GEOHABARI

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For the first time on the Young Professionals segment, we recorded this episode with a live studio audience of students and young professionals joining the conversation in real time.

🎟️ Don’t miss the Africa’s Women in Space Conference, happening November 27–28 at Strathmore University. It’s free and open to everyone, ⁠register here.⁠

In this Young Professionals segment of the GeoHabari Podcast, host Linus Anari sits down with Dr. Pamela Ochungo - a lecturer at The Technical University of Kenya (TUK), remote sensing specialist, mentor, and one of the most inspiring voices in African geospatial science.

Together, they unpack how careers rarely follow straight lines and how the “side quests” we stumble into often open the most meaningful doors. From mapping livestock to studying honeybees, preserving archaeology, and even tackling public health, Dr. Ochungo shares how curiosity and open-mindedness shaped her journey into unexpected opportunities.

This conversation is packed with insights for students and young professionals: why keeping a learner’s mindset matters, how to position yourself for opportunities, and why collaborations beyond your field could redefine your career.

If you’ve ever felt uncertain about your next step or wondered whether detours are setbacks or stepping stoneS, this episode is for you.

Listen in, reflect, and ask yourself: what unconventional side quest could change my journey?

Thank you for being here. Text Geohabari

On the 5th edition of The Space Ecosystem Playbook, we’re joined by two leaders shaping Africa’s entrepreneurial landscape: Agnes Tsuma, Expert at the Joint Innovation Facility (Africa–Europe Digital Innovation Bridge), and Ian Lorenzen, Executive Director and Partner at GrowthAfrica.

In this candid conversation hosted by Charles Mwangi, we dive into what it really takes to build sustainable innovation ecosystems in Africa:

• Why local banks and blended finance are critical for startup growth
• How to make startups truly bankable, beyond grants
• Translating research in academic institutions into go-to-market products
• Breaking silos between research, industry, and government
• Rethinking how we measure success in academia — shifting from papers published to actual products
• What startup success really means: raising money, driving sales, or creating lasting impact?
• Why teaching innovation and entrepreneurship must align with realities on the ground

It’s a rich discussion on funding, innovation, and reimagining what it truly means to build Africa’s startup ecosystem.

Thank you for being here. Text Geohabari

In this edition of theYoung Professionals Segment, we sit down with Kelvin Nyabuti to unpack the raw realities of transitioning from campus to career. From sending out 15 job applications a day and facing ghosted promises, to landing a breakthrough role at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Kev’s journey is a masterclass in resilience, faith, and grit.

He opens up about the shock of imposter syndrome, adapting to global teams, and learning to embrace discomfort as a path to growth. We talk candidly about job rejections, the pressure of “real world” mistakes, and the mindset shifts that helped him move from rookie to professional in the geospatial field.

Whether you’re fresh out of uni, still navigating applications, or settling into your first role, this conversation is packed with lessons on perseverance, continuous learning, and remembering that life is for the living—both inside and outside the 9–5.

Thank you for being here. Text Geohabari

What does it take to build an African innovation ecosystem from the ground up?

On this edition of the Space Ecosystem Playbook with Charles Mwangi, we sit with two trail blazers Sheena Raikundalia, Chief Growth Officer at Kuza One and Dr. Shikoh Gitau, CEO and Founder of Qala. 

 In this episode, Sheena Raikundalia and Dr. Shikoh Gitau share how they’re laying the foundations , from training talent and building AI for African languages to creating agri-business opportunities that turn youth into entrepreneurs. We talk about failure as a milestone, bridging government and startups, breaking silos, and why the “boring” infrastructure work is where the real transformation happens. 

Sheena and Dr. Shikoh also reflect on the family values, teachers, parents, and role models who shaped their paths and how they’re now creating those same opportunities for others.

This is a holistic conversation with both depth and breadth, exploring how our childhood and early influences shape who we become, and how those lessons translate into creating the very foundations on which ecosystems thrive.

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On this episode of the Young Professionals Segment hosted by Linus Anari and grounded in raw, relatable, and authentic lived experiences , we’re joined by Florine Kaino, Geospatial Advisor at Mercy Corps.

From landing her first technical role at Microsoft to interning at Esri Eastern Africa, Florine shares the real, unfiltered journey of transitioning from school to work. She walks us through the shocks of walking into the workplace on day one, feeling out of place, navigating unfamiliar office culture, and realizing that school only prepared her for a solid 2% of the job. The rest? She had to figure it out on the go.

We talk about: 

• Culture shocks at your first job
• How to deal with imposter syndrome that never really goes away
• Why soft skills aren’t soft at all
• Navigating meetings, reports, and corporate lingo
• The difference between school skills and workplace survival
• And yes… how to answer that “Tell us about yourself” interview question

If you’ve just cleared school, wondering what’s next, or trying to figure out this thing called “career”, you're not alone. 

This episode is a reminder that we’re all figuring it out, one awkward meeting, off-guard interview questions and surprise reports at a time. This is the episode you send to anyone just starting out, wondering “Am I the only one struggling with this transition?

