Let's Act: Conversations with Toks

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Hello Sustainable Friends and welcome to this episode titled:  Robotics: Adding Value and Service through Remote Working from Nigeria. I had a brilliant interview session with our guest Davies Iyanu Ogunsina, a Roboticist with awesome experience in Robotics and Autonomous Systems.

Highlights: 

• Benefits of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence for Development
• Government should put these on the curriculum for primary schools upwards
• Ways in which youth can position themselves to get great jobs in the space
• Share solutions to problems identified and job offers will start rolling in
• Contribute to open source and see how you will become recognized worldwide
• Remote working is achievable once you are positioned

Feel free to reach out to Davis here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davies-iyanuoluwa-ogunsina/

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Many thanks,

@TokunboIfaturoti 

@Let'sActAfrica

#July2023

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Hello Sustainable Friends and welcome to this episode titled, 'The Brand Mindset: Personal and Professional Tips'.  I had a fantastic interview session with our guest Lily Naadu Mensah the Branding Specialist, Event Host, Inspirational Speaker, and author of the book titled,  Work Your Quirks.  The Businesswoman’s Companion for a Sparkling Personal Brand.

·     Lily has a career spanning over 30 years in branding and communication which has allowed her to live and work for Global brands across Europe, Africa, and the USA. 

·     She has a diverse portfolio in business and personal development and combines these strengths to deliver highly impressionable service across the board. 

·     Lily has been described as a lady with gravitas, humility, and respect.

Highlights:

• Understand the difference between Celebrity Power Vs, Gravitas Power
• Be clear on where you are working, who are you working with, who you are, and where you want to go
• Find out what the acronyms Q.U.I.R.K, A.B.C, and the 4Rs mean and how they can guide your personal and professional journey
• The benefits of networking and why you must bring your all to the table
• Listen to some snippets from her book titled,  Work Your Quirks. The Businesswoman’s Companion for a Sparkling Personal Brand is available on Amazon
• The Playbook:  https://lilymensah.com/downloads/the-playbook/

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Many thanks,

@TokunboIfaturoti 
@Ladymensahbrand

@Let'sActAfrica

#June 2023

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Hello Sustainable Friends and welcome to this episode titled:  Volunteerism in Ghana: My Story.  I had a fantastic interview session with our guest Karen Miles.

Karen is an avid traveller, especially to Ghana in West Africa. In addition to her international development outlook and work to date, she loves to promote Ghanaian culture and history through her jewellery making.

This artisan gift is a tool used to direct people away from appropriation and channel their energy to appreciate the numerous talents that the Ghanaians she has worked with possess. The outcome has been amazing and empowering to both her and the participants.

Instagram and Facebook are @efiadesigns and her website is launching soon at www.efiadesigns.com 

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Many thanks,

@Tokunbo Ifaturoti 

@Let'sActAfrica

#May 2023

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Hello Sustainable Friends! I had an exciting interview with   Ayo-Bankole Akintujoye a Strategy & Transformation professional with thirteen years of experience that covers leadership roles as the Head of Strategy Groups in the financial markets, insurance, and oil & gas industries. 

Our Podcast - Let's Act: Sustainably Developing Africa and Beyond is titled, "Work and Economic Growth: Caladium Lagos SME Bootcamp". I invite you to listen in as always.

• As a Strategy Consultant, Ayo-Bankole led many strategy projects across sub-Saharan Africa, working for KPMG, PwC, Phillips Consulting, and C2G Consulting. He has provided strategy advice to over 130 companies, governments, and development institutions, including the AfDB, World Bank, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Bristow Group, Actis, Axa, and many other large and SME organizations with transactions value of over $120million. 
•  His consulting experience cuts across strategy & execution, change management, process improvement, due diligence, merger & acquisition, etc.
• Ayo - Bankole is a serial entrepreneur and founder, an advocate for good governance, and the growth of MSMEs as the key to unlocking Africa’s economic potential. He is the Convener of the Caladium Lagos SME Bootcamp.
• A platform he co-founded to help enhance the business management skills of MSMEs to reduce their risks of failure and contribute to SDG8. He has supported over 5,500 SMEs via the Bootcamp and through Caladium Consulting, a firm he founded to provide MSMEs with access to first-class professional services.

You can connect with him on Twitter via @AyoBankole or Instagram via @AyoBankolee

Please - Listen, Like, and Share!

