Glocal Citizens

Florence Amerley Adu

Glocal Citizenship is the recognition that we are simultaneously citizens of our local communities and of the world as a whole. It's about understanding how local actions have global impacts and how global issues affect our local communities. As Glocal Citizens, we strive to be informed, engaged, and responsible individuals who work to create a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. Explore the intersection of local and global impact with Glocal Citizens! Hosted by Florence Amerley Adu, this podcast delves into the experiences of inspiring individuals bridging their local selves with the wider world. Through engaging conversations with Dynamic Diasporans, Florence explores the personal and professional journeys that define Glocal Citizenship. Along the way, get to know more about the business of their business, including the technical and operational aspects involved in the work of manifesting a new world. Go beyond the headlines and discover how individuals are shaping a more just and sustainable world, both in their own communities and on a global scale.

  1. Episode 306: Digital Asset Evolution in Africa with Mimi Kufuor

    2D AGO

    Episode 306: Digital Asset Evolution in Africa with Mimi Kufuor

    Greetings Glocal Citizens! My guest this week is building the financial infrastructure that Africa deserves. As Chief Operating Officer of KoinKoin and CEO + Country Manager of KoinKoin Ghana Ltd, a leading African digital asset exchange, Mimi Kufuor is creating digital assets solutions that work for real people. She comes to this work after spending 15 years navigating the most complex corners of institutional finance - from regulatory programmes at Bank of America and Barclays to compliance frameworks at Meta, working alongside the European Central Bank and managing initiatives worth £10m+. In that span, she learned how money actually moves, how regulators operate, and how to build systems that can scale with integrity. She continues working with companies navigating African markets, building compliant exchange operations, or trying to understand how digital assets can solve actual problems. Recognized as one of Africa’s “Top Fintech Voices,” she has shaped policy discourse at UK Parliamentary Summits, Financial Times Live events, and African Fintech Summits. Mimi champions financial inclusion, women’s leadership in fintech, and regulatory frameworks that position Africa as a pioneer in the global digital economy, building infrastructure that empowers individuals and businesses to access decentralized finance. As another certified Glocal Citizen, Mimi and I first connected as housemates in Morocco courtesy of mutual friend that you’ll hear about in our conversation Afua Dabanka, the inspired experience curator behind A Beautiful Life Travel. Last year on our trip to Kenya, I got to know about her work with KoinKoin and it is a pleasure to be able to share her progress a year later. #Listenandlearn more! Where to find Mimi? On LinkedIn On Instagram What’s Mimi reading? The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Other topics of interest: About Old Street in London About East Legon, Accra Recognizing Bullying in the Workplace About INSEAD Executive Programs Kwaku Yaro at Gallery 1957 In conversation with Edward Larbi What is Binance? About the evolution of African currencies Digital Assets 101 CitiFM Breakfast Show, 26 January 2026 Special Guest: Mimi Kufuor.

    47 min
  2. Episode 305: How to Build Emergency Response Infrastructure in Africa with Folake Owodunni

    FEB 3

    Episode 305: How to Build Emergency Response Infrastructure in Africa with Folake Owodunni

    Greetings Glocal Citizens! For those listeners in North America, February is Black History Month. Week in and week out on this podcast, we’re all about how our Black present syncs with our history and all things forward for people of the Black diaspora worldwide. This week’s conversation zooms in on a healthcare infrastrucutre solution that has the potential to transform how emergency response services are designed and implemented with the realities of African communities in mind. My guest this week, Folake Owodunni is the co-founder and CEO of Emergency Response Africa (ERA), a health tech company revolutionizing access to emergency care in Africa, beginning with Nigeria. With over 15 years of experience across healthcare, marketing, and consulting in Nigeria, the U.S., and Canada, she brings a dynamic and cross-sectoral approach to solving complex health challenges. Under her leadership, ERA has managed over 4,500 medical emergencies, reducing response times by up to 80%, and forging partnerships with forward-thinking state governments including Edo, Ogun, and Rivers. Also a certified First Responder with the Canadian Red Cross, she is passionate about Africa’s rising tech ecosystem and making fast, reliable emergency medical care accessible to all Africans using technology. Recognized for her innovation and impact, she has received multiple awards and development grants, including the Google Black Founders Fund, JICA’s Next Innovation with Japan Award, The Professor Grace Alele-Williams Alumni Impact Award, and most recently, the global Aurora Tech Award. As you’ll hear in the conversation, ERA is appealing to the the Black/African Diaspora to get involved! Health is wealth so #listenandlearn how you can forward ERA’s mission to deliver fast, reliable emergency care across Africa. Where to find Folake? On LinkedIn On Instagram What’s Folake reading? Tessa Afshar’s Jewel of the Nile Finding Flow: The Psychology Of Engagement With Everyday Life by Mihaly Csikszentmihalhi [The CEO Only Does Three Things: Finding Your Focus in the C-Suite](link https://www.scribd.com/document/898002899/A-CEO-Only-Does-Three-Things) by Trey Taylor What’s Folake listening to? Diary of a CEO Podcast [The Lazy CEO](link https://www.thelazyceo.com/) Other topics of interest: Ogun State, Nigeria Kitchner - Waterloo, Canada Meet Dr. Ola Brown of Flying Doctors Nigeria About The Prosperity Paradox African Journal for Emergency Medicine About Biblical Fiction Special Guest: Folake Owodunni.

