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In this episode we speak to Dr Sherif Ayoub, Head of the African Carbon Markets Initiative about his work scaling up the market for carbon credits in Africa to create jobs and prosperity. We also hear from project developers KOKO Networks, about how these projects actually take place on the ground in Africa.
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In this episode we speak to Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, about her role at the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures. We discuss how to advocate for capital to support biodiversity protection and climate action.
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In this episode we speak to Kurtis Lockhart about chartered cities and whether they can deliver broad based prosperity in Africa and further afield. Credits Host and executive producer: Dr Desné Masie Co-producer: Peter Doerrie Research: Angus Chapman Digital Editor: Charles Dietz Design: Jason Venkatasamy Music: Corporate Uplifting Chill by MusicLFiles: https://filmmusic.io/song/6298-corporate-uplifting-chill Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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In this episode we track the journey of a carbon credit. Taking us from Kenya to Geneva, Washington DC, London and finally, Yorkshire, we unpack what's going on under the hood of the carbon trading industry and explore the implications for Africa.
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In this episode we speak to the publisher of African Business magazine, Omar Ben Yedder, who has just come back from Davos 2023 in Klosters, Switzerland. The first in-person gathering in three years, the famous international forum as always, provided invaluable insights and networking opportunities to those who attended. Omar chats to us about his main reflections from WEF including the global macroeconomic forecast, the trade, demographic and industrialisation opportunities for Africa. China meanwhile signalled at the World Economic Forum that it is for business once more following its 'Zero-Covid policy' against the backdrop of substantial economic and political resources flowing to the conflict in Ukraine. He also caught up with Calvo Mawela, CEO of Multichoice SA, and Prof Mthuli Ncube, Minister for Finance and Economic Development of Zimbabwe. Mawela tells Omar all about Multichoice's phenomenal expansion on the African continent, and Mcube talks us through the monetary and fiscal policy priorities for Zimbabwe. Credits Host and executive producer: Dr Desné Masie Co-producer: Peter Doerrie Research: Angus Chapman Digital Editor: Charles Dietz Design: Jason Venkatasamy Music: Corporate Uplifting Chill by MusicLFiles: https://filmmusic.io/song/6298-corporate-uplifting-chill Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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In this episode we speak to Daniel Yu, a 32-year-old Californian entrepreneur now based in Zanzibar. He is the founder and CEO of Wasoko, a supply chain and distribution company established in 2015 to respond to the challenges faced by small and micro-business across Africa in managing stock levels. Having just raised $125 million in Series B venture capital funding from Tiger and Avenir, Wasoko is now valued at $625 million, and has its sights set on eliminating the inefficiencies plaguing Africa’s enormous, dynamic, so-called ‘informal’ retail economy.
A humble innovator, Daniel has learned Swahili in order to better service his customers in east Africa. Wasoko’s network now spans 75,000 businesses across six African countries, but the plan is to become – in Daniel’s words – the ‘operating system’ for commerce across urban Africa. For Daniel, this growth must be coupled with a broader positive impact; to improve overall conditions in the communities in which they operate is core to Wasoko’s mission.
Alive to the possibilities of the technology sector for the continent, Daniel has worked with the authorities on Zanzibar to turn the island into an innovation hub. He still sees substantial deficits in the regulatory and operational frameworks structuring the innovation environment in Africa, and worries that these will fall short of the continent's wealth of skills, creativity and entrepreneurial talent. Read more Digitalising African retail The informal sector is the future of African work Africa bucking the global VC trend An MIT framework for innovation ecosystem policy Credits Host and executive producer: Dr Desné Masie
Co-producer: Peter Doerrie
Research: Angus Chapman
Digital Editor: Charles Dietz
Design: Jason Venkatasamy
Music: Corporate Uplifting Chill by MusicLFiles
Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ -
British International Investments (BII), the UK’s official development finance agency, was the first organisation of its kind when it was founded in 1948. It remains at the forefront of international development finance, particularly for Africa, where it deploys 70% of its $2-$4 billion of new capital every year.
