AfricaX Podcast

It’s very common to observe something in society that is not working and complain about it, complain that it needs to be solved. Less common so, to take accountability for whatever isn’t working, be proactive in finding solutions that work for you and in so doing, fix the problem for the society as a whole. This is something that Ariana Oluwole has done in founding Narnia Daycare. Narnia is a children’s daycare founded in 2013 in Freetown, Sierra Leone, that has to date catered to over 900 children, all inspired by the desire for a mother to care for her child.

When Ariana got her first child, she realised that there were not many early learning centres for children in Freetown. Knowing the value to children of early education and being in a nurturing and engaging environment, she decided to quit her job so that she could support her son's development. In doing that, she had the thought to extend that care to people around her.  

Listen in on this episode, to learn how Ariana got introduced to business, financed launching her business, navigated and recovered from the Ebola crisis that took hold of Sierra Leone, the role that mentors have played in her journey, how her experience with multiple car crashes and paralysis has built her resilience in business, how she supports other upcoming centres and how she even supports her staff to start their own businesses as well.

For further infos and the full blog on Ariana, please go to www.africax.org/blog .

_______________________

YOU LIKE THE AFRICAX PROJECT?

Here is how you can learn more and support...:

👉🏾 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africaxproject/

👉🏾 Check out our Blog: https://www.africax.org/blog to listen to all of the episodes as a podcast and watch the videos

👉🏾 Donate and help us empower the next generation of young entrepreneurs and changemakers in Africa through https://www.yesfoundersfoundation.org with as little as 10 USD

👉🏾 Or last but not least GET THE AFRICAX BOOK HERE... and follow the epic adventure of Dulcie Mativo and Thomas Jakel as they travel the African continent overland with an electric motorbike, to interview over 100 inspiring changemakers in 20 countries, from Morocco and Mauritania to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and many more... Get access to the the charge map for the electric motorbike, the interviews with 100 changemakers, entrepreneurs and social innovators and our 10 'secrets' to travelling the African continent electric.

Here some of the 5 Star reviews of the book:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Now this adventure and story telling is something else!!! I’m now in Ghana. Completely grateful for Abo as well. Liberia was the epic best disaster." - a reader

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Such an amazing read. Probably the first book I’ve read in a year - since 2020 I’ve mostly been doing audio books ; but this is so worth it. It’s made me crave a good read again, thank you." - a reader

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A wild and captivating read that combines both a unique adventure as well as inspiring accounts about Africa's young leaders and social entrepreneurs. If you are into travel and inspiration, this book is for you. Thumbs up."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I started reading into this book without high expectations but then got really pulled into the story. So much so, that I found it hard to put the book down. It is a wild mix of pure adventure, fun storytelling that has you on the floor laughing, the inspirational vibe with all the interviews with African entrepreneurs and then the zen attitude this couple gives off, even when they are stuck in the mud between borders or lose their support vehicle. Great read. Can only recommend."

Richard Brandt started Codetrain, Ghana’s biggest commercial coding school from his own kitchen after quitting his freelance role as a consultant, to focus on teaching young Africans the coding skills full-time and matching them with companies for employment opportunities.

In the interview he shares about the beginnings of his journey into entrepreneurship and education, the challenges he went through building up Codetrain, how he keeps himself motivated and driven in tough times and we discuss the opportunities that the young generation has in an, on many aspects, more and more level playing field.

Also, you can enjoy the full interview with Richard through our AfricaX Youtube channel or the AfricaX Blog.

Social Handles of Richard Brandt and Codetrain:

• Twitter: @codetraingh
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/codetrain
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/codetraingh/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codetraingh

_______________________

YOU LIKE THE AFRICAX PROJECT?