    55 min
  3. Episode 304: When Lineage Meets Craft and Other Notes on Community with Tai Allen Part 2

    JAN 27

    Episode 304: When Lineage Meets Craft and Other Notes on Community with Tai Allen Part 2

    This week the US commemorates the MLK Day holiday - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. He would have been 97. The third Monday of January has stood as the official holiday for 40 years, and no matter what the current US administration attempts at erasure, the Black American Diaspora will never forget. I remember growing up, before 1986 when the day became an official holiday, the majority of my Black classmates did not attend school on January 15th. This is the activism that the Civil Rights Movement inspired for two generations, and activism + grassroots organizing are prime topics in this two-part conversation with long-time comrade, fellow Brooklynite, poet, performer, jazz/soul vocalist, musician, producer, designer, and community strategist, Tai Allen. A native New Yorker by way of Panama, Jamaica, and Virginia, Tai’s life story is filled with a history of progressive stands. From his mother’s family being among those that contributed to the suit that integrated schools across the United States—Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka to his father’s influential network of academics and thought leaders, his craft was in the making for his entire upbringing—without him necessarily knowing it. #Listenandlearn more! Where to find Tai? https://taiallen.com/ On LinkedIn On Instagram On Facebook On YouTube On Soundcloud Other topics of interest: About Yonkers, New York Perspective on Jamaican Migration to Panama About Colón and Panama City in Panama About Saint Ann and Saint Elizabeth Jamaica The Maroons of Jamaica How Scots became a presence in Jamaica… Flyght Tyme, the band About Tai’s connection to Roots Author, Alex Palmer Haley and Palmer Family Ancestry The Five Cases that lead to Brown v. Board About recently shuttered community hotspot, The Brooklyn Moon Cafe and Michael Thompson What was Real Player? The Last Poets Amiri Baraka Yosef Ben-Jochannan “Dr. Ben” About Leonard Jeffries Who is Chi Ossé? Revisit Anna Malaika Tubbs on Glocal Citizens CBC - Congressional Black Caucus What’s happening in policy in Utah? A timeline of policing, law enforcement and resistance in the US Special Guest: Tai Allen.

    35 min
  4. Episode 303: When Lineage Meets Craft and Other Notes on Community with Tai Allen Part 1

    JAN 20

    Episode 303: When Lineage Meets Craft and Other Notes on Community with Tai Allen Part 1

    This week the US commemorates the MLK Day holiday - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. He would have been 97. The third Monday of January has stood as the official holiday for 40 years, and no matter what the current US administration attempts at erasure, the Black American Diaspora will never forget. I remember growing up, before 1986 when the day became an official holiday, the majority of my Black classmates did not attend school on January 15th. This is the activism that the Civil Rights Movement inspired for two generations, and activism + grassroots organizing are prime topics in this two-part conversation with long-time comrade, fellow Brooklynite, poet, performer, jazz/soul vocalist, musician, producer, designer, and community strategist, Tai Allen. A native New Yorker by way of Panama, Jamaica, and Virginia, Tai’s life story is filled with a history of progressive stands. From his mother’s family being among those that contributed to the suit that integrated schools across the United States—Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka to his father’s influential network of academics and thought leaders, his craft was in the making for his entire upbringing—without him necessarily knowing it. #Listenandlearn more! Where to find Tai? https://taiallen.com/ On LinkedIn On Instagram On Facebook On YouTube On Soundcloud Other topics of interest: About Yonkers, New York Perspective on Jamaican Migration to Panama About Colón and Panama City in Panama About Saint Ann and Saint Elizabeth Jamaica The Maroons of Jamaica How Scots became a presence in Jamaica… Flyght Tyme, the band About Tai’s connection to Roots Author, Alex Palmer Haley and Palmer Family Ancestry The Five Cases that lead to Brown v. Board About recently shuttered community hotspot, The Brooklyn Moon Cafe and Michael Thompson What was Real Player? The Last Poets Amiri Baraka Yosef Ben-Jochannan “Dr. Ben” About Leonard Jeffries Who is Chi Ossé? Revisit Anna Malaika Tubbs on Glocal Citizens CBC - Congressional Black Caucus What’s happening in policy in Utah? A timeline of policing, law enforcement and resistance in the US Special Guest: Tai Allen.

