RELEAF - investing in Nigeria #agritech for the long term

This episode on #food was a delight to record.
"Wakanda is not only a whimsical dream. What can we create for the generations that will come after us?"
My guest is Uzo Bailey Ayogu CTO of Nigerian Agritech startup RELEAF. Uzo knows his business and tells great stories. As he says, stories are powerful for shifting mindsets and narratives, which in turn change behaviour. As Uzo told story after story of the first few years growing RELEAF as a business, my hope grew. Grew for their business for sure, but also for Nigeria. We need more young people who will "come home and see what they can do" like Uzo and his business partners Isaiah UDOTONG (CEO) and Ikenna NZEWI (COO).
As I listened to his stories of investing, growing, learning, and doing agribusiness in Nigeria, I was struck by how much grace and goodwill covers what must have been a steep and tough learning curve. And this, more than anything else makes me hopeful about RELEAF and confident that they will see this through to the long term.
In this episode we explore:
Why Food? 3:29
The RELEAF back story 6:37
"Go and see the land" operating principle 7:33, 10:44
There's always a swindler, "shine your eye" 12:11
Sustainable linked economy 15:10
At the end of the day, it's about making strong relationships 19:06
When the factory wins, the community wins 22:35
Advice to young bucks who want to do this too: "the risk is in not taking the risk" 25:45
Partnerships, relationships and building longevity 32:13
Local is lekker: localized industrialization 35:04
Quality, tech-based R&D 40:10
Western saviours and other things that will not work 43:04
Short-termism, mindset, and narrative shifts 44:57
There have been wildly successful and rich black nations 50:12