealth-building can't wait 30 years 7:39 Setting realistic expectations for your returns 8:49 How to navigate losses: the Pandora story 11:01 Position size, stop losses & reward-to-risk 12:36 Discipline, greed & FOMO in trading 14:20 What growing up taught her about money 16:09 Minister and millionaire: faith and wealth 17:20 Black tax & "you have to work for it" 18:29 The Room on Patreon 19:25 Zobo Money 20:05 Are courses still worth it in the AI era? 21:55 Scaling from 35 to 35,000 students — and burning out 23:30 The breaking point: booking a flight to Mexico 24:45 Tony Robbins & the six core needs 26:55 The five types of wealth & grieving relationships 28:58 When did she finally feel free? 30:47 How losing a friend became the catalyst 32:30 Why she wrote The Risk Worth Taking as a novel 33:47 The four C's of taking any risk 35:35 How to invest $1,000 right now 38:36 Investing in AI: the three-layer pyramid 40:33 The $500K AI portfolio that returned $200K 43:32 The wound that made her rich 46:28 The dinner-table wealth gap 47:33 Grading herself on the five types of wealth 50:46 Alignment, energy & the hustle trap 51:34 Hitting her first million & the emptiness after 53:41 Learning to teach and scale online courses 56:00 What to read and watch to learn investing 57:11 The next risk: becoming a NYT bestseller 59:45 Day trading vs. swing trading explained 1:00:15 Where women can actually talk about money 1:01:30 Calls, puts & margin calls explained 1:03:06 The AI app layer & Claude's disruption 1:05:01 Hisa 1:06:11 Rapid fire 1:09:37 A money habit rich people have that broke people think is crazy 1:10:25 The investment that has nothing to do with stocks 1:11:35 Advice for her mom & who's next in the chair
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  The Hidden Truth About Streaming Money (No One Says This) 24.06.2026 1t 16min

  YCee disappeared for four years. The story behind why is heavier than anyone knew. In 2020, at the peak of his run — Jagaban everywhere, Juice on every aux, sold-out shows, a sound that helped define Afrobeats — he got diagnosed with bipolar disorder. What followed was six years of meds that fogged his creativity, hospitalizations, a Nigerian mental health system not built for it, and the strange reality of being one of the biggest songs in the country playing while he tried to put himself back together. He sits down with Eche and Chika to talk about all of it — and goes further than he's gone publicly. The hundreds of millions of streams he never got paid for. The Tiny Entertainment fallout he couldn't shake. Why he repeated SS2 and accidentally fell into music. What it actually takes to disappear for four years and not start tweeting a GoFundMe link. And his unflinching read on where Afrobeats and Nigerian rap are right now — the missed naming opportunity, the foreign players running the industry from outside the continent, the "Olodo Uprising," and why "beef is necessary for the culture" is a lie that gets people killed. Plus: the new album Out of Sight, Out of Mind, why Odumodublvck gets rap right, and a take on J. Cole pulling out of the battle that you've not heard anywhere else. This one moves. Become a Member of The Room (Afropolitan Private Membership) Join our private community for deeper insights and exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast WHERE TO FIND YCEE Instagram: http://instagram.com/iam_ycee TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yceeanbt Twitter: https://x.com/iam_ycee Ycee's Latest Album Out of Sight Out of Mind: onerpm.link/oosoomycee EPISODE SPONSORS Zobo Money — Zobo is a money transfer app built for Africans in the diaspora. It lets you send money from the US, UK, and Europe to countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and more. https://www.zobo.money/afropolitan BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get a $10 bonus when you sign up, complete your KYC, and send $50 or more to Africa. Hisa — Borderless investments for Africa. Use code AFROPOLITAN: https://hisa.co/ CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Cold open 01:42 — Where have you been? Four years off the map 02:11 — The 2020 bipolar diagnosis and London lockdown 05:35 — How the meds attacked his creativity 06:17 — Why Kanye's apology made him open up 08:31 — Mental health in Nigeria: Yaba Left, exorcisms, and a broken system 11:26 — Performing through an episode in Benue 13:58 — The golden era of Afrobeats and what's been lost 19:00 — Streaming, virality vs. artistry, and the death of the album listen 24:07 — Hundreds of millions of streams. Zero dollars. 