    43 min
  5. Episode 302: Infrastructure, Policy and the AI of Things in Africa with Oswald Osaretin Guobadia

    JAN 13

    Episode 302: Infrastructure, Policy and the AI of Things in Africa with Oswald Osaretin Guobadia

    Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week on the podcast, I was thrilled to have been able to take advantage of the fact that this week’s guest and I were on the same timezone because he’s literally moving and shaking across Africa and the Middle East full time. Since he last joined us in early 2020, Oswald Osaretin Guobadia has stepped into multiple new roles on top of being an entrepreneur. This includes more roles on boards, becoming a published author--his book In Pursuit - Journeys in African Entrepreneurship, chronicles the journeys of two friends whose experiences in America shaped their approach to starting their own businesses in Nigeria; and a tireless champion for African innovation. Today, Oswald is a senior policy advisor and digital strategy leader with over 25 years building infrastructure and shaping transformative policy across Africa. He is Managing Partner at DigitA, where, since 2023 he has guided projects and policy innovations that have created impact in countries across Africa, helping to set the pace for inclusive digital development and entrepreneurial growth. Oswald’s advisory reach includes serving presidential offices, leading government agencies, collaborating with multilateral partners, and forging public–private partnerships to help build resilient infrastructure and regulatory frameworks. As Senior Special Assistant on Digital Transformation to the President of Nigeria, he steered Nigeria’s largest startup policy rollout, including the acclaimed Nigeria Startup Act—widely recognized as a benchmark for digital economies. He has shared his insights at TEDx, the United Nations General Assembly, BBC Africa, CNBC Africa, and the Wharton Africa Business Forum, and has graced numerous influential panels and stages globally. He believes, “the next startup to impact the world will start in an African village,” and in this conversation you’ll start to understand how this belief is daily practice. Where to find Oswald? On Glocal Citizens On LinkedIn On Instagram On Medium What’s Oswald reading? Ths Four by Scott Galloway Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie AI 2041 by Kai-Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan Other topics of interest: About the Benin Kingdom UNDP Timbuktu Policy Approach Digitization vs Digitalization What is Zoho? On Digital Estonia Special Guest: Oswald Oseratin Guobadia.

    57 min
  6. Episode 301: Pubic Interest Media and Other Public Goods with Makmid Kamara Part 2

    JAN 6

    Episode 301: Pubic Interest Media and Other Public Goods with Makmid Kamara Part 2

    Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week’s conversation is a milestone coming to you in two parts. We're 300+1! And my guest is a return voice with serious currency in the public service media and reparatory justice movements. Born in Sierra Leone, Makmid Kamara is a human rights leader, reparatory justice advocate, and development communications practitioner, with almost 20 years’ experience working with national and international development, human rights, and grantmaking organisations in Africa and the United Kingdom. He is the Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East at the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM), where he is leading the organization’s grantmaking efforts to support independent media. He is also the Founder of Reform Initiatives (LBG), an organization working with policymakers, political leaders and affected communities to advance the cause of reparatory justice for historical crimes against Africans and people of African descent. When he last joined us, he was the founding Director of the Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF), based in Accra, Ghana. Prior to ATJLF, Makmid worked at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International in London as (Ag.) Deputy Director of Global Issues and Head of the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) Team; he served as interim Country Director for Amnesty International Nigeria and as a West Africa Researcher. As a Rotarian, a Global Atlantic Fellow and an Obama Foundation Leader - Africa, Makmid seamlessly connects his service mindset with a level of technical expertise and professionalism that inspires and is consistently moving the dial on #PanAfricanProgress. Where to find Makmid? On Glocal Citizens On LinkedIn What’s Makmid watching? Manchester United Other topics of interest: Freetown, Sierra Leone and Reparatory Justice East Legon, Accra About James Deane, co-founder IFPM About Khadija Patel Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate About the Nama People and The Landless Peoples Movement in Namibia The [Wakati Weti Festival](link https://www.wakatiwetufestival.org/WWF2025#/aboutwakatiwetu?lang=en) African Futures Lab Deep South Solidarity Fund Baraza Media Lab Special Guest: Makmid Kamara.

