A New Narrative: The TechAfrica News Podcast Launches in Partnership with Smart Africa
For over half a decade, TechAfrica News has been on the front lines, documenting the dynamic evolution of Africa’s digital landscape. We’ve filmed over 300 interviews — not in studios, but on the ground, in the halls of global events, regional summits, and innovation hubs. From policymakers and innovators, telco giants and regulators, technology integrators, as well as emerging startups and global investors, we’ve reported, recorded, and amplified these voices through headlines, video interviews, and articles that now reach millions. But if we’re being honest, it still wasn’t enough.
In Africa, mobile technology is revolutionizing finance, healthcare, education, and countless other sectors. Local innovators are devising ingenious solutions to infrastructure challenges that global corporations never anticipated. The continent is leapfrogging outdated systems, embracing satellite connectivity, and cutting-edge solutions at an unprecedented pace. With AI becoming central to innovation and a wave of new data centers powering digital services locally, Africa’s digital future is accelerating fast and on its own terms.
Our digital story is rich, multifaceted, and deeply contextual. It should be more than just a media moment. It’s a movement. And movements deserve depth. Video clips, however insightful, are often confined to ten minutes or less. Headlines capture attention but rarely capture depth. And Africa — this bold, complex, fast-evolving continent — deserves so much more than soundbites.
The full story needs space. And now, it finally has it.
Today, we’re proud to launch The TechAfrica News Podcast in partnership with Smart Africa, a platform designed to go beyond the headlines and into the heart of Africa’s digital transformation. It’s the natural next step in our mission to chronicle Africa’s digital story — not just at the surface level, but from the inside out. It’s for the people who are building this future. And for the ones who deserve to understand it better.
Each episode will spotlight the builders, decision-makers, and visionaries pushing the continent forward with time to breathe, and room to reflect
So Why a Podcast? Why Now?
At TechAfrica News, we’ve spent years on the road, traveling over 300,000 kilometers to cover conferences, summits, and fieldwork across the continent, always chasing the heart of Africa’s digital story. Also, as part of our core values, we’re always evolving — not just to stay relevant, but to stay true to the continent we serve. Last year, we took a bold step forward with a full rebrand- new logo, new website, new energy. It wasn’t just aesthetic, but it was a recommitment to our mission.
Launching this podcast is a natural progression of everything we’ve built. It’s not a side project but it’s a continuation of our promise to represent the industry more fully, to capture its energy, and to tell Africa’s tech story in all its depth, color, and humanity.
And while the idea of a podcast had been brewing for a while, the push we needed came from the industry itself. The turning point came after a video interview with Lacina Koné, CEO of Smart Africa. The episode resonated far and wide — even reaching heads of state. And Lacina said something we couldn’t shake:
“You should do a Podcast. This can allow you delve even deeper into our digital strory. The new Africa must be narrated by Africans, for Africans.”
That was the nudge, validation and the responsibility. The story of Africa’s digital transformation needs to be told by those living it, building it, and believing in it. And that’s exactly what we intend to do.
For more than eight months, the TechAfrica News team has journeyed across the continent – from Nairobi to Kigali to Cape Town – engaging in extensive conversations with the individuals who are building the very foundation of Africa’s digital infrastructure. We’ve heard candid accounts of setbacks, bold visions for what lies ahead, and groundbreaking ideas that challenge conventional wisdom.
Today, we’re ready to share what we’ve built: Unfiltered conversations with the leaders and innovators driving Africa’s digital transformation.
What The TechAfrica News Podcast Is — And Isn’t
This isn’t just another tech podcast. This is a commitment to long-form, unfiltered, deeply contextual conversations Africa’s digital transformation journey.
We’ll go beyond the buzzwords. From data sovereignty to digital identity, blockchain to e-government, rural connectivity to policy reform — we’ll explore the issues shaping the continent’s transformation.
We’ll talk about what’s working, what’s failing, and what still needs to change.
We’ll examine how infrastructure is being built, how innovation is being funded, and how ordinary people are turning tech into tangible impact.
We’ll spotlight the bold voices pushing boundaries and the quiet ones making real, lasting change behind the scenes.
Each episode is designed to give room for context and human stories that often get lost in traditional formats. We’re here to listen, to question, and to document Africa’s digital evolution with honesty, clarity, and an unwavering belief in its potential.
A Partnership with Purpose
We’re proud to launch this podcast in partnership with Smart Africa — an alliance committed to accelerating sustainable socio-economic development on the continent through technology and policy. Their policy work, strategic influence, and belief in African-led narratives make them a natural partner.
“Your story is truly powerful when it’s told by you. The new Africa must be narrated by Africans, for Africans. This gives us grounds for particularly our partnership with TechAfrica News—that we tell our story ourselves and we have control of the narrative. When TechAfrica News tells the story of Africa, it resonates deeply, because it’s authentically told by us.”
– Lacina Koné, CEO, Smart Africa
Smart Africa’s involvement strengthens our mission to tell stories that matter, from the policy tables to the grassroots innovators. This is more than a co-branded project but it’s a shared commitment to amplify African stories through African voices, on African terms.
This Is Only the Beginning
The first three episodes are already out, featuring some of the leaders at the forefront of Africa’s digital transformation:
- Solly Malatsi, South Africa’s Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, opens the series with a candid discussion on the structural barriers slowing the country’s digital progress — and the bold steps needed to move forward.
- Lacina Koné, CEO of our partner Smart Africa, shares a compelling vision for a unified, AI-driven digital revolution across the continent, offering clear-eyed insights into the opportunities and complexities ahead.
- Jorge Mendes, CEO of Cell C, offers a rare inside look at how one of South Africa’s major telecom operators is reinventing itself — reshaping company culture, strategy, and customer engagement to close the digital divide and stay competitive in a fast-changing landscape.
Whether you’re a policymaker, an investor, an industry veteran, or someone building the next solution on the ground, this podcast is for you. The conversations are candid, the stakes are real, and the mission is clear: to tell the full story of Africa’s digital transformation — from the inside out.
The conversation doesn’t stop there. Upcoming episodes will feature Ralph Mupita, President & CEO of MTN Group, Angela Wamola from the GSMA, Jean Philbert Nsengimana from Africa CDC and many more. Together, these voices bring critical perspectives on the challenges, breakthroughs, and bold decisions shaping Africa’s digital future — from infrastructure and innovation to health, policy, AI, and connectivity.
The TechAfrica News Podcast is available in both video and audio formats. You can watch full episodes on our YouTube channel , or listen on Spotify , Apple Podcasts , and all major streaming platforms — wherever you prefer to follow the conversation
