Hannah Pool - Discovering herself while discovering Eritrea

When we decided on the theme for the first session of TEDxEuston 2010 as "Discovery and Re-discovery" nothing quite prepared us for Hannah Pool's beautiful story. Her name gives nothing away either. Born in Eritrea, growing up in Sudan and Norway - she arrived Manchester as a beautiful black girl speaking Norwegian! But the many countries Hannah had lived did little to prepare her for her big journey of discovery of Eritrea to re-discover herself and her life, as she admits, has never been the same. Listen to her talk here:



Hannah Pool is, in her own words, British-Eritrean, Eritrean-British. She was born in Eritrea in 1974 and was adopted at the age of six months by a British scholar who lived and worked in the Sudan. She was raised in Manchester, England, believing that both her parents had died shortly after her birth. She now lives in London where she works as a columnist for The Guardian. Her book titled My Fathers' Daughter was published by Hamish Hamilton in 2005.

Is Pat Utomi an entrepreneur, teacher or politician?

Is he an entrepreneur, teacher or politician? He says he does not particularly like any of these titles and will prefer to to known as a "citizen"....citizen???  In this era of do-or-die politics in Nigeria - this may be what stands Professor Patrick Utomi out from the crowd.

It is not often that one listens to a Nigerian politician connect with an audience quite the way Pat Utomi does. In this stirring talk at TEDxEuston 2010 he leaves the audience deep in thought about our responsibilities to our countries in Africa in seeking the leadership that will drive the growth we need to really take off. He describes the PDP, Nigeria's ruling party as "an elite platform in the sharing of economic rent...the antitheses of nation building"......but insists that "citizens" can turn things around.


Listen to the talk here. 




Pat Utomi, a professor of political economy and management expert is a Nigerian entrepreneur whose ultimate goal is to positively affect humanity. In 1982, he was appointed special assistant to President Shehu Shagari. Following the demise of the Second Republic, he became assistant general manager, corporate affairs, Volkswagen of Nigeria Limited, Lagos, 1983-93.

Utomi co-founded the Lagos Business School, now Pan African University in 1994 with the Opus Dei, a Catholic religious group. He was scholar-in-residence, American University, Washington DC, USA, 1996 and research associate, the Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 1996. He coordinated the establishment of several civil society groups on good governance and accountability such as Transparency in Nigeria and the Restoration Group. In the business sphere, Utomi is the vice-chairman, Platinium–Habib Bank. He is an accomplished columnist, and chairman, BusinessDay Media Limited and creator of Patito's Gang, a television talk show. Utomi has published several books on political economy and management. He was a presidential candidate in the 2007 elections in Nigeria and is again standing for election in the April 2011 polls.

A man more passionate about Nigeria, you will not find.

TEDxEuston - Remi Okunlola - "care more, do more"

Listen to Remi Okunlola at TEDxEuston on how he took a leap of faith back home to participate in the "Nigeria project" but now he wants to care more and to do even more...find out how..then spread the word.

Remi takes us through how his journey from the legal profession, through entrepreneurial success to probably his biggest challenge yet bringing us to engage with passion on the issues that confront us in our society today. He implores us not to look away, but to stand firm and do the right thing. But it is not just what Remi says but how he says it that leaves such an impression. We laugh about his being shot at by robbers in Nigeria and cry about the boy in his hands.....that boy...! I can't get him out of my head. Be prepared to listen to an incredible story of love, courage, and believe in the future of the continent.



Remi Okunlola is co-founder and executive director of Africa's first indigenous offshore drilling company, SeaWolf Oilfields. Prior to his joining in establishing this first of its kind enterprise, Remi had established an international reputation as a respected Nigeria focused energy and natural resource lawyer - in his capacity as partner of Perchstone & Graeys, a Lagos based firm of Solicitors. Remi holds an MBA from the University of Dundee and an LLB from the University of East London. He is an English Barrister, a New York Attorney and a Nigerian Legal Practitioner. In his 16 years or so since returning to live in Nigeria, Remi has participated, initially as lawyer, and now on the business side, in delivering some of Nigeria's most internationally regarded transactions - including the first of its kind and award winning Nigeria LNG financing transaction, the Brass LNG project, and now Africa's first offshore drilling contractor.

He brought TEDxEuston to life!

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TEDxEuston - Winnie Ssanyu-Sseruma - "Why It means so much for me to be alive"

"It means so much for me to be alive....so much to be alive"....Who cannot possibly forget Winnie's talk at TEDxEuston 2010.

