Unlocking Africa

Episode 225 with Ernestine Van Rappard, CCO  at Workpay, a Kenyan founded, Y Combinator backed payroll, HR, and Employer of Record platform helping companies hire, pay, and manage employees across Africa without setting up local entities. Ernestine joins us to unpack one of the biggest hidden barriers to doing business in Africa: compliant hiring, payroll, and workforce management across multiple African countries.

In this episode, we explore how global companies are expanding into Africa faster by using Employer of Record (EOR) solutions to hire employees legally and compliantly without establishing subsidiaries. Ernestine explains why setting up entities across Africa can take months, the complexity of navigating labour laws and payroll regulations across different jurisdictions, and why payroll infrastructure is becoming a critical part of Africa’s digital economy.

We also discuss the rise of remote work and distributed teams across Africa, the growing global demand for African talent, and why international businesses are increasingly looking towards African markets for both expansion and recruitment. Ernestine shares how Workpay evolved from a HR software platform into one of Africa’s leading payroll and EOR providers, now supporting companies hiring across multiple African markets.

What We Discuss With Ernestine

• Why hiring and payroll compliance remain major barriers to business expansion across Africa.
• How Employer of Record (EOR) services allow companies to hire in Africa without setting up local entities.
• The realities of managing payroll, tax, and labour law compliance across multiple African countries.
• Why global companies are increasingly hiring African talent and building distributed teams across the continent.
• How Workpay is helping businesses scale faster across Africa through payroll technology, HR management, and compliant workforce solutions.

Did you miss my previous episode where I discus The Future of Ecommerce in Africa and Why Speed and Reliability Is Everything? Make sure to check it out!

Connect with Terser:
LinkedIn - Terser Adamu
Instagram - unlockingafrica
Twitter (X) - @TerserAdamu

Connect with Ernestine
LinkedIn - Ernestine Catz - van Rappard and Workpay

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 224 with Dima Rasnovsky, General Manager for Africa at Glovo, one of the world’s leading quick commerce and on demand delivery platforms transforming how consumers access food, groceries, retail products, and everyday essentials across cities. Dima leads Glovo’s growth and operations across African markets, helping drive the expansion of digital commerce, last mile delivery, and retail technology across some of the continent’s fastest growing economies.

In this episode, we explore the future of ecommerce in Africa and how quick commerce is reshaping consumer behaviour across major urban centres including Lagos, Nairobi, Kampala, and Abidjan. Dima explains how rising smartphone adoption, mobile money, digital payments, and rapid urbanisation are accelerating the growth of on demand delivery and creating new opportunities for African retailers, restaurants, supermarkets, and small businesses.

From ultra fast grocery delivery and digital retail infrastructure to logistics networks and last mile delivery systems, Dima shares how Glovo is building the technology and operational systems required to support the next generation of commerce in Africa. He discusses the rise of convenience driven consumer behaviour, why African consumers increasingly expect same day or instant delivery, and how local businesses are using digital platforms to expand their reach and compete in a changing retail environment.

What We Discuss With Dima

• The future of ecommerce and quick commerce across Africa.
• How Glovo is transforming food delivery, grocery delivery, and digital retail in African cities.
• Building last mile logistics and delivery infrastructure in Lagos, Nairobi, Kampala, and Abidjan.
• Helping neighbourhood stores, restaurants, and SMEs participate in the digital economy.
• Why mobile money, fintech, and digital payments are critical to Africa’s commerce ecosystem.
• Whether Africa could leapfrog traditional retail systems and shape the future of global commerce.

Did you miss my previous episode where I discus The Nigerian Entrepreneur Building Africa’s Sports Economy Through Boxing, Events and Entertainment? Make sure to check it out!

Connect with Terser:
LinkedIn - Terser Adamu
Instagram - unlockingafrica
Twitter (X) - @TerserAdamu

Connect with Dima
LinkedIn - Dima Rasnovsky and Glovo

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 223 with Ezekiel Adamu, entrepreneur, change agent, and Group CEO of Balmoral Group, one of West Africa’s leading event and experiential companies. In this conversation, we explore how Africa can build globally competitive sports and entertainment industries that drive economic growth, create jobs, and position cities like Lagos as international event destinations.

