Alright guys, so a lot of people access how do they make a podcast? I'm let you in on a secret on the easiest most productive way to start a podcast and get it up and running and that is the app called anchor is free. They have all kind of cool creation tools that allow you to record and edit your podcast right from your phone or computer. They will distribute your podcast for you to all of the major Outlets including spot.Why Apple Google many more and you can make money from your podcast with no minimum listenership is everything you need to make a podcast in one simple easy place. So if you're interested in starting a podcast Go download the free anchor app or go to Anchor dot f m-- to get started. Let's do it. All right, guys, welcome back episode 29 29 29. This is a stream lie special episode for us because we are going International. All right, we're going International VR content as we said before a lot of people, you know always access First up outside of America. So we thought this would be a good idea and we going to touch mother Africa the continent that we got a large fan base out there. Yeah, for sure. So before I start I want to shout out all of our International students. We are trending on the top charts and a lot of different companies countries Canada South Africa Mozambique Nigeria, Kenya Ghana Tanzania, Grenada, Barbados Botswana, Jamaica, UK Dr. The Netherlands and Oh, that is a Tanzania. Is that engineer? I think I said Tanzania sound to them. So yeah, shout out to you guys man. We really appreciate you know coming from America coming from New York who knew that somebody in South Africa will be interested in our conversation. But once again, I just goes to show you the power of the internet and in Great Britain to oh, yeah great, but we got to do something to London. Yeah, a lot of people from London always asking us when we come back. That's all right, Toronto and London are two biggest International markets. So You know best special but we know everybody else we and it's all a Melting Pot. So alive most people from our listeners probably in Toronto and UK, they're immigrants and some level and parents that you know, they come from Africa they come from Jamaica they come from the island. So it's all a Melting Pot it all mixes together for sure. So we have a very familiar guess if you listen to the podcast because he was a guest on the last podcast, especially a double-header. Cushiony doubleheader for us first show so welcome back. Thanks for having me. Yeah. Yes. We did a wardrobe. It was too long we had to yes. Yes. Alright, so we're going to talk about Africa, right we go talk about a lot of different things in Africa, but first we got to talk about something that started in an America where reached over to Africa which is basketball, right basketball is a global sport if anybody's not familiar I playing basketball my whole Life that was my original plan was going to the NBA as most young people in our community. Yes, right. So now my son has to live up to that. It's a lot of pressure on them. So so but the NBA is strategically spreading its wings across the globe, right? If you know anything about sports, you know, soccer is the most dominant sport in the world football football to remodel this house is house. Yeah. Yes exactly. Exactly American football is what they call our football. Yeah, that's the most popular sport in almost every country in the world. But basketball is catching up close probably second and majority countries is huge in Asia things like the number one sport in China and it is the number two sport in Africa right behind soccer or football. So the NBA decided that they're going to open Branch in Africa. Yeah actually wrote about this on Instagram, but it's going to be MBA Africa. I think right now in different countries are going to be participating and it just shows the spread of the game and I think it goes back to we can we can pinpoint it back to like the original Dream Team in 1992. Hopefully our listeners to remember back that far as she was crazy to us, but like yeah 1992 when the dream team played Angola and Everyone by like 70 something right, but it was the fact that you have people from a country in Africa. Competing with Michael Jordan Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and all those grates and then fast forward right like a guy like Joel embiid who's now at NBA superstar and you know guys like Serge Ibaka and siakam come from. Yeah, you know countries in Africa, you can contribute to that to that game of course and it's similar to like how like wish I was saying like China is number to support their right on clothes may be number one, but like impact that a guy like Al Ming as head, of course, right? So like you see now when An NBA players, especially those who have marketing Deals. They do the season right in the first step that they have on the offseason. They do a tour of China exactly. Right? And then you got companies like leaning and all these other companies signing guys because they know the global spread of it, right? Like that's our export like whereas sports like baseball is played in China, but not played in other country, right right like and same thing with American football. They tried it in London, but invest was the only International American sport exactly fact, so you You used to work for NBA League Pass rights, right? Yeah, and then so you you were a part of the African launch of the NBA league pass. Yeah. Yeah. So can you talk about that sure. She was okay y'all every every year I'm really pass for those who knows like the Netflix for basketball. So obviously you can watch if you live in New York or let's say you live in Chicago you basically if your local television stations on going to show you the Bulls right? And then maybe you can