Many thanks,

@Tokunbo Ifaturoti 

@Let'sActAfrica

#April 2023

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Hello Sustainable Friends and welcome to this episode titled:  Importance of Role Models for Women and Girls in Technology (STEM)  I had an awesome interview session with our guest Jadesola Adedeji the co-founder of STEM METS who is passionate about all things STEM.

Highlights:

• Jadesola is a social entrepreneur who is changing what education looks like in Nigeria by delivering Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) based activities to develop the skills for the future workplace.
• Her desire to engage her own children in meaningful and creative enrichment programmes by extension enabled her to extend similar opportunities to other children in her community and beyond.
• Together with her friend the late Dr Funmi Ogunwuyi STEM METS was founded in 2013.
• To date, they have empowered over 18000 learners who have accessed their programmes. They have enjoyed partnerships with international, award-winning educational technological providers and implement robotics and coding programmes on behalf of Airbus Foundation in Nigeria.
• The importance of role models is key for development as you will find out in this episode.

Please - Listen, Like, and Share!

Many thanks,

@Tokunbo Ifaturoti 

@Let'sActAfrica

#March 2023

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Hello Sustainable Friends and welcome to this episode titled:  The Journey to Greatness: Educating and Empowering our Youth.  I had a fantastic interview session with our guest Phinnah Chichi Ikeji who is a passionate Parenting  Consultant and Coach.

She has worked with parents and teens for over 10 years, helping parents how to understand, communicate, connect, and raise the next responsible leaders of tomorrow. 

Her organization, Parenting Teens Solutions Ltd. is dedicated to Educating, Empowering, Encouraging, and Equipping parents with the right tools to help themselves and their teens as they navigate through the changes and challenges of the adolescent journey. 

It is her mission to help, support, and disrupt wrong parenting habits/norms and transform the lives of families through wholesome, compassion-led thinking.

Her parenting experience and work have given her opportunities to speak on global platforms, local UK authorities, schools, and churches both in the UK and around the world. 

She is the host of the Parenting Teens Solutions Podcast, (listed in the 11th in the top 60 world podcast list for parenting teens). She is an Amazon best-selling author, an International speaker, and a mother to two young adults and two teenagers.

Highlights:

• Tools for how to listen to our children and youth
• Why it is important to provide a safe environment for them to learn from their mistakes and celebrate their wins
• How to empower them to be responsible and accountable on their journey to greatness
• Does success leave clues?
• Learn from a personal true story 
• Listen to powerful nuggets for greatness at the end for children, youth, and adults

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Many thanks,

@Tokunbo Ifaturoti 

@Let'sActAfrica

#February2023

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Hello Sustainable Friends and welcome to this episode titled:  Africa Fast Forward: Connections Through Creativity.  I had an awesome interview session with Mr. Gboyega Adelaja as he was getting ready to attend a Jazz Immersion in Lagos, Nigeria.
 
Highlights:

• Africans can tell their own great and inspiring stories
• The media platform can be used to showcase and empower youth
• Revive collective development and creative effort among African countries e.g. FESTAC '77
• Accomplished African youth are paving the way for many others
• We can all make a difference by shaping the mindset of our youth

Mr. Adelaja's Profile:

1. Accomplished Afro Jazz Pianist 

2. Pianist with Hugh Masekela 1973 - 1976

3. Recorded 3 albums with Hugh Masekela

4. First secretary Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria. PMAN

5. Former Secretary Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria ITPAN

6. Accomplished TV producer, multi-talented video editor, and director. Videographer of international status.

7. Happily married grandfather with 2 adult children and a grandson.

Please - Listen, Like, and Share!

Many thanks,

@Tokunbo Ifaturoti 

@Let'sActAfrica
#January2023

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Hello Sustainable Friends and welcome to this episode titled: Japa Syndrome: Loss to Africa and Gift to the Diaspora? I had a wonderful interview session with Funmilola Ajayi of Industrial Training Fund – Head of Finance and Accounting and Assistant Director with over 21 years of experience working in the Human Resource space. 

• Outside of work, Funmilola is passionate about making a difference and gives back to her community as a volunteer in different capacities. 
• Funmilola is an alumnus of Ondo State University where she studied Economics.

