Dear Diaspora

Thanks for tuning in to episode 36 of the show! Asafu is the founder and CEO of Naya Labs, a cutting-edge software development company that leverages top developers across the African continent, to build web/mobile applications for startups in the US.

Outside of Naya Labs, he's part of a team creating Built in Africa, a platform connecting trailblazers of the African diaspora through the unifying language of Tech. Built in Africa's mission is to build bridges by sharing stories of developers, designers, and those equipping the human talent with a technical skillset.

During the episode, Asafu shares:

• Growing up in US after emigrating from Liberia
• How he built Naya Labs, a company outsourcing development work to engineers on the Continent
• What inspired he and his team to get started with Built in Africa
• How can we leverage technology to create jobs on the Continent
• How we can ensure we don't get left behind in the digital revolution

"There's a real awakening happening among people of African descent across the globe. It feels to me that a lot of people are starting to resonate with the African continent being our future." - Asafu Thomas

Learn more about Built in Africa: https://www.builtinafrica.io/about

Connect with Thomas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asafuthomas/

Instagram: @builtinafrica.io

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Thanks for tuning in to episode 35! For today's episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ona Oghogho, Founder and Creative Director of Blk Pod Collective.

Blk Pod Collective was created to fill the void of adequate representation for African-Americans within the podcast industry. We provide support, visibility, and educational resources to ensure that our community has the tools needed to start, grow and sustain their platforms.

During the episode, Ona shares:

• Her experience growing up as a first-generation American in Atlanta, GA
• How her passion for podcasting and storytelling encouraged her to start the Blk Pod Collective
• How to create authentic content and disrupt the status quo in podcasting
• How podcasting can be used as a tool to connect the Diaspora
• What excites her about the future of podcasting

Listen to Blk Pod Collective: The Podcast:https://www.blkpodcollective.com/thepodcast

Get in touch with Ona: [email protected]

Instagram: @blkpodcollective

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Happy Sunday Dear Diaspora fam! Thanks for tuning in to episode 34 of the show. This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Edna Martinson and Clarence Tan, co-founders of Boddle Learning, an ed-tech platform with an adaptive learning algorithm that delivers just right questions to each student.

Boddle identifies and addresses gaps to help kids who are behind catch up, while providing the right level of rigor to challenge kids who are ahead.

During the episode, they share:

• Edna's upbringing in Uganda/Ghana and Clarence's in Singapore and China
• How their love story went viral after Clarence shared how his parents originally weren't keen about him dating outside his race
• What sparked their interest in entrepreneurship and the early days of Boddle Learning
• How school closures increased their user base by over 1,000%
• Tips on building a company with a partner
• What's next for Boddle

Get Boddle: https://boddlelearning.com

Boddle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/boddlelearning

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For today's episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Makisha Boothe, Founder and Head Business Coach of Sistahbiz Global Network. Sistahbiz Global Network is business accelerator for Black women entrepreneurs. Makisha is also principal of Pivot Innovation Solutions, a strategic facilitation and planning agency in Denver, Colorado.

Recently, Sistahbiz launched one of the nation's first small business loan fund for Black women entrepreneurs. The Sistahbiz Loan Fund addresses inequitable access to capital for a fast-growing, underfunded demographic of entrepreneurs. Qualified applicants will have access to loans of $500 - $50,000 and so far, the Sistahbiz Loan Fund has secured $250,000!

During the episode, Makisha shares:

• Her upbringing in New York and her life now in Denver, CO
• How she left her 6-figure government job and launched Sistahbiz Global Network
• How intersectionalities often leave Black women-owned businesses underfunded
• Who can apply for funding from the Sistahbiz Loan Fund
• How COVID-19 is impacting Black women-owned businesses and much more!

"We stand on the shoulders of so many great ancestors—there's this unity across the Diaspora that makes you feel like we're family no matter where you're born." – Makisha Boothe

Visit their website:https://www.sistah.biz

Follow@sistahbiz on Instagram

Sistahbiz Global Network on FB

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Thanks for tuning in to episode 32, Dear Diaspora fam! For today's episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Isaac Sesi, founder of Sesi Technologies.

Isaac Sesi is a Ghanaian entrepreneur, engineer, and the founder of Sesi Technologies, a Ghanaian company that solves agricultural and food challenges. He is known for his development of GrainMate, a moisture meter that allows famers and grain purchasers to affordably measure moisture levels of maize, rice, and other staples to help reduce post-harvest losses.

He's also a founder of Nsesa Foundation, an organization inspiring young Africans to be innovative and equip them with skills to make impact wherever they go using Science and Technology.

During the episode, Isaac shares:

• His experience growing up in Ghana and his early interest in solving problems through technology
• Building Grain Mate and making it more accessible via innovative payment methods
• Working with Ghanaian subcontractors to make the components for Grain Mate
• How he funded his company by winning various pitch competitions
• How he's teaching young people how to code on their mobile phones via The Nsesa Foundation
• Practical ways to support African entrepreneurs

Tune in to hear more!

"We're going to see amazing things coming from young people on this continent—and I don't want to be left out. That's why I've taken a step in helping shape Africa's future." - Isaac Sesi

Sesi Technologies:https://sesitechnologies.com/about-us/

Get in touch with Isaac: [email protected]

Nsesa Foundation:https://nsesafoundation.org

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Happy Sunday Dear Diaspora fam! Thanks for tuning in to episode 31 of the show. For today's episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mazuba Kapambwe.

