Third Culture Africans

Efe Edmund Olotu is the CEO of TechAdvance, a fintech infrastructure company that provides platforms to enable transaction processing and payment collection, aggregation, and reconciliation. He is a cutting-edge fintech entrepreneur, having been a founding investor and CEO of other companies like biotech company Novira Therapeutics, Nigeria’s G-Pay Instant Payments, and SuperGeeks Services and Solutions.  He has dedicated the last decade to advancing technological solutions for businesses in Africa. The United Nations named Efe one of the 100 Most Influential People of African descent.

Listen to Efe Edmund Olotu’s entrepreneurial journey, and the importance of learning, pivoting, and solving problems come to the forefront. Over the decades, his passion for providing solutions has led him to be a leading African entrepreneur. He’s learned from his incredible successes and failures and shares some lessons. Efe hasn’t been afraid to step back to gain experience or change his mind about something.

Hear about some of the challenges facing young African entrepreneurs in raising capital and building an investment infrastructure. He touches on how COVID-19 has exposed business gaps and the need for entrepreneurs to take advantage of them. Finally, hear about Efe’s interesting side hobbies and overcoming his fear of the water.

Highlights of the episode:

• 04:07: Efe Olotu is a pajama CEO
• 14:40: Reflecting on his first startup and the challenges when getting started
• 20:30: Learning about entrepreneurship living in Lagos; the start of SuperGeeks and figuring out how to solve distribution problems
• 29:30: What COVID-19 has meant for his business and gaps it has exposed
• 32:55: Are there opportunities for young African entrepreneurs? Speaking about investing in African businesses and building a venture capital structure.
• 42:28: The importance of evolving and changing your mind as an entrepreneur
• 45:06: The Glenfiddich campaign and conquering his fear of the water

Mentioned Resources

• TechAdvance
• Glenfiddich
• Malée

Learn all about Zeze Oriaikhi-Sao

Lerato Umah-Shaylor is the founder and chef at Lerato Foods and Naturals. She runs immersive supper clubs and culinary classes in London and writes about food for The Guardian in Nigeria. She was a TV chef for Good Morning Nigeria and producer for the show THE BITE.

Lerato Umah-Shaylor is passionate about celebrating African food traditions with the world. In her career as a food journalist, TV chef, and cookery school owner, she has championed African dishes and making them accessible to the audience. She discusses how she does this through the available kitchen equipment and adjusting the recipes.

Hear her thought processes behind different business decisions she’s made during her career. Everything has been done with the intention to celebrate and start discussions around Africa’s culinary tradition. Lerato celebrates food’s ability to nurture and create relationships with others.

Highlights of the episode:

• How people view the role of professional chef and cook (1:48)
• Her passion for sharing her love of food with others (6:14)
• About the perceived “bastardization” of African cuisine by non-African influencers (22:20)
• Why sharing information about African recipes is important to Lerato (24:33)
• When Lerato Umah-Shaylor decided cooking was her career; being inquisitive about food and cooking from a young age (27:25)
• Talking about her online cooking courses and making the pivot due to COVID-19 (41:08)
• Adjusting the preparation to make sense for different palates (58:02)

Mentioned Resources

• Lerato Foods
• Tilda
• Jamie Oliver
• Malée

Arieta Mujay is a marketing and communications expert who has worked with brands across the globe. In her continuously evolving career, she’s styled celebrity photoshoots, collaborated with globally renowned artists, founded an agency, contributed to Cosmopolitan Online, and worked for a United Nations incentive.

Behind every famous person, every movement, every cultural shift, there are the people you see. Then there are the influencers you don’t know, but should. Arieta Mujay is a stylist, PR chameleon, and communications guru who has been a pivotal player behind the shifting culture in and about the African community for the last decade. Today’s podcast details her journey from university student to someone who’s worked with people like Kelly Osbourne, Rihanna, and Kelis.

Hear firsthand about how hard work and hustle will take you places. Arieta’s career started by embracing opportunities and being willing to keep learning. Each job and side hustle led to something else, sometimes bigger and more life-changing than before.

She talks about the incredible experience partnering with Rihanna. She also touches on her take on life as a Third Culture African, and how our culture has shifted over these two decades to include more of our voices.

Highlights of the episode:

• An early role model and looking for African names in the industry. Learning to be herself. (6:51)
• How she transitioned from business degree to stylist (10:46)
• Starting on the Visual Merchandising Team; her career connects her with stylists and a fashion editor for the Daily Mirror (21:20)
• The partnership with Rihanna and River Island (28:12)
• About her Boohoo time and working with some smart people; learning the power of the influencer while breaking the internet in Nigeria (41:27)
• A frank conversation about being a Third Culture African and being the foundations for what is happening in the industry now (53:40)

Mentioned Resources

• Malée
• River Island
• New Look Retailers
• Boohoo
• Hey, What Do I Know? podcast

Chibundu Onuzo, Ph.D., is the acclaimed and award-winning author of “The Spider King’s Daughter” and “Welcome to Lagos.” Currently a freelance writer in the UK, she was born in Nigeria. She started writing at 17 and was published by 21.

