I met this week's guest last month as a fellow AfroTalks 2025 speaker. Our collective charge for the event was to present our ideas about the "how" of Pan-African progress from mindset, to skills development to migration policy and the future of work. While I shared insights from the future of work salon series, our guest this week, David Hutchful participated on a panel discussing skills development. Born in Ghana, David is a passionate technologist, entrepreneur, educator, and design thinking expert dedicated to building tech-driven solutions in emerging markets. With over 25 years of experience in software development, he has led teams to create award-winning innovative platforms that drive business and social impact in Ghana and abroad.

As Co-Founder and CTO of Yemaachi Biotech (YC21), he is working to build the most diverse genomic database to advance precision oncology. Previously, he co-founded Bloom Impact, led technology innovation at Grameen Foundation, and worked at Microsoft Research. His expertise spans Fintech, Health tech, and Biotech, with a focus on leveraging technology for meaningful change--all topics we touch on in our conversation.

Where to find David?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On YouTube

What’s David watching?
Dept. Q on Netflix

What’s David riding and a few motorcycle clubs in Accra:
Yamaha XSR900
Ultimate Riders MC
Hotwheels Ghana MC
Biker Girls GH

Other topics of interest:
Apam, Ghana
Adukrom, Ghana
About Abelempke, Accra
What is the Africa Rising Movement about?
About Ahaspora
Why did nurses and midwives in Ghana go on strike?
Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) in Ghana
About Kasapreko
About WACCBIP - West African Centre for Cell Biology and Infectious Pathogens
GDPR - General Data Protection Regulation
+233 Jazz Bar and Grill
Empire of AI by Karen Hao

Special Guest: David Hutchful.

On this first day of April, we are trying to fool you, but just slightly. Though herstories month has just ended, we have the treat of catching up with one of featured voices from last week’s compilation episode. Returning with an update on Fourth Phase which was in the launch phase when last we caught up in 2020, is co-founder Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo. Nana is a dedicated social entrepreneur and humanitarian with a strong commitment to advocating for accessible healthcare for under-resourced women, children, and families. As the co-founder of Fourth Phase, she focuses on operations and our giving back program. She also founded non-profit, African Health Now (AHN), which is dedicated to providing vital health information and services across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Prior moving into entrepreneurship, Nana had a successful background in media, having worked with prominent titles such as Honey, Suede, and Essence. And also held positions at the Clinton Global Initiative Foundation and New York Mission Society. Her philanthropic efforts have been recognized globally. In 2017, she received the prestigious title of Humanitarian of the Year from the National Council of Ghanaian Associations, recognizing her impactful contributions. She was acknowledged with a New York State Senate Proclamation acknowledging her commitment to health advocacy. She has also received the Andrew Heiskell Humanitarian Award by Time Inc.

Catching up with Nana is an absolute delight, between learning all about the business of Fourth Phase to mompreneurship, I think you’ll feel welcomed into a world of innovation in a serious health area with a touch of light-heartedness. In case you missed our previous conversations, links are below.

Where to find Nana?

On Glocal Citizens
On Instagram
Fourth Phase on Instagram
Healing After Birth Podcast

What’s Nana watching?
The Golden Girls
The Cosby Show
Chicago Fire | PD | Med | Justice

What’s Nana listening to?
Beres Hammond

Other topics of interest:
Fourth Trimester in Websters Dictionary
Dr. Edward Brown in practice
About Dr. Andrew Alexis and his new program Skin of Color Savvy
Where to find Dr. Ama Alexis
About the TOMS model

Special Guest: Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo.

Kicking off February, we have a double-header in conversation with another Stanford Alum and fellow “Track Girl.” Born in Vietnam and raised in New York, Dana Weeks is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of MedTrans Go, a healthcare technology start-up based in Atlanta, GA. Prior to MedTrans Go, she co-founded the Black Angel Tech Foundation, created to support and increase the number of underrepresented minorities in technology. She has also held positions at AT&T, Pfizer, and in several innovative entrepreneurial ventures. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Westminster Schools of Atlanta, and has served as Treasurer of the Atlanta Chapter of Jack & Jill, a Board Member for Blue Owl Capital, and a Board Member for the Alliance Theater of Atlanta. She also serves on several Task Forces and Committees at both Stanford and Columbia Business School, including serving as a co-chair of the Stanford LEAD Council, a member of the Stanford Humanities & Sciences Council, and a founding member of the Women’s Circle at Columbia Business School. It was lovely catching up on the many paths Dana has walked since our days hop, skipping and jumping at the Stanford Stadium.

