#cititrends

The idea of failing in business has had several definitions over the years with a number of theories being coined from it. Ashwin Ravichandran, Managing Director at MEST Africa joined me to share his thoughts on the concept of failing first but failing fast. 

Cecil Senna Nutakor, Founding CEO of eCampus LLC joins me for a conversation about a future where schools 'follow' children wherever they go plus some other concepts on the future of learning and education. He shares some practical ideas on things Ghana can start doing now in order not to miss out on the global working spaces of the future. 

Serial Entrepreneur and investor Eric Osiakwan was my guest on the show to talk about the his K.I.N.G.S. concept and how crucial it is for African countries to digitise their economies to speed up their development. 

Lady Omega Hammond, Freda Engmann and Aseda Addai-Dese explored the top tech stories of the last quarter with me. the top texhpo

Desmond Israel, Gerald Nsiah-Asare and Ash Dastmalchi join me on the show this week to speak about the state of cyber security. They shed light on global trends and give perspectives about its impact locally.

The regulation of data is necessary in order to balance the protection of the individual’s privacy rights with the rights of organisations and governments to collect and use data for business and administrative purposes. That is what data protection is all about.  A special audit carried out by the Auditor-General in Ghana on the Electoral Commission (EC) revealed what many termed as the 'sale' of voters’ data to an Accra-based software development company, Bysystem Ltd. According to the 2018 audit, Bysystem Ltd ‘bought’ the data from the EC and further sold them to financial service providers for a fee. The audit report also found fault with a lack of contractual agreement to cover the deal between the EC and Bysystem Ltd in breach of procurement laws.  What exactly is going on and are our data protection laws up to date with the times? My Guests : Adu Ampofo is the CEO of Velia and she is a compliance and data protection consultant Maximus Ametogoh, CEO of PopOut  Paul Damalie, CEO of Appruve

The  debate over 5G came up prominently, a few weeks ago, when Trump banned the purchase of electronic and telecoms software and hardware for Huawei by technology companies. Aside the shock over the Google-related issues, the bigger conversation about the race to dominate 5G came up. Why is it even a race in the first place? What is it going on? How will it change your life and why should you care? Kofi Dadzie is the CEO of Rancard. He joins me to share some thoughts and insight o the matter.

A concept that will change the world of entrepreneurship forever. Hybrid Entrepreneurship. Weaving social impact into the very fabric of businesses! Dr. Gordon Adomdza, Associate Professor at Ashesi University in Ghana and Jewel Thompson, Adjunct Lecturer at Ashesi University join me to provide some understanding on the subject. 

Ghana is in a very unique position today. A strong political framework and system, a good media landscape that is relatively free plus strong indices on the technological map. The government of Ghana is pursuing a digitised economy as well, and has commenced several initiatives to realise that dream. Some complain that the efforts seems scattered and uncoordinated. Others also feel there are components missing. What is a digitised economy made of? How can Ghana succeed in its efforts to create one? How beneficial is a digitised economy? My guest is the Managing Partner of Chanzo Capital, Eric Osiakwan. Out of ten finalists that pitched at the final event at the Accra Digital Centre last Friday, three strong winners emerged. Kwidex, Nocofio and Pennysmart shared their thoughts on the essentials of maintaining a tech startup in the Fintech space on the show. 

The best way to grow, sometimes, is to just learn from those that have walked your path. Isreal is the Mecca of Investors looking to invest in viable tech startups due to a number of reasons. Philip Ashon speaks to Oren Simanian about how to stimulate a strong innovation subculture in an emerging economy. He also speaks to Eyram Tawiah, CEO of Leti Arts, about charting a new course in the tech space as he is doing in the animation and superhero field. 

Having the right personnel in the right jobs is every managers dream. The nightmare, for most managers, is managing the personnel in this roles. Philip Ashon speaks to Yaw Oduro Amoateng of NIIT Ghana about the best way for human resource managers to go about hiring and managing tech talent. Bilal Abdullah of Kobo 360 shares insight about building a tech business to disrupt legacy or traditional institutions; in his case the haulage industry. 