CEO Nick O'Donohoe is a pioneer of impact investing, coming to BII following stints in investment banking and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and having co-founded Big Society Capital, the world’s first social investment bank. He explains how BII fits into the UK’s foreign policy in the context of Brexit and a shrinking foreign aid and development budget.
He discusses priorities, illustrating how infrastructure and technology are key to enabling Africa to exploit its enormous entrepreneurial potential. He also touches on climate change, outlining how BII’s commitment to achieving net zero across its both portfolio and transactions will drive its engagement with the continent’s clean energy transition.
The podcast takes a philosophical turn, with Nick and Desné tackling the big questions of development, finance and investment. What does it mean to be developed? What is the ‘right’ kind of private sector? Must investments be large to be transformational?
They finish with a discussion of social impact, gender and green bonds. Nick sees huge progress in this space. Recalling the 1990s, and even into the 2000s, he argues that there has been an explosion in awareness of how investment can materially change development outcomes. Read more The next ten years of impact investment Africa's changing role in UK foreign policy What do we really know about Africa's informal economy? Explaining green bonds Credits Host and executive producer: Dr Desné Masie Co-producer: Peter Doerrie Research: Angus Chapman Digital Editor: Charles Dietz Design: Jason Venkatasamy Music: Corporate Uplifting Chill by MusicLFiles Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ -
Since General Electric was founded by Thomas Edison almost a century and a half ago, the power business has changed a lot. Vuyelwa Mahanyele, regional sales director for GE’s gas business in Southern and East Africa, has seen this change up close. She tells us how decarbonisation became the overarching theme for both the company and the region, and steps through the financial, technical and policy aspects of making it a reality.
Achieving the trilemma of affordable, reliable and sustainable power in Africa remains a serious challenge. Mahanyele suggests that a combination of gas and renewables can do much of the heavy lifting. She places it in the context of the continent’s economic trajectory, arguing that better, cleaner power with revitalised generation and transmission infrastructure can drive a real economic acceleration, as it has across the world.
Mahanyele outlines the rapidly shifting technological frontier, exploring the technical and economic feasibility of innovations such as hydrogen, carbon capture and storage and next-generation gas power. She finishes with a discussion of the local and international factors – technology, investment, skills and policy – that can make large-scale transformation possible at the country, regional and international levels. Read more: General Electric: Accelerating South Africa's energy transition IISD: Exploring the case for gas-fired power in South Africa Africa's natural gas - necessary evil or economic saviour? The many colours of hydrogen explained The challenge of energy access in Africa Credits Host and executive producer: Dr Desné Masie Co-producer: Peter Doerrie Digital Editor: Charles Dietz Design: Jason Venkatasamy Music: Corporate Uplifting Chill by MusicLFiles Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ -
Few people understand issues of international trade, development and environment as well as Pascal Lamy. Following eight years as Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Pascal now serves on the board of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation; one of Africa’s most influential civil society organisations. He joins us following the release of the Foundation’s 2022 Governance Forum report, which aims to make Africa’s case in the global climate change debate ahead of COP27 in Egypt in November.
Framing it as a race between demography and economy, Pascal wants to see Africa’s development needs prioritised in the global response to climate change. Africa is prepared to fight for its position, he says, and highlights south-south solidarity as a countervailing force against the US, China, EU and other heavyweights.
Natural gas is set to be a flashpoint at COP27. Despite claims that foreign ownership, frothy export markets, high prices and poor infrastructure make it unlikely that gas will be a development panacea for Africa, Pascal insists that the continent’s prodigious reserves should be exploited.
Africa is already a large positive for the global climate ledger, and Pascal outlines further opportunities for the continent to support global climate solutions. Governance will be key, he says, explaining the Mo Ibrahim Foundation's work on governance monitoring, assessment and improvement.
We conclude with a discussion of the global trade environment. Pascal offers his thoughts on Africa’s place within the global trade system, assesses the implementation of the AfCFTA, and explains how Africa can secure greater benefits from trade in the future.