Here is how you can learn more and support...:

👉🏾 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africaxproject/

👉🏾 Check out our Blog: https://www.africax.org/blog to listen to all of the episodes as a podcast and watch the videos

👉🏾 Donate and help us empower the next generation of young entrepreneurs and changemakers in Africa through https://www.yesfoundersfoundation.org with as little as 10 USD

👉🏾 Or last but not least GET THE AFRICAX BOOK HERE... and follow the epic adventure of Dulcie Mativo and Thomas Jakel as they travel the African continent overland with an electric motorbike, to interview over 100 inspiring changemakers in 20 countries, from Morocco and Mauritania to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and many more... Get access to the the charge map for the electric motorbike, the interviews with 100 changemakers, entrepreneurs and social innovators and our 10 'secrets' to travelling the African continent electric.

Here some of the 5 Star reviews of the book:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Now this adventure and story telling is something else!!! I’m now in Ghana. Completely grateful for Abo as well. Liberia was the epic best disaster." - a reader

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Such an amazing read. Probably the first book I’ve read in a year - since 2020 I’ve mostly been doing audio books ; but this is so worth it. It’s made me crave a good read again, thank you." - a reader

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A wild and captivating read that combines both a unique adventure as well as inspiring accounts about Africa's young leaders and social entrepreneurs. If you are into travel and inspiration, this book is for you. Thumbs up."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I started reading into this book without high expectations but then got really pulled into the story. So much so, that I found it hard to put the book down. It is a wild mix of pure adventure, fun storytelling that has you on the floor laughing, the inspirational vibe with all the interviews with African entrepreneurs and then the zen attitude this couple gives off, even when they are stuck in the mud between borders or lose their support vehicle. Great read. Can only recommend."

Many people that want to start a business, but haven’t, will tell you that they need more money or a better point in time. Alhaji however, couldn’t afford to wait for more money or a better point in time to kick off his business Rugsal Trading in Sierra Leone.

Born in Kono district, Sierra Leone, his dad died when he was 12 years old and Alhaji moved to Freetown to further his education. To survive, he took on odd jobs around the city, all the while living on the street or staying with friends.

One morning, coming home from work, he learned, that all 7 members of his adopted family had died in a mud-slide that killed over a thousand people, sparing Alhaji only because he was working a night-shift in a water bag factory.

On television he learned, that the situation was caused or at least aggravated by the deforestation and poor waste management in the capital. That is when the then 17 year old, decided to look into the environmental reasons for the mud slide and the floods and do something about it.

He started his environmentally friendly manufacturing business, Rugsal Trading with 20$ he saved. The business, which is in handcrafted paper bag and charcoal based on coconut shell production, is now giving employment to several dozen people and creating an environmental impact in his community and country.

We won’t take away too much here except for: This interview is so worth watching and learning from.

--

• Full interview also on Video / Youtube via the AfricaX Blog
• Rugsal Trading on Facebook
• Alhaji Siraj Bah on Instagram
• Profile on The Anzisha Prize Website
• CNN coverage on Alhaji Siraj Bah

_______________________

YOU LIKE THE AFRICAX PROJECT?

Here is how you can learn more and support...:

👉🏾 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africaxproject/

👉🏾 Check out our Blog: https://www.africax.org/blog to listen to all of the episodes as a podcast and watch the videos

👉🏾 Donate and help us empower the next generation of young entrepreneurs and changemakers in Africa through https://www.yesfoundersfoundation.org with as little as 10 USD

👉🏾 Or last but not least GET THE AFRICAX BOOK HERE... and follow the epic adventure of Dulcie Mativo and Thomas Jakel as they travel the African continent overland with an electric motorbike, to interview over 100 inspiring changemakers in 20 countries, from Morocco and Mauritania to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and many more... Get access to the the charge map for the electric motorbike, the interviews with 100 changemakers, entrepreneurs and social innovators and our 10 'secrets' to travelling the African continent electric.

Here some of the 5 Star reviews of the book:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Now this adventure and story telling is something else!!! I’m now in Ghana. Completely grateful for Abo as well. Liberia was the epic best disaster." - a reader

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Such an amazing read. Probably the first book I’ve read in a year - since 2020 I’ve mostly been doing audio books ; but this is so worth it. It’s made me crave a good read again, thank you." - a reader

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A wild and captivating read that combines both a unique adventure as well as inspiring accounts about Africa's young leaders and social entrepreneurs. If you are into travel and inspiration, this book is for you. Thumbs up."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I started reading into this book without high expectations but then got really pulled into the story. So much so, that I found it hard to put the book down. It is a wild mix of pure adventure, fun storytelling that has you on the floor laughing, the inspirational vibe with all the interviews with African entrepreneurs and then the zen attitude this couple gives off, even when they are stuck in the mud between borders or lose their support vehicle. Great read. Can only recommend."

