In the wee hours of the Welsh morning, I was lucky enough to be joined by the multi-faceted entrepreneur that is Mohammed Sesay or as his friends know him, Hammer. Humanitarian officer, charity and business owner, I think it would be accurate to say that Hammer lives a full life. With his ‘day’ job taking him to remote corners of the world, I was excited to learn how somebody excelling in so many areas is able to keep such a cool face while managing these different ventures.
Having been discouraged to follow a creative path in high school due to his academic strengths, Hammer would go on to graduate university with a degree in Law with French law and language before landing a role as Humanitarian Officer with Doctors Without Borders. While his role is something that he is passionate about and feels fortunate to be in a position to travel the world, spending his last couple of years in Nigeria and Myanmar, he never let go of that creative spark within him.
The start of next year will see the clock turn on 10 years since Hammer set-up the charity ‘Keep it Fax’ with the mission of empowering girls in Sierra Leone for a brighter future. Inspired by a trip back ‘home’ with his family, over the last 10 years, Hammer has annually raised thousands of pounds through fundraisers and events channeling his sense of purpose along with his creative talents to make a difference.
Two years ago, Hammer decided to add a little more to his plate starting a cycling hat company called ‘Africap’. Inspired by the “best dressed people on the planet” (his words not mine) while on contract in Abuja, Nigeria, Hammer combined his interest in cycling to create Africap -- made for cycling, worn for style.
In this episode, we discussed the origin stories of his multiple ventures, the challenges he’s faced in fundraising, creating new businesses, working from developing countries, and how he manages to balance it all, as well as discussing what lies ahead for the ever impressive Mohammed Sesay.
To follow Hammer’s journey, support the Keep it fax charity or to check out Africap please check out the links below:
@mr.sesay | @keepitfaxcharity | @africap_apparel | www.keepitfax.com | www.africap-apparel.com
