Unlocking Africa

Episode #75 with Marie Lora-Mungai, who is an investor, strategic advisor, and entrepreneur specialising in the African Creative Industries and Sports Business, with an 18-year experience spanning 27 countries on the continent. She is the publisher of the popular newsletter HUSTLE & FLOW about investment opportunities in the African entertainment space.

Marie is also the founder and CEO of Restless Global, which is a strategic advisory and content development company specialising in the African entertainment space, the cultural and creative industries (CCI), sports business, technology, and media. 

What We Discuss With Marie

•  Do you think the rest of the world is recognising and embracing the "creative and commercial potential" inherent in African stories, and how is this newfound awareness translating into opportunities? 
• Are African music, film, and culture the biggest exports that the continent currently has, and do you think we fully leverage their soft power to propel Africa forward? 
• How can Africa optimise its creative and knowledge industries and harness its soft power effectively to propel itself forward? 
• You worked on a project with UNESCO to produce the first comprehensive study of the film and audiovisual industries in Africa’s 54 countries. What were the key themes and findings of the report? 
• What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers and content creators who are interested in tapping into the African media and creative industry? 
• And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: Unlocking Africa show notes

Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss Unleashing Growth: Why African Startups Should Master the Art of Sales and Business Development with Gerald Black? Make sure to check it out!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!

Connect with Terser on LinkedIn at TerserAdamu, and Twitter @TerserAdamu

Connect with Marie  on LinkedIn at  Marie Lora-Mungai, and Twitter @MarieLoraMungai 

Many of the businesses unlocking opportunities in Africa don’t do it alone. If you’d like strategic support on entering or expanding across African markets, reach out to our partners ETK Group:

www.etkgroup.co.uk
[email protected]

Episode #74 with Gerald Black, who is a highly accomplished expert in the realms of entrepreneurship and business development. Renowned as a successful serial entrepreneur, Gerald brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in entrepreneurship, business development, and project management, making him a highly sought-after consultant and mentor within the African startup community.

Moreover, Gerald holds the esteemed position of Head of Go To Market at Anchor, a cutting-edge banking-as-a-service platform. Anchor enables seamless integration of essential financial features such as accounts, cards, payments, lending, and more into your product within a matter of minutes. With Gerald's invaluable expertise in this role, he spearheads the strategic initiatives to bring Anchor's innovative solutions to market.

What We Discuss With Gerald

• Does the sales cycle from pipeline generation, lead qualification, and closing differ when trying to implement it in the African startup space?
•  How important is a strong sales and business development strategy for the success of startups in Africa? 
•  How do you help African startups overcome the challenges they face in terms of growth and scalability? 
•  What are some of the key factors that investors look for in startups when it comes to sales and business development?
•  What do you think sets successful African startup founders apart from those who struggle to make it? 
• And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: Unlocking Africa show notes

Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss From Local to Global: Unlocking the Potential of African Restaurant and Retail Brands with Leonard Mudachi? Make sure to check it out!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!

Connect with Terser on LinkedIn at TerserAdamu, and Twitter @TerserAdamu

Connect with  Gerald  on LinkedIn at Gerald Black, and Twitter @_GeraldBlack

Many of the businesses unlocking opportunities in Africa don’t do it alone. If you’d like strategic support on entering or expanding across African markets, reach out to our partners ETK Group:

www.etkgroup.co.uk
[email protected]

Episode #73 with Leonard Mudachi, who is the Chief Vision & Growth Officer at BRRAL (Branded Restaurants & Retail Africa Ltd), which is a restaurant and retail development & management company that identifies local restaurants and retail brands with high potential for scale.

 They achieve this through "The BRRAL Play Book," which allows them to unlock business growth potential from acquired brands and further enhance their value proposition to customers, employees, and ultimately investors. 