Regina Honu is a Ghanaian computer scientist, founder of Soronko Solutions, a software enterprise and a Changemaker, that has taught thousands of girls how to create technology and to code through Tech Needs Girls Ghana and Soronko Academy.

Now Regina might seem like an unlikely entrepreneur. Like many of us, growing up, she believed that entrepreneurs were special kind of people. That entrepreneurs were born and not made.

She on the other hand was socialised like an average Ghanaian girl as she says and that meant:

“A good Ghanain girl must be seen and not heard. Just follow the rules, check all the boxes. And I was that girl, that followed all the rules and checked all the boxes.”

However, Regina’s path seemed to change, when she decided to become a computer scientist.

She noticed how computer science was so male dominated and in her first jobs, working for two banks in Corporate Ghana, she was the only woman in the IT department, and experienced discrimination, sexism and stereotyping.

However, she also noticed, that she had a higher earning power than her colleagues, because of her skills and so saw the opportunities that working in tech presented.

Eventually, she decided to quit her job and start Soronko Solutions, a social enterprise, developing software and supporting her not for profit projects Soronko Academy and Tech Needs Girls Ghana, that have engaged several thousand girls in creating technology and learning how to code.

When she launched Tech Needs Girls, at the time, there were many other programs. But they were targeted at teaching people how to consume technology, not how to create it. She decided to stand out by teaching girls how to create technology and how to code. In the beginning no one believed that it was possible:

‘Girls are not built for math and science’ , ‘it is too advanced’, ‘ the girls are not going to get it.’

She got a lot of this kind of backlash in the beginning. But she believed that she could teach girls how to code and that it was all about how you tailor the content, how you deliver it and about female role models in tech.

Fast forward to today and Regina has been covered in a book by Facebooks CEO Sheryl Sandberg, CNN has interviewed her, as well as Al Jazeera and BBC. We are grateful that we also had the chance to meet her and learn a ton from this inspiring entrepreneur.

• How she started and built her software companies?
• How she leveraged on her shy personality to be her strength in sales and business development?
• And how she eventually got to engage thousands of girls in developing technology?

Find out in this AfricaX interview with Regina Honu. The Interview with Regina Honu is also available on our Youtube Channel.

For more information on Regina and her projects, please visit:

• Soronko Academy Instagram and Instagram of Regina Honu
• Regina Honu’s LinkedIn and the LinkedIn of Soronko Solutions
• As well as the Youtube of Soronko Foundation

And for more interviews with African Changemakers that we interviewed on our trip through the continent with an electric motorbike, visit our AfricaX Blog.

_______________________

YOU LIKE THE AFRICAX PROJECT?

Here is how you can learn more and support...:

👉🏾 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africaxproject/

👉🏾 Check out our Blog: https://www.africax.org/blog to listen to all of the episodes as a podcast and watch the videos

👉🏾 Donate and help us empower the next generation of young entrepreneurs and changemakers in Africa through https://www.yesfoundersfoundation.org with as little as 10 USD

👉🏾 Or last but not least GET THE AFRICAX BOOK HERE... and follow the epic adventure of Dulcie Mativo and Thomas Jakel as they travel the African continent overland with an electric motorbike, to interview over 100 inspiring changemakers in 20 countries, from Morocco and Mauritania to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and many more...

Naomi Tulay-Solanke is the case in point, that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it. Pregnant at the age of 14 in Liberia, she experienced stigmatisation, naming and blaming. Social expectations were, that she would drop out of school. Naomi however, decided to prove everybody wrong. “I always knew that I was going to be somebody that would contribute to society” she says in our interview with her.

