This week on Aspiring Martians, I talk with Olanrewaju Paul Oladunni — a pioneer in Africa’s space advocacy movement and the Founder and Regional President of Space Tourism Society Africa.

Paul’s journey started with a simple dream: bringing people closer to the stars. From founding one of Nigeria’s first space clubs in the early 2000s to representing Africa at the global level with Space Renaissance International, he’s worked tirelessly to make sure the continent isn’t just a passenger in humanity’s journey to space — but a leader.

In this conversation, Paul shares how he connects the vision of a spacefaring Africa with the fight against poverty, how grassroots movements can transform lives, and why he believes the cosmos belongs to everyone.

A huge thank you to Paul Oladunni for joining me today and sharing his incredible perspective, to Nick Thorburn for our stellar theme music, to Ceci Giglio for the beautiful graphics, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for admining the FB group, and to my family for always supporting this journey—even when it turns into late-night research on Martian maps.