Blog

“It wasn’t until the early part of 2017 that it dawned on me: impostor syndrome could follow me the rest of my life if I didn’t make a change!” Part of my job at SFAN – the one I enjoy so much – is being a connector: bringing innovators, thinkers, corporate executives, and co-dreamers together […] Read more

The road to 2030 – a year set aside by development partners as the deadline for eradicating extreme poverty – looks very much uncertain for many African countries. The confluence of rapid demographic growth, digital transformation, and weak human resource base in recent years presents fresh and critical challenges to Africa’s development dynamics and global […] Read more

The article was first published by Tom-Chris Emewulu on LinkedIn. “As an entrepreneur myself, I understand what it feels like to yearn for a lifeline, to hope for a ‘big break’, to look forward to enjoying some luck.” – Tony O. Elumelu (CON) Many entrepreneurs (and aspiring entrepreneurs) have reached out to me for advice on […] Read more

The future of entrepreneurship in Ghana is very bright, thanks to innovators and ecosystem facilitators working tirelessly to create lasting change. As we round off what has been the best year in Ghana’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, I want to share some predictions for 2019. About this time last year, I wrote that the Ghanaian entrepreneurship ecosystem will see […] Read more

Tony Elumelu is one the most influential business leaders on the planet, with a net worth of over $700M according to Forbes(2015). Five young professionals from the United Bank for Africa had an opportunity to be invited to lunch and ask him various career questions over the weekend – and he was generous with his insights. […] Read more

By Ashley Ancordi, Community Manager, SFAN. It’s been a little over 60 days since my last day at Lancaster University Ghana as a student. In retrospection, I want to shed some light on the realities of #StudentLife and offer useful tips on how any student can use his or her school as an accelerator to […] Read more

“If Africa’s children are educated and equipped with the skills to succeed in the twenty-first-century economy, the entire continent will prosper. But if they are denied a quality education, Africa’s economic progress will be slowed, stunted, or even thrown into reverse.“ – Strive Masiyiwa, Founder of Econet Wireless NIGERIA – On October 25, I had […] Read more

The World Bank in conjunction with the United Nations held a number of different events in various countries around the world on October 17 to mark the International Day for Eradication of Poverty, 2018. These include an inspiring in-country dialogue session and interactive video conference on the theme “Africa’s Youth and the Future of Work”. Although […] Read more

“Entrepreneurs have crossed “the risk line” from the “Time-and-Effort Economy” to the “Results Economy.” For them, there’s no guaranteed income, no one writing them a paycheck every two weeks. They live by their ability to generate opportunity by creating value for their clientele.” – Dan Sullivan, Strategic Coach. Here’s a disclaimer: this article is for people […] Read more

By: Jessica Calarco, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Indiana University My first year of grad school, I found myself totally overwhelmed by the amount and density of the required (and recommended) readings. I spent hours slogging through all of it. I had piles of notes. But I felt lost. So now, in the interest of revealing […] Read more

Everybody knows that getting a rejection email for a job application really sucks. But in reality, about 98% of job seekers are eliminated at the initial resume screening. Only 2% of job candidates make it to an interview. Unfortunately, recruiters don’t usually give candidates an absolute, meaningful feedback on why they were rejected. To help […] Read more

Accra, Ghana  (July 20, 2018) – As part of the inaugural Student Entrepreneurship Week Ghana taking place from July 26-28, 2018 at British Council & Kempinski Hotel, Stars From All Nations partnered with Echo VC Partners, Venture Capital for Africa, 3rdfloor Digital, Workshed Africa and MEST Africa to launch Young Money Business Pitch competition. The purpose of the pitch competition is to give […] Read more

The semi-finalists have been chosen! SFAN (Stars From All Nations), with support from MEST Africa, 3rdfloor Digital, Workshed Africa, Venture Capital for Africa and Echo VC Partners, launched the Young Money Business Pitch to help enterprising students in any accredited Ghanaian University get access to business development, marketing, and funding support. After many submissions, ideas […] Read more

There are certain traits that make you successful in a job. In my previous article, I shared some insights on 6 biggest job application mistakes you must avoid at all costs. A gentleman reached out to me after reading the article to ask if I could write a follow-up piece on what employers look for […] Read more

By: Carl Manlan, COO, Ecobank Foundation Agriculture is the future of work in Africa. This may seem counter-intuitive, and, to be sure, technology will play a critical role to ensure that 12 million Africans entering the job market every year find their fulfillment along national, regional, continental and global value chains. Established technology start-ups like Alibaba, Airbnb, Amazon, […] Read more