If you’re interested in what it takes to become one of the youngest writers named as Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, hear the journey of author Chibundu Onuzo. She started writing her first novel at age 14, and her first book hit the shelves age 21. She discusses her early years writing and creating, her path to traditional publication, the journey since.

Additionally, Chibundu and Zeze dive into meaningful cultural conversations, such as tackling cultural ignorance, what defines “Third Culture African,” and the layered meaning behind the question, “where are you from?”

Highlights of the episode:

• Experiences have added value; understanding the context of the question, “Where are you from?” (9:28)
• The decision to pursue the traditional publishing route over self-publishing and how she went about finding her representation (12:12)
• Realizing how people in the West have this narrow perspective of what Africa is like (27:19)
• Becoming a full-time writer and writing for the screen (35:36)
• Combating ageism in literary circles and what was the hardest part of publishing in the beginning (43:22)

Mentioned Resources

• The Spider King’s Daughter
• Welcome to Lagos
• Malée

Trevyn McGowan is a pivotal force behind advancing contemporary African design and presenting it to the world. She’s the founder and co-CEO of The Guild Group, a platform with 12 companies that facilitate international collaborations, hosting art exhibitions, and exporting retail design products. Her mission is to amplify African design’s place in the global marketplace.

Trevyn breaks down two aspects of her work. First are the collaborations and relationships fostered in the artistic company. She talks about how her role on the business side of art helps artists be creative, the influence of partnerships inside the company and with the community, and fostering an artistic industry in Africa.

The second aspect is about starting, scaling, and running a design business. Listen to how The Guild Group evolved into time and Trevyn McGowan’s advice for others starting their businesses. She shares insights into what it takes to grow an authentic business.

• Straddling two hemispheres and how her time in the U.K. helped show her what was missing. Moving back to South Africa and starting in the export business (4:04)
• Her gut-punch career moment and the privilege of working with so many different craftsmen (8:56)
• Is Trevyn McGowan creating an artistic industry? (16:45)
• Some advice on running and starting a business; what their endeavor looked like in the beginning (25:31)
• Combating the idea that international work is superior to local work (34:41)
• Trevyn McGowan’s curation process and how her role gives artists the freedom to create (38:38)

Mentioned Resources

• The Guild Group
• Southern Guild
• Source
• Watershed
• Malée

Ernest Danjuma is the founding partner of The Denda Group, a brand design and growth hacking company using digital storytelling to elevate startups, small businesses, and social enterprises. During his career, he’s been a construction project manager, writer, engineer, entrepreneur, and business strategist. He is passionate about African-owned businesses and startups.

Ernest Danjuma illustrates there is more than one pathway to success. He journeyed from construction management to brand design while building a platform to elevate African voices and issues. Now he uses his influence to highlight vital issues and support Africans.

Ernest is someone recognized for being at the change-making events of the last decade. Learn from him why being present was important. Hear the conversations that changed his perspective on the continent and reshaped his values.

• Why Ernest Danjuma believes his presence and involvement with change-making events is vital to giving a voice to a voiceless (05:59)
• His background in mechanical engineering and construction and transitioning into politics, writing, and entrepreneurship (12:44)
• How it felt to be recognized for his social entrepreneurship (18:04)
• Ernest uses attention to focus on what issues are significant (23:34)
• The conversations that altered Ernest Danjuma’s approach to Africa (29:48)
• Break from the pressure to find your purpose; understanding life is a journey of decisions (44:21)

Mentioned Resources

• Denda Group
• Malée

Arese Ugwu is the founder of Smart Money Africa, a personal finance platform targeting millennial Africans, with a mission to educate all Africans about financial literacy. Arese's ground-breaking books, The Smart Money Woman and Smart Money Tribe, are helping young Africans make wiser financial decisions to empower their futures.

It’s important to Arese Ugwu that women become more self-aware about financial issues. Her passion is rooted in her personal experiences. She had a career in finance, but even with her knowledge about growing wealth and making investments, the reality of managing personal finances was driven home when she became a single mother. From her experiences facing financial challenges, she wants others to learn how to manage their money better.

Hear about how Arese came around to authoring her books and some interesting experiences setting up a tour. She talks about the power of social media and using the platforms she organically built to create her business.

During the conversation, Arese talks about peer pressure as a detriment to saving and investing. A key theme is spending should be a reflection of your values and not spending like society thinks you should.