    38 min
  7. Episode 300: Pubic Interest Media and Other Public Goods with Makmid Kamara Part 1

    12/30/2025

    Episode 300: Pubic Interest Media and Other Public Goods with Makmid Kamara Part 1

    Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week’s conversation is a milestone coming to you in two parts. We're 300+1! And my guest is a return voice with serious currency in the public service media and reparatory justice movements. Born in Sierra Leone, Makmid Kamara is a human rights leader, reparatory justice advocate, and development communications practitioner, with almost 20 years’ experience working with national and international development, human rights, and grantmaking organisations in Africa and the United Kingdom. He is the Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East at the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM), where he is leading the organization’s grantmaking efforts to support independent media. He is also the Founder of Reform Initiatives (LBG), an organization working with policymakers, political leaders and affected communities to advance the cause of reparatory justice for historical crimes against Africans and people of African descent. When he last joined us, he was the founding Director of the Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF), based in Accra, Ghana. Prior to ATJLF, Makmid worked at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International in London as (Ag.) Deputy Director of Global Issues and Head of the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) Team; he served as interim Country Director for Amnesty International Nigeria and as a West Africa Researcher. As a Rotarian, a Global Atlantic Fellow and an Obama Foundation Leader - Africa, Makmid seamlessly connects his service mindset with a level of technical expertise and professionalism that inspires and is consistently moving the dial on #PanAfricanProgress. Where to find Makmid? On Glocal Citizens On LinkedIn What’s Makmid watching? Manchester United Other topics of interest: Freetown, Sierra Leone and Reparatory Justice East Legon, Accra About James Deane, co-founder IFPM About Khadija Patel Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate About the Nama People and The Landless Peoples Movement in Namibia The [Wakati Weti Festival](link https://www.wakatiwetufestival.org/WWF2025#/aboutwakatiwetu?lang=en) African Futures Lab Deep South Solidarity Fund Baraza Media Lab Special Guest: Makmid Kamara.

    31 min
  8. Episode 299: Creating Ecosystems at the Intersection of Artistry and Technology with Derrick Ashong

    12/23/2025

    Episode 299: Creating Ecosystems at the Intersection of Artistry and Technology with Derrick Ashong

    Season’s Greetings Glocal Citizens! I met this week’s guest, Derrick N. Ashong, earlier this year in Nairobi at the Charter Cities Institute, 2025 New Cities Summit. At the summit, we connected as storytellers that share Ghanaian heritage and formative years spent in Brooklyn, New York. In a glocal citizenship twist, we later came to find that we met virtually years prior through mutual connections in the media and arts spaces. Derrick’s work leverages his international upbringing which informs his company’s vision for Turning Culture into Currency for creators and fans worldwide. He does this as founder and CEO of TBTM, a media fintech that uses content to onboard global audiences to inclusive financial solutions, with partners like Mastercard. While still a student at Harvard, he played a supporting role in Steven Spielberg’s Amistad, and went on to top charts with his band, winning a Billboard Songwriting Award. As a host and producer, he pioneered multi-platform interactive content with Oprah Winfrey, and major media platforms including ABC-Disney and Univision, earning three Emmy nods and a Royal Television Society Award. His original Take Back the Mic television series has won seven major international awards and achieved 1.1 Billion media impressions worldwide. He has delivered electrifying speeches on issues of Youth Culture and Tech for UK Parliament, the United Nations, and the world’s most elite business schools, including Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Wharton, Cambridge and London School of Economics. He has interviewed celebrities and global luminaries ranging from Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Kofi Annan, to Zoe Saldaña, Kevin Hart and Steven Wozniak, among others. Most recently, he has delivered keynote speeches for Mastercard, Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and Kigali, as well as SuperReturn Africa--the continent’s top investment forum. In this conversation we get to know even more about the next phase of Derrick’s vision for flipping the script on creative industry infrastructure in Africa. #Listenandlearn more! Where to find Derrick? On LinkedIn On Instagram On YouTube What’s Derrick reading? Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Series Lord of the Rings by J.J.R Tolkien Other topics of interest: About Larteh in Ghana Where are Dansoman and Adabraka in Accra? What was music streaming like in the early 2000’s? Soulfege performs Sweet Remix About Uechi-Ryū Martial Arts Special Guest: Derrick N. Ashong.

    54 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Glocal Citizenship is the recognition that we are simultaneously citizens of our local communities and of the world as a whole. It's about understanding how local actions have global impacts and how global issues affect our local communities. As Glocal Citizens, we strive to be informed, engaged, and responsible individuals who work to create a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. Explore the intersection of local and global impact with Glocal Citizens! Hosted by Florence Amerley Adu, this podcast delves into the experiences of inspiring individuals bridging their local selves with the wider world. Through engaging conversations with Dynamic Diasporans, Florence explores the personal and professional journeys that define Glocal Citizenship. Along the way, get to know more about the business of their business, including the technical and operational aspects involved in the work of manifesting a new world. Go beyond the headlines and discover how individuals are shaping a more just and sustainable world, both in their own communities and on a global scale.