watch maybe a national televised game that has some other teams, but let's say you live in Chicago You all Rockets fan and you want to watch every game you had to subscribe to NBA league pass. And so that's how it works in the US but if people that are NBA fans internationally, they're not going to get as many games on their local television, or they may have people kind of record. Okay. Bye see ya. Wait what national game with the yeah, exactly. So now you can watch all the games on your on your app on your Apple TV or your Roku or your PlayStation. So I was on the team that was responsible for growing the digital platform digital League Pass outside the US and Africa was a major Focus for us and it was a growth area for a monetary. Standpoint China, Australia Canada. UK where the were the I guess the places that most of the revenue came from but for the what they saw the future growth from was was Africa for two reasons, not only from customer consumption standpoint, but from a talent standpoint to yeah, and I'm a member. I'm a huge Bulls fan. So I remember throughout day, right? Yeah. Yeah doing some amazing things. The Africa around but like when you have he's doing stuff with nipsey's partner. Yeah gross David program yesterday because like him on the podcast so did like what was the plan? Do you know like the NBA's plan to because obviously this is planned out. What was that plan to move into Africa like your to show those I mean, there's always relationships. You mentioned Angola game, but they've been NBA players from Africa since the 80s, right? So you had all Kimu changing these fucking Olajuwon great new bolts out then his son just got drafted. Exactly and you had Hakeem Olajuwon change his name. Yeah is Aki me it was no h prior to him coming to America right when he went to Houston. He put the H only right? I'm not really sure what the belted a scam. Yeah, and then you had the carrying my tumble. Yeah. It was who followed a new patch of mold and we mentioned. Yeah, the campaign has some direct ties into getting the league into Africa, right? So, you know those old. Is always have philanthropic relationships with the league, right? So like doings doing like, you know, nonprofit stuff, but in that what happened was illegal go there like wow, like you're from this tribe and everybody in this tribe has six nine and seven like we can do some here and obviously you have the visual League being a you know, the blackest league, right? There's some visual connections there and so they had it relied and then I think they learned a lot from the other leagues rights for instance the investment that the end. MLB Mass. Major League Baseball dozen Dominican Republic does in Venezuela doesn't in some of these other countries where there's a bunch of talent is on another level. So they're like, hey we could do this we can make this whole continent. Our pharmacists are trying to do that. Now, that's funny. He said that major-league base. They just had the Yankees and the Red Sox play in London and everybody was like we don't even care about these four. It's like a soccer and or its cricket, right? You know I'm saying so like that's true like they're trying to spend it to and I think maybe and maybe it's true or not, but because of the In of Africa, like we know that majority of the population is under like 25 exactly. Right? So there's a huge growth curve exactly right for potential athletes and business people were exactly so a lot of people ask the question. I wasn't really a hundred percent sure the teams don't know if you know not but the teams like the 19's who's gonna be the owners of those teams, you know people in Africa or yeah, so this actually so I left leak prior to this being announced. I don't know who's worse ensure the full structure, but what I remember, Were it being is a combination like a co-ownership between the league and local Partners? Okay. Yeah. Okay, because well, how do you feel person just your personal opinion about that. Do you feel like Africa would have been better to have their only because Europe Europe has own leagues. Like people come go from America all the time. And Africa does have leagues. Yeah, Nigeria specifically, it's not it's not the same. It's not the same level of Europe. So but like the Euroleague is very strong. Do you feel like they could have done better just forming a league together themselves. Do you feel like the NBA is a good partnership for them? The NBA is a good partnership. Like you said there are already leaks. They just haven't really taken off to the same level having a and also there's the issue in Africa not only between from a sports perspective, but from a business perspective where there's not too much inter-country trade, right? And so I think would have been difficult for like a league to be cross-continental and to have different things and all the ownerships being like inclusive. In those specific countries, I think the MBA being outside force for better for worse American Western sport force and tying it together makes it a lot better than people got to visualize that right because this isn't like you're going from New York to Florida you're going from country to Country. So like when they have a Spanish league and they're all in that country is exactly Raptors trying to do here, but they're really going at nine different country. And even you know, the year the European leagues just like the soccer leagues and you have You know you like in soccer you have Barcelona playing against Bayern or Real Madrid. I mean or Manchester United like traveling between those countries like the countries of really compact like traveling to his country is not really a big deal and they have the funds to do that. Like you can't take a train from Legos to I Cry or Legos to to you know, Johannesburg