Unlocking Africa

The Battle for Africa's Financial Rails: Stablecoins, Regulators, Cross Border Payments and Trade with Mimi Kufour 01.06.2026 52p

Episode 227 with Mimi Kufour, Global COO of KoinKoin, a digital assets exchange and financial infrastructure company focused on solving cross border liquidity and payment challenges across Africa and other emerging markets. Mimi oversees the company's global operations across multiple jurisdictions and works closely with regulators as digital asset frameworks continue to evolve. She also serves as a Strategic Advisor to the Chamber of Digital Assets and Blockchain Innovation in Ghana, contrib...

The Untapped Trillion Dollar Opportunity in Africa’s Diaspora Economy with Nicholas Bassey 25.05.2026 45p

Episode 226 with Nicholas Bassey, Chief Operations and Program Officer at the African Diaspora Network (ADN), an organisation mobilising diaspora investment, entrepreneurship, innovation, and strategic partnerships to accelerate economic growth across Africa. Nicholas joins us to discuss the future of diaspora investment in Africa, how African entrepreneurs can access global capital, and why Africa’s biggest challenge may not be a lack of money, but a lack of investment infrastructure, trust,...

Why Hiring and Paying Employees in Africa Is Harder Than Most Companies Expect with Ernestine Van Rappard 18.05.2026 36p

Episode 225 with Ernestine Van Rappard, CCO at Workpay, a Kenyan founded, Y Combinator backed payroll, HR, and Employer of Record platform helping companies hire, pay, and manage employees across Africa without setting up local entities. Ernestine joins us to unpack one of the biggest hidden barriers to doing business in Africa: compliant hiring, payroll, and workforce management across multiple African countries. In this episode, we explore how global companies are expanding into Afri...

The Future of Ecommerce in Africa and Why Speed and Reliability Is Everything with Dima Rasnovsky 11.05.2026 39p

Episode 224 with Dima Rasnovsky, General Manager for Africa at Glovo, one of the world’s leading quick commerce and on demand delivery platforms transforming how consumers access food, groceries, retail products, and everyday essentials across cities. Dima leads Glovo’s growth and operations across African markets, helping drive the expansion of digital commerce, last mile delivery, and retail technology across some of the continent’s fastest growing economies. In this episode, we explore th...

The Nigerian Entrepreneur Building Africa’s Sports Economy Through Boxing, Events and Entertainment with Ezekiel Adamu 04.05.2026 27p

Episode 223 with Ezekiel Adamu, entrepreneur, change agent, and Group CEO of Balmoral Group, one of West Africa’s leading event and experiential companies. In this conversation, we explore how Africa can build globally competitive sports and entertainment industries that drive economic growth, create jobs, and position cities like Lagos as international event destinations. Ezekiel shares how his journey from the United Kingdom back to Nigeria shaped his ambition to bring structure, scale, an...

Building Kenya’s Luxury Hospitality Industry, Nairobi’s Creative Economy, and the Future of Tourism with Shamim Ehsani 27.04.2026 30p

Episode 222 with Shamim Ehsani, Co Founder of Tribe Hotels Group, a hospitality and lifestyle company redefining modern African luxury through the integration of culture, art, and experience led design. Shamim has built a portfolio that includes Tribe Hotel in Nairobi, Hero Bar, named The Best Bar in Africa, and the upcoming Tribe Beach House in Kilifi, while continuing a family legacy that has helped shape Kenya’s real estate, tourism, and food and beverage industry for over three decades. ...

Building High Performance Teams, Drone Delivery Systems, and Healthcare Logistics with Juliet Oshagbemi 20.04.2026 27p

Episode 221 with Juliet Oshagbemi, Chief People and Culture Officer Africa at Zipline, a global leader in drone delivery, healthcare logistics and supply chain innovation. Zipline has been operating in Africa since 2016 and is now fully integrated into public health systems across Ghana, Rwanda, Nigeria, Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire, delivering blood, vaccines and essential medical supplies on demand at scale. Juliet brings more than 20 years of experience in human capital strategy and organisati...

Africa’s Payments Problem Is Not What You Think – Inside Mobile Money Infrastructure with Nikolai Barnwell 13.04.2026 39p

Episode 220 with Nikolai Barnwell, CEO of pawaPay, a leading pan African payments company building the financial rails that connect mobile money wallets across the continent and to the rest of the world. Nikolai brings over a decade of experience across mobile operating systems, business management, and digital infrastructure to this conversation about how money actually moves across Africa. In addition to leading pawaPay, he serves as a board member at 88mph.ac, an early stage investme...

How School Meals Can Transform Africa’s Economy: Agriculture, Jobs and Growth with Mehrdad Ehsani 06.04.2026 39p

Episode 219 with Mehrdad Ehsani, Vice President for Africa at The Rockefeller Foundation, a global institution working at the intersection of food systems, economic development, and climate resilience to improve livelihoods around the world. Mehrdad leads the Foundation’s work across Africa, focusing on building scalable systems that drive long term economic growth, agricultural transformation, and human capital development. In this episode, we explore the launch of the US$80 million School ...

How Crypto and Regulation Are Reshaping Africa’s Financial System: Payments, Remittances and Digital Assets with Ayotunde Alabi 30.03.2026 44p

Episode 218 with Ayotunde Alabi, CEO of Luno Nigeria, one of Africa’s leading cryptocurrency platforms. Ayotunde brings over a decade of experience across finance and technology, with leadership roles at Spektra, ARM HoldCo, FBNQuest and Heritage Bank. As a SEC Sponsored Individual with certifications from the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers in Nigeria and the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment in the United Kingdom, he sits at the intersection of traditional finance, finte...