28:22 — Lessons from the Tiny Entertainment fallout 29:52 — Repeating SS2 and accidentally finding music 36:46 — From cybercafé to mixtape to first record deal 38:12 — Old YCee vs. new YCee 40:31 — Why he had to learn to sing — and the Nigerian identity in his sound 44:28 — Making music for impact, not numbers 46:53 — When you're hot vs. when you're not 49:22 — Out of Sight, Out of Mind: the album breakdown 54:32 — What Nigerian rap should actually sound like (Odumodublvck, Black Bones) 56:50 — The Olodo Uprising and the collapse of the Nigerian school system 58:14 — Foreign players, label-by-proxy, and the missed Afrobeats opportunity 1:05:07 — Why Afrobeats artists don't perform in Nigeria anymore 1:09:33 — Meet and greets, building a real fanbase, and shared fans 1:11:33 — Rapid Fire 1:14:12 — J. Cole, the Kendrick/Drake battle, and why rap beef isn't a game
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  Seven-Figure Founder: Social Media Has Changed. Here's What's Working Now 17.06.2026 1t 22min

  She built a soft life on purpose — and made it look easy. In this episode, Chi Adogu (the real Chi) breaks down the 10-year journey behind the aesthetic: how she went from $7 declined chai lattes and parental allowance to running her own hair brand, why "followers" are dead in 2026, what brands actually pay (and how PR agencies lowball you), the heartbreak that built her confidence, and the friendship lessons that nearly broke her. We get into the creator economy in Nigeria vs. America, why her agent told her to "come back" from Lagos, the Hanifa discourse, lifestyle creep, and what timeline grief looks like when you're 30, soft, and unmarried by choice. If you strip away the followers, the brand deals, the aesthetic — who's cheering when nobody's watching? — Become a Member of The Room Join our private community for deeper insights and exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast EPISODE SPONSORS Zobo Money — Zobo is a money transfer app built for Africans in the diaspora. It lets you send money from the US, UK, and Europe to countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and more. https://www.zobo.money/afropolitan BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get a $10 bonus when you sign up, complete your KYC, and send $50 or more to Africa. Hisa — Borderless investments for Africa. Use code AFROPOLITAN: https://hisa.co/ CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ — WHERE TO FIND CHI ADOGU Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_real_chi?igsh=MWsxaWEwaGZoOHk2Zw== TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the_real_chi_?_r=1&_t=ZP-97HwXrFb0e7 YouTube: AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast — TIMESTAMPS 0:00 — "If your life looks soft, people assume you're shallow" 1:28 — The biggest misconception about influencers 2:58 — Are influencers still allowed to grow? 5:47 — The 10-year journey behind the "overnight" success 10:17 — Why she studied accounting (and hated it) 10:48 — Bad management deals & how agencies trap young creators 14:17 — Moving to Nigeria for MBGN + winning her dad over 17:12 — How much creators really make (and why followers don't matter) 18:49 — The $3K brand email everyone got 20:49 — Everyone wants to be a creator now 23:05 — The reality show idea that hit 10M views 24:42 — The Room 25:52 — Zobo Money 26:32 — Confidence, heartbreak, and "I never want to feel that again" 29:32 — Being so in love with yourself nothing can shake you 31:14 — US vs. Nigeria: the brutal truth about the creator economy 34:23 — Medical tourism reality check 35:05 — Building Chi's Lux Hair + the Hanifa discourse 42:45 — When your Nigerian audience becomes a "problem" for brands 45:34 — The "mean girl" assumption that comes with soft life aesthetics 49:32 — Influencer friendships — who's real, who's playing 52:34 — How she developed discernment 54:42 — The friendship lesson she had to learn the hard way 58:38 — Money advice for creators 59:06 — Lifestyle creep & the trap of always wanting more 1:04:37 — Timeline grief: the marriage and kids she thought she'd have by 30 1:11:08 — Who is Chi when nobody's watching? 1:13:10 — 10 years from now 1:13:59 — Hisa 1:14:42 — Rapid fire 1:18:15 — Why emotional intelligence is non-negotiable 1:19:19 — Find your community, not your niche 1:20:24 — Who should we interview next?