In this beautiful story of life and hope, find out why Winnie has not shut up since she experienced her "lazarus effect". Her talk challenges our societies, that are still living in denial and avoid discussing the difficult issues that confront us. She challenges us through her own incredible story to wake up and smell the coffee, talk with our families, yes our own friends and families to celebrate those that are lucky to be still living with HIV and advocate for treatmet, prevention and possible...a cure!

Winnie currently works as African services manager for Positive East and was one of the first people from the African community in the UK to have the courage go public with her HIV status. After discovering she was HIV positive, Winnie now spends her time volunteering; writing, researching and speaking about issues affecting HIV positive Africans. Winnie is chair of the African HIV Policy Network (AHPN) and trustee of National Aids Trust (NAT).

Listen to this beautiful talk and think weather you are doing enough to break the stigma in our communities and really confront this disease as a simple disease like all others.

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Ghanaian entrepreneur Bright Simons speaks at TEDxEuston

Can technology drive a renaissance on the continent. Many say that this has already started.

Across the continent, more than 30 percent of malaria medicines are estimated to be fake, and many look identical to the real thing. Counterfeit medicines are reckoned by experts to kill at least 2000 people daily in the developing world and can constitute more than 40% of all medicines on sale in some countries. A new project called mPedigree lets consumers send in a code via text message that lets them check if their drugs are genuine. It was recently adopted in Nigeria, with plans for wider use elsewhere in Africa. Last month, the Nigerian government decided to introduce the technology for all medicines in the future, not just anti-malarials.

Customers send a text message to a central hotline with the code and instantly get an "OK" response telling them if the drug is registered and thus real. It also sends them additional information like the drug's manufacturer and expiration date. If the drug isn't registered and potentially fake, people receive a text message that says "No. Please recheck code." The system is free for consumers and is paid for by pharmaceutical companies and governments. It is such a powerful example of how Africans are coming up with innovative solutions to challenge conventional wisdom on the continent. If we can put information in the hands of the consumers then we will be able to hold our governments, companies and ourselves t account.

Ghanaian entrepreneur Bright Simons developed the mPedigree system; and he will be speaking at TEDxEuston 2010. 

Bright B. Simons is a technology innovator, development activist and social entrepreneur. As an Executive at accra-based think tank IMANI (www.imanighana.org), he contributes to activities that challenge received wisdom about Africa's development challenges. Bright is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Councils and Technology Pioneers Community. He is also an Ashoka Fellow, TED Fellow, Tech Museum Laureate and a Brain Trust member of the Evian Group at IMD, widely considered Europe's foremost business school. His work has led to speaking engagements around the world and consequently to numerous citations in the international press, ranging from the Economist, New York Times, the Financial Times, BusinessWeek, Asian Times, and the BBC, where he is a regular commentator for the World Service. In 2010, he was conferred with an Archbishop Desmond Tutu Award by the African Leadership Institute.

When asked on the TED Fellows home page...besides work, what is he passionate about ...he responded.....

I worry about the pace of African growth, and I am fanatical about the need to inject some urgency into the transformation of the continent. what is peculiar about the African condition is that resource-rich nations like Congo and Angola and resource-poor nations like Mali and Benin, fast-reforming countries like Ghana and Tanzania and fast-retrogressing ones like Zimbabwe and Guinea, all huddle together at the bottom of the global development heap. I am enamored of projects like My Heart's in Accra and the Timbuktu Chronicles that shift our collective focus from the high-minded effusions of ideologues to the epic wave of change gathering within the donor-driven and elite-governed continental political and economic programs.

Kemi Adegoke speaks at TEDxEuston

We are proud to present one of our fascinating speakers at TEDxEuston 2010; Kemi Adegoke. 

Kemi is one of the "famous five" people of Nigerian extraction that stood in the April 2010 parliamentary elections in the UK. 

Kemi Adegoke works as a systems analyst within the RBS Group. She studied Computer Systems Engineering (M.Eng) at Sussex University, graduating in 2003, and is also a Chartered Member of the British Computer Society. In June 2009, she completed an undergraduate. degree in Law at the University of London (Birkbeck). 

She is also on the board of Charlton Triangle Housing Association. She was born in London, although she lived in Nigeria until the age of 16, and now lives in Herne Hill, South London. Before her selection as a candidate for Parliament under the Conservative Party, she was the Deputy Chairman of the Dulwich and West Norwood Conservative Association, and worked as a project leader for the Conservative Party Globalisation and Global Poverty Policy Group in 2006 and 2007. She was selected as the Conservative Parliamentary candidate, running against Tessa Jowell in the Dulwich and West Norwood Constituency in the 2010 Parliamentary election.