Ezekiel shares how his journey from the United Kingdom back to Nigeria shaped his ambition to bring structure, scale, and global standards into Africa’s events industry. Through Balmoral Group and platforms like Chaos in the Ring and Friday Fight Night, he is redefining sports entertainment in Africa by creating world class boxing events, building sustainable ecosystems for athletes, and attracting global attention to the continent.

From delivering internationally broadcast boxing events to partnering with global stakeholders, he explains how Africa can shift from exporting talent to hosting major sporting events. We discuss the importance of structured systems, commercial strategy, and institutional quality platforms in unlocking investment and scaling Africa’s creative economy.

We also explores the business of sport in Africa, including how events and entertainment act as economic multipliers across tourism, hospitality, media, and youth employment. Ezekiel shares insights on building premium experiences in emerging markets, overcoming early stage challenges, and why perception plays a critical role in attracting capital to African industries.

What We Discuss With Ezekiel

• How to build globally competitive sports industries in Africa and why structure matters more than talent
• How Chaos in the Ring is positioning Lagos as a global boxing and sports destination
• The business of sports in Africa and how events drive tourism, jobs, and investment
• The realities of building premium event platforms in emerging markets
• How sport can unlock youth opportunity and long term economic growth across the continent

Did you miss my previous episode where I discus Building Kenya’s Luxury Hospitality Industry, Nairobi’s Creative Economy, and the Future of Tourism? Make sure to check it out!

Connect with Terser:
LinkedIn - Terser Adamu
Instagram - unlockingafrica
Twitter (X) - @TerserAdamu

Connect with Ezekiel
LinkedIn - Balmoral Group
Instagram - eazy_adamu

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 222 with Shamim Ehsani, Co Founder of Tribe Hotels Group, a hospitality and lifestyle company redefining modern African luxury through the integration of culture, art, and experience led design. Shamim has built a portfolio that includes Tribe Hotel in Nairobi, Hero Bar, named The Best Bar in Africa, and the upcoming Tribe Beach House in Kilifi, while continuing a family legacy that has helped shape Kenya’s real estate, tourism, and food and beverage industry for over three decades.

Shamim shares how the hospitality industry in Africa can function as economic infrastructure, shaping cities, driving employment, and influencing global perception of markets like Kenya. From launching a five star hotel in Nairobi’s diplomatic and commercial hub to embedding over 900 works of African art into a scalable business model, Shamim explains how culture, creativity, and local identity can be translated into commercially viable and globally competitive African businesses.

We explore the rapid growth of Nairobi as a leading business, lifestyle, and tourism destination, and what the rise of food, nightlife, and the creative economy reveals about income growth, urbanisation, and shifting consumer behaviour across Africa. The conversation also unpacks how local supply chains, artists, and entrepreneurs play a critical role in building sustainable tourism value chains and long term economic development.

Looking ahead, Shamim reflects on investment opportunities in Kenya’s coastline, the future of African tourism beyond safaris, and how to build Africa facing brands that compete globally without losing authenticity. This episode is a deep dive into the intersection of hospitality, investment, culture, and economic growth in Africa.

What We Discuss With Shamim

• Hospitality as economic infrastructure and its role in shaping cities, jobs, and global perception in Kenya.
• Why Nairobi’s rise as a food, culture, and lifestyle hub signals deeper shifts in income, urbanisation, and the tourism economy beyond safaris.
• Turning African art, culture, and identity into commercially viable, globally competitive businesses without losing authenticity.
• How nightlife, bars, and creative industries are driving tourism value chains and positioning Kenya on the global stage.
• Building Africa facing brands with global relevance and avoiding extractive tourism models as new destinations like the Kenyan coast emerge.

Did you miss my previous episode where I discus Africa’s Payments Problem Is Not What You Think – Inside Mobile Money Infrastructure? Make sure to check it out!