Listen to this episode for Arese Ugwu’s advice about personal finances and what she has learned from starting her business.

It’s important to Arese Ugwu that women become more self-aware about financial issues. Her passion is rooted in her personal experiences. She had a career in finance, but even with her knowledge about growing wealth and making investments, the reality of managing personal finances was driven home when she became a single mother. From her experiences facing financial challenges, she wants others to learn how to manage their money better.

Hear about how Arese came around to authoring her books and some interesting experiences setting up a tour. She talks about the power of social media and using the platforms she organically built to create her business.

During the conversation, Arese talks about peer pressure as a detriment to saving and investing. A key theme is spending should be a reflection of your values and not spending like society thinks you should.

Listen to this episode for Arese Ugwu’s advice about personal finances and what she has learned from starting her business.

Highlights of the episode:

• The power of story as a medium for learning (2:38)
• Why having a saving and investment mindset is so important and the dichotomy of mindsets (6:32)
• What is financial independence for a woman? (9:51)
• Building wealth is about balancing two levers (13:42)
• We need to become more aware of our personal values and how they relate to our spending habits (17:18)
• Africa will humble you quickly. Some advice for navigating your career or business. (22:15)
• Arese Ugwu’s journey to authoring her books (23:23)
• Creating creative with her book launch and how it’s launching opportunities (31:04)
• Our problems with finances are more universal than we think (36:48)
• A discussion about pirates stealing digital works and its impact on the creators (41:29)

Mentioned Resources

• Smart Money Africa
• Smart Money Woman
• Smart Money Tribe
• Malée

In print, online, on screen, and in person, Arese is leading the charge in guiding young Africans as they start their journey to financial literacy. The success of her first book ‘The Smart Money Woman’ led her to a wildly successful Pan-African book tour and spawned ‘The Smart Money Woman’ television series, of which she is Executive Producer.

She is also the co-executive producer and host of BusinessDay's The Bridge, a contributor to multiple publications, a sought-after speaker on the continent and serves on several boards including for House of Tara, the Nigeria Higher Education Foundation as a non-executive director and is an associate member of WIMBIZ.

Her experience working in wealth management in Nigeria led her to build the Smart Money Africa brand, a multimedia Financial education platform purpose-built to facilitate African millennials’ conversations about investments, wealth, entrepreneurship, and employment that motivate young people to learn new, diverse ways to earn, keep and grow wealth.

She holds an MSc in Economic Development from University College London (UCL) and a BSc in Business and Management from Aston Business School, Birmingham. She is also an alumna of the of the Lagos Business School, INSEAD Abu Dhabi, and The London School of Business executive education programs.

Zeze Oriaikhi-Sao attended Grenoble Ecole De Management, where she received a Master’s in International Business. She also holds a BSc (Hons) in Informatics. She is a mother, and an international and entrepreneurial leader. The Founder and Managing director of Malée Natural Science; Africa’s 1st global luxury fragrance and body care brand operating across two continents with products available in 9 countries in wholesale, B2B, Hospitality, E-commerce and travel retail. An advisory board member and Program Director at INNOCOS, the world beauty innovations summit as well as a consultant and international speaker and beauty industry expert on the luxury beauty and cosmetics industry, sustainability practices, innovation, disruption, trends, and brand heritage.

Featured in international TV and Media publications such as CNN, The Telegraph, Grazia, ELLE Magazine, Glamour, Oprah Magazine, and Atlanta Post. She is a pioneer of Female owned luxury business in Africa and is passionate about innovation. Zeze is the host of the pioneering podcast Third Culture Africans. She shares entrepreneurial tips and more on her personal website Zezeonline.com.

Fisayo Longe dives into her history and evolution from a corporate background in accounting to a fashion-preneur. She talks about seeking her degree, being kicked out of university, and if the education is worth it.

A large part of her brand has been inviting others into her life. She didn’t start blogging with the intention to monetize and grow a brand; it evolved naturally. Fisayo nurtured her passion for fashion and travel into a career. Being her true self has been a way for her to be creative and empower others.

Hear Fisayo Longe’s advice about blogging as a destination. She shares her advice on monetizing the blog and why authenticity matters.

Fisayo Longe is the owner and creative director of Kai Collective; a womenswear brand described by ELLE UK as ‘transcending trends’. After three years as an accountant at KPMG, she set out to focus on building her personal brand as a fashion, travel and lifestyle content creator through which she has collaborated with brands such as Nike, Google, Lancome, Facebook and Aldo. She now teaches aspiring creative entrepreneurs how to transition from content creators to profitable entrepreneurs through her initiative, the Clan of Creatives and has shared her insight on panels at Cambridge University, Warwick University, and the Ernst & Young foundation.