Accra, Ghana  (June 09, 2018) – Stars From All Nations (SFAN) is delighted to announce that Mr. Samuel Darko Appiah, former British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Correspondent for Ghana will deliver a keynote address at the inaugural Student Entrepreneurship Week Ghana on Thursday, July 26, 2018, at British Council, Accra. Mr. Darko Appiah will deliver the third keynote address […] Read more

Accra, Ghana  (June 03, 2018) – Stars From All Nations (SFAN) is thrilled to announce that the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, Mr. Yofi Grant will be speaking at SFAN Business Breakfast Meeting. The business breakfast meeting will cap off the inaugural Student Entrepreneurship Week Ghana on Saturday, July 28, 2018, at Kempinski Gold Coast City, Accra. […] Read more

In September 2017, SFAN matched Prince Dogbe with GFA Consulting Ltd; a corporate finance boutique based in Accra, Ghana and specialized in fundraising advisory for companies that operate in West and Central Africa. We caught up with him recently to talk about his career journey and future plans. Tell us about yourself and what made you […] Read more

It can be frustrating when you send in your application for a job opening but do not receive a response from the hiring manager. Apart from the fact that the job market is competitive as ever, the reason you are not hearing back from hiring managers may be some of these limiting job application mistakes […] Read more

Accra, Ghana  (May 18, 2018) – Stars From All Nations (SFAN) is pleased to announce that the Minister for Business Development, Hon. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal will deliver the welcome keynote at the inaugural Student Entrepreneurship Week Ghana on Thursday, July 26, 2018, at British Council, Accra, Ghana. The Minister’s remarks on “The Future of Entrepreneurship in […] Read more

By: Joseph-Albert Kuuire, Creator, and Editor of TechNovaGh Stars From All Nations (SFAN) is hosting their Student Entrepreneurship Week at British Council and Kempinski Hotel on the 26th to 28th of July, 2018. Tech Nova is doing a series of interviews with some speakers coming to the event. Our first interview featured Samuel Mensah, Senior Designer at McKinsey Digital, and the subsequent one […] Read more

By Joseph-Albert Kuuire, Creator, and Editor of TechNovaGh Stars From All Nations (SFAN) is hosting their Student Entrepreneurship Week at British Council and Kempinski Hotel on the 26th to 28th of July, 2018. There will be a wide array of speakers at the event from Ghana, Nigeria, the U.K and Silicon Valley. Tech Nova is doing a series of interviews with some […] Read more

By Joseph-Albert Kuuire, Creator, and Editor of TechNovaGh Stars From All Nations (SFAN) is hosting their Student Entrepreneurship Week at British Council and Kempinski Hotel from 26th to 28th of July. There will be a wide array of speakers at the event including Afua Osei (She Leads Africa), Kevin Nyame (MeQasa) and Ethel Cofie (Edel Consulting). In preparation for the upcoming event, Tech Nova will be […] Read more

Accra, Ghana  (April 20, 2018) – As part of the Student Entrepreneurship Week Ghana taking place from July 26-28, 2018, Stars From All Nations has partnered with Echo VC Partners, Venture Capital for Africa, 3rdfloor Digital and Workshed Africa to launch Young Money Business Pitch competition. This pitch competition is specifically designed to give student entrepreneurs […] Read more

“Congratulations, you are now a 2018 Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur!” If you received the above message a couple days ago, this article is for you. If you didn’t, use these tips to improve your chances for the next cycle of the entrepreneurship program coming up in 2019. According to The Elumelu Foundation, more than 150,000 Africans from […] Read more

By Liz Grossman, M.D at Baobab Consulting As our world globalizes, so does our workplace. We are able to build businesses, form teams, and attract clients with people who live all the way across the world, using internet and communication technology innovations such as WhatsApp, Google Drive, Zoom and more. We are able to attract […] Read more

SFAN is pleased to unveil the line-up of speakers for Student Entrepreneurship Week Ghana taking place from 26 – 28 July 2018. Participants will benefit from a range of insightful high-level keynote sessions, panel sessions, masterclasses, office hours, and one-on-one mentoring sessions presented by the best and brightest entrepreneurs and professionals from Ghana, Nigeria, Silicon […] Read more

Accra, Ghana  (March 09, 2018) – Stars From All Nations (SFAN) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Timothy Kotin and Ms. Gloria Shekoni as board of advisory members. Tim is the Co-Founder of SuperFluid Labs while Gloria is an expert in IT Marketing Applications Management, Quality Assurance Engineering and Product Management. They will serve as SFAN’s advisors […] Read more

10 of the Best Female Ghanaian Leaders Setting Global Records There has been an interestingly divisive debate on the role of women in societies and their participation in economic activities. One side of the divide argues against increased women participation in all spheres of economic and social activities on biological and cultural basis, whilst the […] Read more

