In this episode we talk to Ruvimbo Chikwava, Co-Founder & CEO of African Solutions Private Limited (AfriSol). Afrisol is a pan-African enterprise that enables the enhancement of nutrition levels plus wealth and employment creation amongst small-holder farmers with a bias towards women and the youth in Rwanda.

We discuss Ruvimbo’s journey from working in a Big 4 audit firm to his previous role as a treasury and business development executive, and his latest role at AfriSol where he is helping small-holder farmers increase productivity, efficiency, and the quality of their produce. Ruvimbo speaks on the deepening sense of "conscious incompetence" in entrepreneurship as well as the unexpected joys and growth of learning from students in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation class at the African Leadership University School of Business. 

We also explore why African entrepreneurs might be struggling with collaboration and how we need to commit to have all hands on deck with as many stakeholders as possible if we are to truly Scale Up Africa.

Connect with Ruvimbo on the following platforms: LinkedIn | AfriSol

Connect with Scale Up Africa: @scaleupafricaco | Instagram | Website

In this episode, we talk to Guidione Machava, an entrepreneur, designer and author from Mozambique. Guidione prides himself in being a community builder, is the host of the World Class Designer Podcast, and recently organised the World Class Designer Conference which drew speakers and attendees from a diverse pool of the world’s leading companies to exchange ideas, insights, and lessons with designers across the continent.

In our chat, we discuss Guidione’s journey from studying economics to the design space. We discuss the great potential that Africa has for greater problem discovery that can lead to design of solutions that leverage the great talent on the opportunity whilst addressing the problems unique to the continent. 

Guidione also shares on how collaboration could help scale design in Africa and how at an individual level, the willingness to move to rooms where we may not be the brightest could show us even more possibilities.

Connect with Guidione on the following platforms: LinkedIn | World Class Designer School

Connect with Scale Up Africa: @scaleupafricaco | Instagram | Website

Ojok Okello is a development manager, community organiser, and social entrepreneur who has been using his global experience and education to support a community development project in Okere, his father’s home village in Northern Uganda.

The social entreprise, also known as Okere City, has organically grown to include several initiatives towards education, adult literacy, community sports, health, and the processing of shea butter to create a hub of social and economic activity that allows inhabitants to contribute to and shape the development of their community.

In our chat, we discuss how it all started, the perpectives and beliefs that have powered Ojok’s resilience, and how he believes we could all contribute to the development of our communities.

Connect with Ojok on the following platforms: @OjokOkello_ | Okere City

Connect with Scale Up Africa: @scaleupafricaco | Instagram | Website