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  Boris Kodjoe Opens Up About His Absent Father, Therapy & Breaking Generational Cycles 10.06.2026 1t 54min

  Boris Kodjoe sits down with Eche and Chika for one of the most layered conversations we've ever had on the Afropolitan Podcast - about ownership, ancestry, Black manhood, marriage, nervous-system regulation, and what it really takes to build a life that's yours. He breaks down why he doesn't see himself as "an actor who became an investor" (he sees it as a mindset shift from consumer to owner), how a broken back led to his TheraBody investment, and how Full Circle and the Year of Return quietly created what he now calls "investment tourism" - billions in capital and a brand-new narrative for the continent. We get into the harder stuff too: his father's existential grief, the childhood pain that became self-worth issues, why "peace is expensive," the difference between meaningful suffering and modern fragility, and why Black men have to give each other permission to just be. He goes deep on his almost-21-year marriage to Nicole, why you can't enter a relationship trying to fill a void, and the one line every parent (and every diaspora kid) needs to hear: "You're the star of your own movie. Everyone else is an extra." Plus: telling authentic African stories, owning your IP, AI as the great equalizer, "we're not a minority - we're 76% of the world," and why the West doesn't get to validate our sovereignty. Become a Member of The Room: Join our private community for deeper insights and exclusive content: The Room https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast EPISODE SPONSORS Zobo Money - Zobo is a money transfer app built for Africans in the diaspora. It lets you send money from the US, UK, and Europe to countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and more. https://www.zobo.money/afropolitan BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get a $10 bonus. Hisa - Borderless investments For Africa. Use code AFROPOLITAN: https://hisa.co/ CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ WHERE TO FIND Boris Kodjoe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boriskodjoe Twitter/X: https://x.com/boriskodjoe Full Circle Festival: https://www.fullcirclefestival.com/ AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast Timestamps 00:00 — Cold open 00:16 — Why "actor to investor" is the wrong frame 03:50 — The TheraBody origin: access through inquiry 06:49 — Emotional intelligence, therapy, and the pain that leads to revelation 11:33 — Father leaving at age 5 and relearning the story of love 14:53 — Why reconnecting with ancestry is our superpower 17:57 — Full Circle, the Year of Return, and investment tourism 22:25 — Favorite moments from Ghana: AJ Johnson, Anthony Anderson 28:15 — Eche on the role of suffering in modern life 32:21 — Comfort zone vs. forcing yourself to grow 35:42 — Discovering Blackness as a spectrum 39:07 — Coming to America from Germany: the propaganda awakening 43:16 — One voice cannot define the entire Black experience 45:39 — America's lack of courage to confront its past 51:17 — How fast institutions crumble: Baldwin between despair and hope 55:45 — Why he was named after Boris Pasternak 57:16 — The stories Africa needs to tell next 1:01:11 — The creative industry as hard economic power 1:03:28 — How Boris uses AI every day 1:05:37 — 21 years with Nicole and working with your partner 1:10:24 — The conversations Black men aren't having 1:15:33 — Nervous system regulation and upgrading your identity 1:21:37 — Therapy, childhood trauma, and not offloading on your kids 1:27:31 — Truth as a liberator for Black men 1:31:11 — Timeline grief and the pressure of social media 1:34:11 — Advice to his son: you are the star of your movie 1:36:48 — His father's existential grief 1:42:50 — Why the hero's journey is overrated 1:48:53 — Rapid fire: jollof, sovereignty, the next role 1:52:29 — Whose story needs to be told next
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  Africa Spends $22B on Diesel Every Year. One Man is Ending It. 03.06.2026 1t 25min