It used to be when you want to connect with people you don’t have access to, you look for someone to introduce you to them. But with tools like Twitter, connecting with anyone and everyone is one direct message (DM) or mention away. Although many pundits are writing Twitter obituaries with #RIPTwitter, the numbers tell a different story. […] Read more

Internships are super important for every college student today. Apart from them being ways of exploring the world of work, they help you acquire job experience. Recruiters will hire someone with a job experience rather than someone with a general resume. (If you are looking for feasible tips and strategies on how to prepare for […] Read more

Concerning the ability to study, there’s an old saying that if you want to hide something from an African, put it in a book. Hilarious, right?! Well…even though that statement might not be entirely true, I think that many of us struggle with studying – especially in this age of social media, automation, and twerk […] Read more

Whether you are building a business or a career, there are times when you need a second voice in reinforcing your ideas or echoing your claims. That’s why you need quotes. In the words of former Swiss Volleyball player and author of 100 Inspirational Quotes, Michel F. Bolle, “inspirational quotes are important because they activate […] Read more

A science-based blueprint for achieving 10x faster results We’ve all experienced that moment of great excitement as the New Year approaches —we’re pumped, the world looks small, and we can’t wait to do great and wonderful things! Some of us make lofty resolutions like: This year, I will be a millionaire. This year, I will be […] Read more

Experts have said that one of the smartest investments you will ever make in your business or career is finding a mentor who believes in you and is willing to help you succeed. However, whenever we discuss the subject of mentorship with our SFAN community, there are four basic questions we usually receive: Who is […] Read more

If you have read the Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, then you’re already familiar with the concept of 10,000-hour work rule — an understanding that it takes roughly ten thousand hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field. Whereas there are different opinions as to whether you need to, essentially, accumulate a definite number of hours before gaining mastery […] Read more

This is not your conventional entrepreneurship event, this is an alternative education forum! The future of Africa lies in the hands of entrepreneurs. However, it is estimated that 90% of all startups fail within 3 years. Student Entrepreneurship Week Ghana is a power packed event that will bring renowned entrepreneurs together for thought leadership on […] Read more

Almost every student or job seeker has a fair idea of what career they want to pursue but many don’t really know how to make it happen. Job search is becoming increasingly difficult and thanks to technology, employers are continually raising the bar on their expectations from new hires. So, how do you beat the […] Read more

The subject of social enterprise is, perhaps, one of the most misunderstood business concepts around the world. According to The Key Fund study, a new research from one of Britain’s leading community development finance institutions, more than three-quarters of the British public are supporters of social enterprise, but only around one in five know what a social […] Read more

The digital space in all its incarnations is always under constant evolution, with trends and practices changing rapidly. It has become a place where the whole world connects, influencing everything from lifestyle decisions to business practices. As such, businesses need to stay abreast of the landscape of the digital world and possess the requisite skills […] Read more

A Discussion of The Future of Work at The Quantum Leap Career Fair 2017 By JOSEPH-ALBERT KUUIRE They say the future is automation and it sure seems that way. If you’re following the trends in technology, it looks like the robots are coming and they’re coming for our jobs. In the car manufacturing business, robots have taken […] Read more

Mercedes Cafe, Accra, July 29 — Having organized four successful editions of this pioneering business breakfast meeting, SFAN is creating this 5th edition to help business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs learn how to harness digital marketing to build successful businesses. SFAN, a high impact social enterprise that bridges the gap between education and work, has announced the […] Read more

A simple roadmap for writing emails that are eagerly anticipated #SFANLiveChat has become a unique knowledge sharing platform for business owners and professionals with over 36,000 impressions created from 6 chats this year! For June edition, we explored how people leveraging emails to deliver their messages can write emails that actually get opened and read. […] Read more

A step-by-step guide to building for the next billion You’ve probably heard that 90% of all internet startups fail within the first 120 days. For May edition of #SFANLiveChat, we invited two entrepreneurs who have built remarkable online companies to share their insights on how to actually get it right. Kojo Dougan is the Director of Interpay Africa, an electronic […] Read more

One of the biggest challenges startup founders and small-scale business owners face is maintaining a strong financial infrastructure for their business. According to forentrepreneurs.com, one of the most common reasons startups fail is because they mismanaged the funds they had. This is why we were super excited to host Toro Orero, Managing Partner of the Silicon Valley-based […] Read more

How? By prioritizing the need for a skilled and advancing labor force. A Changing Tide Traditionally, Sub-Saharan Africa has been characterized as land and resource abundant, but labor scarce. For decades, the region’s development agenda has been mired in the belief and burden of the resource curse. But recent projections show that from 2000 to […] Read more

We’re thrilled to announce the highly esteemed speakers for Quantum Leap Career Fair 2017. The inaugural edition of this meeting was held in March 2015 with over 300 participants and 10 companies from sectors such as fashion, education, telecommunication, banking, and technology. Meet the confirmed speakers. Keynote Speaker: • Lucy Quist, CEO, Airtel Ghana Panelists: Yasmin Kumi, Founder […] Read more