What We Discuss With Leonard

• What is BRRAL's unique approach to identifying and scaling local restaurant and retail brands? 
• How does BRRAL balance maintaining the authenticity of the acquired brands with the need to optimise their performance?
• How do you strike a balance between meeting the needs and desires of restaurants and catering to the expectations and demands of investors in this industry?
• What do you look for in a business before investing? 
• In East Africa, what are the typical methods of financing for local restaurants and retail brands?
• And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: Unlocking Africa show notes

Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss Scaling African SMEs and Fighting Climate Change: The Melanin Kapital Approach with Mélanie Keïta? Make sure to check it out!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!

Connect with Terser on LinkedIn at TerserAdamu, and Twitter @TerserAdamu

Connect with  Leonard  on LinkedIn at Leonard Mudachi, and Twitter @LMudachi

Many of the businesses unlocking opportunities in Africa don’t do it alone. If you’d like strategic support on entering or expanding across African markets, reach out to our partners ETK Group:

www.etkgroup.co.uk
[email protected]

Episode #72 with Mélanie Keïta, who is the CEO and Co-Founder of Melanin Kapital,  which is a climate fintech platform that provides a last-mile carbon financing solution to finance the green transition of African businesses. 

Their goal is to finance the clean-energy equipment that SMEs need to scale while simultaneously reducing their carbon footprint. They finance electric transportation, renewable energy equipment, waste management facilities, and green cooking equipment. 

What We Discuss With Mélanie

• What are some of the biggest challenges that African SMEs face when it comes to accessing green equipment and financing for sustainable projects?
• What are some of the biggest challenges that you’ve faced setting up the fund?
• How does Melanin Kapital leverage carbon credits and climate financing to help these SMEs access the funding they need?
• Could you provide examples of successful SMEs that have benefited from Melanin Kapital's services? How has the financing they received helped them drive sustainability and foster business growth?
• What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs who are looking to drive sustainable innovation and impact in their businesses? 
• And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: Unlocking Africa show notes

Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss How to Harness the Investment Potential of Africa’s Middle Class to Drive Economic Growth with Subomi Plumptre? Make sure to check it out!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!

Connect with Terser on LinkedIn at TerserAdamu, and Twitter @TerserAdamu

Connect with  Mélanie  on LinkedIn at Mélanie Keïta, and Twitter @melani_n_keita

Many of the businesses unlocking opportunities in Africa don’t do it alone. If you’d like strategic support on entering or expanding across African markets, reach out to our partners ETK Group:

www.etkgroup.co.uk
[email protected]

Episode #71 with Subomi Plumptre, who is the CEO of Volition Cap, which is a game-changing and SEC-licenced asset manager for Africans and Diasporans. Since 2018, they have been at the forefront of investments for individuals and businesses.

They created a $30 million fund for agriculture and real estate projects in Africa, pioneering the first structure to leverage traditional cooperatives.  

What We Discuss With Subomi

• Why do you feel it is important to increase financial prosperity for the African and diasporan middle classes? 
• What challenges do the African and diasporan middle classes encounter when trying to build financial prosperity?
• Typically, in which sectors and markets do you invest when you've raised money from institutional investors for investment purposes? 
• What challenges do you encounter when attempting to invest funds in African markets? 
• What activities are you involved in to empower the African and diasporan middle class in building financial prosperity and meaningful wealth? 
• And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: Unlocking Africa show notes

Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss Fruitful Endeavours. How Reel Fruit is Unleashing the Potential of Nigeria's Fruit Industry with Affiong Williams? Make sure to check it out!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!

Connect with Terser on LinkedIn at TerserAdamu, and Twitter @TerserAdamu

Connect with Subomi on LinkedIn at Subomi Plumptre, and Twitter @subomiplumptre

Many of the businesses unlocking opportunities in Africa don’t do it alone. If you’d like strategic support on entering or expanding across African markets, reach out to our partners ETK Group:

www.etkgroup.co.uk
[email protected]

Episode #70 with Affiong Williams, who is the founder and CEO of Reel Fruit, whose vision is to be Nigeria's largest end-to-end fruit processing company. The company is unlocking the value in Nigeria's fruit value chain by building an end-to-end fruit processing company.

