Next Africa

Ethiopian troops have regained control of the city of Mekelle, the capital of the country’s northern Tigray region - after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front - the TPLF had seized the city’s airport and declared war on the government. As Ethiopia’s relationship with its neighbours worsen some fear this could become a broader regional war in a Red Sea region vital to global trade that is already facing geop...

The discovery of 11 women’s bodies in and around Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, has horrified South Africans. Then the last few days provided a stark reminder of the country's violent crime problem:  two separate mass shootings left 28 people dead, just days after 11 people were killed at a house in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province.

On this week’s episode, S’thembile Cele joins Jennifer Zabasajja to disc...

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has finally launched the much anticipated IPO of part of his refinery business, and it's generated so much hype that many investment apps were overwhelmed by demand. The company hopes to raise as much as $2 billion from retail investors and with a minimum investment of just $4, the firm hopes ordinary Africans will buy shares.

On today’s special episode, Deputy Managing Editor for Af...

We wanted to bring you one of our favourite episodes from the last 12 months this week.

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 j...

A sovereign-rating upgrade and a stabilizing currency are helping restore Kenya’s appeal investors. Two years after deadly protests rattled sentiment, the markets have staged a recovery. Kenya’s all-share index has more than tripled in dollar terms since the start of 2024 making it the world's third-best performer.

On this week’s special Next Africa podcast, Tiwa Adebayo is joined by Kenyan investment experts Joel...

A $200 million project in Malawi, one of the world’s poorest countries, is testing a radically simple approach to aid: giving about $700 directly to as many as 230,000 adults and letting them decide how best to spend it.

The hope is that recipients will use the money to start businesses, invest in farms and generate economic activity, providing evidence that direct cash payments can help communities become more self-reliant a...

Zambia had been the shining light for democracy in sub-Saharan Africa, but president Hichilema's recent reelection has been tainted by accusations of irregularities, the killing of a former minister and what the UN has called arbitrary arrests. 

On this week’s Episode, Bloomberg’s Matthew Hill who’s been on the ground in Zambia explains how the election became so controversial, and Nicole Beardsworth from the...

As the Iran War broke out and the Strait of Hormuz closed, fuel prices surged and supplies became disrupted. The African countries that thought they had supply deals in place found deliveries being cancelled.  But the world’s largest oil trader turned the Hormuz crisis to its advantage. Vitol was able to strike exclusive deals to become a dominant supplier of fuel to at least five countries in East and Southern Africa co...

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the country’s worst ever, with more than 2,000 confirmed deaths and a fatality rate of more than 46%. The World Health Organization says it's the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record, and has warned that contact tracing isn't keeping up with the number of cases.

On this week’s Next Africa podcast, Bloomberg’s global health editor, Jason Gale, jo...

South Africa's Public Investment Corp., the $220 billion manager of civil servants' pensions and a major shareholder in many of the country's biggest companies, has lurched from one crisis to another. Its chief executive was suspended before a court ordered his reinstatement, while the chairman — who also served as deputy finance minister — resigned amid the fallout.

On this week's Next Africa podcast, South Africa Bure...

Nigeria's stock market is the world's best-performing equity market this year. Its benchmark index has outpaced every major market, including South Korea, delivering the highest dollar returns to investors.

Ghana, Tunisia and Kenya have also ranked among the world's top-performing markets, as economic reforms and improving investor sentiment fuel a rally across parts of the continent.

On this week's Next Africa podcast, we explore ...

Eighteen months after the Trump administration shut down USAID, a painstaking Bloomberg investigation into abandoned water projects in Kenya using interviews, satellite imagery and data analysis has revealed the stark consequences of that decision.

On this week’s Next Africa podcast, Bloomberg’s Senior East Africa reporter, Simon Marks, discusses his findings. Former East Africa USAID director Amanda Robertson then expl...

Flying has never been easier. Airlines are competing to offer cheaper fares and more routes across Europe, North America and Asia. But while connections to and from Africa have expanded, travelling within the continent remains difficult and expensive.

On this week's Next Africa podcast, Ghana-based reporter Bilal Qureshi discusses his latest feature on why intra-African air travel continues to lag behind the rest of the world. Bloo...

The man who helped turn Morocco into a World Cup contender is now being urged to take on an even bigger challenge: becoming the country’s next prime minister.

On this week’s Next Africa podcast, we examine the Atlas Lions’ impressive run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and why two political parties are courting Fouzi Lekjaa to lead them into the next election.

Jennifer Zabasajja speaks with Bloomberg North Africa repor...

Thousands of people joined anti-migrant protests in South Africa on Tuesday, watched over by a massive police contingent that was deployed to prevent violence and intimidation. The rallies, which marked the culmination of weeks of protests that have displaced thousands of mainly African expatriates, were mostly peaceful bar a few isolated incidents.

In this week’s Next Africa Podcast, Bloomberg’s Ntando Thukwana ...

The Iran war has put billions of dollars in remittances at risk as conflict disrupts the incomes of migrant workers across the Gulf. For many African economies, where money sent home helps pay for food, healthcare and education, a prolonged slowdown could weigh on growth well beyond the battlefield.

On this week's episode, Jennifer Zabasajja speaks with Bloomberg's Prinesha Naidoo about her reporting on the disruption to remittance...

An El Niño weather pattern forming in the Pacific Ocean is expected to bring hotter, drier weather to much of east and southern Africa while increasing flood risks in parts of West Africa, stoking fears of another difficult spell for the continent’s farmers.

On this week’s episode, Jennifer Zabasajja talks to Bloomberg weather reporter Lauren Rosenthal about how El Niño is shaping up, and to soft commodities reporter Mu...

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...