Thank you for being here. Text Geohabari

The Tech Stacks Series Finale: When GIS Works

We’re closing out The Tech Stacks Series with a bang—joined by Francis Kioni, Senior Geoanalytics Engineer at M-Gas. From vehicle routing problems (VRP) to territory mapping, suitability analysis, and more, this episode is a masterclass in how GIS drives value when applied right. Expect plenty of banter, tried and true insights, and side-by-side reflections on the methods that worked (and why).

It’s two analysts who’ve both worked in LPG, comparing notes on how GIS has shaped their work and evolved over time.

Francis shares what it’s like being in a one-man show GIS role (aren't we all?), where everyone refers to you as the “map guy”—a label he finds both limiting and amusing.

From writing clean code and automating workflows to building data pipelines and influencing business decisions, this episode explores how GIS professionals are doing far more than just making maps. Not every output is a map, but there’s often GIS behind the numbers, powering insights that drive strategy. It’s a reminder that geoenablement today looks very different. It’s about embedding spatial thinking into systems, dashboards, and decisions, even when no map is in sight.

Francis also takes us behind the scenes of his AWS tech stack—QuickSight, Athena, DynamoDB, Glue—and shares how these tools supercharge his geoanalytics workflows. (Here's a certification prep you never thought you needed:-)

If you’ve ever wondered what GIS looks like when it really works—this is it.
Resources:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-kioni/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/milos-popovic-phd-89778117/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbforr/

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What's Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, AI and Gaming got to do with Space? - (see what I did there? lol)

In this very refreshing edition of the Space Ecosystem Playbook, we sit with three trailblazing guests whose work spans ground-level innovation and orbital ambition:

• Jay Shapiro - founder of Usiku Games and chair of the Pan-Africa Gaming Group,
• Eddie Kago - Blockchain advocate and founder of Antugrow
• Rama Afullo - Ex-Tesla, Ex-Google, Ex-SpaceX — now building Satlyt.ai

Why is this conversation important you ask?

Because space doesn't operate in a vacuum — and neither does innovation. From on-chain identity and credit scoring for African farmers, to gaming as a gateway to digital skills, to building interoperability protocols for satellites in orbit, these guests reveal how frontier technologies are actively shaping space access and participation.

We dissect funding, infrastructure, ownership, trust, and why Africa can't afford to sit this one out.

This episode is an invitation to supercharge the African space ecosystem by learning from other frontier builders.

Thank you for being here. Text Geohabari

In this episode of the Tech Stack Series, we dive into the world of GeoAI backend engineering with Brian Pondi — a geospatial machine learning researcher working on the Open Earth Monitor project, a €12.7M EU-funded initiative aimed at making Earth more observable through reusable, open-source ML tools.

Brian shares what it takes to build production-ready ML APIs that power real-world use cases like crop prediction, land cover classification, and more — with a strong focus on model sharing, discoverability, and interoperability. We explore the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), why Europe’s research culture pushes for standardization, and how tools like OpenAPI, Stack-ML, and PyTorch shape the future of AI-driven Earth observation.

We also talk about his journey from Kenya to Germany, culture shocks, working in EU research consortia, and the importance of building tech that's open, inclusive, and reproducible.

If you're curious about the infrastructure behind the maps we use — and the AI models powering them — this is the episode for you.

🔗 Links to the Open Earth Monitor project and Brian's recommended resources:   

The Open Earth Monitor Project

Open EO

Thank you for being here. Text Geohabari

In this episode, Charles Mwangi hosts three true Pan-Africanists 🙂:

• Ben Roberts, Principal Advisor – Digital Economy Advisors
• Buntu Majaja, CEO – SA Innovation Summit
• Sylvia Makario, Managing Director – Identic Foundation

(Also… how many times did we mention Pan-Africanism? You’ll have to listen and count!)

The conversation explores the importance of cross-boundary collaborations across the continent and the need to build strong foundational systems — from infrastructure to policy — that support talent growth and innovation. We also touch on the increasingly critical role of IP ownership in today’s tech-driven world.

We take a closer look at South Africa’s automotive industry, unpacking how it created a successful manufacturing supply chain that now extends into the space ecosystem, with local companies contributing to global satellite components. Lots of lessons here on building not just for the downstream, but also the upstream — including opportunities in LEO satellites and more.

Finally, we dive into the evolution of Africa’s startup ecosystem, comparing the pre- and post-COVID landscapes — from the fintech surge that laid foundational tech infrastructure, to today’s more mature, sustainability-focused investor climate (and a shift away from “spray and pray”).

Thank you for being here. Text Geohabari

In this candid kickoff episode of our Young Professionals Segment, we sit down with recent graduates navigating the winding path from lecture halls to industry. From discovering GIS by “coincidence” to learning Power BI on the job, our guests share real stories of what they wished they knew before entering the workforce.

We dive into:

• What the curriculum left out — and how it shows up at work
• The reality of soft skills, teamwork, and self-teaching
• Why mentorship, networking, and open-source tools matter
• What they’d tell their first-year selves (and maybe yours too)

It’s honest. It’s unfiltered. And it’s the start of something special.

Whether you're a student, a recent grad, or someone who's been there — this episode’s for you.