Connect with Terser:
LinkedIn - Terser Adamu
Instagram - unlockingafrica
Twitter (X) - @TerserAdamu

Connect with Shamim
LinkedIn - Shamim Ehsani
Instagram - tribehotel

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 221 with Juliet Oshagbemi, Chief People and Culture Officer Africa at Zipline, a global leader in drone delivery, healthcare logistics and supply chain innovation. Zipline has been operating in Africa since 2016 and is now fully integrated into public health systems across Ghana, Rwanda, Nigeria, Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire, delivering blood, vaccines and essential medical supplies on demand at scale.

Juliet brings more than 20 years of experience in human capital strategy and organisational development, with senior leadership roles at Dangote Group where she led talent management and learning across 13 countries, as well as earlier experience with the London Metropolitan Police Service.

We discuss how to build high performing teams behind critical infrastructure in Africa, where logistics, healthcare delivery and technology intersect. Juliet explains how Zipline aligns people strategy with safety, operational excellence and scale, supporting millions of deliveries across complex and fast changing environments. From managing talent across multiple African markets to embedding a unified culture across different regulatory systems, she shares what it really takes to build organisations that can operate reliably at national scale.

We also discuss Zipline’s role in transforming healthcare access across Africa, strengthening supply chains, reducing stockouts and improving outcomes in public health systems. Juliet reflects on why Zipline positions itself as core infrastructure rather than charity, and what that means for leadership, accountability and long term sustainability. She also shares insights on inclusive leadership, local talent development and how organisations can build resilient systems that deliver real impact.

What We Discuss With Juliet

• Building life saving infrastructure where failure is not an option and what that demands from people strategy
• Designing teams and systems that can operate at national scale across multiple African markets with different realities
• Why Zipline positions itself not as charity but as core infrastructure and what that means for leadership and accountability
• The role of local talent, inclusion and culture in delivering high trust public health systems
• What traditional African enterprises and emerging tech companies can learn from each other about scaling talent and building resilient institutions

Did you miss my previous episode where I discus Africa’s Payments Problem Is Not What You Think – Inside Mobile Money Infrastructure? Make sure to check it out!

Connect with Terser:
LinkedIn - Terser Adamu
Instagram - unlockingafrica
Twitter (X) - @TerserAdamu

Connect with Juliet
LinkedIn - Juliet Oshagbemi and Zipline

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 220 with Nikolai Barnwell, CEO of pawaPay, a leading pan African payments company building the financial rails that connect mobile money wallets across the continent and to the rest of the world. 

Nikolai brings over a decade of experience across mobile operating systems, business management, and digital infrastructure to this conversation about how money actually moves across Africa. In addition to leading pawaPay, he serves as a board member at 88mph.ac, an early stage investment fund supporting African startups, and Mdundo, a music streaming platform listed on Nasdaq First North in Copenhagen.

In this episode, he shares how pawaPay is enabling businesses to access mobile money across 19 markets through a single integration, facilitating millions of transactions daily and settling billions in payments across Africa. From simplifying collections, disbursements and remittances to enabling real time visibility and consolidated treasury, Nikolai explains how pawaPay is reducing the friction that has historically limited scale across fragmented payment systems. 

He explores the deeper structural role of payments as economic infrastructure, not just a financial service, and why the ability to move money efficiently will define the next phase of Africa’s growth.

What We Discuss With Nikolai

• Mobile money as economic infrastructure and whether it can become the dominant settlement layer for African trade and commerce
• The reality of cross border payments in Africa and what is slowing down scale from foreign exchange liquidity to regulation and fragmented systems
• Why aggregation remains critical and the hidden complexity of integrating across multiple mobile network operators at continental scale
• Regulation as both a constraint and a competitive advantage in African fintech and how it is shaping the next phase of growth
• The race to 2030 and what needs to happen for Africa to build interoperable payment rails that unlock intra African trade and capital flows

Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss How School Meals Can Transform Africa’s Economy: Agriculture, Jobs and Growth? Make sure to check it out!

Connect with Terser:
LinkedIn - Terser Adamu
Instagram - unlockingafrica
Twitter (X) - @TerserAdamu

Connect with Nikolai
LinkedIn - Nikolai Barnwell and PawaPay

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 219 with Mehrdad Ehsani, Vice President for Africa at The Rockefeller Foundation, a global institution working at the intersection of food systems, economic development, and climate resilience to improve livelihoods around the world. Mehrdad leads the Foundation’s work across Africa, focusing on building scalable systems that drive long term economic growth, agricultural transformation, and human capital development.