like it's it's not the same right? So I think the level of investment that you need and the organization you would need the NBA can work that out. Yeah, so that makes it a good partner and I think the African Union actually did they just announced that they're going to eliminate tariffs on into Continental trading we wrote about that. Yeah, there's like 40 countries involved. And yeah, I think it's going to start next year. We're terrorists will be eliminated for the majority of the continent. So they actually hopefully they're going to start doing more because you said like, you know, it's not a lot of that. Going right now, but hopefully that's a step in the right direction where they can actually start to trade in between the continent with each other. So, alright. So now we got we got the lead covered but we're going to go into some more interesting things on the on the continent the next segment. Learners are you currently paying off student loan debt interested in improving your financial literacy or looking for new ways to earn income and today's ever-changing digital landscape. Well on the talk money with the mesh lakhani podcast mesh will follow Paper Trails chat with experts break down complex ideas and bring Clarity to the mystical Financial phenomenon. Each episode will be filled with compelling stories covering a broad range of subjects from buying Bitcoin dealing with student loan debt and everything in between. So listen to talk money with mesh lakhani on Spotify or You listen to your favorite podcast and learn how to spend invest in earn in today's economy. Alright, so we're now we got about content right because continents can we've covered content on America, but we haven't covered content internationally. So iroko. Yep. Can you explain that? Yeah. So iroko is a Roku TV is the is a website. It's a startup that was created in 2011. I worked there from 2012 through almost 2015. And so what it is is basically the Netflix Africa and question is why? Nyan ethics Africa is because the third big third movie biggest movie Market in the world is actually out of Nigeria. So number one is Hollywood. Number two is Bollywood number three is not is not only what does I know right? Yeah never did not leave a huge there it actually when I want to use I work there actually gross about 800 million USD in that place and it's a tremendous Market its is interesting at least from my perspective. I might have consumed too much. Western content is not really my thing, but the movies are being produced for like less than $10,000 and in like two weeks high volume. Wow, as you can imagine because the mark the movies are not the highest priced and the biggest budget. You're not really seen action movie. These are like romantic movies comedy movies movies where you don't need special effects, but basically the way it worked is the the gentleman I work for he's a Nigerian Britt. So he lives in London travel to London. Jury often for to see family whatever and at the time all the content was in DVDs. So what his mom would do is go from London's and Legos spend maybe Christmas time or whatever their family come back with a suitcase full of DVDs. He was like, well, why can't my mom consume the content the same way I do on Netflix. And so that's how the idea started to move back to Nigeria took the sent the DVD content digitized it also Build relationships with some of the movie Producers to them they're like because Netflix wasn't a big thing out there the time they're like you wouldn't you want to give you want to pay me for my digital rights? And today I'm there. Like I don't even know what digital rights means but like if you want to give me some money as whatever so they you got some exclusive pretty pretty cheaply and basically took that took those that piece of content initially put on YouTube it started blowing up and because people that emigrated outside Africa that lives in the u.s. You can A here we will they were now able to see the latest movies without having to wait for people to send the DVDs back and then he eventually actually raise money from a u.s. Venture capital. So that firm was actually the probably one of the first to Africa based Tech firms to get us venture capital in 2011, and I joined them and open up their New York office because their biggest audience even though we're they had African continent were African's in the US. And so and then it kind of Grew From there. Well, so Netflix itself, right? He said it's a Netflix Fabrica. It doesn't exist on all continents. Right? And that's one of the things they said that it probably potentially has some great growth and we document, you know some of its setbacks as well. But what is like the price point on our Roku TV type situation, the latest price is it depends on the country. The latest price is so actually similar to Netflix so they have a 999 There is one that's around 699 but it's actually priced in and Lisa Nigerian naira and it's very volatile depends on the USDA exchange rate. Okay, but the company is accepts expanded. So since I worked there they've done a lot of production so they actually making movies. Let's go to make a now they are content. Yeah, and actually the as of two weeks ago. They actually ended up selling. That production house to a French media conglomerate called kind of cut out plus so cattle C8 and a l+ how many countries are there in um, so the the real content is global is everywhere so there when I was there and and even now there's customers in over 200 countries in the world because the African diaspora is everywhere and it was started by African African. Yep, African and a German So so basically to they went so the German person and African person went to school in Manchester. They met the African person came up with the idea and he