  Nigeria's economy cannot be built on the back of diesel generators. It's too stressful and way too expensive. In this episode, Eche and Chika sit down with Victor Tobenna Ezenwoko, Country Head at Daystar Power (acquired by Shell in 2022), to break down the real economics of Africa's energy crisis. Africa spends $22 billion a year on diesel. Nigeria is in the global top five for diesel consumption, and unlike the US and China, ours is mostly going into power generation, not transportation. Victor walks us through the math behind energy poverty, why Nigerian businesses pay nearly 2x what American factories pay per kilowatt-hour, how Daystar built a model that slashed energy costs by 44% for industrial clients, and why the future of power in Africa has to be decentralized, a patchwork of solar, gas, and grid. We also get into the AI boom and Africa's data center problem, the EV market quietly taking off in Lagos, the BD playbook Victor used to grow from associate to Country CEO in under 8 years, what investors keep getting wrong about African energy infrastructure, and why "the future of solar" is actually now. If you're an investor, a founder, or just someone tired of generator noise, this is the episode. Become a Member of The Room: Join our private community for deeper insights and exclusive content: The Room https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast EPISODE SPONSORS Hisa - Borderless investments For Africa. Use code AFROPOLITAN: https://hisa.co/ AUNTY'S SCULPTURE COLLECTION A limited collection by Anthony Azekwoh x Afropolitan. 100 pieces. Application only. https://formless.ai/c/q1GB9jAzOWTr CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ WHERE TO FIND Victor Tobenna Ezenwoko LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/victor-tobenna-ezenwoko-3b660a113/ AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Cold open: Why Africa's diesel spend is a top-five global problem 01:39 Why you should care about energy in Africa 03:01 What every investor needs to know about the energy sector 03:58 Energy poverty in Nigeria, what the numbers actually look like 07:18 Cost of power: US, China, Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana compared 09:39 Breaking down "dollar cents" per kilowatt-hour 10:14 AI, data centers, and Africa's role in the global energy race 12:25 Africa's $22B diesel market broken down by sector and country 14:01 How Nigeria fell into energy poverty 18:08 Power Africa in 2008 vs energy in 2025, why are we still stuck? 20:51 Victor's journey: from electrical engineering to joining Daystar as employee #4 25:00 Series A, building the company, and never going back to consulting 27:25 From associate to Country CEO and the Shell acquisition 28:36 The business development playbook for Africa 34:09 Uncles, mentors, and the power of genuine relationships 40:55 The three things that drive success: diligence, reliability, likeability 42:53 The most expensive mistakes investors make in African energy 49:18 The "Nigerian way" of doing energy, can we innovate around our culture? 52:50 Energy abundance, fusion, and maximizing what we already have 54:54 Can Nigeria run 100% on solar? Why gas has to be part of the mix 57:48 The CNG debate and why Victor doesn't love retrofitting cars 59:23 Why you don't see more Teslas, BYDs, and EVs in Lagos (yet) 1:05:54 Smaller energy investment opportunities for the diaspora 1:08:24 Pan-African energy strategy with unlimited capital 1:12:24 Aunty's Sculpture Collection 1:13:20 Hisa sponsor spot 1:14:20 Rapid fire: best Jollof in Africa 1:14:54 Three African investors, dead or alive, at one dinner table 1:19:09 Victor's guilty pleasure spend 1:20:28 What legacy actually means 1:23:07 One truth for every African policymaker 1:24:08 Who should sit in this chair next
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  $80 To His Name: How He Became Davido’s Lead Director 27.05.2026 1t 16min