Read more:
Making Africa's Case in the Global Climate Debate: the 2022 Ibrahim Governance Forum report
IC Intelligence on Africa's energy transition
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: Africa can play a leading role in the fight against climate change
What you need to know about the African Continental Free Trade Area
Why trade matters for African development
Credits
Host: Angus Chapman
Co-producers: Peter Doerrie, Dr Desné Masie
Digital Editor: Charles Dietz
Design: Jason Venkatasamy
Music: Corporate Uplifting Chill by MusicLFiles
Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Charlie Mitchell, Kenya correspondent for African Business Magazine, previews the upcoming contest between Raila Odinga and William Ruto, which will be a crucial test for the East African nation On Tuesday August 9 Kenyans will go to the polls for a crucial election to decide the direction of travel of East Africa's economic giant for the next five years. Veteran challenger Raila Odinga - who has received the vital endorsement of incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta - will go up against current deputy-president William Ruto, who is attempting to portray himself as the natural pick of Kenya's "hustler nation". The outcome of the tense race will undoubtedly have profound implications for growth and development across East Africa. In this special election preview episode David Thomas, editor of African Business, is joined by Charlie Mitchell, Kenya correspondent for African Business and the Times of London, who explains the competing visions of the contenders, the implications for economic policy, and the prospects of a free and fair vote.
Credits
Host: David Thomas
Guest: Charlie Mitchell
Producer: Peter Doerrie
Digital Editor: Charles Dietz
Design: Jason Venkatasamy
Music: Corporate Uplifting Chill by MusicLFiles
Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ -
In this special round-up episode, we speak to three prominent attendees of the 2022 African Development Bank Annual Meetings. The theme, Achieving Climate Resilience and a Just Energy Transition for Africa, features prominently, as our guests talk us through their hopes, fears and aspirations for development on the continent.
Omar Ben Yedder, Group Publisher and Managing Director at IC Publications, kicks off with his take on the Annual Meetings. He relays the challenges of attracting more development finance to the continent amidst myriad economic and financial pressures, gives us his highlights from the African Banker Awards and reflects on the upbeat, defiant tone of this year’s meetings [2:12-14:48).
Solomon Quaynor, African Development Bank Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization, highlights Africa’s huge infrastructure gap, laying out a strategic vision for a series of linked, transcontinental projects to help compress value chains and drive industrialisation. He also speaks about the so-called ‘African risk premium’, claiming that the maturation of the continent’s financial architecture alongside the strong performance of existing investments may mean this premium is finally eroding [14:48-41:02].
Professor Kevin Urama, the Bank’s Chief Economist, rounds out the episode with a wide-ranging overview of economic and environmental developments on the continent. He is frank about the existence of a ‘triangle of disaster’, but is positive that Africa’s financial institutions and mechanisms, as well as its robust productive base, makes it more economically resilient than many suppose. He speaks passionately and urgently about the threat of climate change, and outlines a framework for the decoupling of economic progress from environmental degradation. He concludes with a challenge; for Africa to chart its own economic course [41:03-1:25:04].
Read more:
Dr Hippolyte Fofack on IMF Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)
Africa's infrastructure paradox
The African 'perception premium'
The 2022 African Economic Outlook
Our World in Data: Decoupling emissions and economic growth
Credits
Host Angus Chapman
Co-producers: Peter Doerrie, Dr Desné Masie
Digital Editor: Charles Dietz
Design: Jason Venkatasamy
Music: Corporate Uplifting Chill by MusicLFiles
Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ -
In this episode we talk to zoologist-turned lawyer, Alexander Rhodes, about his work as Chair of Tusk conservation charity and Partner and Head of Mishcon Purpose at international law firm Mishcon de Reya.
We start with Alexander’s personal journey, from a young zoologist working alongside indigenous communities in Kenya to a leading, purpose-driven lawyer with decades of experience in both the commercial and philanthropic domains. He talks about the relationship between business and nature; not just in terms of impact, but also the embeddedness and reliance of economies and societies on healthy, diverse and resilient ecosystems.