co-founded with the German Visual and they both move full-time to Legos and puts it out ended up opening an office in New York and London to help distribute. The content something else was was recently started with a German and the African rain and went public. Julia Julia. Yeah, the Alibaba of Africa exactly. So there's this company called Rocket internet started by German brothers. And what they do is they actually built a building they build companies that are successful in the first world. So Amazon back Groupon all that kind of stuff and they build it in like Emerging Markets where those companies out there yet. And so what they did was they looked at Alibaba / Amazon here and they decided to build it in Africa. N equal to jr. And so they're in Nigeria. They are in Kenya are some other countries as well. And so yes there there. It's interesting. There is there is like I guess a few people of German to send that bill tech companies in Africa. So that's so they really watching the world as it's happening and saying, all right, let's go to a party where where it's not happening and let's build it exactly fuck. I mean from a kid from Queens man, like your journey has been out of this world like wherever the vision like the your studies whatever take you like. No, definitely not definitely not man. Just kind of like working in, you know went to school. I knew I wanted to do business then know what that really meant because I didn't really have business people in line in my my you know, my family or even around me Haitian, right? I'm hey, she's not today. She massive. Yeah, man Haitian thing is like hey Mom's a nurse. You going to be a doctor? Well, if you don't want to die to be a lawyer if you wanna be a lawyer be engineer, and so this business thing is it was something different. And study business got a was was was fortunate to be part of an internship program called inroads in college and I college and she used me to Wall Street from the Wall Street financial crisis happened fell out of love with Wall Street went to school and kind of discovered Tech and the world and how it was used around the world kind of that's kind of how I ended up working at this company. This is so we talk about music because I know you had mentioned on a Content musical content. Yeah, it's hot right now as far as the afrobeat. It's a bunch of artists out there Wizkid Burna Boy burnable. He just found out yeah. Yeah. Yeah smile has a song on the radio. They keep playing all the time. The Joanna saw Joanne is like toy things that to get the name to titled and then all I know is that it follows me. Every time I get in the car is right knows this guy man. He's burning up right now. I think I song with casting over to but um, yeah, he talked about that that video. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's it. And so obviously being in the movie space in Nigeria. There was a close proximity to the musical space. And so the CEO came up with an idea. Like, alright, let's come up with a company called Iraq King which we would is basic Spotify for Africa where we take that content and so a lot of these people you talk about we did we were the first ones to digitize that content even back then. It was too early. It's too early. I mean it company was out there and it just the music wasn't as popular yet here and then obviously probably after they decided to wrap it up and focus only on music. I mean movies hundred percent like that's when like whiskey was doing songs with Drake. Yeah. It was just an early thing and if they were if they were the kept it up like that company, we've been something different because that you know afrobeat is the thing right right now for sure. Yeah. Yeah, so and it's crazy. I mean because of the internet, you know music and content and just cultures is so if there's no borders, yeah afrobeat feels like reggae to me. It does Bob. It's a whole vibe like that. It's a similar type of I think so, you know, I think we all in a similar age group like mid-30s whatever grown up in New York City area like you couldn't go to like a party in the late 90s early 2000 when our hearing, you know, dancehall Sean Paul jump height is at his time when you're doing something. Then like I think it was a big era of like reggaeton waited a moment. And now I don't have to be as it happens. I think everybody this always likes on this this like African diaspora music that's technique taking over 2. Alpha beats having this thing right now all of them music. I mean, it has roots in Africa, of course, you know as far as the drums of course and you know, all of that stuff so, you know, it it's not surprising that it's Popular because it's always been popular just not it wasn't framed in that way. Right and so like you said, it sounds like reggae but really probably the reggae comes from that originally the you know, I'm saying so you don't like jazz and was fluid being because people out there Love reggae people out there love even Haitian music Wyclef is huge over there in Africa, like I go like, you know, I there's Wyclef Jean they might be the young. Yeah exactly. My you know, my in-laws are from Narrow being go over there and like I'll go and I'll listen to I'll be at a restaurant and then the server would have a Jamaican wristband how you been in Jamaica? Like, you know, I've been you know, I'm from I'm a Haitian about from Queens who like I've always been around you're making Stephanie you're making many times. And so I was like, oh we from in Jamaica like what are you doing here in Nairobi? And it like now I never been to Jamaica. I just love reggae culture, you know that the culture is huge. Right? And so yeah, it's kind of gone back. So definitely I do. Leave although reggae has African Roots. I think the half of Beats learn from reggae to yeah, for