Listen to Funmilola's responses to discussions on the following:

1. What does 'Japa' mean?
2. Why do you think everyone is talking about the Japa Syndrome? What are the short, medium, and long-term impacts on the development of our youth and the nation?
3. There have been different waves of Japa but this seems to be the fiercest as some will say there is no incentive to get them back again in Nigeria. What are your thoughts?
4. There is mention of making the environment conducive for the youths to thrive.  Surely, not everyone wants to Japa?
5. Countries (UK, USA, Canada, Germany, Sweden, etc) are actively setting the scene to attract our youth either for further education (masters and Ph.D.) or work. This amounts to brain drain and a loss to Africa and a gain to the Diaspora. What do you think?
6. You seem to advocate for Nigerians that have ‘Japaed’ to consider going back to Nigeria and establishing themselves in Nigeria or any African Country that they come from after their studies or work. Is this a fair request?
7. The world is now a global village with different nuances linking all the continents together most especially technology. Any advice to the current and next generation on Sustainable Development especially in the education space?
8. How can we ensure we highlight sustainability through the Sustainable Development Goals - SDG4 – promote lifelong learning through reading, inclusive education, and provide opportunities for all? 
9. How do you relax?

Please - Listen, Like, and Share!

Many thanks,

@Tokunbo Ifaturoti 

@Let'sActAfrica

#December 2022

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Hello Sustainable Friends and welcome to this episode titled: Technology in Africa: Youth readiness in Nigeria. I had an awesome interview session with Dr. Ebenezer Idowu Olatubosun Ajayi a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Biochemistry, Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria, where he currently serves as the Head of the Department of Biochemistry, including the Science Laboratory Technology Programme. 

• He serves as the Director of STEMSEL Nigeria, an NGO arm of STEMSEL Foundation Australia which deploys (pedagogy, heutagogy, andragogy, and ergonagy) various functional learning, work, and leadership processes.
• Dr. Ajayi is a member of notable professional societies.
• When he's not teaching or doing research, he invests his time in family, community, church, chi/martial arts, and gardening.
•  He champions a  science education outreach programme where he is passionately leads the advocacy for the disruptive Runlinc Easy Coding for AI, IoT & Robotics. These are social learning tools used to drive the achievement of the SDGs through his STREEAAMMIEbeyondSTEM Programme of the Ebelola Bioenergetic Solutions Ltd.
• Dr. Ajayi is happily married to an equally admirable wife, and their union is blessed with amazing children.

Have you heard of Runlinc Easy Coding for Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things & Robotics?

Listen to Dr. Ajayi's evidence-based stories from countries such as Nigeria, Cameroun, Sudan, Zambia, Australia, and many more.  Hear about how youth are winning competitions, helping their parents to save on domestic bills through creative forward-thinking ideas, and winning scholarships by designing, smart and intelligent devices, QR Codes, and more!

Please - Listen, Like, and Share!

Many thanks,

@Tokunbo Ifaturoti 

@Let'sActAfrica

@ebenezer idowu o. ajayi (phd, embdr, fipmd)

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Hello Sustainable Friends and welcome to this episode titled: Giving Back: Education, Empowerment, and Fulfilment in the Diaspora and Africa. I had a fantastic interview session with Wole Sanwo a seasoned Accountant and a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (FCCA).

• He has over 30 years of experience working in different capacities within Social Housing in the United Kingdom 
• In March 2022, Wole retired from permanent roles to transition to N.E.D (Non-Executive Director) roles. He joined One YMCA in June 2022 in an interim capacity, as Head of Finance. 
• Outside of work, Wole is passionate about giving back to his community and has been instrumental in the development of the vibrant old schools network, NSF (UK), where members have raised thousands of pounds for school projects back in Africa. 
• Wole is an alumnus of Igbobi College Yaba Old Boys Association (ICOBA EUROPE).

Listen to Wole's responses to questions such as:

1. What does giving back mean to you?  Why is it important?

2. What groups of people have benefited from your activities?

3. How do you find and engage with stakeholders? Do you collaborate with other groups or people to fulfill your vision?

4. What challenges have you faced? How did you overcome them?

5. Share success stories - collaboration with UK and Africa, NSF (UK) fundraising etc 

6. Any lessons learned?

7. Advice to the current and next generation on Sustainable Development especially in the education space.

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Many thanks,

@Tokunbo Ifaturoti 

@Let'sActAfrica