This translates into Tusk’s unique approach to ‘conservation in human context’, where funds are directed to a portfolio of projects that best maximise both conservation and human outcomes. The approach is firmly grounded in community, and Alexander speaks passionately about the need for conservation to champion local knowledge, initiative and priorities.
Tusk is about to hit a £100 million fundraising milestone, and is anticipating the third annual iteration of its Wildlife Ranger Challenge, which began as a vital lifeline for African communities during COVID-19 and has morphed into one of the largest conservation, sporting and fundraising events on the continent. Alexander is proud of Tusk’s long-standing success, but acknowledges much more must be done to expand conservation, livelihoods and human flourishing in a rapidly warming world.
Read more:
Communities, conservation and livelihoods
Biodiversity and ecosystem services in Africa
The importance of indigenous knowledge for conservation
Gender and climate change
The Wildlife Ranger Challenge
Credits
Host and Executive Producer: Desné Masie
Co-producer: Peter Doerrie
Researcher: Angus Chapman
Digital Editor: Charles Dietz
Design: Jason Venkatasamy
Music: Corporate Uplifting Chill by MusicLFiles
Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ -
In this episode we speak with Dr. Alex Vines, director of the Africa Program at Chatham House thinktank, about the African dimensions of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He outlines how, across international relations, economics and domestic politics, the invasion may have created ‘Africa’s moment’.
Geopolitically, Alex sees the conflict in terms of an ongoing shift toward a multipolar world. Many domestic and international actors have yet to make up their minds about the invasion, and non-alignment – a position reinforced by recent actions at the United Nations – provides African countries with an opportunity to extract long-awaited privileges while forming new partnerships with both East and West.
Economically, there is tumult on the horizon. African commodity producers will benefit from elevated prices in the short term – particularly as gas helps fuel the transition to net zero – but price increases also risk stoking political instability. As populations continue to experience declines in their standard of living, Alex fears that agitation may trigger repressive government action and a slide into autocracy.
Russia has increased its African presence in recent years, but this is unlikely to remain the case as the war drags on. Whoever steps into the breach will be doing so at a time of great change. Notwithstanding the risks – of which there are many – Africa is acting from a rare position of strength. Read more: Analysing the Russia-Ukraine conflict from an African standpoint Cascading risks from Russia's invasion
UN vote on Russia invasion shows a changing Africa IIGCC: the invasion and the net zero transition Europe's refugee double standard -
We are joined on this episode by Amine Antari, managing director of Forensic Investigations and Intelligence and Head of Middle East at Kroll. Born in Morocco, Amine talks us through a career in forensic investigation, intelligence and compliance that has taken him to the US, Canada, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The world seems daily to become a more uncertain place. Amine unpicks three contemporary crises – COVID-19, climate change and the invasion of Ukraine – and outlines how he sees them unfolding across Africa and the Middle East. Social, political and economic life in many countries remains volatile, but efforts to improve governance and transparency and incorporate climate reporting into corporate decision-making is cause for optimism.
The upcoming COP27 in Egypt is a real focus. In a fossil-fuel rich region that is also heavily exposed to climate impacts, the risk of stranded assets coexists with a tremendous appetite for global ambition.
We then dive down into specific countries. IMF negotiations in Tunisia balance financial support against a raft of difficult reforms, while failed elections in Libya suggest a return to political instability. Tensions between Algeria and Morocco have spilled over into the economic and diplomatic spheres, with the involvement of Western powers such as the US and France elevating the conflict to the plane of geopolitics.
Finally, we discuss Africa as an untapped market. The density of opportunity on the continent is unparalleled, and the role of North Africa as a bridge to the Middle East gives it an important strategic role. Digitalisation, technology and renewed transparency and governance are exciting developments
Read more:
The invasion of Ukraine: implications for Africa
UN report: the state of water security in Africa
IMF negotiations in Tunisia
Electoral instability in Libya
Algeria and Morocco: a regional cold war?
