Next Africa

Ethiopia’s ruling party has established a commanding lead in preliminary election results, leaving Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on track to secure another five-year term.

On this week’s episode, Tiwa Adebayo speaks with Bloomberg Senior East Africa Reporter Simon Marks and Ethiopia Reporter Fasika Tadesse about why the election outcome was rarely in doubt, the political and security risks that persist, and what Abiy’...

Here's a bonus episode from another Bloomberg podcast we think listeners to Next Africa might enjoy

Could Africa’s long-misunderstood population boom become its greatest economic advantage? Economist and author Joe Studwell joins host Merryn Somerset Webb to discuss his book, How Africa Works: Success and Failure on the World's Last Developmental Frontier. He argues that rising population density is already transforming the c...

The 2014-16 Ebola epidemic in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone triggered one of the most severe health-related economic shocks in modern African history. While the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains a serious concern, analysts expect its economic impact to be far more contained.

On today’s Next Africa podcast, Bloomberg Economics Africa Economist Yvonne Mhango joins Jennifer Zabasajja to discuss her ...

African startups are rewriting their funding playbook as the global artificial intelligence boom channels venture capital toward the US, leaving founders across emerging markets scrambling for capital.

As Bloomberg publishes its 2026 list of 25 African Startups to Watch, Bloomberg Senior Technology Reporter Loni Prinsloo joins the podcast to discuss the state of the continent’s startup ecosystem. We also speak to Tendekayi Ka...

An Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which has already killed more than 130 people, may have been spreading for months, according to the World Health Organization.

On this week’s episode of the Next Africa Podcast, Jennifer Zabasajja is joined by healthcare reporter Janice Kew and Congo Country Director for the Danish Refugee Council, Caitlin Brady who is on the ground in Goma. They discuss how this Ebol...

Ugandan lawmakers have passed a contentious new law that imposes steep fines and jail terms for those receiving foreign funding without state approval. On this week's Next Africa podcast opposition leader Bobi Wine, who fled the country earlier this year, speaks to Bloomberg's Jennifer Zabasajja about the legislation and his plans to challenge Uganda’s political status quo after January elections that he says his party won. B...

Anti-Migrant protests and violence in South Africa have escalated in recent weeks, leading to condemnation from Governments across the continent.

On this week’s Next Africa Podcast, Bloomberg’s government reporter Ntando Thukwana gives the latest on the protests, and then political commentator and Bloomberg Opinion columnist Justice Malala explains what he thinks is behind the problem and how the government should tackl...

In Ethiopia, the share of electric vehicles on the road has jumped to 6% from just 1% after a 2024 ban on new gasoline-car imports. 

Across Africa, EV adoption is now among the fastest-growing globally — with Chinese automakers capturing the lion’s share of the market.

On today’s episode, Bloomberg’s Fasika Tadesse joins Jennifer Zabasajja to unpack what this surge looks like on the ground in Addis Abab...

Aliko Dangote plans to sell about 10% of his oil-refining company on multiple African stock exchanges to help fund the next phase of the tycoon’s business empire. 

The IPO comes nearly five decades after a landmark share sale in Asia that went on to mint the continent’s richest person. In 1977, Dhirubhai Ambani sold shares in Reliance to thousands of domestic investors and reshaped equity culture in India. In this ...

Starlink, SpaceX’s Satellite Internet Service is pushing for changes to South Africa’s equality rules which it says blocks the company from operating in Africa’s most industrialised economy.  

South Africa requires companies in some sectors to have at least 30% Black ownership. These laws were introduced after the end of apartheid and they compelled companies in industries including banking, mining and teleco...

Global conflicts from the Middle East to Ukraine are reshaping how investors assess risk — and challenging perceptions about Africa.

On today’s Next Africa podcast, Tiwa Adebayo, in for Jennifer Zabasajja, speaks with Zain Latif, founder of TLG Capital, about why he believes the continent is increasingly being seen as a more resilient investment destination. He explains why sectors with steady, defensive returns ...

Lesotho’s abundant water has become one of the kingdom’s most strategic revenue streams. Its landmark deal to provide water for neighboring South Africa underscores the growing importance of water diplomacy across a continent increasingly strained by scarcity.

In this episode of the Next Africa Podcast, Jennifer Zabasajja speaks with Bloomberg’s Andre-Pierre du Plessis about Lesotho’s push to modernize its f...

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is causing turmoil in energy markets, and is also hitting the price and supply of crucial fertilizers.  

On this week’s episode Bloomberg’s Agnieszka de Sousa and René Vollgraaff join Jennifer Zabasajja to discuss why the Strait of Hormuz is so crucial to fertilizer supplies, and how energy shortages and rising costs could have far reaching effects on Africa’s farm...

After becoming the first UN member to recognise the breakaway territory of Somaliland, Israel is now quietly planning for a potential base at the mouth of the Red Sea from which to strike one of the Iran’s last proxies still operating at full strength: the Houthis of Yemen.

On this episode of the Next Africa podcast, Jennifer Zabsajja is joined by Bloomberg’s Simon Marks and our Israel bureau chief Ethan Bronner to disc...

US Lawmakers have called on Nigeria to repeal Sharia law in the country’s north as they probe US President Donald Trump’s unfounded allegations of Christian persecution in the country. This follows previous unfounded claims from the US administration of a white genocide in South Africa. On this week's episode of the Next Africa Podcast Jennifer Zabasajja talks to Bloomberg's Deputy Managing Editor for the Middle East an...

Oil and gas supply routes are coming under pressure as the conflict in Iran intensifies, bringing fears of an energy price shock that could hit many African economies.

On this week’s episode, Bloomberg’s Energy Reporter Stephen Stapczynski and Bloomberg Economics Africa Economist Yvonne Mhango join Jennifer Zabasajja to discuss what’s happening to energy prices, and which countries in Africa are most exposed to an...

Cocoa’s stunning rise and its equally remarkable slump are beginning to shake up the longstanding way of doing business in West Africa, the region that supplies the bulk of the world’s beans.

On this week’s episode of the Next Africa Podcast, Bloomberg softcommodities reporter Mumbi Gitau joins Jennifer Zabasajja to discuss why cocoa prices have seen such a dramatic fall, how it’s changing the way co...

Ethiopia and Eritrea are deploying troops and military equipment to the northern Tigray region, according to regional diplomats, raising the risk of renewed conflict in the Horn of Africa.

On this week’s episode of the Next Africa podcast, Jennifer Zabasajja is joined by Bloomberg’s Simon Marks and Professor Kjetil Tronvoll from Oslo New University College to discuss how tensions have been rising over recent weeks, how ...

The mood at Africa’s biggest mining conference, the Mining Indaba in Cape Town, is buoyant - as increased demand for critical minerals around the world is supporting more investment in projects across the continent. 

On this week’s episode — recorded at the Mining Indaba — Jennifer Zabasajja speaks with Bloomberg’s Matthew Hill and William Clowes about who’s attending, why international coll...