Kemi was widely celebrated in the Nigerian press. 234Next led with a story rightly titled Kemi Adegoke blazes trail in UK politics called her the "feisty, outspoken Conservative candidate"....In the article she describes her challenges in winning the votes of Nigerians living in her constituency ....describing the response of one particular man during her campaign as "E ba ti lo si party to favour foreigner...” asking in a mixture of Yoruba and English, why she didn’t choose a party that was sympathetic to foreigners. On the other hand, in this article in the Mail online, she is described as one of David Cameron's "cuties". The paper goes on to suggest that Kemi, with the other "cuties" were chosen for the wrong reason: to carry David Cameron's message that the Tories have changed. Not changed their principles, but their appearance.

Photo credit Daily Mail 

But what does Kemi have to say herself about her experience in British politics? On the challenges and the joys?. On the campaign trail, walking the pavements and shopping centres speaking to people. What does she want to share with us on the joys and pains of seeking public office? What is her take on African politics, knowing that in most countries, the chances of a bright young lady like her standing for office would be almost unheard of ?

Kemi challenged conventional wisdom in many ways - smart, young, female, black and conservative. 

Don't miss her talk at TEDxEuston. To register, get in touch with us through our website at or by emailing team@tedxeuston.com. 

Registration opens for TEDxEuston 2010

We are excited to open registration for TEDxEuston 2010! 

After the very successful first event in 2009, we again offer you an opportunity to share ideas and ideals that will shape our future and the future of our continent. Registration is open until the end of August at a specially discounted fare. 

We have another fascinating line up of 12 thinkers and doers that will share their "ideas worth spreading" about their engagement with the continent. The speakers will be sharing with us their experiences about some of the big issues confronting our generation: themed around "OUR destiny in OUR hands" - how new ideas are shaping our interaction with Africa"

• Father Matthew Kukah, Nigerian Catholic Priest and social commentator who has fascinating and bold ideas on public sector leadership. 
• Moky Makura, Nigerian-born South African actress and presenter. Her book 'Africa's Greatest Entrepreneurs' tells the success stories of the top entrepreneurs on the continent. 
• Petina Gappah, Zimbabwean writer and her beautiful book "An Elegy of Easterly" tells  stories out of Zimbabwe that offers a completely new  view of the country.
• Professor Pat Utomi, a founding Senior Faculty of the Lagos Business School (Pan African University). He has served in senior positions in government and in the private sector. He was a candidate for President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the 2007 general elections and leader of the shadow cabinet of a rainbow coalition of political parties.
• Kemi Adegoke, Nigeria-born British Politician. She parted with conventional wisdom and stood for Parliament under the Conservative Party during the last elections in the UK.
• Bright Simons - Ghanaian  technology innovator, development activist and social entrepreneur. As an Executive at Accra-based think tank IMANI (www.imanighana.org).
• Hannah Pool is, in her own words, British-Eritrean, Eritrean-British. She recently embarked on a journey back to her origins, which she recounts in her fascinating book titled My Fathers’ Daughter.
• Paul Onwuanibe, Nigerian Entrepreneur who has spent the last two years growing his business in Africa with hubs in Lagos, Johannesburg and Nairobi. 
• Michela Wrong, British writer who has spent the last 16 years writing about Africa.  Her most recent book,  “It’s Our Turn to Eat”, tracks the story of Kenyan corruption whistleblower John Githongo. It has been described as reading “like a cross between Le Carre and Solzhenitsyn”.
• Muhtar Bakare, Nigerian Publisher who retired from banking after 12 years, in June 2004, to launch the publishing house; Kachifo Limited. Because of Bakare's vision, writers are energised and Nigerians are beginning to see literature as viable again.
• Richard Dowden, British journalist and writer is the Director of the Royal African Society. His book: Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles was published by Portobello Books in September 2008 . 

Date: Saturday November 27

Time: 12 noon - 7.30 pm

Venue: UCL London 


TEDxEuston is an invitation only event. If you want to attend the event get in touch with us by filling out this short form."I AM INTERESTED IN ATTENDING TEDxEuston"


The event last year sold, this year's will. If you plan to attend, don't leave it late.  Register now!

For more details on TEDxEuston go to www.tedxeuston.com

To find out more about TED go to www.ted.com