Africa's Big Switch (ABS)

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On this episode of Africa's Big Switch Podcast, hosts Celine, Lys, Bolaji and Hassana reflect on the 10 episodes released in 2024.

They discuss their favourite episodes, progress and give insights into the future direction of the podcast.

The conversation takes on a more casual and chat-like tone rather than a formal interview.

Special thanks to Atim and Adeoti for the marketing, and the hosts would like take the opportunity to wish the listeners a Happy New Year!

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On this episode of ABS, we sat down with Victoria Peill, founder of Duara Education, a social enterprise that is empowering female teachers to create community-based micro schools.

Victoria's background spans, education, entrepreneurship and strategy, including roles with African leadership, group posting, consulting group and teaching in Peru.

Duara Education makes high quality school education accessible for millions of families in Africa, starting in Kenya. They empower female teachers to start their own community-based microschool, leveraging the power of innovations and decentral networks.

On this episode, we explore:

• Victoria's journey and her role  
• The rationale behind Duara Education’s emphasis on women-led schools 
• The transformative impact of empowering teachers to lead quality, community-based education in Africa
• Challenges faced in building Duara Education and supporting teachers through this journey 

Join us as we delve into Victoria's remarkable journey and her impact on Africa's education sector on Africa’s Big Switch.

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On this episode of ABS, we sat down with Kristin Wilson. Kristen currently works for the Innovate Africa Fund as the Managing Partner and Bold Angel Network, she crafts innovative solutions that combine human operations, data analytics, and software to drive growth for SMEs and start-ups in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Innovate Africa Fund is a founder-first catalyst fund dedicated to accelerating the journey to product-market fit for African entrepreneurs.

Kristin has over a decade of management consulting experience in technology strategy, product development, and business planning, Kristin specialises in enabling organisations to develop infrastructure and processes to leverage technology and data for business scalability and profitability. Her expertise spans stakeholder engagement, operational enhancement, and digital transformation.
As a seasoned digital work expert, writer, speaker, and thought leader, Kristin has built a successful career helping startups and small businesses thrive in emerging markets. Her background in data analytics, operations research and project management has equipped her to drive innovation and growth for ambitious founders.

She maintains a robust and active angel investment portfolio, and is also the Chief Strategy Officer at Spurt! Kristin serves as LP Advisor at Oui Capital and Investment Lead for the Rising Tide Africa Angel Network. She is also a Harris Fellow

On this episode, we explore:

• Kristen's journey and her role  
• The drive behind Innovate Africa Fund
• Future of  Innovate Africa Fund
• How to get involved 

Join us as we delve into Kristen's remarkable journey and her impact on Africa's investment sector on Africa’s Big Switch

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On this episode of ABS, we sat down with Modupe Poku. Modupe currently works for the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change as the Education Advisor to the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education focusing specifically on digital learning.

The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change partners with political leaders to drive meaningful change by offering strategy, policy, and delivery support, with a focus on harnessing technology to improve governance. By working closely with governments, they aim to create more inclusive, open, and prosperous societies through practical solutions and lasting impact.

Modupe is an international development professional with a focus on strategy, good governance, gender & women's empowerment and sustainability. She has over 7 years work experience in advisory, program and stakeholder management and strategy development across Anglophone and Francophone West Africa and Switzerland. She is especially passionate about the intersection of the public, private and non profit sector in reaching the SDGs especially through good governance, sustainable businesses and technology.

On this episode, we explore:

• Modupe's background and her role  
• The curriculum transition in the education sector 
• Financing and investment in the education sector 
• Future of technology in the education sector in West Africa  

Join us as we delve into Modupe's remarkable journey and her impact on Africa's education sector on Africa’s Big Switch.

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On this episode of ABS, we sat down with Toni Sanni, Head Corporate Finance and Venture Capital at the Emerging Africa Group.
 
The Emerging Africa Group is an ESG-focused organization that partners with investors to bridge Africa's financial gap and support sustainable development. With over $1 billion raised, it offers financing and advisory services across sectors like investment banking, fintech, and infrastructure.

Toni Sanni is an accomplished financial services expert with experience in Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Investment Banking. At Emerging Africa Group, Toni leads a team of experts and drives Venture Capital and Advisory businesses. She holds degrees from the University of Bristol and the London School of Economics and has worked at Verod Capital and Mediterrania Capital Partners, focusing on major capital transactions in emerging markets.

