In this episode, "Bridging Continents: Investment and Infrastructure in Africa," we are joined by Darnley Howard, President and Principal Consultant at Advansa International and Partner at Pan Diaspora Capital Management. Drawing on over four decades of expertise in corporate finance and strategy consulting across North America, Latin America, and Africa, Darnley provides critical insights into driving sustainable growth in emerging markets.

We delve into the crucial factors determining the bankability of infrastructure projects in Africa and discuss strategies for de-risking these investments. The conversation also covers the unique opportunities and challenges strategic infrastructure projects present from the perspective of Western investors, and best practices for raising private capital for projects in emerging markets.

In this episode of The Global Signal Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Reginald Turner, a PhD-powered strategist, venture investor, and former defense technologist, to explore the intersection of national security, frontier technology, and venture capital.

With over 30 years of experience spanning the Air Force Research Laboratory, the National Security Agency, and beyond, Dr. Turner brings a rare perspective shaped by translating cutting-edge research into real-world impact. Today, as a Venture Partner at Venture University and through QoCo Ventures, he evaluates emerging technologies, dual-use systems, and the next generation of disruptive startups.

We dive into:

•  How defense experience shapes strategic thinking in venture capital 
•  What investors look for in frontier tech and dual-use startups 
•  The future of autonomous systems, optical research, and war-gaming 
•  Key opportunities for founders building in deep tech 
•  Expanding access and increasing HBCU participation in venture capital 

This conversation bridges engineering, investing, and leadership, offering insights for founders, investors, and anyone navigating the future of innovation.

Tune in to hear how Dr. Turner is helping shape the next wave of technology and economic empowerment.

In this episode of The Global Signal, we sit down with Advocate Jack Fungayi Matiza to explore the critical intersection of finance, policy, and people in shaping successful public-private partnerships (PPPs) across Africa.

From structuring bankable infrastructure projects to navigating the competing incentives of governments, DFIs, and private capital, this conversation dives into what actually determines whether PPPs succeed—or fail—over the long term.

We discuss:

1. How incentives differ across financing partners—and why that matters
2. Translating local development priorities into investable projects
3. The most underestimated risks in PPP execution
4. Accountability and performance after financial close
5. The role of natural resources in structuring deals
6. What truly sustainable, win-win PPPs look like in practice

Guest Bio: 

Jack Matiza is an award-winning public-private partnerships (PPP) expert, serving as Regional Manager at the P3 World Council and Country Director for Orion Infrastructure Africa, where he advises on the structuring, financing, and delivery of sustainable infrastructure projects across Africa. He is Chairman of the UNECE Africa Public-Private Partnerships Network (AP3N) and Founding Director of AA1 Academy, an accredited APMG CP3P training organization.

Jack holds an MBA in International Business and a Master’s Certificate in Sustainable Infrastructure Development and Finance, and is an APMG Certified PPP Professional (CP3P) and PRINCE2 Practitioner. He also serves as an ImPPPact Global SDG Alliance Ambassador for Zimbabwe, advancing effective public-private collaboration for sustainable development.

Subscribe for more conversations at the frontier of global finance, policy, and strategy.

In this episode of The Global Signal, we’re joined by Dr. Corey Holmes, a former U.S. Foreign Affairs Officer, Africa policy expert, and author. Dr. Holmes shares insights from his decade-long career navigating diplomacy, international relations, and government service, including his time as Acting Director for the Africa Subcommittee at the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

We explore the personal and professional lessons that inspired his book "Golf, Cigars, & Scotch: Balancing Fatherhood, Friendship, and Fine-Living," diving into practical strategies for integrating personal passions with parenting and mentorship. Dr. Holmes also discusses his work with AfroCom, a groundbreaking digital ecosystem connecting Africa and its diaspora, and how platforms like these are reshaping economic, cultural, and social collaboration across the continent.

