The Entrepreneurial Mindset Podcast

Host Ms. Maggie Mutesi speaks with Zindaba Hanzala, the co-founder of Mulimi and an award-winning agripreneur, and farmer about the organization she created for her grandmother. Mulimi provides financing, insurance, technical support, and market linkage to small-scale and emergent farmers across the Zambian agriculture value chain.   During this insightful discussion, Zindaba Hanzala describes how passion drives her, why she never gives up, how Mulimi assists farmers in managing a sustainable business, how to make the most of opportunities, and her future vision for African farmers and herself.   Connect with Zindaba Hanzala here:   LinkedIn: Zindaba Hanzala Facebook: Queen Mulimi Instagram: @QueenMulimi Twitter: @QueenMulimi  

Host Ms. Maggie Mutesi speaks with Moustapha Sow, the CEO of SF Capital, a philanthropist, and entrepreneur, about his professional journey and how he supports African youth. SF Capital is an Africa-focus investment banking entity based in Senegal. They provide comprehensive independent advisory services including Corporate and Project Finance, M&A, and Structured Trade Financing.   During this practical discussion, Moustapha Sow shares insights about the benefits of having the right mindset, believing in Africa, gathering capital, overcoming challenges, and common mistakes entrepreneurs make.   Connect with Moustapha Sow here:   LinkedIn: Moustapha Sow Facebook: Moustapha Sow Instagram: @SowMoustapha  

Host Ms. Maggie Mutesi speaks with Fatoumata Diarrassouba, a strategic consultant, and the CEO and Co-Founder of Afrik'Energy Connect. The mission of Afrik'Energy Connect is to increase energy access and its productive uses in rural and urban areas of West Africa by providing affordable, climate-smart technologies to communities not connected to the grid.   During this inspiring discussion, Fatoumata Diarrassouba shares the factors that motivated her to start Afrik'Energy, how the organization empowers local communities, how she acquired financing, and the challenges she faces every day in growing an innovative, clean-energy business.   Connect with Fatoumata Diarrassouba here:   LinkedIn: FatouDiarrassouba Facebook: Fatoumata Diarrassouba  Instagram: @fatoumata.diarrassouba

Host Ms. Maggie Mutesi speaks with Mélanie Keïta, the co-founder and CEO of Melanin Kapital. Melanin Kapital aims to be the next Goldman Sachs but one that completely focuses on investment in Africa by digitizing the investment banking industry, starting with fundraising, investments, and wealth management to encourage African investors to invest in African entrepreneurs.   During this educational discussion, Mélanie Keïta shares why investors invest in certain projects, the benefit of vetting investors and entrepreneurs, building a team, having a mentor, and advice for women looking for financing.   Connect with Mélanie Keïta here:   Website: Melanin Kapital LinkedIn: De.linkedin.com/in/melaninkapital Twitter: @MelaninKapital Facebook: Melanin Kapital Instagram: @melanin.kapital

Host Ms. Maggie Mutesi speaks with the CEO and founder of JooL International Joseph-Olivier Biley from Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa. JooL International is a robotics company that uses drones to assist agricultural farmers with making the most of the digital revolution. In five years, Joseph-Olivier has created a start-up that is now valued at more than a million dollars.   During this transformative discussion, Joseph-Olivier shares how his company allows farmers to manage their crops through their cell phones, how he became an architect for other start-ups, tips for growing a business, and the four big challenges he faced while building a company in Africa.   Connect with Joseph-Olivier Biley here:   Website: JooL International LinkedIn: ci.linkedin.com/in/joseph-olivier-biley-ab06a094 Twitter: @joolint Facebook: JooL International Instagram: @jool_international 

Host Ms. Maggie Mutesi speaks with the CEO and founder of Gashora Farm PLC, Dieudonné Diego Twahirwa from Kigali, Rwanda. Dieudonné is an agronomist, agropreneur, and visionary, who in the face of a highly-competitive landscape, created new and innovative products with his base crop, chili. In less than 10 years, he has transformed his small business into a growing global exporter of raw and finished products.   During this informative discussion, Dieudonné shares his agropreneurial journey starting his commercial business with only one hectare of land and a mere $300 in capital. Gashora Farms PLC is now a $500 million empire that exports fresh and dried chili, chili paste, and chili oil to countries all over the globe. He encourages entrepreneurs to network to gain commercial partners, understand their product and the market, and attend workshops, conferences, and exhibitions to be a sustainable force in the world market.   Connect with Dieudonné Diego Twahirwa here:   Website: Gashora Farm PLC LinkedIn: rw.linkedin.com/in/dieudonn-diego-twahirwa-8012b4128 Twitter: @Diego_Twahirwa Facebook: @GashoraFarm Instagram: @diego_twahirwa

Host Fifi Peters speaks with award-winning entrepreneur, business strategist, and CEO of JA Venture Capital, John Armah (Ghana). John is an expert in entrepreneurial ventures and is currently seeking out new markets for Ghanian companies in the U.S. and Latin America. He shares his knowledge and experience with young entrepreneurs by serving on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement Ghana and other educational outlets.   During this educational discussion, John details the comprehensive and necessary process of creating a map for a successful business. He looks back on his entrepreneurial journey and offers guidance to others who are beginning their journeys. He encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to be passionate, gain knowledge, know their strengths, be prepared, and forgive themselves for mistakes along the way.   Connect with John here:   LinkedIn: gh.linkedin.com/in/armahjohn Twitter: @JohnArmah Facebook: @ArmahJohn Instagram: @armah.john

Host Fifi Peters speaks with the CEO of Publiseer, Chidi Nwaogu (Nigeria). Publiseer is a tech resource that helps thousands of Africans earn a living from their creative works. Chidi is also the tech guru behind the startups, Savvy and LAGbook.   During this insightful discussion, Chidi describes why his mother was determined to have her sons learn computers, the sacrifices he and his brother made to launch their first tech projects, and the entrepreneurial ventures that kick-started their journey to become leaders in the tech industry. Chidi, not content with keeping his success to himself, continues to assist other young leaders in finding opportunities and fulfilling their entrepreneurial dreams.   Connect with Chidi here:   Chidi's Website: chidi.xyz Twitter: @ChidiNwaogu5 Facebook: @IAmNwaogu LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chidinwaogu

In our debut episode, I talk with Dorcas Owinoh, Director of LakeHub (Kenya), and Mara Michelo, founder and CEO of Jacaranda Hub (Zambia)—two dynamic female entrepreneurs making an impact.   Dorcas and Mara share how their upbringings equipped them to be self-starters. They unpack hard-earned entrepreneurial wisdom on the power of collaboration, learning who to trust and who you shouldn't, how to leverage lessons learned from failed ventures to launch new ones, and how the next generation is integral to the future of big industries like agriculture and technology.   Not to mention, Dorcas received an award from the Queen of England herself!   Connect with Dorcas and Mara here:   LakeHub: Lakehub.co.ke Dorcas' LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/dorcas-owinoh-70185771/?originalSubdomain=ke   Jacaranda Hub: Jacarandahub.org Mara's Instagram: @marazhanet Mara's LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/mara-zhanet-michelo-663b3311a

The OYA podcast aims at strengthening the entrepreneurial mindset to enable young entrepreneurs identify and make the most of opportunities, overcome and learn from setbacks, and succeed in a variety of settings by listening to inspiring journeys of successful young African entrepreneurs.