Next Africa

Yinka Ibukun, a senior reporter at Bloomberg focusing on African politics, dives into the troubling trend of 'no contest' elections in several African nations. He discusses Cameroon and Ivory Coast, where incumbents secured victories amid opposition bans. Yinka raises concerns about 'democratic dictators' and potential coups, while highlighting youth backlash and Gen Z activism in countries like Kenya. He also shares a hopeful note on Senegal, where public protests enabled a generational leadership shift, emphasizing the need for real reform through stronger institutions.

Chinese tech companies Huawei and DeepSeek are teaming up to offer cloud computing and AI services. And they’re pitching African startups on using their offerings over their Western competitors like OpenAI in a bid to get an early foothold in the African tech scene. In a special episode from Bloomberg’s Big Take and Next Africa podcasts, reporters Loni Prinsloo and Helen Nyambura join hosts Sarah Holder and Jennifer Zabasajja to describe the pitch, how it’s landing and what it could mean for the global AI race. Read more:  DeepSeek’s Surge in Africa Reveals China’s AI Power GrabSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We wanted to bring you one of our favorite episodes from the last few months. Each year, up to 12 million young Africans enter the workforce, but only about three million formal jobs are available. So many Nigerians have left Africa's most populous country in recent years, the Yoruba term "japa" -- or escape -- has become shorthand for young people desperate to put their skills to use. Could the west be doing more to help Africa make the most of it’s talent rather than losing it to places like the UK, US and Canada?Author, journalist and Bloomberg columnist Ciku Kimeria joins Jennifer Zabasajja to talk about her latest piece on the issue, why so many people are choosing to leave and what future she hopes her young daughter will grow in to. For more stories from the region, subscribe to the Next Africa newsletter hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A spectacular gold-market boom is spurring a push by African nations — where the ground is rich in the precious metal — to extract more revenue.   On this week’s episode, Bloomberg’s precious metals reporter Jack Ryan and our Africa Mining and Metals correspondent William Clowes join Jennifer Zabasajja to explain what’s behind the rising gold price, how African countries are trying to capitalize on the boom and what risks there might be for investors. For more stories from the region, subscribe to the Next Africa newsletter hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

South Africa and Nigeria are poised to exit a global financial watchdog’s “gray list” as soon as this month, marking a change in fortune for two of the continent’s biggest economies. On this week’s Next Africa podcast, Bloomberg’s Africa Economics and Government Editor Monique Vanek and reporter Ben Bartenstein join Jennifer Zabasajja to explain how the countries ended up on the list in the first place, what they’ve done to improve their systems and what benefits exiting the list could bring to their economies.For more stories from the region, you can subscribe to the Next Africa newsletter hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In parts of Africa, public opinion on China is more favorable than in many other regions, according to an Asia Society survey released this month. That enthusiasm contrasts sharply with Beijing’s standing in the West and some of Asia, where views have soured dramatically. In this week’s episode, Bloomberg’s Asia columnist Karishma Vaswani and Africa Economist Yvonne Mhango join Tiwa Adebayo to discuss just why China is winning the diplomacy war in Africa, and how good the deal is for African economies. You can read Karishma’s column here and for more stories from the region, subscribe to the Next Africa newsletter hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ethiopia has inaugurated Africa’s biggest hydroelectric dam, a colossal feat of engineering that could power homes and industries across East Africa. But the dam is also  deepening a years-long dispute with Egypt and Sudan over the flow of the Nile. On this week’s episode of the Next Africa Podcast, Jennifer is joined by Bloomberg’s Ethiopia Reporter Fasika Tadesse and our Cairo based reporter Tarek El-Tablawy to discuss what Ethiopia hopes the dam will achieve economically and how downstream neighbours Egypt and Sudan may respond. For more stories from the region, subscribe to the Next Africa newsletter hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Botswana became one of the richest countries in Africa because it's the world's biggest producer of diamonds by value -- but with lab-grown gems soaring in popularity, the sparsely-populated desert nation is facing a social and economic existential crisis President Boko has pledged to diversify the economy away from its over-reliance on a single resource, but the changes may have come too late. On this week’s episode, Bloomberg’s Matthew Hill and Botswana-based reporter Mbongeni Mguni join Jennifer Zabasajja to discuss their latest reporting from the region, and what the impact of the diamond slump looks like on the ground in Botswana. For more stories from the region, subscribe to the Next Africa newsletter hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the summer festival season, and while Europe and North America are seeing declining sales and smaller tours - Africa’s festival scene is on an upward trend. Eswatini’s Bushfire Festival, and Tanzania’s Sauti Za Busara are growing, bringing jobs, tourism and support for Africa’s music industry. On this week’s episode, Tiwa Adebayo speaks to Maputo based correspondent Tavares Cebola, who’s been reporting on the summer festival season. They discuss whether the African music industry is able to capitalise on its global popularity and how the region's growing younger middle class are fueling the festival industry. Jennifer Zabasajja will return next week. For more stories from the region, subscribe to the Next Africa newsletter here See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two South African oil workers who had been detained in Equatorial Guinea prisons for two years have spoken to Bloomberg about their ordeal. Peter Huxham and Frik Potgieter were arrested on drug-trafficking charges and detained in short order in February 2023, days after a South African court ordered the seizure of a yacht linked to Equatorial Guinean Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, known as Teodorin.  In this special episode of the Next Africa Podcast they talk about their arrest, what it’s like inside Equatorial Guinean prisons and how they feel now they are back with their families in South Africa.  And Bloomberg’s Energy reporter Paul Burkhardt speaks to Jennifer Zabasajja about the diplomatic relations between South Africa and Equatorial Guinea, the role of the Vice President, and what this means for international investment in OPEC’s smallest member.For more stories from the region, subscribe to the Next Africa newsletter hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.