Glocal Citizens

Epizode

• Episode 325: Encore Episode | Modeling a Life of Art and Experiences with Liz Campbell 23.06.2026 47min

  Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week on the podcast, we re-presenting an episode that first posted nearly five years ago in the summer of 2021. At the time, my guest, Elizabeth Ann [Campbell Parks] Rollins-Moskowitz, Liz Campbell for short, was empty nesting and remote grandmothering while diving ever deeper into her art using her Mill Valley, California setting as a constant muse. Today she’s hands on grandmothering, establishing herself in the Nairobi art scene and making new friend across generations. At 87, Grandma Liz continues to be an examplar of what Glocal Citizenship is all about. She relocated to Nairobi--her new muse, to join fellow podcast alum and son, Salim Rollins three years ago, and with a borderless mindset hasn’t looked back. Last weekend she held [her first exhibit in Nairobi]([https://www.instagram.com/p/DZmt2RWOQSA/) and we couldn’t be happier to celebrate this dynamic diasporan! Where to find [Liz]([https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/elizabeth-rollins-moskowitz) and Salim?Special Guest: Elizabeth Rollins-Moskowitz.
• Episode 324: Food for Thought with Mawuli Dzansi 16.06.2026 51min

  Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week, Chef Mawuli Dzansi allows us the honor of being his first podcast appearance. And we definitely count that as a win with this rising start in the Ghana food movement. Rooted deeply in his Ghanaian heritage, his passion for food grew as he explored flavors, techniques, and ingredients he discovered while living with his Aunt in Accra. Chef Mawuli’s expertise is largely self-taught, honed through years of dedication and an unrelenting curiosity about food. His experiences as an Executive Chef and his time at a Michelin-starred Kitchen in Amsterdam have shaped his innovative approach to showcasing the vibrancy of African ingredients. He has always been considered unconventional, having led impactful projects like Dawadawa at Impact Hub Accra and The Kitchen By Ghana Food Movement, a food hub designed to train young chefs and promote Ghanaian and West African cuisines globally. He currently works as a private chef and consultant to some of Africa’s bold thinkers and organizations. His serial entrpreneurship journey started from the moment he discovered how to please people’s palatte’s and Prekesse, a hospitality practice focused on private dining, brand activations and culinary consulting, is the culmination of his journey so far—a bespoke dining concept celebrating Ghana’s rich culinary heritage while embracing sustainability and modernity. Working across concept development, sourcing, menu design, and execution of immersive experiences for brands and private individuals his focus is on building considered hospitality that connects food, people, and place through African ingredients and contemporary dining formats. Where to find Mawuli? @Prekesse On LinkedIn On Instagram What’s Mawuli listening to? Omawumi’s In the Music Other topics of interest: Where is Ho, Ghana? Visit Ashaiman On Ewe languages About Ga Fisherfolk Culture Out and about in Surulere, Lagos On “Continental” Cuisine Dikan Center, Accra Akuna Pod The story of the Clubhouse app Chef Mawuli at Odo ValleySpecial Guest: mawuli dzansi.
• Episode 323: Encore Episode | Real Egypt with Samir Abbass 09.06.2026 23min

  Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week we have an encore episode inspired by the many pitch decks that I’ve been reviewing from companies based in Egypt as part of my Dream VC Investor Accelerator Fellowship. Back in 2020, while we were still in the thick of the pandemic, I connected with Samir Abbass. I connect with my guest, Samir Abbass, while he was studying in Spain and when tours of any kind were on hold all over the world. Take a virtual tour with us into his real Egypt in this is two part conversation that I couraage you to visit or revist from the beginning.Special Guest: Samir Abbass.
• Episode 322: The Nubuke Foundation @ 20: A Conversation about Building and Sustaining an Arts Institution for Ghana to the World with Odile Tevie 02.06.2026 57min