Episode Highlights:

• Her experiences seeking a degree and an inferiority complex - 8:25
• Fisayo was kicked out of university because she was busy starting her business - 12:34
• Fisayo Longe’s thoughts on creativity - 18:10
• Finding how being her true self on the Mirror Me platform empowers others - 23:14
• Her passion for making women feel powerful and embrace who they are - 24:34
• Fisayo Longe gives advice on monetizing blogging - 29:16
• What our work lives looks like currently with the pandemic - 46:07
• The importance of connectivity and transparency in what you do - 49:40

Mentioned Resources

• Mirror Me
• Malée
• Kai Colletive

Meet Afua Osei, the co-founder of Motherland Mogul Media which comprises of digital media platform She Leads Africa and the networking SLAY Festival. Her work reaches over 700,000 women across the world. Forbes Africa listed her as one of the youngest power women in Africa in 2014.

Afua Osei has an interesting backstory as someone born in the United States to immigrant parents who now lives in Nigeria. In this episode, she talks about the differences in her parents as immigrants and immigration today.

Listen to what inspired her evolution as someone passionate about Africa and women. Afua has a positive mindset rooted in faith. While her work as brought accolades, she believes in lifting up others and giving them space to shine.

Afua and Zeze also get real about what entrepreneurship means to your pocketbook. The successful entrepreneurs are motivated by purpose more than financial reward. Afua gives advice for someone starting a business and why you should enjoy the process.

Highlights of the episode:

• What is She Leads Africa and its visions (4:17)
• About the SLAY Festival and its community-building aspiration (6:44)
• Afua’s early years and what influenced her evolution as someone passionate about Africa and women (8:46)
• What Afua gained from attending business school and working with McKinsey Africa (17:04)
• Afua on the value of letting other people shine and being helpful to others through mentoring (27:16)
• Being real about being broke (33:08)
• How Afua Osei found her purpose as an entrepreneur (37:14)
• Afua’s advice for someone starting their business (40:09)

Mentioned Resources

• Afua Osei.com
• SLAY Festival
• She Leads Africa
• Malée

Zeze Oriaikhi-Sao attended Grenoble Ecole De Management, where she received a Master’s in International Business. She also holds a Bsc (Hons) in Informatics. She is a mother, an international and entrepreneurial leader. The Founder and Managing director of Malée Natural Science; Africa’s 1st global luxury fragrance and body care brand operating across two continents with products available in 9 countries in wholesale, B2B, Hospitality, E-commerce and travel retail. An advisory board member and Program Director at INNOCOS, the world beauty innovations summit as well as a consultant and international speaker and beauty industry expert on the luxury beauty and cosmetics industry, sustainability practices, innovation, disruption, trends, and brand heritage.

Featured in international TV and Media publications such as CNN, The Telegraph, Grazia, ELLE Magazine, Glamour, Oprah Magazine, and Atlanta Post. She is a pioneer of Female owned luxury business in Africa and is passionate about innovation. Zeze is the host of the pioneering podcast Third Culture Africans. She shares entrepreneurial tips, and more on her website Zezeonline.com.

Rozan Ahmed is a visionary, humanitarian, writer, and much more. Throughout her life journey, she’s become a bold force for change. She advocates for the arts, a cultural ambassador, and exemplar of the African Renaissance. 

Rozan Ahmed is a champion of finding your voice and living your authentic self. In this podcast, learn from Rozan’s journey as an immigrant refugee to a leading voice in the global African story. She talks about her experiences in Grime culture, moving onto the next medium, and the inspirations behind her various endeavors.

Ownership of the African Renaissance is something currently on Rozan’s radar. What does it mean to be an African today? How can Africans be a part of the conversation instead of having labels thrown our way? 

In this episode, we talk about:

• 00:00: Introducing guest Rozan Ahmed
• 4:19: The early journey of Rozan and “Grime” culture
• 9:53: Diving into Rozan’s early background in Kuwait and the UK; visiting Sudan and its influence on her
• 12:39: Bringing together her intersectional school of thought.
• 14:42: Discussing how she found her way across different mediums
• 17:15: Rozan finds her way to encouraging and championing local voices
• 19:19: What does owning the African story really mean?
• 20:55: Getting real about the financial aspect of what Rozan does
• 24:16: Being a disruptor before “disruption” was a thing
• 27:42: Choosing the service model over building wealth then sharing
• 30:11: On the African Renaissance, which Rozan sees as an ongoing process
• 35:01: Breaking away from labels and discovering your true self
• 38:36: What entrepreneurship really means 
• 40:24: Equalizing the global African movement
• 44:11: The relationship between identity and economy
• 45:36: Rozan’s proper name pronunciation
• 46:44: Where to find Rozan and wrap up

Mentioned Resources

• Rozan Ahmed
• Malée
• Zeze Online