John Kirby

“More than 1000 Collective Shout supporters have emailed Amazon executives calling for the removal of child s*x abuse dolls, but Amazon has remained silent. CEO Andy Jassy has blocked campaigners who attempted to bring the issue to his attention.” Andy Jassy, court-case evidence shows frequent overlap with CSAM and other child-sexual offending. The dolls are illegal under current child-protection legislation and and contribute to the sexualisation of children.

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Too many brilliant young women in Ghana are being left behind. Not because they lack potential, but because they lack access to money skills that should’ve been taught in school. We teach girls how to write essays. But not how to manage money. We encourage them to dream big. But don’t show them how to budget for that dream, avoid scams, or build real financial confidence. I’m hosting a free virtual workshop for young women in Ghana, especially those from vocational schools, who are ready to take control of their finances and build a future on their own terms. We’ll cover: Money mindset shifts for confidence and resilience Budgeting habits that make sense in real life How to avoid financial risks and scams And the foundation needed to start a business or simply feel more secure with money 📍 If you work with young women or know someone who needs this, please share it. https://lnkd.in/eADNFai4 We’re not just teaching money skills. We’re building futures. #GirlsAndGoals #FinancialLiteracy #WomenInGhana #

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UK African Diaspora Businesses and Economy Review 2025 In 2025, African-owned and Africa-focused businesses in the UK have grown more visible, diverse, and influential than ever. These enterprises span sectors including professional services, technology, creative industries, restaurants, retail, FMCG, manufacturing and social enterprises. African diaspora entrepreneurs are among the UK’s most dynamic business communities, playing a pivotal role in strengthening UK – Africa trade links amid rising interest from both British companies and African investors. More https://lnkd.in/gEPVNusm African Business Chamber (AfBC)

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For Africa The Numbers Speak for Themselves Here is Dr. Akinwumi Adesina’s remarks at the World Governments Summit: Africa Is Not a Charity Case. It Is an Investment Case. Speaking at the World Governments Summit, African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina made a powerful statement: Africa cannot and should not develop through aid. He described aid as a crutch, something that weakens long-term progress rather than strengthening it. Instead, Africa must be viewed through an investment lens, not a charity framework. Here’s the data: According to IMF projections, Africa is growing at around 4% annually, the fastest of any global region and is expected to maintain that pace over the next four years. This growth is not accidental. It reflects: • Improved macroeconomic stability • Fiscal reforms • Infrastructure investment • Structural adjustments Africa, as Adesina said, is no longer just a promise, it is a portfolio. From MTN, Dangote Group, Safaricom, and Jumia, capital deployed on the continent is already generating returns. Infrastructure and real assets are delivering low-to-mid-teens performance, offering diversification from global markets. And then there’s the strategic leverage: Africa holds an estimated $6 trillion in critical minerals, lithium, cobalt, manganese, chromium, and rare earths essential for EV batteries, AI systems, aerospace, and renewable energy. The AfDB’s mission is not abstract, it is urgent and practical. Every dollar must work for long-term development and prosperity, not temporary relief. This aligns closely with the broader call for investment over aid as Africa’s future frontier, a transition from dependency to self-determined economic growth. Africa’s finance leaders are signaling that solutions must be designed from within the continent, by its people, for its people, not as an afterthought of global agendas. Investment is not charity. It is strategy. It is sovereignty. It is Africa’s future. The question is no longer whether Africa has resources. The question is whether Africa will convert those resources into productive assets, industrial capacity, and long-term wealth. From a Trade NOT Aid-An Alpha Sirius Brand perspective: Aid sustains dependency. Investment builds sovereignty. Industrialization creates resilience. Africa does not need sympathy. Africa needs capital, infrastructure, and execution. Trade NOT Aid-An Alpha Sirius Brand. Do you agree? #AfricaRising #InvestmentNotAid #AfDB #CriticalMinerals #EconomicSovereignty #TradeNotAid #EmergingMarkets #TradeNotAid #PanAfrican