We all know that fruit should be a staple in our daily diet, but it’s not always easy or convenient to eat fresh fruit. ReelFruit® is 100% (preservative-free) fruit, dried to lock in all the nutrients and goodness of fresh fruits, packaged in snack sizes for snacking on-the-go: at work, at school, in traffic, anywhere! 

What We Discuss With Affiong

•  What are some of the challenges in Nigeria’s fruit value chain? 
•  What difficulties have you encountered in building connections with farmers and making investments in farms to bolster and reinforce Nigeria's fruit value chain? 
• How does ReelFruit ensure that the fruits it sources are of high quality and meet the company's standards for processing? 
• What were some of the challenges you faced building your factory in terms of financing, finding the right machinery, quality standards and control, etc.? 
• You’ve been able to successfully export your products to the US and Europe. How much opportunity is there to sell made in Nigeria products globally? 
• And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: Unlocking Africa show notes

Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss Paving the Way for Women in Corporate Africa. TheBoardroom Africa's Impact with Marcia Ashong? Make sure to check it out!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!

Connect with Terser on LinkedIn at TerserAdamu, and Twitter @TerserAdamu

Connect with Affiong on LinkedIn at Affiong Williams, and Twitter @AffiongWilliams

Many of the businesses unlocking opportunities in Africa don’t do it alone. If you’d like strategic support on entering or expanding across African markets, reach out to our partners ETK Group:

www.etkgroup.co.uk
[email protected]

Episode #69 with Marcia Ashong, who is CEO of TheBoardroom Africa,  which is an organisation that promotes exceptional female talent to boards across the continent. 

TheBoardroom Africa breaks down barriers to help organisations realise the benefits of increased diversity on boards. They’re accelerating the placement of female leaders by connecting peer-endorsed, board-ready women with CEOs and board executives across Africa and beyond. 

What We Discuss With Marcia

•  What is the current state of women in boardroom positions in Africa? 
•  What are the biggest challenges that women face when it comes to securing board positions, and how does The Boardroom Africa help to address these challenges?
•  What is the importance of having women or a diverse representation of people at boardroom level?
•  How do you work with companies to help them understand the importance of gender diversity on boards, and what strategies do you use to encourage them to take action?
•  What advice do you have for women who are aspiring to break into board positions, and what steps can they take to position themselves for success? 
• And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: Unlocking Africa show notes

Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss Breaking Down Barriers. Making Investment Opportunities Accessible to All Africans with Kola Oyeneyin? Make sure to check it out!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!

Connect with Terser on LinkedIn at TerserAdamu, and Twitter @TerserAdamu

Connect with Marcia on LinkedIn at Marcia Ashong, and Twitter @marciakayie

Many of the businesses unlocking opportunities in Africa don’t do it alone. If you’d like strategic support on entering or expanding across African markets, reach out to our partners ETK Group:

www.etkgroup.co.uk
[email protected]

Episode #68 with Kola Oyeneyin, who is CEO of Opportunik Global Fund (OGF), which is a private wealth fund designed by Africans for Africans.

At Opportunik Global Fund, the belief is that everyone should have access to opportunities regardless of their location. To that end, OGF offers USD investments to middle-class and mass-affluent Africans and Diasporans with a starting capital of $5,000. Their rigorous asset selection process and dedicated team ensure that investors receive healthy returns.

OGF is licensed by the Cayman Islands and managed by Accuvise, a registered fund administrator overseeing over $216 million in Assets Under Administration. This means that their investors face minimal currency or political risks.

