I am dedicated to unlocking Africa’s immense potential by investing in bold leaders and transformative ideas. With a focus on empowering visionary entrepreneurs and fostering innovation, my work supports the growth of groundbreaking solutions that drive progress across the continent and its diaspora.
There are so many brilliant minds building for the future of the Africa that we envision. In 2023, I decided to help platform voices by launching the Africast: diaspora dialogues, the podcast that explores the intersection of African identity, the African business, and the power of the diaspora. The podcast explores the complex dimensions of African identity, and how these dimensions inform the experiences and stories of our guests. Each episode will sit with entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and individuals with a vested stake in the interest in African prosperity, and who share their experiences and insights on building a brighter future for Africa.
Nomzamo Xaba, Principal Program Manager for B-BBEE at Amazon Web Services, joins host Adebowale Asaya to share how coaching, mentorship, and the AWS Equity Equivalent Investment Program are empowering Black-owned IT businesses and driving economic transformation in South Africa. 🎙️✨
#SouthAfrica #AWS #BBEEE #Mentorship #EconomicEmpowerment
Damilola Longe, Senior Security Engineer at Amazon Web Services Payments, joins theAfricast to discuss why a security-first culture matters in building products and services, and how culture is increasingly shaping African exports. From cloud security to community building through BEN Nigeria, Dami shares insights at the intersection of technology, trust, and identity. 🎙️🔐
#Nigeria #AWS #AWSPayments #Security #Culture #BEN #AWSinAfrica
Efua Obeng, Programming Strategy Manager at Amazon Prime Video, joins the Africast to discuss the power of authentic storytelling and the importance of building business models that truly meet customers where they are. From data-driven strategy to shaping how Black women and girls are represented on screen, Efua shares how her work is influencing the future of film in Africa and beyond. 🎙️🎬
#Ghana #PrimeVideo #Africa #Nollywood #AmazonOriginals #Storytelling
Jeremiah Myers, Senior Product Manager at Amazon Web Services, joins the Africast to discuss building lasting travel experiences through authentic curation. A former startup founder and co-creator of Tastemakers Africa, Jeremiah shares how connecting the diaspora to local creatives and communities across Africa is more than business—it’s a cultural responsibility. 🎙️✈️
#Africa #TravelStartups #SouthAfrica #Tanzania #Ghana
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Edward Amartey Tagoe, Senior Product Manager at Amazon Global Transportation Services, joins the Africast to reflect on defining moments in entrepreneurship and the role of technology in enabling impact at scale. A former startup founder and co-creator of NandiMobile, Edward shares lessons from building in Ghana’s startup ecosystem and navigating product leadership. 🎙️🚀
#Africa #Ghana #Startups #ProductManagement
Khadar Ahmed, Principal Tech Business Development Manager at Project Kuiper, joins the Africast to discuss how low Earth orbit satellites can scale connectivity and unlock opportunity for communities around the world. Drawing on his background at AWS and his personal ties to Somalia and Kenya, Khadar shares why expanding access to high-quality broadband across Africa is both urgent and deeply personal. 🎙️🛰️
#Africa #Somalia #Kenya #ProjectKuiper #Broadband
Nnenna Irebisi, Strategic Government Engagement Manager for West & Central Africa at Amazon Web Services Global Sales, joins the Africast to discuss why strong government relationships are critical to adopting technology and scaling innovative solutions. From policy navigation to sustainable tech adoption in Nigeria and Ghana, Nnenna shares insights on enabling equitable, citizen-centered development across Africa. 🎙️🌍
#Nigeria #Ghana #SierraLeone #AWS #TechnologyPolicy
Olivia Igbokwe, Director of Federal Affairs at Amazon Web Services Public Policy, joins the Africast to discuss the evolving GenAI landscape and why thoughtful government regulation matters. From practical AI use cases in healthcare to closing development gaps across Sub-Saharan Africa, Olivia shares insights on how GenAI can responsibly unlock opportunity and shape the continent’s future. 🎙️🤖
#Nigeria #AWS #GenAI #PublicPolicy #Africa
Rochelle Balogun, Senior Music Curator for Hip Hop, R&B, Afrobeats, and Caribbean music at Amazon Music, joins the Africast to explore the global rise of African music and the power of authentic cultural curation. From shaping Amazon Music’s Afrobeats strategy to reflecting on diaspora identity and streaming’s role in access and representation, Rochelle shares insider perspectives on Afrobeats’ crossover moments, championing Black artistry, and what the future of African music could look like by 2050. 🎙️🎶
#Afrobeats #Africa #AmazonMusic #MusicCuration #BlackArtistry
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Mamar Gelaye, Vice President of Fulfillment Technology at Amazon, joins the Africast to discuss how technology can bridge African innovation with global markets. Drawing on her leadership of OpsTech Solutions across thousands of sites worldwide and her roots in Ethiopia, Mamar shares how resourceful, scalable technology—from distributed education to automated manufacturing—can help close development gaps and unlock Africa’s vast talent potential by 2050. 🎙️🌍
#Africa #Ethiopia #Amazon #FulfillmentTech #Innovation
Adebimpe “Bims” Daniels, Senior Solutions Architect at AWS, joins the Africast to explore how cloud and AI can unlock opportunities across Africa. Drawing on her work with global private equity firms and her roots in Lagos, Bims shares insights on innovating within traditional industries while driving social impact through her nonprofit, Aqua Foundation. From democratizing tech for small farmers to addressing food security, she unpacks how the diaspora can leverage purpose-driven innovation to fuel Africa’s digital leapfrog by 2050.
#Africa #Ethiopia #Amazon #FulfillmentTech #Innovation
James Oyedele, Senior PMT at Audible, joins the Africast to explore how AI, MarTech, and audio innovation are reshaping global storytelling. Drawing on his experience building marketing technology and his background across London and Singapore, James discusses the necessity of intentional localization to serve African creators. He unpacks the tension between AI-driven personalization and cultural representation, offering a unique lens on how global platforms can bridge the gap between technical expertise and the lived experience of the African diaspora.
#Africa #Ethiopia #Amazon #FulfillmentTech #Innovation
Sunga Mkwezalamba, a fintech and payments expert at Amazon, joins the Africast to discuss transforming finance into a vehicle for continental impact. Drawing on his experience with the African Union and global law firms, Sunga explores his work building Malawi’s first angel investment network in partnership with the UN. He offers a candid look at how diaspora investors can catalyze local ecosystems, the shift from aid to ownership, and why Africa’s future wealth will be driven by its mineral resources and tech talent rather than philanthropy.
#Africa #Ethiopia #Amazon #FulfillmentTech #Innovation