Working hard, determined to write her own life’s story and contribute, she achieved her Masters degree and eventually became a nurse.

However, at some point, she realised that for her “being a nurse was great, but that she needed to be greater”, she relates. And what that meant to her, was to not only cater to people when they were sick but prevent them from getting sick in the first place.

So she quit her job as a nurse and started a mobile clinic, signing up her friends who were health professionals to work with her. Three months into this intervention, Liberia was hit with the worst Ebola outbreak ever in West Africa, forcing her and her team to put the activities on a hold.

But something compelled her to go back out. With the Ebola crisis still in full swing and Naomi pregnant, she decided to create more awareness about Ebola, create prevention kits for underserved communities and to help schools redesign their hand washing installations, so that more children could use it at the same time.

This work, eventually also put her in touch with the issue of young girls staying out of school and eventually dropping out of school due to a lack of sanitary pads in their communities.

Today, Naomi Tulay-Solanke is engaging and training communities all across Liberia in addressing their own health challenges with low-cost solutions. Her PAD4Girls Social enterprise, a case in point, helps these underserved communities to produce their own reusable sanitary pads at affordable prices, solving one of the most pressing local problems for women and girls.

Naomi is an Ashoka fellow since 2018.

You can find out more about Naomi and her work through:

- Her in depth profile on the Ashoka website https://www.ashoka.org/de-de/fellow/naomi-solanke

- The Community Healthcare Initiative Liberia Website: http://www.chiliberia.org/about-us.php

- Or their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/chcinitiative

If you like this interview, subscribe to our channel to never miss out on an AfricaX changemaker again.

Also, follow AfricaX on:

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africaxproject/

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/africaxproject/

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/africax/

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#africax #africaxproject #changemaking #africa #entrepreneurship #africawinning #inspiration #sustainabledevelopment #sdgs #changemakers #yesfoundersfoundation #startups #africanstartups #businessinafrica #innovation #innovationinafrica #socialentrepreneurship #socialentrepreneurs

#NaomiTulaySolanke #CommunityHealthcareInitiative #Liberia #ReusableSanitaryPads #WASH #sanitation #Monrovia #Ashoka #AshokaFellows #femaleempowerment #sanitarypads

_______________________

YOU LIKE THE AFRICAX PROJECT?

Here is how you can learn more and support...:

👉🏾 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africaxproject/

👉🏾 Check out our Blog: https://www.africax.org/blog to listen to all of the episodes as a podcast and watch the videos

👉🏾 Donate and help us empower the next generation of young entrepreneurs and changemakers in Africa through https://www.yesfoundersfoundation.org with as little as 10 USD

👉🏾 Or last but not least GET THE AFRICAX BOOK HERE... and follow the epic adventure of Dulcie Mativo and Thomas Jakel as they travel the African continent overland with an electric motorbike, to interview over 100 inspiring changemakers in 20 countries, from Morocco and Mauritania to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and many more...

Join us as we learn from Youness Ouazri, founder and CEO of Ecodome Maroc. Ecodome is a profitable enterprise that constructs ecological houses called 'Ecodomes' for the development of rural communities. 

In this episode, Youness discusses the advantages of the ecodome over modern day construction, how he set up the enterprise and built a team, his road to profitability, the challenges that he had to overcome, and expansion plans. He also gives a word of advice to fellow changemakers.

Learn more about Youness and his sustainable construction company in Morocco on Instagram, Facebook and by going to ecodomemaroc.com

Follow #AfricaX on Instagram and Facebook

_______________________

YOU LIKE THE AFRICAX PROJECT?

Here is how you can learn more and support...:

👉🏾 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africaxproject/

👉🏾 Check out our Blog: https://www.africax.org/blog to listen to all of the episodes as a podcast and watch the videos

👉🏾 Donate and help us empower the next generation of young entrepreneurs and changemakers in Africa through https://www.yesfoundersfoundation.org with as little as 10 USD

👉🏾 Or last but not least GET THE AFRICAX BOOK HERE... and follow the epic adventure of Dulcie Mativo and Thomas Jakel as they travel the African continent overland with an electric motorbike, to interview over 100 inspiring changemakers in 20 countries, from Morocco and Mauritania to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and many more... Get access to the the charge map for the electric motorbike, the interviews with 100 changemakers, entrepreneurs and social innovators and our 10 'secrets' to travelling the African continent electric.