On this episode, we explore:

• Toni's background and experience  
• Goals and mission of the Emerging Africa Group
• What it means to be an ESG focused investment group 
• Challenges and solutions of building in the African investment ecosystem 

Join us as we delve into Toni's remarkable journey and her impact on Africa's investment sector on Africa’s Big Switch.

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On this episode of ABS, we sat down with Richard Chongo, the Country Director of Opportunity International Malawai. Opportunity International is a global network of over 40 organizations, primarily microfinance institutions, helping millions of families in over 20 countries across Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America to lift themselves out of poverty. Funded by support members in countries like Australia, Canada, Germany, and the USA, these organizations provide small loans and financial aid to those in need. A leadership forum fosters collaboration and innovation across the network to maximize their impact worldwide.

Richard Chongo specializes in managing transformative programs around agriculture, finance, youth, development and gender equality.

On this episode, we explore:

• Richard’s journey at Opportunity International and what Opportunity International is  
• The kinds of technology Opportunity International has provided?
• Engagement with the farmers 
• Future opportunities for Opportunity International 

Join us as we delve into Richard’s remarkable journey and his impact on the Agricultural sector.

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On this episode of ABS, we sat down with Delz Erinle, the Founder and Product Lead of Agrify. Agrify focuses on decarbonizing the agricultural value chain through regenerative intelligence and carbon microfinance, aiming to improve farmer resilience and farmer incomes.

Delz is an innovator with expertise in Economics and Product Design as well as master’s degrees in Marketing Management, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He also founded and leads Astra, which pioneers a new way to design clothes using AI and discover them in virtual reality.

On this episode, we explore:

• Delz's background and tech journey
• The challenges experienced at Agrify 
• Success stories at Agrify 
• The benefits of AI to the farmers

Join us as we delve into Delz's remarkable journey and his impact on the Agricultural sector.

This is Africa’s Big Switch.

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On this episode of ABS, we sit down with Alberta Asafo-Asamoah, the Co-Founder of Liquify, an invoice financing platform connecting African SME's to global capital markets. 

Alberta started in corporate banking in Europe before moving to impact investing and entrepreneurship. In 2018, she founded AlgebraInTheCity, an educational support organization to provide quality education to underserved communities. Alberta completed her MBA at Imperial College Business School and has obtained the 2021 Edie Hunt inspiration Award, and was a nominee for the Women of the Future award.

We cover the following topics on this episode:

• Alberta's background and personality
• The journey of building Liquify and how invoice financing works
• The opportunities and challenges of invoice financing
• The business partnerships and success stories at Liquify 

Join us as we delve into Alberta's remarkable journey and her  impact on Africa's SME sector on Africa’s Big Switch.

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On this episode of ABS, we sit down with Joe Kinvi, the Founder of PLTFM, a multi-asset investment platform for Africa and Africans in the Diaspora. He also leads HoaQ, an investor community with over 100 investments across Africa and its Diaspora. 

Before embarking on his entrepreneurial journey, Joe was an experienced operator with a background in finance, mergers and acquisitions, business development, and partnerships. Joe has held key positions such as Head of Finance at Touchtech Payments (acquired by Stripe), Growth Lead at Stripe, and Partnerships Lead at Paystack.

In this episode, we explore:

• Joe's passion, background, and personality
• The importance of building investment communities for Africa
• The journey of PLTFM
• Overcoming challenges and the future vision for PLTFM

Join us as we delve into Joe's remarkable journey and his transformative impact on Africa's investment sector on Africa’s Big Switch.

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On this episode of ABS, we sit down with Abiola Adebiyi, the Founder of Elevate Development Foundation (EDF). EDF is a youth-led NGO focused on educating, enlightening, and empowering vulnerable Nigerians in underserved communities.

Abiola, a forensic accountant with a master's degree in sustainable development from the University of Sussex, advocates for public policies grounded in equity and justice to transform Nigeria, especially for its underserved populations. Through social impact initiatives, leadership, mentorship, and public speaking, she empowers the youth to become agents of community change. At just 16, she founded EDF to guide the youth in slum communities toward economic prosperity, impacting over 7,000 individuals by improving education and addressing unemployment.

In this episode, we explore:

• Abiola's passion, background, and personality
• The importance of SDG4 and why she focuses on education
• The inception and journey of the Elevate Development Foundation
• Managing a volunteer-based organization
• Overcoming challenges in running EDF
• The future vision for EDF

Join us as we delve into Abiola’s remarkable journey and her transformative impact on Nigeria's education sector on Africa’s Big Switch.

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