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For Africa The Numbers Speak for Themselves Here is Dr. Akinwumi Adesina’s remarks at the World Governments Summit: Africa Is Not a Charity Case. It Is an Investment Case. Speaking at the World Governments Summit, African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina made a powerful statement: Africa cannot and should not develop through aid. He described aid as a crutch, something that weakens long-term progress rather than strengthening it. Instead, Africa must be viewed through an investment lens, not a charity framework. Here’s the data: According to IMF projections, Africa is growing at around 4% annually, the fastest of any global region and is expected to maintain that pace over the next four years. This growth is not accidental. It reflects: • Improved macroeconomic stability • Fiscal reforms • Infrastructure investment • Structural adjustments Africa, as Adesina said, is no longer just a promise, it is a portfolio. From MTN, Dangote Group, Safaricom, and Jumia, capital deployed on the continent is already generating returns. Infrastructure and real assets are delivering low-to-mid-teens performance, offering diversification from global markets. And then there’s the strategic leverage: Africa holds an estimated $6 trillion in critical minerals, lithium, cobalt, manganese, chromium, and rare earths essential for EV batteries, AI systems, aerospace, and renewable energy. The AfDB’s mission is not abstract, it is urgent and practical. Every dollar must work for long-term development and prosperity, not temporary relief. This aligns closely with the broader call for investment over aid as Africa’s future frontier, a transition from dependency to self-determined economic growth. Africa’s finance leaders are signaling that solutions must be designed from within the continent, by its people, for its people, not as an afterthought of global agendas. Investment is not charity. It is strategy. It is sovereignty. It is Africa’s future. The question is no longer whether Africa has resources. The question is whether Africa will convert those resources into productive assets, industrial capacity, and long-term wealth. From a Trade NOT Aid-An Alpha Sirius Brand perspective: Aid sustains dependency. Investment builds sovereignty. Industrialization creates resilience. Africa does not need sympathy. Africa needs capital, infrastructure, and execution. Trade NOT Aid-An Alpha Sirius Brand. Do you agree? #AfricaRising #InvestmentNotAid #AfDB #CriticalMinerals #EconomicSovereignty #TradeNotAid #EmergingMarkets #TradeNotAid #PanAfrican

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Series: Rethinking Street Children Policy in Nigeria (1/3) ‎ ‎3 Cost-Effective Interventions That Could Reduce the Number of Street Children by 2030 ‎ ‎If we are serious about reducing the number of street-connected children in Nigeria by 2030, we must think beyond short-term charity. We need scalable, prevention-focused solutions that governments, NGOs, and private sector actors can realistically fund and sustain. ‎ ‎Here is the first: ‎ ‎1. Community-Based Family Strengthening Programs ‎ ‎Most street situations do not begin on the street. They begin at home with instability that goes unaddressed. Family breakdown remains one of the strongest predictors of child vulnerability. ‎ ‎Strategic investment in: ‎ ‎• Parenting education ‎• Family mediation and conflict resolution ‎• Conditional cash transfers for at-risk households ‎• Community-based social workers ‎can prevent children from ever leaving home. ‎ ‎Prevention costs significantly less than rehabilitation and reintegration. If we strengthen families, we reduce displacement. If we reduce displacement, we reduce street migration. ‎ ‎In the next post, I’ll explore a second intervention focused on school retention as a protective factor. ‎ ‎If you had to prioritize, would you fund prevention at the family level first or focus on street rescue systems? ‎ ‎#ChildProtection #PublicPolicy #SocialImpact #StreetChildren #PreventionFirst #Nigeria #SystemsThinking

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⚡ Can you imagine a world where solar energy is as affordable as diesel? With a 20-30% price drop in solar technology, this dream is closer than ever! How do you think this will affect small businesses in Africa? Join the conversation! #SolarPanels #AffordableEnergy #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #AfricaEnergy #RenewableResources #EconomicGrowth #SustainableLiving

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Point of this story. When it comes to your business…think outside the box 🤔 Hello dear reader. Hoping you are having an amazing Sunday, getting yourself ready for fun things in the week ahead, with out living in the moment of the beautiful day that still lies ahead of us today. So full disclosure, this video was previously recorded. But the inspiration is still there. A little food for thought…sometimes running your business, how you acquire business, or even how your clients can benefit from your business isn’t a straightforward thing. And what is one thing a good business owner should always do…its think outside the box to help find ways to distinguish themselves from competitors while making their clients shine. Check out my latest on the road recording. Hope it motivates you to think outside the box. Be great my friend #smallbusiness #growyourbusiness #thinkoutsidethebox

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A friend on Facebook shared a video of a teacher who videoed a child having lunch in school and asked derogatory questions. Let's be clear please 🙏. Posting children’s faces online without parental consent is Unlawful Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, children’s personal data—including photos and videos are classified as sensitive personal data. Section 30(2)(c) specifically states that processing the data of a minor must be done with the consent of a parent or guardian. Similarly, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which influences many global standards, protects children's data under Article 8, requiring verifiable parental consent before collecting or publishing data of children under 16. So, when a teacher records a pupil without consent especially in a demeaning context and posts it online, it violates: - The child’s right to privacy - The obligation to protect minors - Legal provisions on lawful and fair processing It’s not just unethical. It’s unlawful. Let’s protect our children’s dignity, online and offline. As we are talking to children about cyber büllíng and online protection, our big aunties and uncles should also take note. #ChildOnlineSafety #DataProtection #PrivacyMatters #DigitalRights #APLA

