This week we're back in East Africa in conversation with Kenyan, Farhan Guled, coming to you in two parts. Farhan takes us with him from his native homeland to Europe and back to East Africa where he is currently Executive Director of Salaam Bank Limited in Kampala, Uganda; he has been instrumental is building the bank's start-up operation in the country. Born and raised in Kenya he began his entreprenuearship journey as founder of Maisha Fitness Center in Nairobi. Wearing many professional hats, Farhan is a "Multipotentialite Creative Thinker" offering an off the shelf business growth consultancy. As a visionary strategist, he helps businesses with the right intuitive and informative strategies that guarantee transformational growth. In his service endeavors, he is a board member of The Young Leaders of Finance (Le Club des Jeunes Dirigeants Financiers), which gathers young and mid-level professionals with various backgrounds who work with or within the financial sector taken in the broad sense. Some highlights of our conversation are Farhan's in depth tutorial on the links between Islamic finance and sustainable development goals as well as his delight with the sites and sounds of Uganda. Like me, I think you'll be ready to book your visit straight away!

Where to find Farhan?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On X

What’s Farhan Reading?
Burn the Boats: Toss Plan B Overboard and Unleash Your Full Potential by Matt Higgins

Other topics of interest:
On Islamic Banking and Finance
Salaam African Bank
Jinja, Uganda
Fort Portal, Uganda and traditions of the Tooro Kingdom
Kabale, Uganda: City of Peace
About Merck HQ Germany
Afrika Kommt

Special Guest: Farhan Guled.

This week we're back in East Africa in conversation with Kenyan, Farhan Guled, coming to you in two parts. Farhan takes us with him from his native homeland to Europe and back to East Africa where he is currently Executive Director of Salaam Bank Limited in Kampala, Uganda; he has been instrumental is building the bank's start-up operation in the country. Born and raised in Kenya he began his entreprenuearship journey as founder of Maisha Fitness Center in Nairobi. Wearing many professional hats, Farhan is a "Multipotentialite Creative Thinker" offering an off the shelf business growth consultancy. As a visionary strategist, he helps businesses with the right intuitive and informative strategies that guarantee transformational growth. In his service endeavors, he is a board member of The Young Leaders of Finance (Le Club des Jeunes Dirigeants Financiers), which gathers young and mid-level professionals with various backgrounds who work with or within the financial sector taken in the broad sense. Some highlights of our conversation are Farhan's in depth tutorial on the links between Islamic finance and sustainable development goals as well as his delight with the sites and sounds of Uganda. Like me, I think you'll be ready to book your visit straight away!

Where to find Farhan?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On X

What’s Farhan Reading?
Burn the Boats: Toss Plan B Overboard and Unleash Your Full Potential by Matt Higgins

Other topics of interest:
On Islamic Banking and Finance
Salaam African Bank
Jinja, Uganda
Fort Portal, Uganda and traditions of the Tooro Kingdom
Kabale, Uganda: City of Peace
About Merck HQ Germany
Afrika Kommt

Special Guest: Farhan Guled.

Recently venturing into theater, Somi was named a 2019 Sundance Theater Fellow for her original musical, Dreaming Zenzile about the great South African singer and activist Miriam Makeba. The premiere production was shut down days before opening due to COVID-19.

Somi is a Soros Equality Fellow, a USA Doris Duke Fellow, a TED Senior Fellow, an inaugural Association of Performing Arts Presenters Fellow, a former Artist-in-Residence at Park Avenue Armory, UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance, The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation and Baryshnikov Arts Center. She is also the founder of Salon Africana, a boutique arts agency and record label that celebrates the very best of contemporary African artists working in the music and literary arts. Also celebrated for her activism, Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon asked Somi to perform at the United Nations’ General Assembly in commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. She was also invited to perform at Carnegie Hall alongside Hugh Masekela, Dave Matthews, and Vusi Mahlesela in celebration of South African democracy.

Somi and her band continue to perform at international venues and stages around the world. In her heart of hearts, she is an East African Midwestern girl who loves family, poetry, and freedom.

Where to find Somi?
www.somimusic.com
On Facebook
On Instagram
On YouTube
On Twitter
Salon Africana

Who is Somi reading?
Edwidge Danticat
Chimamanda Adichie
Toni Morrison
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki

What’s Somi listening to?
Hervé Samb
Zoë Modiga
Nduduzo Makhathini
Julia Sarr

Other topics of interest-
• On Color Energy

Special Guest: Somi Kakoma.

Where to find Joy?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On Twitter

What’s Joy reading?
Worst Enemy, Best Teacher : How to Survive and Thrive with Opponents, Competitors, and the People Who Drive You Crazy by Deidre Combs
Other books by Deidre Combs

Other topics of interest -
• USAID programs in Uganda
• MTRAC Uganda
• Fix My Community Uganda
• Makerere University

Special Guest: Joy Namunoga.

This week my guest is Joy Namunoga, currently an Advocacy Officer in Governance and Social Accountability at ActionAid International. Joy is a Ugandan, based in Kampala with a 10-year experience in program management, research, public policy, civic technology and community engagement. she’s an expert on governance and social accountability who has designed civic technology projects like “Fix My Community” to strengthen Uganda’s health systems supply chain, and co-designed Uganda System of Electronic Open Data Records (USER) to enhance information flow and transparency. Her work in holding governments accountable was supported by the Community Solutions Program Fellowship from the US Department of State at the Sunlight Foundation, Washington Dc. In 2017/2018, Joy served as Uganda’s Alternate Chairperson for the Justice Law and Order Sector (JLOS) Human Rights and Accountability Committee and the brain behind the Health and Education Sector Anti–corruption working groups as platforms for citizens – state engagement. Joy is most definitely a Diasporan one to watch!

Where to find Joy?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On Twitter

What’s Joy reading?
Worst Enemy, Best Teacher : How to Survive and Thrive with Opponents, Competitors, and the People Who Drive You Crazy by Deidre Combs
Other books _by Deidre Combs _

Other topics of interest -
• USAID programs in Uganda
• MTRAC Uganda
• Fix My Community Uganda
• Makerere University

Special Guest: Joy Namunoga.