What does it take to finance Africa's energy transition?

Millions of people still lack reliable access to electricity. 
Expanding energy access requires more than new technologies. It depends on investment models that reflect local realities, patient capital, and businesses capable of delivering solutions at scale.

In this episode of Voices & Visions, Ivana Heijnen sits down with Benjamin , Investment Manager at Nithio, a climate finance platform accelerating access to clean energy across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Drawing on his experience deploying more than $30 million in debt capital across distributed energy, commercial and industrial solar, and e-mobility, Benjamin explains how Nithio finances businesses working to close the continent's energy gap. 

The episode covers:
The realities of energy access across Africa
Financing off-grid energy and distributed solar
Commercial and industrial renewable energy projects
Climate finance and impact investing
The role of policy in attracting investment
Why patient capital matters in infrastructure investing
Financing e-mobility across African markets
Productive uses of renewable energy beyond electricity
Building businesses that expand economic opportunity through energy access

Produced by TuttoPassa Agency, in partnership with TechCabal.

#ClimateFinance  #EnergyAccess #ImpactInvesting #AfricaBusiness 

In this episode of Voices & Visions, Ivana Heijnen sits down with Adonijah Ndege, Senior Reporter at TechCabal, one of the leading publications documenting Africa's technology and business ecosystems. Having reported across nearly 50 African countries, Adonijah shares an on-the-ground view of how narratives about Africa are built, who controls them, and how often they diverge from reality.

The conversation explores the tight link between politics and business and why capital follows narrative before it follows fundamentals.

Topics discussed:
The role of media in holding institutions accountable
Why capital follows narrative before fundamentals
The gap between funding raised and real economic impact
Why global investment events often exclude local capital
Unpacking the "Africa Rising" narrative
Aid, government responsibility and the limits of the private sector
Reframing what Kenya is

Produced by Tutto Passa Agency, in partnership with TechCabal.

#AfricaBusiness #Journalism #Entrepreneurship #Kenya #EastAfrica 

Why are so many women entrepreneurs still overlooked by investors?

Across East Africa, women lead a significant share of small and growing businesses, shaping local economies, creating jobs and building companies with regional ambitions.

Still, access to private capital remains one of the biggest barriers to growth.

In this episode of Voices & Visions, Ivana Heijnen sits down with Carolyne Kirabo, Founder and Managing Partner of M-Kyala Capital, to explore how investment can better support the entrepreneurs driving much of the region's economic development.

Drawing on more than a decade of experience in impact investing, venture capital and gender lens investing, Carolyne shares her perspective on the funding journey for women entrepreneurs, the importance of trust between founders and investors, and why long-term partnerships matter throughout the growth process. 

The conversation explores investment readiness, working capital, regional expansion across East Africa, gender lens investing, representation, and the systems that help businesses grow sustainably.
Topics discussed:
Why women entrepreneurs remain significantly underfunded
Building trust between founders and investors
Working capital as a driver of sustainable growth
Supporting businesses beyond the investment itself
Regional expansion across East Africa
The role of gender lens investing
Entrepreneurship, family and long-term business growth
Representation and changing perceptions of women entrepreneurs
The future of inclusive investing in Africa

Produced by Tutto Passa Agency, in partnership with TechCabal.

#VoicesAndVisions #GenderLensInvesting #WomenEntrepreneurs #PrivateCapital #ImpactInvesting #AfricaBusiness #EastAfrica #Entrepreneurship

What makes investors say yes?

As global venture markets become more selective, founders across Africa are discovering that fundraising goes beyond finding investors.

In this episode of Voices & Visions, Ivana Heijnen sits down with Francis Nasyomba, CEO of Raisin Capital and creator of Capital Connect, to explore how capital actually moves across African markets.

Drawing on more than fifteen years of experience in investment advisory, private equity, capital raising, and market development, Francis offers a practical view of what investors evaluate, why businesses struggle to access funding, and how founders can prepare themselves for long-term success.

The conversation explores investor readiness, deal structuring, risk assessment, local versus international capital, and the future of African capital formation.

Topics discussed:
Why many businesses should not raise capital yet
The four stages of successful fundraising
How investors assess risk in African markets
Local versus international capital perspectives
Why governance and credibility matter more than hype
The role of African institutional capital
What founders consistently misunderstand about fundraising
Why sustainable businesses matter more than unicorn narratives
The future of venture capital and private investment in Africa

Produced by TuttoPassa Agency, in partnership with TechCabal.

#VoicesAndVisions #SMEs #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #CapitalMarkets #EconomicDevelopment #AfricaBusiness

For many people, M-Pesa is known as a mobile money platform.
In reality, it has become a critical layer of Kenya's economic infrastructure.

In this conversation, Andrew Mutha and Peter Gichangi of Safaricom unpack how M-Pesa evolved from a simple money transfer service into an ecosystem supporting payments, savings, credit, insurance, investments, and cross-border transactions.

The discussion goes beyond technology to examine the conditions that made this possible: digital identity systems, regulatory openness, widespread connectivity, and a relentless focus on solving real customer problems. 

This is ultimately a conversation about trust, infrastructure, and the systems that enable economies to function.

Produced by Tutto Passa Agency, in partnership with TechCabal.

#VoicesAndVisions #Fintech #FinancialInclusion #DigitalInfrastructure #MPesa #Kenya #AfricaBusiness #Innovation

Climate adaptation is often discussed as a future challenge. For many African businesses, it is already an operational reality.

In this conversation, Victor Ndiege, CEO of Kenya Climate Ventures, breaks down what climate investing actually looks like on the ground, from financing structures and local currency investing to the role SMEs play in strengthening economic resilience across African markets.

Produced by Tutto Passa Agency, in partnership with Tech Cabal.

In this episode of Voices & Visions, Ivana Heijnen speaks with George Odo, Senior Partner at AfricInvest, bringing nearly three decades of experience across development finance and private equity.

The conversation explores capital deployment across African markets, the realities shaping investment decisions, and the way businesses scale across regions.

The episode covers:
Private equity, venture capital, and private credit across African markets.
The positioning of emerging markets as a distinct asset class for global investors.
Governance, infrastructure, and market fragmentation as key factors in capital allocation.
Regional trade and cross-border expansion as drivers of scale.
The growing importance of local capital and stronger capital markets.
Key considerations for founders and operators building in these environments.

A grounded perspective on capital, markets, and investing across the continent.

Produced by Tutto Passa Agency, in partnership with Tech Cabal. 

Rewriting the Narrative of Kenyan Coffee with Ritesh Doshi | Voices & Visions

For the first episode of Voices & Visions, host Ivana Jeinen sits down with Ritesh Doshi, CEO of Spring Valley Coffee, one of Kenya’s leading specialty coffee companies.

From building Kenya’s first scalable pizza delivery business to leading a premium coffee brand expanding internationally, Ritesh shares a grounded perspective on entrepreneurship, value creation, and what it takes to compete globally from Africa.

The conversation covers:
A deep dive into the coffee value chain: from smallholder farmers to global markets.
Why some of the world’s best coffee comes from Kenya and yet most of its value is captured abroad.
The realities of pricing, auctions, and navigating global commodity markets.
Building a premium brand while keeping quality accessible.
Scaling from a local roastery to international markets, including expansion into London.
What it really means to “add value at origin”.

More than a conversation about coffee, this episode explores broader lessons for African industries on shifting from commodity to brand.