  Greetings Glocal Citizens! Exiting news…according to the Million Podcasts database platform We’re ranked #25 among change agent podcast thanks to listeners like you! In this week’s change agent conversation we’re visiting with Odile Tevie, co-founder and director of Nubuke Foundation, a visual arts and cultural institution, based in Accra and Wa in Ghana. In the early 2000’s she set up and ran the Black Swan gallery in London introducing Ghanaian, Togolese and Nigerian artists into the diaspora. Under her vision and drive, Nubuke Foundation, set up in 2006, has become an internationally acknowledged arts institution whose robust and engaging programming calendar has been seminal in supporting the career of many of the mid-career Ghanaian artists and promising ones like Na Chainkua Reindorf, Isaac Opoku and Gideon Appah. Nubuke Foundation has become a creative community hub in the city of Accra, where informal learning programmes, talks, exhibitions, drama, spoken word etc. In Wa, the Foundation focuses on promoting strip weaving artisans and textile and fibre-based arts practice. As you'll hear our surround sound is the long story of the raining season in Ghan and it was well worth the rainy commute to have this conversatio with Odile. Where to find Odile? On LinkedIn On Instagram On Facebook What’s Odile reading? African Women & Feminism by Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí The 28th February House by Demi Letsa The Longest Week by Nick Page Other topics of interest: A bit about Tesano in Accra The Wa Upper West Region, Ghana Ghana A Portrait About the University of Applied Arts Vienna More about Ghana's Centers for National Culture About Sensibilités intellectuelles africaines in The Conversation What is the Myriad Alliance?Special Guest: Odile Tevie.
• Episode 321: On Being a Benevolent Savage with Remi Adeleke 26.05.2026 50min

  Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week we commemorate Africa Day across the African Diaspora. Reflecting on the journeys of liberation that Black people have endured in trial and triumph, I am ever reminded that those that laid the groundwork will never in my heart, mind or acts have done so in vain. As the pillars of imperialism are finally weakening--though, not without reverting to its tried and tested battle techniques--the new next is taking shape in all manner of action and practice across the globe. So today, as I do in some way every day, I salute us all for staying the course and redirecting the path as necessary on the #PanAfricanProgress mission that is imparative to human evolution and a sustainable existence here on earth. Speaking of existence here on earth and the ways that we inhabit it, I came across my guest this week via a connection that I made last year at the Charter Cities Summit in Nairobi. Remi Adeleke, a former U.S. Navy SEAL and entrepreneur, serves as Chairman and Co-Founder of the Small Farm Cities Africa Resilience Fund, a for-profit venture developing sustainable, agricultural communities to combat poverty and human trafficking. He is actively scaling this model across Africa, including projects in Malawi, Zambia, and other regions, focusing on economic empowerment through infrastructure and land ownership for local farmers. Following a successful career as a Navy SEAL, in 2016 he found himself pursuing a careers in writing, speaking, and acting, including the 2017 franchise film Transformers: The Last Knight, SEAL Team CBS, and the 2022 Universal thriller Ambulance. He served as a consultant on Netflix’s 6 Underground and Apple+ TV series Invasion. As an educator he co-founded Muskegon Michigan’s OPS Academy which opened to inner city students K-8th grade in Fall of 2022. His story is captured in his HarperCollins bestselling autobiography, Transformed: A Navy SEALs Unlikely Journey From The Throne Of Africa, To The Streets Of The Bronx, To Defying All Odds. As you’ll hear in our conversation, Remi is also the founder of Kejo Wear a brand changing negativity to positivity one shirt at a time and where he is marrying this social entrepreneurial enterprises with activism; a portion of proceeds go toward supporting efforts to end human trafficking. Where to find Remi? Small Farm Cities Civil Watch Technologies On LinkedIn On IMDB On Instagram On YouTube On the Down Range Podcast What’s Remi watching? Bad Boys The Rock The Unexpected Short Film Other topics of interest: The Story of Banana Island and the late Chief Adebayo Adeleke Victoria Island, Lagos About San Diego, California About the making or the Small Farm Cities Resilience Fund What are Critical Minerals? About the game of MonopolySpecial Guest: Remi Adeleke.
• Episode 320: On the State of the Africa Diaspora with Dr. Ashley D. Milton 19.05.2026 48min

  Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week on the podcast I’m back in Accra, back on the Continent, just in time to commemorate African Liberation Day--Africa Day 2026. Last year around this time, my guest and I were preparing for our respective sessions at AfroTalks 2025 @ University of Ghana-Legon where we shared stories and proposed solutions centering the theme "HOW?" aimed at fostering critical introspection, sustainable community impact, and the amplification of African stories by Africans. I shared insights taken from our Future of Work salon series and featured Glocal Citizens specifically engaged in impact-driven solutions for us by us. My guest, Dr. Ashley D. Milton was part of a duo presenting The Triangle Offensive Policy. She joins us a year later to share how her work has progressed and her consortium prepares to release the The State of the Africa Diaspora Report, a first-of-its-kind continental grounding document examining how Africa and its global diaspora connect across mobility, investment, culture, skills, governance, technology, and development systems. The report brings together policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs, creatives, and community stakeholders across Africa and the diaspora to shape a more coordinated and regenerative future. As a strategist, researcher, and systems builder working at the intersection of Africa, its global diaspora, and the future of regenerative economic development she is the Founder and Managing Director of She Grows It™ (SGI), a Pan-African consulting and investment migration advisory firm. Ashley leads work across green infrastructure, trade and industry, tourism and hospitality, diaspora engagement, governance strategy, and emerging technology systems designed to support long-term African growth and resilience. She has advised on projects ranging from IFC EDGE green building certification and sustainable development strategy to diaspora policy frameworks, investment positioning, and institutional ecosystem development. Her work consistently centers one core question: how do we build systems that allow African people, businesses, and communities to thrive across generations? Where to find Dr. Ashley? The Africa Diaspora Report On LinkedIn On Instagram What’s Ashley watching? The Eyes of Ghana When Malcolm Smiled a film by Glocal Citizen Muhammida el Muhajir Other topics of interest: Africa Day Accountability and the March 2026 UN Resolution How the US justifies it’s denial of the gravest crime against humanity. Kwame Nkrumah, books on Pan-Africanism About the long history of smog in Los Angeles About FAMU, a top ranked HBCU About the book, White Malice by Susan Williams Nautilus Diving - DakarSpecial Guest: Ashley D. Milton.
• Episode 319: Embracing Multiple Talents as Activism with Bryonn Bain 12.05.2026 57min

  Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week on the podcast it’s an NYU affair with a side of Columbia University, Harvard University and UCLA. I first met my guest as fellow New York University students/alumni in the late 1990’s, at a time when slam poetry was beginning to reaching global audiences with influences from hip hop music and other activist movements. Fast foward after more than 20 years to earlier this spring when our paths crossed again at an event hosted by fellow Glocal Citizen and Director of NYU Accra, Chiké Frankie Edozien - The Labone Dialogues. Bryonn is a poet, actor, prison activist, playwright, scholar, author, hip hop artist and professor of African American Studies, Theater, Film & Television, and World Arts & Cultures in the School of the Arts and the School of Law at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Playing over 40 characters, his one-man show, LYRICS FROM LOCKDOWN, won “Best Solo Performance” from the LA Weekly and the NAACP. Executive produced by the late and great, Harry Belafonte, the show tells stories of wrongful incarceration through spoken word poetry, hip hop theater, calypso, comedy and classical music. He founded the Prison Education Program at UCLA in 2015 and in 2019, the program and his performances at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts were featured on the debut episode of LA Stories, which won an Emmy Award. His work has been featured on a diverse range of stages including the Apollo Theater, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Public Theater (NYC), National Black Theatre (Harlem), NJ PAC, The Actor’s Gang Theater (Culver City), Los Angeles Theater Center (LATC), Festival de Liege (Belgium), M-1 Theater Festival (Singapore), Universidad de las Americas (Mexico) and Muteesa Royal University (Uganda), Rikers Island (New York), Marion Prison (Ohio), TEDX at Ironwood State Prison and Sing Sing Prison. He has performed at over 250 colleges and prisons in the U.S., Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. And soon in Ghana! Where to find Bryonn? https://www.bryonn.com On LinkedIn On Instagram What’s Bryonn reading? A Survey of Muhammad Ali Biographies What’s Bryonn watching? Concerning Violence What’s Bryonn listening to? Blues Women Other topics of interest: What is a Calypsonian About Veteran Black Panther Jamal Joseph About Akuse Prison in Ghana 90’s music roll-call - The Fu-Schnickens, Digital Underground, Tupac Shakur About Pedro Noguera About Delroy Lindo Sinners the film About Michael A. JordanSpecial Guest: Bryonn Bain.
• Episode 318: Building Bridges Between Capital Investment and Culture with Nioki Doggett 05.05.2026 56min

  Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week on the podcast we have another installment of Glocal Citizens x Black Women in Real Estate collaboration--Borderless Building. Throughout the year, we’re hosting conversations with BWRE members showcasing the personal and professional journeys of Black women in the real estate industry across tthe global. We’re highlighting how Black women in the industry invest and structure value in/around land/property across global markets; and how we are offering valuable insight into the business/operational functions in the real estate industry to inspire a spirit of land stewardship. You’ll hear this and more in this week's conversation. My guest, Nioki Doggett comes to us from the UK by way of her Bajan roots in Barbados. Throughout her career, she’s helped institutional investors across the globe navigate complex real estate markets and find high-conviction opportunities, building the kind of trust that turns one-time conversations into decade-long partnerships. As Lead Business Development and Investor Relations Director for M&G Real Estate's European Platform, she drives capital growth and delivers tailored investment solutions for global institutional investors. Her work sits at the intersection of relationship management, market insight, and strategic advisory. Beyond her core role, Nioki is actively involved in shaping the broader real estate and investment community as a Committee Member of the INREV DDQ Committee, the Guild of Investment Managers, Ladies in Real Estate. She is a mentor at Chancerygate supporting real estate undergraduates entering the industry, and conference moderator and panel speaker on real estate and investment topics. Listen and learn more about how her deep expertise in real estate investment dynamics and global investor network spanning multiple markets and geographies are creating value where it counts. Where to find Nioki? On LinkedIn @ Ladies in Real Estate (LiRE) What’s Nioki watching? Grey’s Anatomy and other shows by Shonda Rhimes Apprentice UK Dragon’s Den What’s Nioki listening to? Bruno Mars Marvin Sapp Adele Olivia Dean Daniel Caesar Other topics of interest: About Black Women in Real Estate About Barbados now and Bajan roots Reading, Berkshire Royal Borough of WindsorSpecial Guest: Nioki Doggett.
• Episode 317: Impact-Driven Fintech Solutions with Jemima Lewis 28.04.2026 49min

  Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week’s conversation with Adedayo Jemima Lewis, Senior VP Commercial & Growth at Fincra, offers great insights into process and realities of realizing your passion in a new local. From applying and receiving a Global Talent Visa to sharpening her impact-driven career lens, Jemima is one to watch, particularly in the African Fintech space. As a commercial and growth leader with a foundation in marketing, brand, and communications, her expertise lies in a unique combination of strategic positioning and operational discipline, which she uses to successfully build and scale businesses. Across the leadership roles she has held at Fincra, she has consistently focused on the intersection of commercial growth, brand, and communications, enhancing Fincra's go-to-market strategies, refining its value proposition, and ensuring scalable systems support business goals. Today, in her commercial and growth leadership role, she combines that narrative craft with revenue-minded discipline, helping align teams, messaging, and market motion to support sustainable growth. She oversees the management of commercial revenue strategy, strategic partnerships, and market expansion, converting Fincra’s technical capabilities and vision into commercial success. Her portfolio of experience includes work for organisations such as microfinance fintech Aella, Wild Fusion—Africa's leading integrated marketing communications agencies, The Republic Agency, Oando PLC, Lafarge Africa, UBA, Chivita 100%, and more, with responsibilities spanning digital strategy, content development, campaign execution, community management, growth and PR. When she’s not wearing the commercial or growth hat, Jemima dedicates her time to podcasting. Where to find Jemima? @The Shrine Podcast On LinkedIn On Instagram What’s Jemima reading? The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey What’s Jemima watching? The Mentalist Other topics of interest: Ekiti State, Nigeria City of Leeds, UK Discover Halifax, UK #EndSARS About the UK’s Global Talent Visa Programme What is an API? Central Bank of Nigeria - CBNSpecial Guest: Jemima Lewis.
• Episode 316: Building Community Assets Grounded in Love with Bakajika Tshinanga 21.04.2026 55min

  Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week on the podcast community builidng is a central theme. For twenty years, my guest, Bakajika Tshinanga, has operated at the exact intersection where culture generates economic value. His journey started in 2004, when he founded a student-led program at the University of Georgia Atlanta. Georgia Daze still runs today and has improved enrollment yield conservatively valued at $150M+ in incremental revenue for the university. That experience shaped how he thinks about infrastructure: who builds it, who benefits, and who owns the upside. He went on building hospitality programming delivering the cultural insight that prompted AT&T to sponsor Drake's inaugural headline tour and leading the campaign that introduced the Lyft ridesahre app to Atlanta. He’s produced work with cultural figures including Michael Jordan, and while an undergraduate he producing concerts featuring Outkast, Lauryn Hill, and Dave Chappelle. Also of note, he owns a publishing catalog featuring songs from Lil Wayne, The Neptunes, Sevyn Streeter, Pusha T, and Usher. Coding since age 11, technology is lens he's always looking through. His latest endeavor, the lOlŌ's platform is the direct expression of technology deployed as infrastructure to close the gap between who creates cultural value and who captures it. He's lived the innovator's dilemma firsthand: operating at the riskiest part of the curve, where the work is undeniable but the capital isn't designed to find you. That experience is why lOlŌ exists—a collective ownership vehicle for cultural capital, community-capitalized, community-governed, designed to compound for generations. Where to fine Bakajika? On LinkedIn On Instagram On Threads What’s Bakajika reading? The Science of Scaling by Dr. Benjamin Hardy adn Blake Erickson What’s Bakajika watching? Dreaming Whilst Black on Showtime How’s Bakijika listening to? Who is Joy Leone? Other topics of interest: Kinshasa, DRC About Georgia Daze University of Michigan Supreme Court Affirmative Action Case Atlanta Influences Everything Lɔlɔ̃ means loveSpecial Guest: Bakajika Tshinanga.
• Episode 315: Preserving our Sweet Roots and our Archiving Imperative with Maame Adjei 14.04.2026 44min