In this episode, we explore the launch of the US$80 million School Meals Accelerator, developed in partnership with the World Food Programme, the German Government, and the Novo Nordisk Foundation. This initiative aims to help governments reach an additional 100 million children with nutritious school meals, while strengthening national food systems, supporting local agriculture, and improving education outcomes.

Mehrdad breaks down why school meals are rapidly emerging as one of the most powerful and overlooked economic tools in Africa. From creating stable demand for smallholder farmers to unlocking rural market growth and strengthening domestic value chains, he explains how school feeding programmes can move beyond social support and become a core driver of economic transformation.

We also examine how governments can integrate school meals into national development strategies, the shift from donor led models to country led systems, and how this approach is reshaping the future of international development.

What We Discuss With Mehrdad

• Why school meals are becoming a powerful driver of economic growth, agricultural productivity, and human capital development in Africa
• How school feeding programmes can evolve into national economic infrastructure that supports food systems, labour productivity, and long term competitiveness
• The shift from donor led development to country led systems and what this means for governments, investors, and development partners
• How school meals can be used to build climate resilient food systems and strengthen local agricultural value chains
• Why policymakers, investors, and business leaders should view school meals as a strategic economic lever rather than a social programme

Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss How Crypto and Regulation Are Reshaping Africa’s Financial System: Payments, Remittances and Digital Assets? Make sure to check it out!

Connect with Terser:
LinkedIn - Terser Adamu
Instagram - unlockingafrica
Twitter (X) - @TerserAdamu

Connect with Mehrdad:
LinkedIn - Mehrdad Ehsani or The Rockefeller Foundation

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 218 with Ayotunde Alabi, CEO of Luno Nigeria, one of Africa’s leading cryptocurrency platforms. Ayotunde brings over a decade of experience across finance and technology, with leadership roles at Spektra, ARM HoldCo, FBNQuest and Heritage Bank. As a SEC Sponsored Individual with certifications from the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers in Nigeria and the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment in the United Kingdom, he sits at the intersection of traditional finance, fintech, and digital assets.

In this episode, we explore how cryptocurrency, fintech, and regulation are transforming Africa’s financial system in 2026. With new tax regimes, increased regulatory scrutiny, and rising capital requirements, Ayotunde explains why this moment represents a major turning point for digital assets across the continent. He breaks down Nigeria’s landmark decision to classify cryptocurrencies as financial securities and what this means for crypto adoption, fintech innovation, and investor confidence.

We also examine the global forces shaping Africa’s financial future, including the introduction of a new 1% United States remittance tax and its implications for cross border payments, remittances, and financial inclusion.

From a strategy and product perspective, we explore how Luno is positioning itself as a key player in Africa’s digital asset ecosystem. From crypto staking and tokenised stocks to integrating cryptocurrency into mainstream banking.

What We Discuss With Ayotunde

• Africa’s financial system in 2026 and why crypto regulation is a turning point for fintech and digital assets
• Nigeria’s cryptocurrency tax framework and what it means for investors, startups, and financial institutions
• The rise of capital requirements and how regulation could reshape competition in Africa’s crypto and fintech ecosystem
• The impact of the United States 1 percent remittance tax on cross border payments and digital finance
• How crypto, blockchain, and digital assets are evolving from speculation into infrastructure for trade, remittances, and capital formation

Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss How Africa Can Own AI: From Talent to Infrastructure to Global Competitiveness? Make sure to check it out!

Connect with Terser:
LinkedIn - Terser Adamu
Instagram - unlockingafrica
Twitter (X) - @TerserAdamu

Connect with Ayotunde:
LinkedIn - Ayotunde Alabi
Website - www.gebeya.com

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 217 of the Unlocking Africa Podcast with Amadou Daffe, CEO and Co founder of Gebeya, a leading pan African technology company building talent ecosystems, digital marketplaces, and AI powered platforms to unlock Africa’s global competitiveness.