Where to find Dana?
https://www.medtransgo.com/
On LinkedIn
On Facebook

What’s Dana watching?
The Hallmark Channel

Other topics of interest:
About the Peace Corps
Lusophone Africa
Islands of Cape Verde
Who is Jodi Kantor?
iPhone's launch @ AT&T
Atlanta Influences Everything

Special Guest: Dana Weeks.

Kicking off February, we have a double-header in conversation with another Stanford Alum and fellow “Track Girl.” Born in Vietnam and raised in New York, Dana Weeks is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of MedTrans Go, a healthcare technology start-up based in Atlanta, GA. Prior to MedTrans Go, she co-founded the Black Angel Tech Foundation, created to support and increase the number of underrepresented minorities in technology. She has also held positions at AT&T, Pfizer, and in several innovative entrepreneurial ventures. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Westminster Schools of Atlanta, and has served as Treasurer of the Atlanta Chapter of Jack & Jill, a Board Member for Blue Owl Capital, and a Board Member for the Alliance Theater of Atlanta. She also serves on several Task Forces and Committees at both Stanford and Columbia Business School, including serving as a co-chair of the Stanford LEAD Council, a member of the Stanford Humanities & Sciences Council, and a founding member of the Women’s Circle at Columbia Business School. It was lovely catching up on the many paths Dana has walked since our days hop, skipping and jumping at the Stanford Stadium.

Where to find Dana?
https://www.medtransgo.com/
On LinkedIn
On Facebook

What’s Dana watching?
The Hallmark Channel

Other topics of interest:
About the Peace Corps
Lusophone Africa
Islands of Cape Verde
Who is Jodi Kantor?
iPhone's launch @ AT&T
Atlanta Influences Everything

Special Guest: Dana Weeks.

For this week’s episode I found myself in a hidden gem of a community in East London with a not so hidden gem in the European investment space, Eric Collins. Eric, born an raised in the southern United States, has called London home for the nearly 10 years. He is a serial entrepreneur, investor, technology executive and host of Channel 4 business show, The Money Maker, which is based on the highly successful US show The Profit on CNBC.

Eric has spent much of his career building the value of digital companies through innovative strategies at public and private companies including AOL, TimeWarner, Tegic/Nuance Communications, MobilePosse, SwiftKey/Microsoft and most recently, Touch Surgery, where he was COO. He sits on the boards of companies in San Francisco and London, including Tech Nation.

In 2011, President Obama, a fellow Harvard Law School classmate, appointed him to the Small Business Administration’s Council on Underserved Communities.

Eric is also a brand ambassador for luxury car manufacturer, Audi, and the youth charity The Prince’s Trust.

In 2018, The Financial Times named him among the UK’s top 100 BAME leaders in technology. Since 2019, he has been voted one of the most influential Black people in Britain on The Powerlist.

In his award-winning book, We Don’t Need Permission: How Black Business Can Change Our World (Penguin), Eric argues investing in Black and underrepresented entrepreneurs is the surest, fastest socio-economic game changer there is. And with his work as a Founder and CEO of Impact X Capital we believe him!

Where to find Eric?
www.impactxcapital.com
On LinkedIn
On X
On Instagram

What’s Eric reading?
J. Califoria Cooper

What’s Eric watching?
Purlie Victorious
The Lehman Trilogy

Other topics of interest:
Revisit fellow Glocal Citizen Natasha Moore
Greensboro, North Carolina
Tuskegee University
Bennett College
North Carolina A&T State University
On Charles Blow’s The Devil You Know
Roger Fisher’s Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving
On the Black Power Movement
About the inaugural SBA Council on Underserved Communities and Chair, Cathy Hughes
Audra McDonald & Brian Stokes Mitchell Perform 'Wheels of a Dream' From RAGTIME
First Black Mayor of Charlotte Harvey Gantt
Former Governor of Virgina Douglas Wilder
GiveBLACK
About Ric Lewis
No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
About Marshmallow

Special Guest: Eric Collins.