  JOIN THE ROOM — Our Private Member Community Weekly Sunday Signal, monthly Live Rooms, quarterly gatherings in Lagos, London & beyond. https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast Dammy Twitch has directed music videos across 30+ countries, built his career from an unpaid behind-the-scenes role on a Nigerian TV show, and the night he met Rihanna outside Selfridges  she already knew his name. In this episode, he breaks down what it actually takes to build a creative career from nothing in Lagos, why the naira collapse changed the economics of Afrobeats visuals forever, and what his debut feature film Color of My Life cost him to make. We unpack why big-budget music video culture died in Nigeria, what a 10-minute scene at a Lagos restaurant actually costs a filmmaker, and why the directors who collaborate are the ones winning. Plus — AI micro dramas, the distribution problem no one has solved, and why he's still here while everyone else japa'd. Dammy breaks down: • Why the naira collapse killed the big-budget music video era • What a 10-minute scene at a Lagos location actually costs • How he got selected out of four videographers on Davido's tour • Why he refuses to japa — and who he thinks should stay home • The night Rihanna shouted his name outside Selfridges • AI micro dramas and where Nigerian film is actually heading • The real cost of making Color of My Life and getting it into cinemas EPISODE SPONSORS VBAN — Open a free global account in minutes. Use code AFROPOLITAN: https://vban.com Risevest — Invest in US stocks, crypto, ETFs and the Nigerian market. Use code AFROPOLITAN: https://risevest.com AUNTY'S SCULPTURE COLLECTION A limited collection by Anthony Azekwoh x Afropolitan. 100 pieces. Application only. https://formless.ai/c/q1GB9jAzOWTr CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ WHERE TO FIND DAMMY TWITCH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dammytwitch Twitter/X: https://x.com/dammytwitch AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast 0:00 - Intro 2:12 - The biggest misconception about filmmakers 3:26 - What a music video really costs 5:31 - Why artists stopped shooting music videos 6:32 - Can Afrobeats and film finally merge? 9:21 - Knowing your value in the room 11:31 - The come-up & the story no one knows 13:53 - The Davido tour & his first music video 17:14 - How video budgets exploded 20:31 - Working with rival artists 23:55 - The philosophies he lives by 26:49 - Why he never left Nigeria 28:21 - Visas, travel & the Nigerian passport 32:08 - How he actually uses AI 34:33 - AI videos, micro dramas & "give Nigeria 40 years" 38:05 - Making timeless art 40:00 - Convincing his parents to let go of the degree 42:38 - When Rihanna knew his name 43:56 - The real cost of "Call of My Life" 48:04 - Nollywood's YouTube machine 49:16 - Micro dramas: the future of distribution 51:32 - Romance vs heartbreak: the films he carries 53:40 - Have you ever been in love? 59:18 - Rapid fire 1:02:37 - The most underrated person in film 1:03:45 - The video he's most proud of 1:05:31 - The film era he loves 1:07:08 - Where to watch "Call of My Life" 1:09:24 - The meaning behind his name 1:10:57 - Who he wants in the chair next 1:12:00 - How films get into theaters 1:16:24 - Wrap-up
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  We Made Millions Selling Candles. We Were Still Broke. 20.05.2026 1t 22min

  JOIN THE ROOM — Our Private Member Community Weekly Sunday Signal, monthly Live Rooms, quarterly gatherings in Lagos, London & beyond. → https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast Dennis Asamoah built Forever Mood alongside his wife Jackie Aina, turning a candle business into a full fragrance brand that sold 20,000 units in 4 hours on launch day. Six years later, he has navigated warehouse disasters, partnership breakdowns, and the brutal economics of CPG — all while operating as the behind-the-scenes CEO in one of the most visible creator-brand partnerships in the beauty space. We unpack why making millions doesn't mean you're rich, what it really takes to run a business with your spouse, and why most creators overestimate how much their followers will actually buy. EPISODE SPONSORS 💳 VBAN — Open a free global account in minutes. Use code AFROPOLITAN: https://vban.com 📈 Hisa — Borderless investments for Africa. Use code AFROPOLITAN: https://hisa.co/ AUNTY'S SCULPTURE COLLECTION 🎨 A limited collection by Anthony Azekwoh x Afropolitan. 