  Greetings Glocal Citizens! I’m sure many of you remember the groundbreaking web series An African City. We’ve even hosted a panel featuring creator of the series Nicole Amarteifio in our writing as activism series. My guest this week launched her creative career as a cast member on the series and she hasn’t looked back since. Maame Adjei is a Ghanaian storyteller, producer, director, entrepreneur and cultural archivist. As the founder of Sweet Roots Media, she leads a women-driven media hub dedicated to amplifying cultural narratives and preserving history through high-quality storytelling. Their work spans documentary scripted, brand storytelling, and immersive experiences, all crafted to resonate on a global scale. Beyond media, she is the founder of Duruyeh, a bold jewelry brand celebrating heritage, beauty, and self-expression. Every piece tells a story, designed not just as an accessory but as a keepsake to be passed down. Maame is also deeply invested in archival work and co-founded Korabea which focuses on preserving, protecting, and uplifting the stories of Ghanaian women, both past and present, through exhibitions, educational projects, and a forthcoming podcast. #NewPodcastAlert! Where to find Maame? On LinkedIn On Instagram On Facebook On YouTube What’s Maame listening to? Devi Brown’s Deeply Well Podcast On Purpose with Jay Shetty The Myleik Teele Podcast The Emotions Other topics of interest: NAFTI is now UniMAC-IFT Who is GloRilla? The Whites of Our Eyes Trailer On Kenneth B. Clark's Doll Study The Sunday Mirror today Nana Konadu Agyeman RawlingsSpecial Guest: Maame Adjei.
• Episode 314: Encore Episode | Going with Grace with Alua Arthur 07.04.2026 47min

  Heartfelt Greetings, Glocal Citizens. This week’s encore episode is a salve for my heavy heart. I’m resharing it as a reminder of life’s certainties; because it reflects some of the roots experiences that my guest, Global Ghanaian, death doula and author of Briefly Perfectly Human, Alua Arthur and I share; and because care for the aging has become a feature focus of my life story, particulary since the start of the pandemic. On April 4th, my father, Peter Otoe Adu took his leave from the body that was the man I know as Daddy, Dad, PO, Peter and papa. He was 86. Last week on the podcast, I mentioned the long overdue solutionscape and stretch salon series. The first topic we covered in these live sessions--the future of work in care for the aging, is an ever-timely discussion that will go live later this month. Woven into this series will be small tributes in memory of the briefly, perfectly human life dad lived and what I hope will be inspiration for us all to normalize conversations, pay attention and act in the interest of not just our elders but our inevitably aging selves. Where to find Alua? See the show notes for Episode 164Special Guest: Alua Arthur.
• Episode 313: Reclaiming Wellness with Nana Amoako-Anin 31.03.2026 54min

  Greetings Glocal Citizens! This year our Women’s Herstory Month series has taken us for the first time to Botswana and Norway; we stopped in the UK, picked up flavors from Nigeria, Sudan, Zambia, Netherlands, Philippines, Belgium, Brazil and South Africa; went on a future forward mission in Kenya, and we’re landing home in a flashback forward conversation with fellow Ghanaian-American and early Glocal Citizen, Nana Amoako-Anin. Nana first joined us on the podcast in January 2020 in a time when wellness was often taken for granted or an afterthought for later. Then the global pandemic, COVID-19 changed everything. Wellness is now having a moment. However, as we’ll discuss in the conversation, the moment calls for depth, not trend, to sustain real mindset and lifestyle shifts on the personal and professional levels. Nana writes about this at Wellness in Black and lives and works it as a social entrepreneur and organizational leader. She is best known as the founder of Bliss Yoga Accra, Ghana’s first full-service yoga studio. With a background in law, she brings cross-sector expertise to her work, which bridges global perspectives with local impact, positioning her as a thought leader in mindful leadership, mentorship, social innovation and international executive strategy. In this conversation we catch up on evolving realities around wellness for Africans and in Ghana as well as her experience diversifying the what and how of work, guided by her enduring committment to staying people centered. And much, much more. Where to find Nana? https://www.nanaamoakoanin.com/ @ Bliss Yoga Accra On Glocal Citizens At CrowdReason What’s Nana reading? An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence by Zeinab Badawi Other topics of interest: The Conjuring of America: Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women’s Magic The “official” Vicks story Kemetic Yoga An African History of Africa on YouTube On Legalized Cannabis in Ghana Indigenous vs Colonial Medicine in Ghana Hamamat Shea Butter Museum ishowspeed in Ghana Jill Scott talks with Angie MartinezSpecial Guest: Nana Amoako-Anin.
• Episode 312: World Making Art, Science and Practice with San’aa Njeeri 24.03.2026 1h 2min

  Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week our Women’s Herstory Month series takes us back to Kenya--to a place called Area Nyaga. Our guide is futurist, artist, and creative synthesist reimagining African futures, San’aa Njeeri. Distilling over a decade of global interdisciplinary practice, she positions art as a tool for education, translating complex ideas into accessible experiences that advance African storytelling while progressing digital ecosystems and financial literacy within the context of emerging technologies. Through Area Nyaga, her world building framework informed by the Maasci Return saga and her seminal MaaSci series, she situates Indigenous African identities within expansive futuristic landscapes through her signature visual language, A.EYE (African Eye). Working across speculative art, immersive environments, and narrative design, she develops cultural and digital infrastructures that expand how futures can be imagined, understood, and built. Her work is guided by a defining inquiry: What becomes possible when cultural heritage informs the futures we shape and the narratives we carry forward? In this conversation we explore this question and find ourselves in depth with San’aa getting to know more about how from childhood, her Kenya has grounded the mission and vision that focus her world, and at times, interstellar view. Where to find San’aa? On LinkedIn In Instagram On Substack What’s San’aa watching? After Skool Other topics of interest: Baraza Media Lab San People of Southern Africa About Murang'a, Kenya Kiambu County Where is Kirinyaga? Mount Kenya and Batian Peak Other Futures Festival Who is Blinky Bill? Black Rhino Studios Old Town Lamu About my broadcast debut on the Super Six School NewsSpecial Guest: San'aa Njeeri.
• Episode 311: Ela-vating the Entrepreneurship Mindset with Sarah Osman 17.03.2026 52min

  Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week in our continuing Women’s Herstory Month series, we’re in another new country--from southern Africa last week we’re landing in Scandinavia on our first trip to Norway via Sudan, Zambia, The Philippines, Netherlands, Ghana and South Africa--all places my guest this week has called home. Sarah Osman is a cognitive psychologist, global development specialist, and social entrepreneur with twenty years of experience across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Born in Khartoum, Sudan, and shaped by a life lived across multiple continents, she has built her career at the intersection of applied behavioral science and international development, helping major organizations translate insights about human decision-making into programs that create lasting social change. As the founder of Osman Advisory Services, Sarah has worked with international organizations such as the Council of Europe, World Vision, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union on some of the most complex behavioral challenges in global development. In 2024, she founded Ela, a membership community for women of color building their own consulting practices. Ela is grounded in the conviction that structural inequity in the consulting sector cannot be solved by individual effort alone: it requires community, peer accountability, and the kind of behavioral design thinking that Sarah has spent two decades applying in the field. Ela members are already experiencing tangible transformation in how they position themselves and grow with confidence. Sarah is currently building a new platform for Africa-focused professionals who want to harness the power of behavioral and consumer insights in their work and sector. Currently based in Oslo, Sarah is a true ‘glocal’ citizen: Sudanese by heritage, Pan-African by spirit, European by dwelling, and wholly at home in the space between local realities and global systems. Where to find Sarah and her resource offerings? osmanadvisoryservices.com Join the Ela Membership Sign up to the Pattern Recognition Newsletter On LinkedIn On YouTube What’s Sarah reading? Credit Alert by Ayo Akinola We Are Not Consumers by Louis Seeco What’s Sarah listening to? The Department Podcast Other topics of interest: Perspectives on Black Identity in Norway Curious about “Delulu” thinking? Manal Sayid of Sayid ConsultingSpecial Guest: Sarah Osman.
• Episode 310: From Diamonds in the Rough to Polished Gems of Culture with Caroline Modise 10.03.2026 48min

