The journal of a continent on the rise
Building Africa,
one entrepreneur
at a time.
Diary of an African Entrepreneur is a movement — stories, ideas, and the people building the continent's future. Watch the interviews, read the journal, and join a community that backs its own.
Hosted by Adedeji Adebusoye · Author of Scaling for Success
The mission
“There is a lot of money looking for worthy investments — but too few businesses built to receive it. We're here to change that.”
DOAE exists to rally, equip, and connect African entrepreneurs — so the next generation of businesses is built to last, scale, and matter.
Watch
Interviews with people building Africa
My First Business Failed. Then I Discovered Who the Real Customer Was | Jerry Oche, Zowasel
What happens when you build a business around a real problem, but the business model itself doesn’t work? In this episode of Diary of an African Entrepreneur, Deji Adebusoye sits down with Jerry Oche, Founder & CEO of Zowasel, for a candid conversation about failure, resilience, agriculture, finance, and the realities of building businesses in Africa. Jerry shares how his first company, Growel, failed after he discovered that solving the problem of access to markets and finance for smallholder farmers required much more than simply connecting farmers to capital. He explains what went wrong, the lessons he took from that experience, and how those lessons influenced the model behind Zowasel. The conversation goes deeper into: • Why Growel’s original model could not scale • The challenges smallholder farmers face with markets, finance, logistics and scale • Why knowing who your real customer is matters • How Zowasel connects buyers, suppliers and financing • Why agriculture requires both commercial capital and development support • Building a business around sustainable agriculture • His approach to leadership and building independent teams • What founders should look for when a business is struggling • Why passion alone is not enough to build a sustainable business • Why young entrepreneurs should spend more time learning before starting a business • Turning failure into a foundation for what comes next One of the biggest lessons from the conversation is simple: Failure is not always the end of the journey. Sometimes, it is the information you need to build the next version better. Watch the full conversation. Guest: Jerry Oche — Founder & CEO, Zowasel Host: Deji Adebusoye — Author, Scaling for Success | Partner, Sahel Capital #Entrepreneurship #BusinessFailure #Agribusiness #AfricanEntrepreneurs #Zowasel
I Left Wall Street and Bet Everything on Africa | Jehiel Oliver, Founder & CEO of Hello Tractor
What does it take to leave a predictable career, move to Africa, and build a business solving one of the continent’s biggest challenges? In this episode of Diary of an African Entrepreneur, Deji Adebusoye sits down with Jehiel Oliver, Founder and CEO of Hello Tractor, to discuss his journey from finance in the United States to building an agricultural technology company operating across Africa. Jehiel shares the lessons he learned building in Nigeria, from navigating FX volatility, interest rates, weak institutions, and market risk to understanding the importance of trust, incentives, and execution. He also explains how Hello Tractor evolved from fleet management into a marketplace and financing platform that helps entrepreneurs move from booking tractor services to owning productive assets. The conversation also explores leadership, hiring, capital allocation, working with investors like John Deere, and why transparency and a strong “say-do ratio” matter when building credibility. At its core, this is a conversation about patience, purpose, resilience, and economic sovereignty—and what it really takes to build meaningful businesses in Africa for the long term. #JehielOliver #HelloTractor #DiaryOfAnAfricanEntrepreneur #DOAE #AfricanEntrepreneurship #AfricanBusiness #AfricanStartups #AgriTech #AfricanAgriculture #FoodSecurity #Entrepreneurship #AfricanFounders #BusinessLeadership #EconomicSovereignty #BuildingInAfrica #ImpactInvesting #Leadership #Africa
The journal
Ideas, lessons, and field notes
June is over. Your 2027 tax prep starts now
Just filed your 2025 financials? Don't relax yet. With Nigeria's new tax reforms now in effect, including monthly estimated tax payments and the upcoming e-invoicing rollout, the businesses that get ahead now will face far less stress at the next audit. Here are six practical steps to start today
25 Jul 2026
I Vibe-Coded My Website in 36 Hours (And I Don't Write Code)
I always thought my website was stuck in the 90s. So I sat down with Claude Code and built a new one myself, no developer, no waiting, in under 36 hours. Here's what that process actually looked like, and what it taught me about coding, thinking, and building things on your own terms.
12 Jul 2026
Should Companies aim for longevity or growth?
Context: It was just an ordinary pastry shop, about the size of a barber’s shop; I do not think there was enough room to sit and eat. This pastry shop has made me reflect and ask tough questions about the longevity of companies in Africa. The pastry shop is in Nottingham, UK, on a busy
8 Sept 2022The showcase
Bold businesses worth knowing
We spotlight independent African businesses — on the site and across our channels.
The book
Scaling for Success
Empowering African SMEs
A practical playbook for building African businesses that scale — why so many stall, and the systems that let the best ones grow.
₦13,000
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