Earlier this year, Afrinection's founder was interviewed by Desiree Joule-Adam, producer & broadcaster at Start-Up Africa, a weekly radio show on Colourful Radio in London. They spoke about the mission and vision of Afrinection, what drives the platform and where we want to be in a few years from now. Over time, Desiree's Start-Up Africa show has proven to be so successful that it is currently transitioning from being a radio programme to a full-fledged media publishing company. The objective: showcasing African entrepreneurs and their ventures in all their glory. That is why we turned the microphone on Desiree!

1. Please tell our readers what your organisation does and how you are involved?

We are a radio show, transitioning into a media publishing company that explores innovative start-up ecosystems in Africa. My role is to produce and present the show on a weekly basis by researching and curating content and networking with individuals and organisations that are making an impact on the lives of people in Africa.

2. What has been the organisation's biggest achievement thus far? 

To be honest, our biggest achievements happen on a weekly basis when we meet ordinary people doing extraordinary things to make Africa, the world and environment they live in a better place.

3. How does your organisation contribute to the development of Africa (and the diaspora)?

Each week, we uncover and tell the stories of amazing people who are beating the odds and changing Africa's narrative. By telling these stories, we give hope to those who may want to follow the same path as those we interview. We are passionate about making sure Africa's truth is told, and that people know how gifted and talented African people are. Being part of the diaspora, we know there are many people out there who are tired of reading and hearing about Africa as always helpless. We want to highlight the positive! This does not mean there are no challenges in Africa, but challenges are everywhere. 

4. What has been one of the challenges of setting up your organisation and were these overcome these?

For the most part, the main challenge is being a one-man band working several projects at the same time. Producing a weekly high-quality show with great content, whilst keeping tabs on guests to interview, doing research and getting it out on social media has been very difficult. As I am still finding my feet, there is a lot to do but it’s a work in progress.

5. What is Africa's greatest promise (in terms of entrepreneurship, investment, etc) and why?

What the world is beginning to recognise is that Africa’s young up and coming talent are leading the way in terms of innovation and technology. Globalisation and technology has changed the game and dare I say with caution, almost levelled the playing field. People on the continent are no longer waiting for handouts or for government leaders to come and ‘save’ them. Africans are solving their problems and they are also rewriting the rules to overcome bureaucracy and ‘top-down- my-way’ leadership.

7. This year, we want to become a full-fledged media publishing company. We want to expand our readership, meet and interview more African start-up founders and create better content. We would like to get into partnerships with other media companies based in Africa.

8. The biggest value Afrinection adds to Africa's future is bringing it closer with just one platform. In my opinion, we have the ability to solve all our problems in Africa. It’s about time we start understanding the power of working as a collective. Africa as a continent is stronger when we decide to work together. Afrinection understands that and sees the value of this. Our hope is that Afrinection will continue to grow and expand.

9. Anything else you'd like to share with us?

If there are any entrepreneurs out there who could benefit from an interview on Start-Up Africa, we would be happy to support you. Feel free to contact me on LinkedIn or Twitter and we can arrange an interview live on air if you are in the UK or via Skype. It was such a pleasure to have Kifle (Afrinection Founder) on our show that we would be happy to extend the invite to all Afrinection members and partners.