sure and even I mean, it's all cross because even if you go to Jamaica, you see a lot of flags from Ethiopia Ethiopia by you see a lot of jobs to the roster. So, you know, it's all connected for sure. So let me ask you this as far as the music scene because we know the music is blowing up three have record labels in Africa, or are those artists Inside to like American labels, so they have record labels, but most of the people that you see successful here are they have affiliations with u.s. Record labels and that's at that's what's helped quite a bit bad and time. It wasn't like that. But, you know actually individual that ran that division at the company I was at he left and went to Sony Music so like the What's up, y'all? So if you're listening to this you obviously like podcast and you're probably like music just as much on Spotify. You can listen to all your favorite artists and podcasts in one place for free. You don't need to premium account Spotify has a huge catalogue of podcast on every topic including the one you're listening to right now on Spotify. You can follow your favorite podcast. So you never miss an episode premium users can download episodes to listen to offline wherever you are and it's really easy to share. What you've been listening to with your friends on Instagram if you haven't done so already be sure to download the Spotify app search for Ernie Leisure on Spotify or browse podcast in the your library tab. Also, make sure to follow us so you never miss an episode of Ernie Leisure again. Alright, so one of the things that everybody always comments or any time we post anything about Africa is like it will China's behind on try to do with China's involvement. Why not for me China and it's not just Africa is all over the world, right Jamaica. So heavy heavy influence from China has a heavy influence in Jamaica and they also have a heavy influence in Africa a lot of countries in Africa the continent they really have a John has been involved in Jamaica for a long time like the yeah Jamaican billionaire Mike Leach in yeah, he's happens have Chinese. Yeah, but me out the first time I really I ain't bleep. I saw somebody that was Chinese what he was talking in Jamaican accent right now. That's what a lot of people in Jamaica is very diverse country. Yeah, I mean my my my grandparents Jewish right? I mean so like when I heard somebody was doing both of your grandparents mom my grandfather. So when I when you see them on TV talk like my mom's last minute maiden name is tiwari, which is a Jewish Diamond company in Jamaica. So like when I was sold on TV is like bugs me out. I'm like wait, they don't look like us they sound just like as though right right say it's weird. Nice crazy. So, all right. Right. Can we talk about that China's influence in Africa China, obviously, you know, since they kind of you know, it still communist kind of but over the last whatever three four decades they've embraced capitalism and and it's been with the aggression the the level of wealth that's being created. There is immense let about trade is immense and with that they want to be a world player right and to be a world player you have to you know, put stakes in other places. And they see Africa as a place that has been ignored by your the Europeans the u.s. Etcetera and there's a lot of opportunity and the way they're doing it is because by using Financial Capital as well as human capital, right? So what did they there's a lot of there's a lack of infrastructure across the continent. So we're doing it going to countries and they're saying hey we'll build a new highway for you will build a new bridge for you will build a new Factory for you. But you know after we build it, you know, maybe we have to have exclusive rights to it. Maybe you know, when you do XY and z and so in doing that they're just building everything, you know, they're you know, they're having the opportunity to kind of stake their claim. And so they're going into it at least from the onset of as if they're helping which there's a level of it. But the way they're doing it a lot of people don't do it, right because what they do is they do not hire local people right they bring Own people to build every from China. Yep cheaper labor. Yeah cheaper labor is even people. I mean, I don't know if this is true or not now, but if people saying that they're taking prisoners from China and using a mess like labor into Africa, did they die that's that's that's I don't know the truth there that just look at there's a whole it there's a whole story on it on HBO Sports. They would they covered it right like pretty in detail. It was that was one of the rumors that they cover so right and you know, and you know, I think I don't want to I don't want to like feed into like the whole Africa and nepotism and Corruption story, but there's a lot of that there and so what they're doing is they're like, sometimes they grease in the Pakistani politicians and then politicians assign things off and and that's it. So and you have a role you have a bridge you have a something like that just a railroad built by Chinese hospital hospital and then, you know, then after that they have ownership or they could have ownership of some what they might do. Is it may do something where they offered they build it they'll for the financing and they do it at like maybe a userís interest rate to the point where the country can't pay it and then they're stuck with it. So, you know, there's a story in Kenya that I could go into if you want. