CEO | Entrepreneur | Founder
The Hague, The Netherlands
Joined November 2009
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Will young Africans mostly use AI built elsewhere, or have the compute, skills and capital to build it?
The question I kept coming back to after our AI for Africa panel at the @ngInnovations .
#NIS2026 #AIForAfrica
Anyone can lead when things are going well.
The real test is what you do when:
The plan fails.
The pressure rises.
Everyone looks to you for answers.
You don't need to have every answer.
You need to stay calm, think clearly, and help your team move forward.
#Leadership
Self-discipline is doing what you said you'd do, even when you don't feel like it.
Not every day will be productive.
Not every day will feel easy.
But the standard stays the same.
Your future is built by the promises you keep to yourself.
#Discipline #Leadership
A question I’ve been asked quite a number of times is how I manage running three companies at once without burning out.
My answer?
You don't burn out because you have too many things to do.
You burn out because you lack good momentum when it comes to making decisions.
Watch the video to hear my full answer, and let me know what you think in the comments.
#Entrepreneurship #Leadership #DecisionMaking #FounderLife #BusinessLeadership
Your work ethic shows up before your results do.
When nobody is watching.
When the work gets boring.
When cutting corners is easy.
That's when standards matter.
Success is how you work when no one is keeping score.
#WorkEthic #Leadership
Our inaction is expensive.
There’s a lot of talk about data sovereignty and investing in AI infrastructure, especially in Europe.
But in developing economies like Nigeria and across the Global South, there’s far less urgency.
And even where the conversation exists, the money often doesn’t follow.
We treat this as an ideology when the consequences are very real.
Watch the video to hear my thoughts and let me know what you think.
#AISovereignty #DataSovereignty #SmallTakesTheLead #Geneva
Running multiple ventures doesn't mean doing everything yourself.
It means knowing what only you can do.
Set the direction.
Build strong teams.
Delegate the rest.
Protect your energy.
If every decision needs you, you're not scaling.
You're becoming the bottleneck.
The AI advantage won't go to companies using the most AI.
It will go to companies that rethink how they work because of it.
Don't just automate tasks.
Rebuild workflows.
Remove bottlenecks.
Move faster.
AI isn't just a tool. It's a reason to rethink the business.
#AI
If AI makes your people less valuable, you're using it wrong.
Automate the repetitive work.
Give people better tools.
Free them to think, create, and solve bigger problems.
AI should amplify your people, not replace their value.
#AI #Leadership
People don't leave companies. They leave cultures they no longer believe in.
Want people to stay?
Trust them.
Listen to them.
Recognize their work.
Give them room to grow.
Culture isn't built with perks.
It's built by how people are treated every day.
#Leadership
Motivation gets you started. Discipline keeps you moving.
You won't always feel like doing the work.
Do it anyway.
Show up. Build. Repeat.
That's how progress compounds.
#Discipline #Entrepreneurship
Most people quit right before their effort compounds.
They want results now.
Do today what may not pay off for years.
Build the skill.
Build the business.
Build the relationships.
Keep showing up.
Small decisions compound.
#LongTermThinking #Entrepreneurship
I’m delighted to announce that I’ll be speaking at the Nigeria Innovation Summit 2026 on “AI for Africa: Transforming Education, Agriculture & Healthcare at Scale.”
To register, visit: innovationsummit.ng/registra…
cc: @ngInnovations
#NIS2026 #NigeriaInnovationSummit
Some people "building in public" are lying to you a little.
Launch days. Revenue screenshots. Milestone posts.
They don't show the week nothing worked.
The client who ghosted. The hire that quit. The doubt at 2am that almost won.
That's not the edited version. That's the actual job.
Show that not the highlight reel.
That's what people actually trust
#BuildInPublic #StartupLife #FounderMindset #AfricaTech #VentureBuilding
AI agents are changing the game.
We're moving from:
“Ask AI a question.”
to:
“Give AI the job.”
Find the lead.
Follow up.
Book the meeting.
Analyze the data.
Complete the task.
The next wave of AI won't just help people work.
It will help businesses get work done.
#AI
It was a pleasure speaking at the AI for Developing Countries Forum Geneva Summit a few weeks ago, where I spoke on a key panel, “Can Open AI Create a Fairer Innovation Ecosystem?”
With AI they shouldn’t miss out on this, and they shouldn’t make the same mistake by becoming digital colonies.
Read more about the panel insight here: bit.ly/4ixcqOE
It was also great connecting with Anniek van Veldhuizen, Amb Prof Muhammadou M.O. Kah, Ph.D, Osama Abdullah, Vuk Vegezzi, Alejandro Castaneira, Bernardo Cartoni, and Shriram Lakshmanan.
#SmallTakesTheLead #Geneva #InclusiveAI #GlobalSouth #DigitalInclusion