Here some of the 5 Star reviews of the book:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Now this adventure and story telling is something else!!! I’m now in Ghana. Completely grateful for Abo as well. Liberia was the epic best disaster." - a reader

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Such an amazing read. Probably the first book I’ve read in a year - since 2020 I’ve mostly been doing audio books ; but this is so worth it. It’s made me crave a good read again, thank you." - a reader

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A wild and captivating read that combines both a unique adventure as well as inspiring accounts about Africa's young leaders and social entrepreneurs. If you are into travel and inspiration, this book is for you. Thumbs up."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I started reading into this book without high expectations but then got really pulled into the story. So much so, that I found it hard to put the book down. It is a wild mix of pure adventure, fun storytelling that has you on the floor laughing, the inspirational vibe with all the interviews with African entrepreneurs and then the zen attitude this couple gives off, even when they are stuck in the mud between borders or lose their support vehicle. Great read. Can only recommend."

In our first episode, we speak to Momarr Taal, the founder of Tropingo Foods in Gambia. Momarr has a particularly interesting story because he founded three successful businesses without ever intending to be a business person. His current business, Tropingo Foods, is not only a mango processing and exporting company and the first of its kind in Gambia, but a direct response to the breakdown in market linkages that have resulted in Africa importing back finished products for which she exports the raw material used in production. He speaks candidly on the cultural challenges he had to overcome, the different failures and resultant lessons that led him to setting up his mango factory, the role of mentorship in his success, and how he handles the mental fatigue that comes with entrepreneurship. Listen out for his golden rule that he believes every entrepreneur lives by, whether or not they know it!  

Learn more on https://www.africax.org

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#africax #africaxproject #changemaking #africa #entrepreneurship #africawinning #inspiration #sustainabledevelopment #sdgs #changemakers #yesfoundersfoundation #startups #africanstartups #businessinafrica #innovation #innovationinafrica #socialentrepreneurship #socialentrepreneurs #gambia #tropingofoods #momarrtaal

_______________________

YOU LIKE THE AFRICAX PROJECT?

Here is how you can learn more and support...:

👉🏾 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africaxproject/

👉🏾 Check out our Blog: https://www.africax.org/blog to listen to all of the episodes as a podcast and watch the videos

👉🏾 Donate and help us empower the next generation of young entrepreneurs and changemakers in Africa through https://www.yesfoundersfoundation.org with as little as 10 USD

👉🏾 Or last but not least GET THE AFRICAX BOOK HERE... and follow the epic adventure of Dulcie Mativo and Thomas Jakel as they travel the African continent overland with an electric motorbike, to interview over 100 inspiring changemakers in 20 countries, from Morocco and Mauritania to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and many more... Get access to the the charge map for the electric motorbike, the interviews with 100 changemakers, entrepreneurs and social innovators and our 10 'secrets' to travelling the African continent electric.

Here some of the 5 Star reviews of the book:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Now this adventure and story telling is something else!!! I’m now in Ghana. Completely grateful for Abo as well. Liberia was the epic best disaster." - a reader

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Such an amazing read. Probably the first book I’ve read in a year - since 2020 I’ve mostly been doing audio books ; but this is so worth it. It’s made me crave a good read again, thank you." - a reader

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A wild and captivating read that combines both a unique adventure as well as inspiring accounts about Africa's young leaders and social entrepreneurs. If you are into travel and inspiration, this book is for you. Thumbs up."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I started reading into this book without high expectations but then got really pulled into the story. So much so, that I found it hard to put the book down. It is a wild mix of pure adventure, fun storytelling that has you on the floor laughing, the inspirational vibe with all the interviews with African entrepreneurs and then the zen attitude this couple gives off, even when they are stuck in the mud between borders or lose their support vehicle. Great read. Can only recommend."