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Joan quit her lucrative job with Coca Cola, a Fortune 100 company in North America to move back to her home country Kenya, where she now runs a bed and breakfast that is highly rated on Trip Advisor. In 2009, Maria decided to use her extensive experience in the global travel industry to turn around the fortunes of the residents of Bombo, a Ugandan village inhabited by extremely talented people, yet wallowing in poverty. Her “win-win” tourism and economic development solution, as well as Joan’s bold moves will inspire you to Impact Africa.

The saying “beside every successful man, there is a woman” is a big understatement. In 2012, American Express reported that Women Owned Businesses generate nearly $1.3 trillion in revenues in the US each year. It also reported that between 1997 and 2012, when the number of businesses in the United States increased by 37%, the number of women-owned firms increased by 54%—a rate 1½ times the national average. Therefore the saying should be “within every successful economy, there are women running important ventures.” But that is the American story, what about Africa? How are women doing in business? How can we do better? In this episode of Impact Africa, we will “unleash the power” of women to move the continent forward through entrepreneurship. We will also be paying a rather different and interesting tribute to Nelson Mandela. You have to listen to this tribute! You can join us by calling 1-866-472-5788, you may also send tweets to @tfaj17 during the show. You will be inspired to Impact Africa.

Some of the first thoughts that come to people’s minds when Northern Nigeria is mentioned are: Boko Haram, poverty, conflicts or former Nigerian Heads of State, especially the unpopular ones. But there are lots of untold stories and money spinners buried in Northern Nigeria. On October 3rd, we discovered the health and economic benefits of shea, one of the region’s hidden gems. On today’s episode, we will be kicking things off with the business of Zobo – the hibiscus plant grown in Northern Nigeria, which has many health and economic benefits. My guest, Kehinde Olajide launched his zobo beverage business after a college food tasting event. I will also be talking to talented artist, Ade Olufeko about using African arts to bridge the information gap about Africa. You don't want to miss this one! You can call 1-866-472-5788 or send tweets to @tfaj2 to join the discussion. You will be inspired to unleash your potentials to Impact Africa.

He became an orphan and caretaker to his siblings at the tender age of 7 after losing both parents to HIV/AIDs. The experiences he had growing up in a rural Ugandan village would dim the lights of any child, but Christopher Ategeka attributes his leadership abilities to these experiences. Now an engineer, inventor and social entrepreneur connecting individuals and communities in rural Uganda to health and education, Christopher personifies inspiration and resilience. Mr. Ategeka will discuss CA Bikes, an organization he founded, which locally assembles and distributes bicycles to orphans/other vulnerable children who are bright students and live 8-20 kilometers from school and to HIV positive youth who live long distances from the health clinics where they receive weekly ARV treatments. You can call 1-866-472-5788 or send tweets to @tfaj2 to join the discussion. You will be inspired to Impact Africa.

Who is the African immigrant in the western world? A refugee, undocumented immigrant, high achiever, undiscovered super star or marginalized minority? What factors are preventing Africans from achieving the American dream and how can we break the barriers? What should employers and potential business partners know in order to engage immigrants effectively and create a level playing field for success? How can African immigrants achieve the best of both worlds – contribute to Africa and excel in their host communities. My guests – Amaha Kassa, founder of African Communities Together, and Vienna Mbagaya, founder of the Invisible Neighbors Project will answer these and more questions. You can call 1-866-472-5788 or send tweets to @tfaj2 to join the discussion. You will be inspired to Impact Africa.

When it comes to defining the nature and funding for Africa’s growth, the driver’s seat seems to be occupied by non-Africans. It was first the colonial masters, then America and lately the Chinese. But with remittance from Africans in the diaspora now outstripping foreign aid from foreign governments, can Africans get together, unite and take over the task of really and truly driving Africa’s growth? Can we, in spite of our differences shape our own destiny? If yes, how can individuals, particularly Africans in the diaspora make this happen? Tune in to Impact Africa to listen to my guest – Solome Lemma, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Africans in the Diaspora discuss what she and other shinning stars are doing about this. Do you have ideas that can help us achieve this goal? Join the conversation 1-866-472-5788 or send tweets to @tfaj2. You will be inspired to Impact Africa!

We often grumble and complain about African job and business opportunities going to non-Africans who are relocating to the continent in droves. In this episode of Impact Africa, we will explore opportunities and platforms for Africans at home and in the diaspora to get connected with development jobs and business opportunities that improve lives and grow local economies. We will also see how Africans in diaspora are contributing greatly to their host communities through business ventures. My guests will include the founders of www.ngex.com and www.africandevjobs.com. You will be inspired to Impact Africa!

One of the barriers to the growth of Africa’s tourism industry and intra-continent trade is our inability to move people and goods within the continent with relative ease. It is much easier to travel to Europe and America from many African countries than it is to travel to other African countries. In short, Africa does not talk to Africa. Air travel, which should be the solution to this problem, is plagued by profitability and most disturbingly safety concerns. Why is it so difficult for us to get this crucial sector working? Why have we recorded so many crashes in Africa, particularly in Nigeria in recent years? Is a solution in the horizon? Tune in to Impact Africa to hear from my capable guest – Mr. Robert Brunner (Vice President of West and Central Africa’s largest Airline -Arik Air) and my very first co-host, Private Pilot and Aviation Safety Specialist – Kayode Fajingbesi. You can also join the conversation by calling 1-866-472-5788 during the show.