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FG Launches Landmark TVET Programme To Equip Youth For Jobs And Nation-building Read More:https://lnkd.in/dxk_AMTX #FGlauchesLandmark #TVET #Youth #Jobs #NationBuilding #YouthEmporment

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🌍 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵. That’s why we created 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗔𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲™ — an initiative dedicated to empowering young entrepreneurs across Africa and those in the UK diaspora returning home. Our newly updated promotional video highlights how AfricAspire™ equips entrepreneurs with the 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀, 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 needed to build sustainable businesses through: ✓ Business planning & strategy ✓ Branding & marketing support ✓ Financial & operational training ✓ Mentorship & accountability frameworks But what sets us apart is our 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵. From professional brand collateral — logos, websites, social media — to access to 𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼-𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀, AfricAspire™ builds both the 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 and the 𝘧𝘶𝘦𝘭 for lasting success. And now, with the 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗲™ 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, AfricAspire™ is uniquely positioned to help Africa grow beyond GDP numbers — focusing on dignity, opportunity, and real human outcomes. If you share our belief in the power of entrepreneurship to transform lives, we’d love to connect with you. #AfricAspire #ThirdLane #Entrepreneurship #AfricaRising

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Day one Mdahalo Brieffing, keep eyes onto this series of videos i will be sharing nearly the same time every day! The way African institutions communicate internally is broken. I don't say this lightly. As someone who works in this space, I see it daily: Ministries sharing policy circulars in WhatsApp groups. Universities managing hundreds of uncontrolled faculty and student groups across consumer platforms. Corporations leaking sensitive HR communications through tools designed for personal use. NGOs coordinating project-sensitive information on apps that route data through servers in countries they've never heard of. This is not a technology problem. It's a governance problem. And it's the problem that Mdahalo was built to solve. Mdahalo is an enterprise-grade Android communication platform designed specifically for institutions that take their data sovereignty seriously. It gives organizations the ability to communicate at the speed of modern messaging — while maintaining the control, security, and accountability that institutional governance demands. Key capabilities that set Mdahalo apart: 🔒 Local server deployment — data stays within your institutional infrastructure 🏛️ Full institutional branding — the platform reflects your organization's identity 👁️ Administrative oversight — complete visibility over users, content, and activity 📱 Rich multimedia communication — posts, groups, DMs, documents, and video ⚖️ Compliance-ready architecture — built for local data governance frameworks We are actively engaging with governments, academic institutions, corporate enterprises, and development organizations that are ready to take institutional communication seriously. If this resonates with a challenge you're facing at your organization, I'd welcome a conversation. 🔗 Call to Action: Learn more or book a demonstration: www.mdahalo.app #DataSovereignty #Mdahalo #GovTech #InstitutionalCommunication #DigitalTransformation #CyberSecurity #Africa

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Here are the top seven sins of NGOs and charities: 1.      Chasing the money. When money is tight, you have to chase the money to survive. But then you lose sight of your mission and you do whatever your funders want. Survival of the charity becomes the objective and the mission disappears into the background. 2.      Planting the flag is when NGOs go for expansion to impress donors and to enhance career prospects for staff. They land up scaling the organisation instead of scaling the mission. Smart NGOs scale the mission, by working with governments and other partners: this reduces costs, improves quality and retains mission focus. 3.      No impact. It drives me nuts when I see annual reports with lots of bleeding-heart stories and pictures of smiling children. FFS. Anecdotes are not evidence. If you are serious about impact, measure it properly. No impact, no value added. 4.      Me-too. There are over 170,000 charities in the UK, many duplicating each other’s work, not very well. They have been set up in memory of Derek and Doris, which is very nice but are they doing anything which is different or better than the other 170,000 charities out there? Be different, be better or be gone. 5.      Under-investment in capacity, such as finance, controls, M&E, training, HR, IT. Any firm which did this would be out of business fast, and the same should happen to NGOs which act this way. 6.      Treating funders as cash cows. Working with funders is not easy: they have adjacent goals, at best. But they are not just cash cows. They have a wealth of experience about what works and what goes wrong. Tap into their knowledge, wisdom and experience, not just into their money 7.      Thinking profit is a dirty word. For profit firms have done more to change the world than not for profits: think Google (and even Tesla, despite Musk). They also are really good at things like distribution, eg of medicines and clothes. The best NGOs work with the private sector instead of thinking that they are morally superior. The massive reduction in aid budgets is a disaster. But it will, hopefully, force NGOs to clean up their act. Research for How to Change the World shows that the best NGOs consistently avoid these sins. The rest should learn from the best. You can buy a copy here: https://lnkd.in/ekJT4_Ey #leadership #aid #development #NGO