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so can you recently you know, there's a port that is in there there Mombasa which is a huge Port City in Kenya where it was a port that was rebuilt a shipping Port was rebuilt by the Chinese and and parts. As part of the deal somehow they built it but they lent Canyons money to pay them for building it and then Canyons could not keep up with the interest rates and they took the port over but the what was said is it it's temporary but you know, you know things are not always met up with are going to make a tutor today. They built the airplay. They failed the airport out like the second largest airport in Jamaica and it's like on a Yearly that they owned it for 20 years and then they can buy it back at the 20-year Mark but probably something to eat up. Yeah, we definitely buy a bag so they probably just on the airport now, right but in their defense, I mean Africa has been the victim of like userís Financial transactions for a long time because you know, most Advocate got independent like the 60s into the 70s there have been multiple dictatorships and all type of stuff and when they had when they got independent Ain't these European powers that were involved just pulled out unique are they left us the countries in bad shape and the World Bank IMF came in and a lot of those loans were with caveats to we're not great for the countries. And so China's doing this do kind of kind of stepping into that role a little bit and to the country delay, at least these people are building our stuff. So like there's positives negatives to it like all things in life. So I'm being also like you said, I mean, it's the politicians The ones is actually have to sign off on it and I put a gun to anybody's head and taking the land over. So ultimately if they are taking over Africa, it's the politicians fault. Right? Right. You can't I mean, you know, they're going to do what's best for their country. Right any country would do America's done that foot generation. Right? Right. Every country would do that, but it's up to the country to say no or money's not good money. Right? Right right you got That country has to think long-term leaders, I think long term and that's not always the case and another reason why they love Africa is because they've been building so much in in China, they need materials for that and there's materials in Africa every every tear your soul. And you know, you can't do you can't do what they did and whatever let's let's let me do a deal with you. I'm going to go and build this school but his Hospital give you buses do whatever. And by the way like that mining over there like, you know, like I see can we get a cic belgians doing some stuff? They asked see some British. Like why don't you just like let us hold that ourselves because we are we really a friend. So yeah this that, you know, they're they're definitely being strategic about it. There's a gold content in for a reason, you know, I mean, so in terms of like Americans of African descent, what do you think long term as far as investments in the continent? Yeah. I think it's very very important for us to be involved. I think there's a lot of opportunity like we said on the side earlier, I think over 50% of the population in Africa is is under the age of 25. I think that's I believe that's a stat that Africa is one of the Africa and Asia, although only two continents where the population is growing like the US Europe Japan like these are places where people are having less on their children. So there's less and less people whereas in Africa is growing. So therefore I You have more talent and also more consumption. Obviously. This is a place where people of African descent. Whoever whoever they are. It is that it's more of an ass looked upon as an asset. Like it's it's not easy for us to just drop in Belgium or drop in Malaysia is just open up a business but like I'm not going to say I'm not saying it's easy in Nigeria or buts want to but it's easier right? And I think it's just important like, you know, we come from a country that continent originally everybody has a different story. Worried about how they ended up here. Right and it would be I think it's very important for us to like take take part in its Resurgence. You know, for sure. I seen a con he said that he encouraged All American black Americans specifically to go back to Africa and taking Talent like whatever talent you have whether it be real estate, whether it be manufacturing construction music whatever and established business there because he was like, you know, it's still a learning curve. Still learning and we might have the expertise to help out right and like you say, even if you've never been it's still a connection on certain levels boys got to be a connection for sure. So there was there was a I was speaking to a gentleman and I Lana stop and he does work in Africa and he was telling me some this might be true or not. If you can prove like through like your ancestry.com or something like that if there's any ties That kind of country in Africa like you can get dual citizenship with in like six months. Is that true or not? I think well, I think Ghana Anna was offering African Americans. I think they still are citizenship. Okay. It was like part of a campaign come home campaign that they were running. I'm pretty sure it down. It was doing that. I'm not going to any other country, but I know kind of specifically right was offering that and I think they still are offering that so shout the Ghana for sure we have to go back like we said that I'm gonna go or not go back inside never wear the hell. Yeah. We gotta go. We gotta do something else. Yes. No way that I saw on IG New Year's. I have a lot of celebrities a lot of On an aircraft to celebrate New Years. So yeah here let me talk about that all the time. He spends like the last two weeks of the year in South Africa, right? Yeah, South Africa is beautiful. Yeah. I want to go out to South Africa period no, it's so many different places in Africa. So yeah, we definitely got to touch you. Can we talk