What We Discuss With Kola

• The Opportunik Global Fund aims to break down barriers faced by Africans and the Diaspora. What barriers are you trying to break down, and why? 
• You've created a private wealth fund run by Africans for Africans. What do you think the significance of this is, and what additional value does it provide?
• What challenges have you had to overcome in order to create this fund? 
• What is your forecast for the size of the fund in the next one to three years? 
• How does OGF differ from other investment options available to Africans and Diasporans, and what advantages does it offer? 
• And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: Unlocking Africa show notes

Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss The Journey of Medsaf. Revolutionising the Way Hospitals and Pharmacies Access Medication in Africa with Vivian Lawal? Make sure to check it out!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!

Connect with Terser on LinkedIn at TerserAdamu, and Twitter @TerserAdamu

Connect with Kola on LinkedIn at KolaOyeneyin, and Twitter @KolaOyeneyin

Many of the businesses unlocking opportunities in Africa don’t do it alone. If you’d like strategic support on entering or expanding across African markets, reach out to our partners ETK Group:

www.etkgroup.co.uk
[email protected]

Episode #67 with Vivian Lawal, who is Founder of Medsaf, which is a curated medication marketplace for African hospitals and pharmacies.

 Medsaf is a global organisation with headquarters in the United States and a presence in Nigeria. They believe that quality medication is a fundamental human right. They focus on bringing high-quality medication manufacturers directly to pharmacies and hospitals, using our Medsaf platform. Their platform provides hospitals and pharmacies with access to credit, inventory management, and logistics. It’s a one-stop procurement service.

What We Discuss With Vivian

•  How does Medsaf differ from other medication marketplaces, and what unique value do you provide to your customers? 
• What is the current state of the Nigerian pharmaceutical sector at the moment?
• Low-quality and counterfeit medicines are an issue throughout Africa. How do you keep counterfeit drugs out of your supply chain?
•   In your opinion, what are some of the biggest challenges facing the healthcare industry in Africa, and how is Medsaf helping to address these challenges? 
• How have you managed to scale up your business in Nigeria while navigating numerous regulatory hurdles and compliance requirements?
• And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: Unlocking Africa show notes

Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss Success Against the Odds: Building a Booming Property Business in Soweto with Nthabiseng Sejake? Make sure to check it out!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!

Connect with Terser on LinkedIn at TerserAdamu, and Twitter @TerserAdamu

Connect with Vivian on LinkedIn at VivianNwakahLawal, and Twitter @MedsafCom

Many of the businesses unlocking opportunities in Africa don’t do it alone. If you’d like strategic support on entering or expanding across African markets, reach out to our partners ETK Group:

www.etkgroup.co.uk
[email protected]

Episode #66 with Nthabiseng Sejake, who is a rising star in the world of property investment. Nthabiseng is the founder of B Evolution, a rapidly expanding rental business based in Soweto. Despite having a portfolio with dozens of quality apartments on three sites in Soweto, Nthabiseng's business has been unable to secure funding from South Africa's formal banking sector. 

Nonetheless, her company has thrived in a market often overlooked by traditional investors. During this episode, she shares her insights on the challenges facing entrepreneurs in the property sector and how she has navigated these obstacles to build a successful business.

What We Discuss With Nthabiseng

• What is the current state of South Africa’s property industry? 
• How do individuals operating independently, like yourself, succeed in accessing and establishing a foothold in the highly competitive real estate industry? 
• Soweto is an iconic place with a rich history and culture, but the western media has always depicted it as a low-income and high-crime area. What is the reality of living and building a business in Soweto?
•  What tips would you give to other budding property entrepreneurs in Africa? 
•  What do you think the importance of people from Soweto playing a big role in the development and regeneration of the area is? 
• And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: Unlocking Africa show notes

Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss From Paper to Practice. Achieving Lasting Change through Land Reform in Africa with Thierry Ngoga? Make sure to check it out!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!

Connect with Terser on LinkedIn at TerserAdamu, and Twitter @TerserAdamu

Many of the businesses unlocking opportunities in Africa don’t do it alone. If you’d like strategic support on entering or expanding across African markets, reach out to our partners ETK Group:

www.etkgroup.co.uk
[email protected]