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Oxfam South Africa’s statement is a powerful and necessary reminder that democracy is not sustained by promises—it is sustained by delivery. Philosophically, the call for urgency in implementation reflects a deeper truth: rhetoric without results erodes trust, and trust is the cornerstone of accountable governance. A nation cannot thrive on commitments alone; it must be built on transparent timelines, measurable outcomes, and consequences for failure. Inequality, hunger, and unemployment are not abstract statistics—they are lived realities that demand immediate, decisive action. Practically, the issues raised—energy insecurity, failing infrastructure, rising living costs, crime, corruption, and gender-based violence—are interconnected. Addressing them requires: a. Integrated policy action: Tackling inequality demands cross-sectoral solutions that link economic growth with social justice. b. Measurable accountability: Clear benchmarks and transparent reporting ensure that commitments translate into progress. c. Youth and small business investment: Empowering these sectors drives innovation, employment, and resilience. d. Justice and equality: Ending Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and corruption are not side issues—they are central to building a society that works for all. e. Public service professionalism: A capable, ethical state apparatus is the backbone of sustainable development. Strategically, this moment matters because South Africa’s democratic promise is at stake. Inequality cannot be normalized as a permanent condition—it must be dismantled through deliberate, urgent, and accountable governance. The credibility of leadership depends not on speeches, but on the lived improvements felt by citizens. This message is iconic because it reframes governance not as a performance of words, but as a practice of justice. It demonstrates that resilience lies in coupling vision with delivery, and democracy with equality. For researchers, scholars, policymakers, civil society, and citizens alike, the lesson is clear: less rhetoric, more results. Accountability is not optional—it is the foundation of a nation that truly works for all. #AccountableGovernance #EndInequalityNOW #EconomicJustice #SONA #SouthAfrica #Democracy #SocialJustice #YouthEmpowerment

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FAAN’s Bold Cashless Rollout Sparks Major Airport Shift Adebola Agunbiade Olubunmi (Bunmi) K. Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria Gbenga Olorunpomi Paystack Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Nigeria #gocashless #FAAN #seamlessairportpayments https://lnkd.in/eATKTenk

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Exciting news! 🇬🇭🔋 China West Africa Eco-Drive, Ghana’s Ministry of Trade, and Shenzhen Gecko have signed an MoU to invest in a new energy vehicle (NEV) assembly plant in Ghana. This move boosts Ghana’s EV industry and opens new doors for Chinese companies in Africa. I discussed this with my colleague, Isaac Attasei-Nyarko #GreenEnergy #EV #Ghana #China #Sustainability #AfricaRising

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🚨💪🏾💰FUNDING ALERT ‼️ FEARLESS FUND IS BACK, TAKING THEIR FINANCIAL BACKING TO WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES IN AFRICA The Fearless Fund has announced the launch of a new microfinance fund in Ghana. Read: https://lnkd.in/eht98iWT #businessdevelopment #soloprenuers #smallbusinesses #businessowners #founders #nonprofits #entrepreneurs #sbe #dbe #mbe #wbe #lbe #mwbe #wosb #edwosb #veteranowned #womanowned #supplierdiversity #minorityowned #wealth #lgbtq #smallbusinessresources #smallbiz #grants #startups #disabledowned #funding

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Sierra Leone’s youth policy architecture, 2000–2025: what holds, what frays ................................................................................................................................ The national architecture has grown more layered—ministries, commissions, funds, and programmes that seek skills, jobs, and inclusion. What holds: *a stable moral commitment to “youth” as nation‑building partners*. What frays: translation gaps between flagship visions and meso‑level bureaucratic routines where targeting, disbursement, and monitoring live. My work attends to these meso spaces. There, “beneficiary” can become a durable identity; waiting replaces participation; paperwork becomes the theatre of accountability. The recommendation is procedural: shorter loops between application and feedback; public dashboards that show allocations by district; and co‑governed grievance channels that treat complaint as a right, not a favour. #SierraLeone #YouthPolicy #Governance #Accountability #PhilosophyInAction #PiA INSERT: Focus Group Discussion Session with University Students in Sierra Leone.

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