As artificial intelligence reshapes the global economy, a critical question is emerging: will Africa simply consume AI tools built elsewhere, or will it build, own, and capture value from AI within the continent?

Amadou shares how Gebeya’s latest platform, Gebeya Dala, developed in partnership with Cassava Technologies, is helping African entrepreneurs, creators, and SMEs move from using AI to building AI driven products. From enabling users to turn ideas into fully functional applications in real time to teaching non technical founders how to think in workflows, systems, and logic, this conversation explores how Africa can transition from an AI consumer to an AI creator and exporter.

We also explore the concept of sovereign AI infrastructure in Africa, including the importance of local compute, data ownership, and digital infrastructure in shaping long term economic growth. Amadou explains why the future of Africa’s digital economy will depend not just on access to AI tools, but on ownership of the platforms, systems, and infrastructure that power them.

What We Discuss With Amadou

• Why Africa risks exporting the value of its creative and digital economy in the age of AI, and who ultimately captures the revenue, data, and intellectual property
• Moving beyond prompt engineering to structured thinking, and why workflows, logic, and systems are becoming the highest value skills for African founders
• How platforms like Gebeya Dala are enabling non technical entrepreneurs to build real products and scalable businesses, not just prototypes
• What sovereign AI infrastructure means in practice, and why local compute, data ownership, and partnerships like Cassava Technologies are critical for Africa’s competitiveness
• The emergence of AI native roles across Africa, and how freelancers, creatives, and SMEs can start capturing income and building globally competitive businesses today

Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss How Precision Medicine and Genomics Could Transform Healthcare in Africa? Make sure to check it out!

Connect with Terser:
LinkedIn - Terser Adamu
Instagram - unlockingafrica
Twitter (X) - @TerserAdamu

Connect with Amadou:
LinkedIn - Amadou አማዱ Daffe and Gebeya Inc
Website - www.gebeya.com

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 216 with Derrick Edem Akpalu, Co Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Revna Biosciences, a biotechnology company advancing precision medicine, genomics, and molecular diagnostics across Africa. Derrick is leading a mission to transform healthcare outcomes by building world class diagnostic and research capabilities that address some of the continent’s most pressing medical challenges. Through Revna Biosciences, he is helping bring advanced genomic testing, clinical research partnerships, and personalised treatment selection closer to the patients and healthcare providers who need them most.

Derrick explains why precision medicine could play a significant role in the future of healthcare across Africa, and why the continent’s extraordinary genetic diversity presents a powerful opportunity to improve disease diagnosis, treatment, and drug development globally. From oncology and infectious disease genomics to biobanking and translational research, he shares how building local life sciences infrastructure can dramatically improve patient outcomes while enabling Africa to contribute more meaningfully to global biotechnology and medical research.

Derrick also discusses the realities of building a deep science biotechnology company in Africa, the importance of international laboratory standards and global research partnerships, and why local diagnostic capacity is essential for strengthening healthcare sovereignty across the continent. More broadly, he explores how investment in health innovation, biotechnology, and medical research can unlock new economic opportunities, create high value scientific jobs, and position Africa as a global hub for life sciences discovery and healthcare innovation.

What We Discuss With Derrick

• The rise of precision medicine in Africa and why the continent’s genetic diversity could reshape global healthcare innovation.
• Why building local molecular diagnostics and genomics infrastructure is essential for improving patient outcomes and strengthening healthcare sovereignty.
• How Revna Biosciences is developing biotechnology capability in Africa through genomics, biobanking, and clinical research partnerships.
• The realities of building a biotechnology and deep science startup in Africa and the challenges founders face beyond raising capital.
• Why investment in healthcare innovation, biotechnology, and life sciences should be viewed as critical economic infrastructure for Africa’s future growth.

Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss How Africa Can Build a Stronger Agribusiness Economy: Patient Capital, Food Security & Investment? Make sure to check it out!

Connect with Terser:
LinkedIn - Terser Adamu
Instagram - unlockingafrica
Twitter (X) - @TerserAdamu

Connect with Derrick:
LinkedIn -  Derrick Edem Akpalu

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]