  Greetings Glocal Citizens! Next up in our Women’s Herstories Month series is our first trip to Botswana. I met this week’s guest, a native Motswana and globe trotter--Caroline Modise, in Accra earlier this year representing in her role as the Sustainability Engagements Manager at De Beers Group. At De Beers she plays a key role in socialising and amplifying the company’s social impact programs across a diverse ecosystem of stakeholders. The how of our meeting is the Stanford Seed program where De Beers participates as a key partner in Botswana. Caroline built her early career managing relationships with some of the world’s leading diamond jewellery retailers and later became a founding board member and Head of Strategy for the Botswana Careers Roundtable, a pioneering networking platform designed to bridge experienced professionals with emerging talent across corporate Botswana. As an alumna and former board member of the African Leadership Academy—an institution committed to transforming Africa by developing a network of future-ready young leaders—she remains passionate about Africa’s developmental journey, with particular interest in social enterprises and sustainability strategies for grassroots organisations. Listenandlearn more about how her experiences with women in leadership inspire her professionally and creatively, then get to know Caroline the artiste! Where to find Caroline? On LinkedIn On Instagram On Facebook What’s Caroling reading? The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese What’s Caroline listening to? Anything Beyoncé Kaytranada Other topics of interest: My local for this conversation - Nanyuki, Kenya About Gaborone and Palapye in Botswana From Debswana to About the Okavango Basin, the National Geographic’s Okavango Project and watch the film About the Nkashi Storytellers Traditional cuisine in Botswana Treehaus BotswanaSpecial Guest: Caroline Modise.
• Episode 309: Creating Spaces for Black Women in Real Estate with Hanna Afolabi 03.03.2026 44min

  Women’s Herstory Month Greetings Glocal Citizens! If it’s March then it’s that time again for a month of conversations centering women’s stories and experiences. This week, we’re also kicking off the series with the launch of our Glocal Citizens x Black Women in Real Estate collaboration--Borderless Building. Founded in 2019, Black Women in Real Estate (BWRE) is an organization that aims to bring together black women in property, creating opportunities for upcoming talent and organizing workshops for those already in the industry. Througout the year, we’re teaming up with BWRE to showcase the personal and professional journeys of Black women in the real estate industry; highlight how Black women in the industry invest and structure value in/around land/property across global markets; and offer valuable insight into the business/operational functions in the real estate industry to inspire a spirit of land stewardship. All ideas you’ll hear in this week's conversation. Kicking off the series is BWRE Founder, Hanna Afolabi. A few years after founding BWRE, Hanna found herself furthering her entrepreneurial journey with Mood and Space (MAS), a development company supporting clients in embedding social value in their development vision and strategy as well as efficiently managing processes delivering community focused building and urban neighborhoods. Prior to setting up MAS, Hanna was a Development Director for Balfour Beatty Investments seconded into East Wick and Sweetwater Ltd a joint venture with Places for People. She lead on the feasibility, business planning, budget, design, programming and planning of the mixed-use regeneration project of approx. 1,900 homes on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Her other notable projects in London, include Hallsville Quarter in Canning Town and Borough Triangle in Elephant and Castle. Additionally, she is Vice Chair of the University of Greenwich’s Construction, Property and Surveying Practices Industry Advisory Board and is on Estates Gazette's Diversity & Inclusion Content Advisory Panel, advocating for diverse representation in property. Where to find Hanna? Black Women in Real Estate (BWRE) and get your tix to their International Women’s Day Gala @ Mood and Space On LinkedIn On Instagram What’s Hanna watching? All her Fault Bridgerton on Netflix His & Hers on Netflix Other topics of interest: Oke-Ila in Osun State, Nigeria About Hackney Estates GazetteSpecial Guest: Hanna Afolabi.
• Episode 308: Mobilizing Innovation Infrastructure in Haiti and Beyond with Marc Alain Boucicault 24.02.2026 58min

  Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week, though Black History Month in the Americas is winding down, here on the podcast we’re consistently aiming to learn, grow and inspire our sustained consciouness around #PanAfricanProgress and we’re deep diving with a son of the country that is at the foundation of liberation across the global Black Diaspora - Haiti. Marc Alain Boucicault is a social entrepreneur and ecosystem builder with over 15 years of experience working in international development and entrepreneurship with the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, at MIT and with grassroots organizations focused on youth empowerment and entrepreneurship. He is passionate about leveraging the power of entrepreneurship, technology and communication to reshape socioeconomic dynamics. As the founder of Banj, Haiti’s largest coworking space and entrepreneurship hub connecting various communities to promote innovation in Haiti and the Caribbean he also supports change-makers globally. Marc Alain extends this work in service on the board of the Haitian Education and Leadership Program (HELP) addressing access to higher education in Haiti. He is a Fulbright scholar, a social media influencer and a fellow podcaster. Where to find Marc Alain? On the Executive Talk Podcast On [LinkedIn](linkedin.com/in/marcalainb) On Instagram On Facebook On YouTube What’s Marc Alain watching? Banj 4.0 Other topics of interest: On Hispaniola and how the Haitian Revolution stirred colonialism Haiti Tech Summit Africa Tech Summit - Nairobi On The Five Stakeholder Model What’s GDP really all about? The Assassination of Jovenel Moïse: What happened on July 7, 2021 in Haiti? The IDB Case Study: Seeking a Recipe to Support Entrepreneurs in a Fragile Country: Banj's Approach through the Mobilization of the Innovation Ecosystem in Haiti Haitians at Harvard On Barbados' Inspriational Prime Minister Mia Amor MottleySpecial Guest: Marc Alain Boucicault.
• Episode 307: Around the Globe and Back Home Again with Nana Asomani-Poku 17.02.2026 51min

  Greetings Glocal Citizens! I met this week’s guest, Nana Asomani-Poku in Jamestown, Accra during a walking tour through featuring stories told in images by Glocal Citizen, James Barnor. It was during the James Barnor @‌95 celebration in 2024. Nana, a UK-born Ghanaian legal professional, filmmaker, and community engagement specialist based in Australia was back in Ghana for a family celebration of his own. As we chatted along the route, he mentioned his work centering social impact in Australia and my curiosity was peaked. What you’ll learn in this conversation spans how he began his career as a legal advocate for asylum seekers and refugees with the UK’s largest not-for-profit immigration law firm to community and stakeholder engagement, building bridges between public sector organisations and marginalised communities in Australia. Alongside his human rights work, he pursued his passion for filmmaking, training at the New York Film Academy and going on to make his first feature film, Drawn. Let’s travel with Nana, to get to know more about his land down under and other stops across the globe. Where to find Nana? On IMDB On Instagram What’s Nana listening to? Whitney Houston, Al Green, The Jacksons, to name a few. Other topics of interest: Visit Porkyto's in Osu, Accra Correction about the Aquarius sun sign, an air sign not a water sign About Leytonstone and The Bow Bells Lifestyle in Perth vs Melbourne Sokoto, Nigeria Ombudsman Services in Australia About the film, The Dish Yoga Nidra + Sankalpa How many countries are there across the planet?Special Guest: Nana Asomani-Poku.
• Episode 306: Digital Asset Evolution in Africa with Mimi Kufuor 10.02.2026 47min

  Greetings Glocal Citizens! My guest this week is building the financial infrastructure that Africa deserves. As Chief Operating Officer of KoinKoin and CEO + Country Manager of KoinKoin Ghana Ltd, a leading African digital asset exchange, Mimi Kufuor is creating digital assets solutions that work for real people. She comes to this work after spending 15 years navigating the most complex corners of institutional finance - from regulatory programmes at Bank of America and Barclays to compliance frameworks at Meta, working alongside the European Central Bank and managing initiatives worth £10m+. In that span, she learned how money actually moves, how regulators operate, and how to build systems that can scale with integrity. She continues working with companies navigating African markets, building compliant exchange operations, or trying to understand how digital assets can solve actual problems. Recognized as one of Africa’s “Top Fintech Voices,” she has shaped policy discourse at UK Parliamentary Summits, Financial Times Live events, and African Fintech Summits. Mimi champions financial inclusion, women’s leadership in fintech, and regulatory frameworks that position Africa as a pioneer in the global digital economy, building infrastructure that empowers individuals and businesses to access decentralized finance. As another certified Glocal Citizen, Mimi and I first connected as housemates in Morocco courtesy of mutual friend that you’ll hear about in our conversation Afua Dabanka, the inspired experience curator behind A Beautiful Life Travel. Last year on our trip to Kenya, I got to know about her work with KoinKoin and it is a pleasure to be able to share her progress a year later. #Listenandlearn more! Where to find Mimi? On LinkedIn On Instagram What’s Mimi reading? The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Other topics of interest: About Old Street in London About East Legon, Accra Recognizing Bullying in the Workplace About INSEAD Executive Programs Kwaku Yaro at Gallery 1957 In conversation with Edward Larbi What is Binance? About the evolution of African currencies Digital Assets 101 CitiFM Breakfast Show, 26 January 2026Special Guest: Mimi Kufuor.