How Africa Can Own AI: From Talent to Infrastructure to Global Competitiveness with Amadou Daffe 23.03.2026 43p

Episode 217 of the Unlocking Africa Podcast with Amadou Daffe, CEO and Co founder of Gebeya, a leading pan African technology company building talent ecosystems, digital marketplaces, and AI powered platforms to unlock Africa’s global competitiveness. As artificial intelligence reshapes the global economy, a critical question is emerging: will Africa simply consume AI tools built elsewhere, or will it build, own, and capture value from AI within the continent? Amadou shares how Gebeya’s lat...

How Precision Medicine and Genomics Could Transform Healthcare in Africa with Derrick Akpalu 16.03.2026 48p

Episode 216 with Derrick Edem Akpalu, Co Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Revna Biosciences, a biotechnology company advancing precision medicine, genomics, and molecular diagnostics across Africa. Derrick is leading a mission to transform healthcare outcomes by building world class diagnostic and research capabilities that address some of the continent’s most pressing medical challenges. Through Revna Biosciences, he is helping bring advanced genomic testing, clinical research partners...

How Africa Can Build a Stronger Agribusiness Economy: Patient Capital, Food Security & Investment with Luc-Etienne Dandrieu 09.03.2026 27p

Episode 215 with Luc-Etienne Dandrieu, General Manager of AlphaSeeds, a philanthropic investment company supporting sustainable agribusiness SMEs across Africa. In this episode we explore the future of African agribusiness, agricultural investment, and food security, and how patient capital can unlock new opportunities for entrepreneurs across the continent. Luc-Etienne brings more than twenty years of experience across agriculture, food systems, research and development, and sustainability ...

The Trade That Kills Silently: Falsified Medicines and Pharmaceutical Crime in Africa with Foulo Basse 02.03.2026 48p

Episode 214 with Foulo Basse, President and Chief Executive of The Brazzaville Foundation, an organisation leading Africa’s battle against falsified medicines, counterfeit drugs, and pharmaceutical crime across the continent. Fake and substandard medicines are one of the most urgent yet under reported public health crises in Africa. From ineffective antibiotics and compromised malaria treatments to the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance, falsified medicines are costing lives, undermi...

Building Sustainable Manufacturing in Africa: Bamboo, Sanitation and Circular Supply Chains with Sander de Klerk 23.02.2026 35p

Episode 213 with Sander de Klerk, CEO and Founder of The Good Roll, a fast growing ecosystem reshaping the global paper industry through circular production, ethical sourcing, and socially inclusive solutions rooted in Africa. Recently named EY Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year 2024, Sander is building far more than a sustainable consumer brand. What began as The Good Roll, producing tree friendly toilet paper from recycled paper, has evolved into a fully integrated value chain anchored in G...

How Africa Can Become a Global Remote Work Hub: AI, Employer of Record & The Future of Work with Nicolas Goldstein 16.02.2026 35p

Episode 212 with Nicolas Goldstein, HR Tech entrepreneur and Co Founder of Breedj, an artificial intelligence powered talent marketplace transforming global hiring in Africa. With over fifteen years of experience in international recruitment, outsourcing, Employer of Record services, payroll compliance, and remote workforce management, Nicola joins the Unlocking Africa Podcast to explore how Africa can position itself at the centre of the future of work. Breedj is building the infrastructure...

How Diaspora Capital Can Unlock Africa’s Next Generation of Scalable Businesses with Kanessa Muluneh 09.02.2026 37p

Episode 211 with with Kanessa Muluneh, serial entrepreneur, investor, and founder of Nyle Investment Group, a diaspora focused investment firm connecting global capital with high impact opportunities across Africa. Kanessa exited her first company at 21 and has since spent over a decade building, scaling, investing in, and advising businesses across Africa’s most important growth sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, technology, and the digital economy. In this episode of the Unlock...

Building Profitable IT Infrastructure for Global Remote Work From Africa with Francis Osifo 02.02.2026 42p

Episode 210 with Francis Osifo, Co Founder and CEO of Rayda, a global IT asset lifecycle management platform supporting remote and distributed teams in over 170 countries. As remote work reshapes how companies hire globally, one critical challenge remains under discussed: how businesses actually equip, manage, and retrieve devices for employees across borders. In this episode of the Unlocking Africa Podcast, Francis Osifo explains how Rayda is solving this problem by building the infrastruct...

Bridging Africa’s $100 Billion Trade Finance Gap Through Agribusiness Exports with Dara Adekunle 26.01.2026 48p

Episode 209 with Dara Adekunle, Managing Partner and CEO of FARMTIES Capital, an investment firm financing export oriented African agribusinesses and strengthening Africa’s role in global trade. Dara brings deep experience in impact investing, innovative finance, and international trade to this conversation on one of the most critical and under examined constraints to Africa’s economic growth the trade finance gap facing agricultural SMEs. In this episode, we explore why Africa’s challenge ...

Financial Inclusion, Entrepreneurship, and How to Build Markets That Work in Africa with Carl Manlan 19.01.2026 44p

Episode 208 with Carl Manlan, a development practitioner and global thought leader working at the intersection of financial inclusion, policy, entrepreneurship, and social impact across Africa and emerging markets. Carl brings deep experience from senior leadership roles at Visa, where he served as Vice President of Social Impact and Sustainability for the CEMEA region, and at Ecobank Foundation, where he was Chief Operating Officer leading programmes across 33 African markets, earning ...