100 pieces. Application only. → https://formless.ai/c/q1GB9jAzOWTr CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN 📞 Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ WHERE TO FIND DENNIS ASAMOAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denisasamoah Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forvrmood Website: https://forvrmood.com/ AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast TIMESTAMPS 0:00 – Intro: The myth of having it all figured out 2:29 – The uncomfortable truth about building a CPG business 3:21 – Selling 20,000 candles in 4 hours (and freaking out) 6:04 – Why they chose candles over perfume 9:23 – Understanding the creator economy from the inside 13:13 – Do followers actually convert to customers? 15:38 – Making millions doesn't mean you're rich 18:10 – The 70%+ gross margin rule in CPG 21:21 – What happens when you sell out 6 months of inventory in 8 hours 24:03 – The $50K/month warehouse mistake 26:06 – Partnership lessons: when things go wrong 29:28 – Heuristics for choosing business partners 31:39 – Grace in entrepreneurship as Black founders 39:11 – Building Forvr Mood with Jackie Aina: face vs. engine 50:40 – The one rule that protects the relationship and the business 56:15 – The 90-day content series that grew 8,000 email subscribers 1:00:22 – Dyslexia as a superpower 1:04:33 – AI tools: Whisper, Fixer, and Claude for productivity 1:11:02 – Bootstrapping vs. raising investment 1:15:22 – The worst time to raise money 1:19:22 – Rapid Fire: Jollof, overrated founder advice & who should be next
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  Chaos is Profitable: The Governor of Lagos on Why Money is Hiding in Plain Sight 15.05.2026 23min

  Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu governs Lagos — a city of over 20 million people. From banking halls to public service, his journey reflects a larger question: What does it take to govern ambition at this scale? This conversation was hosted at the National Theater in collaboration with Lens for Good — empowering creatives to transform the Nigerian narrative, one story at a time. In this episode, the Governor opens up about what the world gets wrong about Lagos, why creatives are the city's first pitch to the world, and what keeps him up at night leading Africa's most chaotic, creative, and resilient city. "You know Burna Boy, you know Wizkid, you know Davido — I tell you, there are a thousand other Burna Boys and Wizkids somewhere waiting to be discovered. And they are there in Lagos." AUNTY'S SCULPTURE COLLECTION A limited collection by Anthony Azekwoh x Afropolitan. 100 pieces. Application only. Apply here: https://formless.ai/c/q1GB9jAzOWTr WHERE TO FIND MAI ATAFO Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maiatafo Atafo Brand: https://www.instagram.com/atafo__ EPISODE SPONSORS Vban - Open a free global account in minutes. Use code AFROPOLITAN: https://vban.com CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: Patreon.com/AfropolitanPodcast TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 – Intro: What images come to mind when you think of Lagos? 1:29 – The two sides of Lagos: chaos and creativity 3:07 – The energy you can feel on every street 4:25 – The next Wizkid might be working in the same studio as you 5:27 – Governing through a burst of creativity (Wizkid concert, E1, Lagos Fashion Week) 6:35 – The E1 race: "They never believed we could put on the best" 7:57 – Breaking records is in Lagos' DNA 9:44 – What story does Lagos tell international investors? 10:02 – "Creatives open the conversation. Infrastructure closes the deal." 12:25 – What Lagos offers that no other African city can 13:52 – The "no giving up" spirit that defines Lagosians 14:47 – What do you tell creatives who see government as an obstacle? 17:01 – The one thing that can derail Lagos' creative momentum 18:34 – What keeps the Governor up at night 20:53 – 10 years from now: What should Lagos be known for?