The African Business Podcast IC Publications Ltd

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. 

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. 
 
 

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/

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.

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/

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/