Looking ahead to COP27
CreditsHost and Executive Producer: Desné Masie
Co-producer: Peter Doerrie
Researcher: Angus Chapman
Digital Editor: Charles Dietz
Design: Jason Venkatasamy
Music: Corporate Uplifting Chill by MusicLFiles
Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Environmentalist Achim Steiner, administrator of the UN Development Programme, says that the latest IPCC report - which details the disastrous unfolding climate consequences for Africa and other regions - is an urgent wake-up call for global policymakers. He talks to African Businessabout the report, the Cop negotiations process, the pandemic's impact on climate policy, and the potential economic fallout for Africa of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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In July, at its Rosslyn plant northwest of Pretoria, Nissan’s Navara pickup truck began to roll off the assembly line, the first model of its type by the company to be assembled in Africa for the African market. Its appearance is part of a strategy by the Japanese motor company, first articulated in 2020, to roll out several new models in Africa with a focus on SUV and cross-overs. The strategy, which will also focus on developing Africa’s manufacturing capacity, was backed by the 2020 establishment of Nissan’s Africa Regional Business Unit, led by managing director Mike Whitfield, who joins us to discuss the future of Nissan in the continent's automotive market.
Opportunities for Africa in electric vehicle market
Is Tesla charging up for an Africa push?
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In this episode we are joined by Barnaby Fletcher, Associate Director at Control Risks. In a wide-ranging discussion covering politics, economics and conflict at different scales, we unpick the risks and opportunities for Africa in 2022. We begin by discussing the nature of risk, outlining Barnaby's work as a leading risk analyst for East and Southern Africa and the career journey he took to get there. He defines risk as the potential effect of uncertainty, and explains how, while risk exists everywhere, the combination of debt, pandemic, climate change and multi-dimensional conflict makes Africa a particularly compelling case. Ongoing unrest in the Sahel, Sudan, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Libya and several other nations has involved a diverse cast of regional and international players, contributing to a fragmented conflict landscape that offers unclear prospects for a neat resolution. Meanwhile, recent local elections in South Africa and upcoming national elections in Kenya and Nigeria have thrown up new tensions, cleavages and opportunities for domestic political players. As the 2021 Control Risks and Oxford Economics Africa Risk-Reward Index makes clear, however, Africa is also full of opportunities. We discuss the burgeoning data, energy, agricultural and biotech sectors, highlighting how the failure of the rest of the world to provide support during the COVID-19 pandemic has forced Africa into exciting, self-sufficient development in key areas. The balance of risk and reward on the continent remains dynamic, but there is much to look forward to in 2022. Read more: The Africa Risk-Reward Index 2021 - report and podcast
The 'Tuna Bond' scandal in Mozambique Recent coups in Africa Upcoming elections in 2022 Africa's geopolitical importance African Business on the African tech boom Host and Executive Producer: Desné Masie Co-producer: Peter Doerrie Researcher: Angus Chapman Digital Editor: Charles Dietz Design: Jason Venkatasamy -
MainOne CEO and founder Funke Opeke talks to African Business about the data centre market in Africa and the future of the firm after its $320m takeover by NASDAQ-listed Equinix.
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In this episode we are joined by Shalini Soopramanien, Assistant General Counsel at the US DFC. In this episode we discuss the development priorities for the US DFC. Soopramanien talks us through her career path to DFC as well as her current responsibilities. We also look more in depth at project highlights over the past year, particularly the vaccine funding for the GAVI alliance and the DFC's climate and gender equality agendas for Africa.
Read more:
https://www.dfc.gov/ (DFC Official Website)
https://www.dfc.gov/our-work/portfolio-for-impact-and-innovation (DFC PI2 website)
https://www.dfc.gov/climate (DFC’s Climate Agenda)
https://www.dfc.gov/our-work/africa-and-the-middle-east (DFC - Africa and Middle East)
https://www.dfc.gov/media/press-releases/g7-development-finance-institutions-and-multilateral-partners-invest-over-80 (Allocation of the G7 DFI $80 billion commitment to Africa)
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Digital Africa executive director Stéphan Eloise-Gras talks about the potential of Francophone tech and France's €130m plan to support startups
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