In this episode of The Global Signal, we’re joined by Joseph Schneider, a national security entrepreneur, former U.S. Army Green Beret officer, and strategic advisor with over four decades of experience across the defense, aerospace, and security sectors, to examine how the United States can advance global stability over the long term. The conversation challenges Cold War-style thinking on U.S.–China relations, exploring why collaborative, forward-looking engagement may better serve American interests and what a realistic “win-win” strategy could look like in practice. We then turn to Africa’s rising strategic importance, focusing on the continent’s emerging middle class and its role in shaping America’s future power and influence, before concluding with a discussion of what a credible 30- to 50-year U.S. national strategy would require—and why long-term clarity, rather than reactive policymaking, will define U.S. leadership in the decades ahead.

In this episode of The Global Signal, we sit down with Dr. Paul Poast, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Chicago, to explore the evolving dynamics of global order, alliance politics, and the lessons history offers for contemporary international cooperation. Dr. Poast, a Senior Nonresident Fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and a Foreign Affairs Columnist for World Politics Review, brings his expertise on international security, military alliances, and the economic dimensions of war to our conversation.

We discuss how shifting U.S. foreign policy priorities are reshaping global alliances and security landscapes and examine NATO’s role in supporting Ukraine and sustaining long-term regional stability. Drawing on his recent book Wheat at War, Dr. Poast also unpacks how the Allies coordinated economic resources during the First World War, the emergence of innovative supranational institutions under extreme pressure, and the lessons this history holds for managing critical supply chains and global crises today.

In this episode of The Global Signal, just over one month following the release of the U.S. National Security Strategy, Dr. Jordan Despanie, Technology and Security Policy Fellow at RAND Corporation, explores the intersection of innovation, biosecurity, and U.S. strategic planning. Drawing on his experience founding life sciences ventures and contributing to national-level research, Dr. Despanie offers insight into how scientific capability, government systems, and strategic priorities interact.

The discussion examines how budgetary constraints shape innovation in defense procurement, strategies for optimizing collaboration between government, contractors, and think tanks, and approaches to building sustainable, long-term U.S. strategic engagements in regions like Somalia, Nigeria, and Venezuela. Listeners gain a rare perspective on aligning innovation, institutional capacity, and national security in an era of rising global competition.

Venezuela’s oil sector has long punched above its weight in global energy politics. In this episode of The Global Signal, Rachel Ziemba, founder of Ziemba Insights, examines Venezuela’s historical influence in oil markets, the strategic rationale behind recent U.S. actions, and the structural constraints shaping any recovery in production. The conversation looks at how investors and markets are interpreting Venezuela’s oil potential today, and how political transition could recalibrate global energy flows. A sober, market-driven assessment of a pivotal but often misunderstood oil producer.

In this episode of the Global Signal, we sit down with Christopher Riley, CEO of the Emagro Group and 20-year veteran national security strategist, to unpack how capital, infrastructure, and influence are reshaping global power. We explore Washington’s evolving approach to economic statecraft, the rise of Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds as geopolitical actors, and the emerging flashpoints in Nigeria and the Sahel. A sharp, timely look at how finance is becoming the frontline of modern geopolitics. 

As global power shifts and emerging technologies erode the boundaries between civilian and military domains, the United States faces a historic inflection point. Traditional models of deterrence, once defined by nuclear posture and military might, are being challenged by autonomous systems, contested orbital space, cyber warfare, and the weaponization of critical infrastructure.

In this episode of The Global Signal, Joshua Charles sits down with Benjamin Njila Fields, a leading thinker at the intersection of defense innovation and strategic policy, to map the future of American deterrence. Together, they explore the rise of dual-use technologies, the evolving role of the private sector in national security, and how the United States must adapt to maintain stability in an increasingly multipolar world.

This conversation is not about predicting conflict. It is about understanding the systems that prevent it. If you care about the future of American power, technology, and the global order, this is an episode you cannot miss.