Forget the elephants, penguins or tigers, Africa’s most endangered “species” are not animals, but our languages and culture. African children in the Diaspora and even those born and raised within the continent hardly speak or understand their mother tongue nowadays. While African children easily identify with eastern or western culture, many know next to nothing about their own heritage. Given that our culture and languages are our biggest sources of identity, we need to do something to stem this trend and prevent extinction of our languages. Can your children speak your native language? Call 1-866-472-5788 during the show to share practical tips that can help other struggling parents.

We often hear the sad stories of children caught in the web of horrible African conflicts, but very little is known about Africa’s other dark secret – the “women of war”. In this episode of Impact Africa, you will meet an amazing independent film director, Zubedah (Zubie) Nanfuka, who in spite of many big obstacles decided to bring the plight of these women to the front burner. Her labor of love – Bookec is a film that tells the stories of Beatrice, Alice and Esther – 3 amazing women who overcame the tragic struggles of being kidnapped and forced against their wills to become girl soldiers for the Lord’s Resistance Army, a rebel group at war with the Ugandan army. Not only have these ladies crossed unimaginable emotional hurdles, they have also overcome near death medical challenges and turned their scars to tools to impact their communities. Their stories and Zubie’s determination to tell those stories will inspire you to impact Africa.

When it comes to mobile phone usage in Africa, the numbers don’t lie. From the cities to the remote villages, Africans are wired in millions. Can this trend translate to economic growth? Can mobile technology solve more pressing problems beyond talking and browsing the web? Join me as my powerful guests and I explore the amazing things happening in the mobile technology realm as far as Africa is concerned. You will be inspired to Impact Africa.

Join us as we celebrate the 13th episode and season finale of this incredible journey called Impact Africa. In this episode, we will recap the messages of the past 12 episodes, get a sneak preview of the exciting plans for the next season beginning in October 2013, and address the key issue that almost every guest on the show has identified as their main business challenge in Africa – human resources. How can we bridge the skills gap in Africa? Call us on 1-866-472-5788 to share your thoughts on moving Africa forward.

In this episode of Impact Africa we will meet 3 amazing individuals who are investing considerable amount of time, energy and funds in the area of women’s health. We will talk to a US trained pharmacist who now runs a fashion empire with a health twist in Nigeria, and the Washington DC and Kumasi Ghana team captains of the globe-athon to create awareness for and battle gynecological cancers in women. This is a show all women and lovers of women have to listen to. You will be inspired to Impact Africa!

Remittances to home countries by Africans in Diaspora run into billions of dollars every year. In fact, according to the World Bank, the total amount of $51.8bn “sent home” by Africans in the Diaspora far outweighed the $43bn official development assistance given to Africa by western donors in 2010. A lot of analysts however believe that the amount of remittances by Africans in Diaspora is under reported because of the fund transferred via informal channels. In this episode of Impact Africa we will explore how “sending money home” can be a key to infrastructure and economic development in many African countries. You will be inspired to Impact Africa!

In this episode of Impact Africa, we will conclude our 3-episode discussion about technology in Africa by talking to 2 inspiring young Malawian University graduates, the founders of Dibs Africa, who are changing the advertising, real estate and retailing landscape in Malawi through technology. Dalitso Ntonga and Macheza Olaseni Dzabala refused to believe that paid employment was the only option after graduating from university, so they took a bold step towards solving a problem they saw in their country, Malawi and started their young company - Dibs Africa. We will also see how iLab Liberia is helping citizens create new businesses and share information through technology. You will be inspired to Impact Africa!

In this episode of Impact Africa, we will continue our 3-episode series featuring discussions with some of the most powerful players putting Africa at the top of the global technology ladder. We will hear from individuals who are turning the tide of youth unemployment and high crime rate in some of Africa’s poorest cities with technology. You will be inspired to Impact Africa!

The World’s biggest technology players are increasing their stakes in Africa. From Accenture, Google, IBM, Microsoft to Oracle, all the World’s biggest tech companies seem to have figured out the fact that there are enormous growth potentials in the region. But that is not all; there are powerful technology hubs brewing and shaking things up in the region as well. In this episode of Impact Africa, we will begin a 3-episode series featuring discussions with some of the most powerful players putting Africa at the top of the global technology ladder. You will be inspired to Impact Africa!

When asked to nominate three sectors that will shape Africa's growth in the next century, the chances that many respondents will name farming and agriculture among the top 3 are really slim. With a high rate of urban migration and low rate of storage technology, market access, low crop yield and so many other challenges, farming seems to be associated with poverty. However, my guests on Impact Africa today will share details of multi/million dollar farming projects that will show you that there are indeed golden treasures buried on African farm lands. You will be inspired to Impact Africa!