about the in pesos and pestle? Yeah. Yeah. Some pasta is m stands for mobile as lecture for mobile. Pasta is money in Swahili. And basically it's mobile money. And so, you know, obviously people people use mobile money a little over the globe in the US we use venmo use cash app, but not to the extent. They use it out there like the first real successful implementation of mobile money was in it was in Kenya and it's something that everybody uses. It's something that is it's actually that's from like 2008 like way back then people were using money to sex messages to each other and it's it's still considered the most successful implementation of mobile money. Like you these are people these are these, you know, we've always had Financial instruction infrastructure in the US you had bank accounts. You have credit cards Etc. These are individuals that didn't even have that but they were able to transact digitally using their phones. Yeah. I'm sorry cut you off. But yeah, I saw it on 60 Minutes. It was crazy because it was saying that like how successful it was and it was saying like, you know, especially in can't lot of the world Parts they can't get to it being even if there is a bank they can't get to it physically. Lee so like I forgot how much but a large populate large part of the populations are unbanked and have been conned never have bank accounts lat so now the mobile thing but everybody has a cell phone even if it's like a cheap cell phone but they still have a cell phone. So it made life tremendously easier when they develop that program because not everybody uses that grass so easy. You don't have to use it. But I think the guys like a billionaire who develop that yeah. Yeah, he's part of that but also it came together with a marriage between basically. So far come which is like their Verizon like their major cell phone provider and Equity Bank, which is a major bank. So it was as if you know, if I was to use a parallel in the u.s. It's as if Verizon and JP Morgan Chase came together and got along and they just they created this huge digital digital thing anyway, and because it's a it was Emerging Market had less infrastructure. You have fewer players. You have featured fewer regulatory hurdles, and it just came together seamlessly into go over. - though, that's not so what's your old parole outlook on the content? I know you've been there a lot and your family happy. I think your wife is from Kenya as well. And you worked in NBA and stuff like that on Africa. What should you optimistic? I'm optimistic. I think um similar to like crypto like, you know tread carefully like for instance if the people like from when I initially landed the work in Africa to now a lot of those currencies are down like 50 That right. So Dave Dave, you know, there was a time and I would say the, you know early 2010. So like doing tangent 2014 where all those currencies with boom in it was so much investment happening but there's a they've been a lot of like political unrest economies have not taken off to the level that they that people thought and so there's been a lot of there's been a bit of a pullback that being said that's good opportunity to put money in. I just want to put on My money in and also I would make sure that I think is very important for you to understand the local market. Right? So like for instance like you go to app out here in the US I'm being iPhone first because I'm over there Android is King right? You got to know what people are going through you have to know that you know one struggle we had as I all right? Well, we want people to stream movies or watch games on a cell phone and the u.s. My T-Mobile Gator plan is unlimited over there. People are prepaid and the infrastructure not even that strong soul. Streaming those megabytes and that to even watch a game. You could kill somebody's whole monthly allotment of watch one game is over. All right, so they're more likely to wait until they could get to Wi-Fi to download somewhere as we hear don't care. Right? So you have to make sure if you were to build a product for them. You have to take those things into account nice though. That's a gem event. Thank you for that information. And we appreciate it and we got to try. This is actually something that we want to try to do. For every every continent so we all have like this was a Africa addition will have a Europe addition. I have a South America or your different countries Caribbean Edition. Yeah the country's cause I feel like it's important a to acknowledge that the people all over the world and it's also important for once again for Americans the vast majority of our listeners are Americans, but you gotta expand your mind. You guys see the world for what it is. You guys see bigger than just your neighborhood in your city is itself a lot of times we get so bogged down. Not need to take life that we don't see past our 10-mile radius or even two mile radius like we just worry about where we're at, but the world moves quick and and you know business is done all over the world and just people you know, it's good to experience different cultures and know what's going on outside of you just your neighborhood so we could be that window of the world and bring people that are knowledgeable about, you know, different areas in the world and actually travel to those places as well. That's one thing we're going to do. Do we want all right now hitting different cities in America, but we can eventually going to go overseas as well. We're going to go to these places and actually talk to people in notes actual countries as well. Hopefully we can bring some alumni with us. Yeah. Now you have any well, I'm not now y'all so once again if you got any opportunity speaking engagements and feel free to hit us up email us is the best but email DMS. We