

For the past 12 years, I’ve been building businesses across the African continent—creating platforms, services, and programs that I knew had value. And yet, one question kept echoing through every boardroom, brainstorm, and budget meeting:
“Why aren’t we making enough money?”
“Why aren’t we sustainable?”
“Why isn’t this working?”
For a long time, I have been met with skepticism and criticism for building a non-profit. In the world of business, especially as a woman founder, running a non-profit is often equated with being “less of an entrepreneur,” as if only for-profit ventures validate business acumen. This semester, however, a business communications course provided an unexpected source of reaffirmation—our class project focused on OpenAI.
If you have been following this blog for a little longer than 5 years, then you know that I was once a travel and food blogger. When I started exploring agriculture at Michigan State University, I thought of it as a natural extension of my work with Kwathu Farms—an opportunity to learn about modern farming techniques and contribute to food security in Africa. But it wasn’t until a conversation with my classmate Ramy that I fully realized the deeper connection between my past and present.
For me, Broad wasn’t just a casual decision; it was a deliberate step toward understanding how we can innovate in farming, particularly in Africa. Among the many reasons I chose MSU, one of the most visually striking and intellectually compelling was its greenhouses—a symbol of advanced agricultural research and innovation.