Every passing month or week, one hacking competition or the other pops up within the tech space in Ghana. The definition of the hackathon plus more questions come up regularly. Philip Ashon speaks to Ato Ulzen Appiah and Eyram Tawiah on the differences and similarities between hackathons and pitch competitions and how Ghana's tech eco-system can take advantage of it. The show also clarifies some common myths about hackathons. 

Online communities are for bonding and reaching out to one another.  They create the spaces for people to share ideas and help resolve problems.  How do you know which communities to join?  where are the most impacting conversations happening? Who are the leaders and how can you keep the community accountable?  Gameli Adzaho, lead for Facebook Community Leadership Circles, Accra joined me on the show this week to discuss BUILDING AND SUSTAINING communities online for offline impact.  Jeff, Mr Antwi and Farida were on the show with the Apps, Your Tech and Trending segments of the show. 

Education is core to every community's development. The quality of the education, however, is more crucial. The diversity, the learning outcomes, the potential impact of the education on the economy and more are questions we seek to answer in this episode of the show. Philip Ashon speaks to Margaret Dawson-Amoah on technologies available today in education sector to support today's student. 

Fifa, Prince of Persia, Oware 3D, Mortal Kombat, PES; you name it.  Incredible game titles that have shaped so many lives across the globe.  Today, the gaming industry is worth billions and more investment continues to flow in that direction.  However, is it an issue of just playing for the entertainment sake or there is more to it.  Paul Ziem who is an Entrepreneur, Indie Game Developer and Consultant Founder at NerdCore Studio was my guest to discuss the issue. 

In a week of incredible device releases such as the Galaxy Fold and the Mate X, there was very little space for anything else.  On Tuesday however, Naasei Boadi flipped everything on its head when he joined the show to talk about the global digital landscape and lessons for Ghanaian businesses and organisations.  He shared data from research about the number of people using social media daily and which devices they used them on. He also shared insight on what these permutations meant for the Ghanaian digital space.  We also speak about the Betway Fintech Challenge 2019, a three-month journey to discover, train and reward some of the brightest Fintech ideas in Ghana. Over 50,000 available in cash prizes.  We have the Trending, Apps, Your Tech and How to segments as well on the show.  Enjoy. 

She is a content creator like very few.  She is a mind worth listening to.  She enjoys a great chat. And that is what we had on Citi Trends this week with Jemila Abdulai, founder of Circumspecte.  We spoke about what sort of skillsets and tools young entrepreneurs and business leaders need to survive in a digital future.  Lola Kassim, General Manager of Uber West Africa joined me to talk about how safe Uber was. Jeffrey, Farida, Mr Antwi and Mr Opoku were incredible as always on the show.  Enjoy.

When you get the chance to set up a business, one of your biggest headaches is funding.  Where do you get the money, how do you pay back, how much money will you get?  My guest this week was a serial investor, business leader and global technology icon. Eric Osiakwan is the Managing Partner of Chanzo Capital is an Entrepreneur and Investor with 15 years of ICT industry leadership across Africa and the world. He has worked in 32 African countries.  He had some incredible insight to share about what funding means for a tech startup and how to get some.  Enjoy.

A sombre week indeed for the tech community on Africa. Six staff members of Kenya based technology firm, Cellulant, were killed in a terror attack by five al-Shabab-linked terrorists.  Cellulant is an online payment solutions provider in the region.  The six are: Ashford Kuria, Dennis Mwaniki, Jeremiah Mbaria, John Ndiritu, Kelvin Gitonga,Wilfred Kareithi. Edem Kumodzi however lifted our spirits with an eyeopening conversation about how to get into tech with special emphasis on the Ghana tech ecosystem. He spoke extensively about staying curious and being passionate. Take a listen to the show.

We are ready for a new year, are you? And what a way to start things off? Technology consultant and member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Hub Accra, Emmanuel Gamor, was my guest for the first episode of the show. He cautioned that Ghana risks losing its competitive advantage on the global stage if it fails to identify the unique opportunities technological advancements offer. He further urged Ghanaian technology entrepreneurs to create globally competitive products in order to extend their influence and reach. Take a listen.