open it to traveling domestically and internationally we going to be on a college tour this fall. We got hit a couple of colleges we've been It's in a pretty soon. So yeah we go and try to spread the word of financial literacy and education all over the world every language every population. As I said, if I it's not something that's just limited to two one communities, but every every Community World mankind, that's that's the kind of vision out that we looking at all over the world. So once again, thank you. Can you tell the people your information how to reach you? Yeah now thank you for having me is fun. I you find me on Twitter as well as IG it's Fritz chain. So F RI t zc h a iin my name Fritz Charles on LinkedIn you can add me and that's it. Yeah, I'm always my you know, my dreams open. I'm always willing to chat with people learn from people and what's up with your podcast to it's called coin gamma Chloe. Yeah. We talked about crypto crypto blockchain 48 episodes. Yeah. Exactly. Thank you. I'm so yeah, we talked about crypto blockchain. We interviewed some of the biggest leaders in the space. Just talked about the different Trends. It's always something new going on right now. It's about Facebook. So next week about it'll be about something different. You're talking about Libra. Yeah, Leroy. Yeah. So yeah, check me out and I definitely appreciate your time for the support that I'm not thank you for coming Troy. Yeah since your community, yeah, I'll patreon Community it always grows on so thank you to everybody that's for support and you know, that's how proud to pay program again rest in peace in it. I want to give a big shout-out to Brenda. She's a one of our patrons from um, California to try to link the dot so we can come out to Oakland. So shout the Brenda and everybody let's join. Like I said, you can join at any tier there's about this five of them. But the more you support that the more we're going to be able to do things like travel internationally and domestically so continue to support that we got some new merch if you will, it's on Instagram you saw that UIL University that's coming soon. So be on the lookout for that and some more other things that we got we don't put on that on the website as well. You actually the website we bout to redesign. Yeah, but the redesign of Digital brands. What is a shout out to them? Yeah. Sure and the merch yes, don't forget the merch the merge is another way to support the podcast. So we have merged shop right now or you'll lose your.com. We're putting new merch up and we make we make statements without clothes and We complain a lot about designers that you know are openly racist and you know, we still we're too close. So it's like why not wish something that you know is 8 it says something like all of our clothes say something that you know, No is financially related and also knows from the culture. So that's the way to support and then we're on to as I mentioned previously we hit La was the first stop. We don't like these Network meet and greet La was the first I was crazy. And then we did Brooklyn Brooklyn was really crazy. And then when I land on Lana was even more crazy, so we just got to keep the momentum going. I think the next stop that we going to do is Houston. They start shouting aah town. So H time and we need you to show your love Beyond. Announced that song is we try and make it to the ranch. So like you gotta help us good Jimmy Prince. What's up man? Lil Keke we suck donkey. That's my guy. We got a lot of good people that we connected with in Houston. So I never been to Texas. So I'm looking forward to going to Houston for sure and then we're probably through DMV Philly to but if you want us to come to your City and Chicago, we kind of on the cusp with that a lot of people behind us about Chicago, but let us know let us know where you were we need to go and the purpose of these networking events just to bring people. Together and to meet new people and meet us meet some of the ey alumni but more importantly me people in your city exchange information discuss business ideas. You never know who your next business partner might be never know who you can make money with buy a home went through different things of that nature. So relationships are very important and a lot of times we don't fully understand that so that's the whole point of these Network meet and greets that we're doing and my book tip of the week is how it French is the author And the name of the book is China's second continent. It's about Africa China's influence in Africa fitting since we talked about that. So that's a good book highly suggested recommend it. So, yes. Thank you guys for rocking with us, and we will see you next week, please please please.
In episode 29 we spoke with international business expert Fritz Charles about Africa. Fritz graduated from the top business school in the world (Wharton at UPenn), he worked as a trader for the infamous Wall Street investment bank Lehman Brothers when he was 22. After Lehman went bankrupt he worked for the NBA where he spearheaded NBATV in Africa. After that, he became the head of growth for iROKOtv which is known as the Netflix of Africa. We covered the importance of people of Investing and being connected to Africa, Kenya’s mobile banking success story, the NBA’s new African league, Afro Beats, Nigeria’s film industry, and China’s economic influence on the continent. Guest IG: @fritzchain  Book Tip: China’s Second Continent   ---   This episode is sponsored by  · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app  · Talk Money With Mesh Lakhani Podcast: On The Talk Money with Mesh Lakhani podcast, Mesh will follow paper trails, chat with experts, and break down complex ideas to bring clarity to the mystical financial phenomena behind your finances. 