Mazuba Kapambwe is a Zambian freelance writer whose work has appeared in Paper Magazine, Okay Africa, CNN Travel and more. She has a travel podcast called Mwende Bwino which was listed as one of the top 5 Zambian podcasts of 2020 by Nkwazi Magazine. Mazuba holds a Bachelors in Africana Studies and is currently pursuing a master's degree in the same field.

During the episode, she shares more about:

• Her experience living and working in Zambia as a creative and freelancer
• How her passion for travel inspired her to launch the Mwende Bwino podcast
• What traveling with an African passport is really like
• What makes Zambia a great first country to visit on the Continent
• How we can encourage more intra-African travel and support African creatives

Tune in for more!

Check out Mwende Bwino's latest episode: https://soundcloud.com/mwendebwinopodcast/how-corona-has-changed-travel-and-tourism-in-africa

Read Mazuba's short story Munkoyo (long-listed for the 2019 Kalemba Short Story Prize): https://medium.com/@mazubaka/munkoyo-4b2dd9b66e70

Follow Mwende Bwino on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MwendeBwino?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Follow Mwende Bwino on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mwendebwinopodcast/

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African Union Passport:https://qz.com/africa/1794872/the-african-union-passport-can-only-increase-mobility-in-africa/

For today's episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Addany, PhD student currently in Wuhan, China.

Michael Addaney is a doctoral scholar at the Research Institute of Environmental Law, School of Law, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China; and senior research assistant at the University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani, Ghana. Michael's research interests broadly focus on the role of international (human rights) law in framing and implementing responses to sustainability challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. He also researches on Africa's sustainable development and China's rising geopolitical interests on the continent.

During the episode, Michael shares:

• His experience living under lockdown for 70+ days in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
• Why the Ghanaian government decided not to evacuate Ghanaian students studying in Wuhan at the height of the Coronavirus outbreak
• How African governments can respond considering Africa's contextual realities
• His research focus and why the African continent is the most vulnerable to climate change

"When there is life, there is hope. It's a matter of reprioritizing our development projects and putting people first." Michael Addany

Connect with Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-addaney-555b2989/

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Thank you all for tuning in to episode 29 of the show. For today's (solo) episode, I wanted to take a moment to pause and reflect on the last few weeks.

Many of us haven't experienced anything like this (Coronavirus pandemic), but I am faithful that we will push through and get through this. Hoping everyone is staying safe, staying inside and working from home if possible.

Our collective efforts will slow the spread significantly so we can get back to our normal routines as soon as possible.

During the episode, I also share more about my new gig with the Opportunity Hub!

The Opportunity Hub (OHUB) is the leading technology, startup entrepreneurship & and venture ecosystem building platform created to ensure that everyone, everywhere has equitable opportunity in the future of work, fourth industrial revolution and beyond as a path to multi-generational wealth creation with no reliance on pre-existing multi-generational wealth.

Tune in to hear more about my new role, and some tips/encouragement to help you get through this uncertain time.

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home. We will get through this.

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Email the show: [email protected]

Epiosode 21 with Jamila Souffrant: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/21-how-you-can-get-better-money-in-2020-journey-to/id1476467253?i=1000463035531&l=fr

OHUB Campus program: https://opportunityhub.co/college/

OHUB Go Fund Me: https://www.gofundme.com/f/5th-annual-ohubsxsw-amp-hbcusxsw-march-1216-2020

D'IYANU (dee-ya-nu) is a ready-to-wear bold print clothing line offering quality, trendy African inspired fashion at affordable prices. With her love for fashion and passion for self-expression through unique clothing, Nigerian born Addie Elabor launched the D'IYANU brand at the beginning of 2014. D'IYANU is a fun, bold, chic line centered on inspiring individuals to confidently dress bold and beautifully.

After getting her master's degree in international marketing, and working for a few years as a buyer and marketer, she found herself unsatisfied. After noticing there were very few ready-to-wear African clothing brands, she decided to launch one herself.

During the episode, she shares:

• Her upbringing in Philadelphia, PA
• The early days of D'IYANU and she leveraged Etsy, Ebay and Facebook Ads early on to market and grow her business
• Her journey launching D'IYANU while working her full-time job
• Her vision to expand to the continent and give back to the community she comes from

"There's a lot of potential that the continent holds. I'm excited to see us in the Diaspora go back and give back, in whichever capacity we're able to." - Addie Elabor

Resources mentioned in this episode:

D'IYANU: https://www.diyanu.com

Follow D'IYANU on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diyanu/

Rich Dad, Poor Dad: https://amzn.to/3aycisb

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Certified Africa is influencing travelers of color to connect, do business on the Continent and share their entrepreneurial talents while contributing to the development of Africa.

Nii and Kristin met in 2016 while Kristin was participating in a legal study abroad program in Ghana. Nii showed Kristin around his home country and did the same for her family when they came to visit her. The two then thought—why not bring even more people to Ghana, show them around, and share the numerous business opportunities available?

And Certified Africa was born. Certified Africa curates transformative trips to Ghana, where travelers have the opportunity to experience fun, adventure, nightlife and authentic culture.

During the episode, Kristin and Nii share:

• How they infuse business in each of their travel experiences
• Some of the most promising business opportunities in Ghana
• Their thoughts on the impact of The Year of Return
• What it's like to live in the US and run a business on the Continent
• Tips on doing business with your spouse

"There's an amazing future ahead for Africa." Kristin Quaye

Visit their website:https://www.certifiedafrica.com

NYE in the Motherland experience (use discount code DearDiaspora at checkout for 10% off): https://www.wetravel.com/trips/nye-in-the-motherland-beyond-the-return-ghana-2020-certified-africa-accra-31289394

Follow Certified Africa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/certifiedafrica/

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