Every month, SFAN invites professionals from different careers to participate in #SFANLiveChat, a Twitter Live Chat to explore topics ranging from business to career. For the March edition, we hosted Amy Sept, owner of Nimbyist Communications, and Kelechi Udoagwu, Co-founder of Skrife, to consider how freelancers can grow and thrive in their career. This Live Chat comes ahead of […] Read more

SFAN (Stars From All Nations) has partnered with Brave Venture Labs to help about 300 entry-level job seekers improve their employability chances at Quantum Leap Career Fair 2017. Date: April 12, 2017 Venue: British Council, Accra Time: 09:00 am to 04:00pm GMT Quantum Leap Career Fair is SFAN’s pioneering annual career fair organized to connect […] Read more

Last Saturday, we invited Chinedu Enekwe, Co-founder and Executive Director of TipHub Africa and Lajuanda M. Asemota, Director of Diversity and Inclusion of Singularity University for the February edition of #SFANLiveChat. The Live Chat comes ahead of SFAN’s Quantum Leap Career Fair 2017: Technology and the Future of Work in Africa and was held on […] Read more

The third edition of #SFANLiveChat was held on January 14, 2017. This brilliant session hosted two highly esteemed serial entrepreneurs: Romeo Effs, the Business Gladiator, Strategist & Fixer and Anie Akpe, founder of IBOM LLC, Innov8tiv, Women In Tech Africa and NetworqApp. Below are five key takeaways from the discourse. If you missed the previous edition, […] Read more

Simple steps to achieving success in the New Year. “The reason for the failure of many New Year resolutions and goals is because they are not anchored on a clear vision.“– Femi Banigbe To help us explore how anyone can position himself/herself to thrive in 2017, we hosted two high-profile business leaders: Femi Banigbe, Managing […] Read more

Turning what you love into something that creates opportunities for progress with financial rewards. Towards the celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week 2016, we launched a monthly Twitter Chat to drive interesting business and career conversations among our followers. The meeting was held on the theme, “turning your passion into a career,” with the following guests: Carolyne Ekayrisiima, founder […] Read more

On the heels of Facebook CEO’s Mark Zuckerberg’s trip to Africa, some young African leaders and I sat to consider the question Zuckerberg is looking to answer: what can technology do in Africa? On September 31st, 2016, I had the privilege of moderating a panel on technology in Africa for over a hundred young African […] Read more

Date: Wednesday, August 31, 2016 Time: 16:00PM to 17:30PM Venue: GIMPA Executive Conference Room YALI Quantum Leap Career and Investment Fair is organized to create a business networking and investment platform for Cohort 4 of YALI RLC participants. The West Africa learning center is one the four regional learning centers of President Obama’s Young African […] Read more

Without your reader, customer, or subscriber — you don’t exist. On June 24th, 2016, SFAN brought marketing and branding minds from across Ghana together, in Accra, to discuss the startup pipeline from lead, to a new customer, repeat customer and finally tribe member. The branding panel featured Jemila Abdulai of Circumspecte.com, Rodney Quarcoo of Magic […] Read more

One hundred start-up founders from 18 African countries came together on a beach resort in Accra, Ghana in July 2016 for SpeedUPAfrica — a four-day day growth and investment boot camp aimed at ‘transforming start-ups into speedups’. SpeedUPAfrica was created by Toro Orero, Managing Partner of DraperDarkFlow; a Silicon Valley VC Fund backed by legendary […] Read more

We’re excited to announce that SFAN has been named among 24 startups to look out for by SpeedUPAfrica and nominated to participate in Singularity University’s Impact Fellowship Program. Earlier this month, SpeedUp Africa had 100 founders from 18 African Countries, complete with hands-on workshops and mentors sessions from 500 Startups, Google, Facebook, Singularity University, Tim […] Read more

Date: Friday, June 24, 2016 Time: 08:30 AM GMT Live Feed Portals: SFANONLINE.ORG | DORODRUM.COM | AFRICABUSINESS2020.COM We’ve put together a great event to highlight the best practices for startup branding & marketing. Through two panel discussions and a keynote speech, high-quality entrepreneurs will share their cutting-edge secrets on the above theme with participants. Startup […] Read more

On March 26th, 2016, under the direction of young visionary Tom-Chris Emewulu, SFAN brought their third Future Executives Business Breakfast Meeting to Accra with a focus on student entrepreneurship. One of three main initiatives undertaken by SFAN, Stars From All Nations, the Future Executives Business Breakfast Meeting provides a space for talented your entrepreneurs to spark conversations with established […] Read more