Nana is currently CEO of tech startup Grow For Me (GFM) which is a web and mobile based crowdfunding and crowd farming platform that sponsors farmers in growing more crops to solve hunger and poverty problems in Africa. Using drone and satellite imagery, they are able to update sponsors on the progress of the farms they’ve invested in, while providing the best Agronomic advice to optimize farm production. They are solving for global sustainable development goals (SDG) 1 and 2 by creating wealth and producing more food at the same time. GFM aims to contribute to the food production in Africa by helping feed 2.2 billion young Africans by 2050. The ultimate goal is to keep people out of poverty by bringing back young Africans into the aging Agricultural industry.

Where to find Nana?
www.growforme.com
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Twitter
On YouTube

Other topics of interest:
On Nana's bamboo bike ride
Ghana Bamboo Bike Initiative
Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders
Check out Episode 10 with Mandela Fellow Valerie Labi

Special Guest: Nana Opuku Agyeman-Prempeh.

Many words define who he is, but none more so than “immigrant” - and his story represents the stories of millions of brave, hopeful and selfless individuals, many giving up the comfort of familiar spaces to create a new life and future for themselves and those who depend on them. He is all “IMMIGRANTS” and his life’s work is to see his us live more authentically - flourishing and thriving, not just surviving.

This was such an inspiring conversation offering a thoughtful perspective on the type of agility that defines successful entrepreneurship. Tune in and for those of you migrants with loved ones check out Fleri, there's a plan for your needs and the peace of mind we all seek when we can't always be a physical presence.

Where to find Sam?
On LinkedIn
On Twitter
On Instagram
On Facebook
Fleri on YouTube

What's Sam listening to?
Tim Ferriss
Brene Brown
Esther Perel

Other topics of interest:
Oujda, Morocco
Grameen Bank
Heel the World Luxury Accessories
Makola Market
Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana
Bohten Eyewear
Sankofa
More on Self-talk
Nguvu Health

Luther has built four revenue-generating businesses from the ground up including passjamb.com.ng (http://passjamb.com.ng/) an exam prep platform and Lucy.ng, a trusted platform supplying B2C and B2B branded merchandise, Lucy has sold over a million products with over a million USD in sales.

Listen in and find out the mechanics of pushing the art and science of problem solving forward on an everyday basis.

Where to find Luther?
On Linkedin
On Instagram
On Twitter
On Facebook
On YouTube

What's Luther reading?
12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson
Animal Farm by George Orwell

Other topics of Interest:
Oyo State
Maryland in Lagos
Naira Marley x Young Jonn - Mafo

Special Guest: Luther Lawoyin.

In our conversation you'll get to know more about what it took to start a health care company in the midst of massive systematic overhaul as well as what it takes to prepare any business to plan and remain viable during times of operational uncertainty such as the current global pandemic.

Where to find Ivonne?
On LinkedIn
On Twitter
On Facebook

What's Ivonne reading?
You Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
The $100 Start Up: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau
The Founder’s Dilemmas by Noam Wasserman
Grit by Angela Duckworth
The Little Black Book of Success Workbook: Laws of Leadership for Black Women by Elaine Meryl Brown, Marsha Haygood
Believe Bigger by Marshawn Evan Daniels
The Power of Broke: How Empty Pockets, a Tight Budget, and a Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive Advantage by Daymond John

What's Ivonne watching?
The Men Who Build America
Launching and Supporting Black Owned Businesses, Mandy Bowman - TEDx Dover
The Art of Diplomacy, Tayo Rockson - TEDx Cooper Union
The Skill of Self Confidence, Dr. Ivan Joseph - TEDx RyersonU

Special Guest: Ivonne Cameron.

In his latest series of new ventures he currently goes by the title Dreamer at the Start-up School of Alchemy and the Love & Magic company. Once you've taken in this episode, at the very least you too will be in a better position to imagine all that is you!

Where to find Chinedu?
www.startupschoolofalchemy.com
On LinkedIn
On Twitter
On Instagram
On Facebook
On YouTube

What's Chinedu watching?
PBS Space Time

Other topics of interest:
Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill
Information Theory
Variational Free Energy
Opportunity Zones
The Greenwood Company

Special Guest: Chinedu Echeruo.