Startseite Podcasts The Africa Hour

The Africa Hour

Africa Policy Research Institute 20 Folgen Jul 9, 2026

A Pan-African show that discusses public policy issues from diverse viewpoints, and breaks down analysis into a context that is easily digestible by listeners. The podcast explores different themes and examines their manifestations in African countries.

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We Can Fund the Mine: Why is it so Hard to Finance What Comes Next? Jul 9, 2026 00:56:20 Cement is a system enabler - the essential foundation shaping the world around us. From houses and offices to roads and highways, it is the superstructure of urban society and key for renewable energy infrastructure. Across Africa, vast limestone reserves are being transformed into cement, to meet surging local demand and close the continent’s infrastructure gap. Despite the mineral abundance and

We Have the Bauxite: Why Don't We Have the Power to Smelt It? Jun 11, 2026 00:57:13 Aluminum is omnipresent, from beverage cans to the cars we drive. It is also at the heart of the global green energy transition, serving as a key input for clean technologies. But while aluminum powers this transition, producing it is incredibly energy-intensive.In this episode of The Africa Hour, we explore the critical role of energy in transforming minerals into high-value goods. Turning bauxit

The DRC Has the Cobalt, Why Isn't It Building the Batteries Yet? Mai 7, 2026 00:58:47 Across Africa, countries hold the minerals that underpin modern industry. But turning these into higher value products depends on something less visible: the technical expertise, training systems, and institutional linkages that turn raw materials into complex products.In this episode of The Africa Hour, we explore the topic of skills through one of the most demanding manufacturing processes today

Why Is Southern Africa’s Steel Manufacturing Declining If It Has Chrome and Iron? Apr 1, 2026 00:55:52 Southern Africa holds some of the world’s most important minerals for steelmaking. South Africa alone dominates global chrome reserves and remains a major producer of iron ore, manganese, and vanadium. Yet despite this resource base and a once-strong industrial foundation, steel manufacturing in the region is in decline.In this second episode of The Africa Hour Season 2, we explore manufacturing:

Why Isn't Zambia the World’s Copper Cable Factory? Feb 5, 2026 00:55:18 Copper powers everyday life, from phone chargers and power grids to electric cars and data centres. Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo are central to the global copper supply, yet most of the value generated from that copper is captured far from where it is mined.In this opening episode of Season Two of The Africa Hour, we introduce the concept of mineral value chains and explain why valu

Season 2: Trailer Jan 27, 2026 00:04:21 This season of The Africa Hour explores minerals-based industrialisation and development in Africa, asking a simple but difficult question: how does Africa turn its mineral wealth into lasting economic value?Each episode follows a specific mineral and a set of country case studies, tracing what happens from extraction through processing, production, and use. Through conversations with experts, pro

Episode 12: How Is Egypt Digitizing the Bottleneck Which Is the Suez Canal? Jun 6, 2024 00:49:52 Before we dive into this episode, we want to say a huge thank you to our listeners who have been tuning in for the past year. This episode concludes The Africa Hour’s first season on digitalization on the African continent. It was a wonderful experience and APRI hopes to be back soon with a new season and fresh, informative, and critical policy content. Egypt is keen on foreign capital, and is cre

Episode 11: How Can Namibia Capitalize on Digital Nomad Visas? Apr 25, 2024 00:39:51 Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, remote working has become an important part of business cultures across the world, including in Africa. Namibia, with its deserts and beaches, wants to capitalize on that opportunity, and attract ‘digital nomads’ to spend needed foreign exchange in the country, using a new visa category it launched back in 2022. But, two years on, the numbers of digital nomads who’

Episode 10: Is Ethiopia Ready for the Artificial Intelligence Era? Feb 22, 2024 00:46:00 Ethiopia is marketing itself as the leading artificial intelligence (AI) player in Africa. The country is not just mouthing off though – it has some credits to back its claim. Some parts of Sophia the robot were developed right in Addis Ababa. Several Ethiopian startups are also using AI to develop products like language apps focused on local languages. Ethiopia is covering its base on the policy

Episode 9: Will Tiny Cabo Verde Succeed in Becoming West Africa’s Tech Giant? Jan 18, 2024 00:55:04 Cabo Verde has always been, to many on the African continent, a small slice of beach resorts perfect for a holiday get away. Tourism is one of the key revenue earners for this small west African country, along with manufacturing and the services industry. But since 2019, the Cape Verdean government has been pushing a new digital plan that aims to position the country as a major tech hub in the sub

Episode 8: Tackling Disaster Prevention Digitally: How Is Data Driving Climate Risk Management in Mozambique? Dez 21, 2023 00:48:35 Digital disaster and climate risk management in Mozambique holds immense potential for bolstering the country's resilience in the face of increasing climate-related challenges. With its vulnerability to cyclones, flooding, and droughts, Mozambique can benefit significantly from advanced technologies like remote sensing, satellite imagery, and data analytics to monitor and predict natural disasters

Episode 7: In Oil-rich Algeria, Can Authorities Keep the Focus on Renewables? Nov 16, 2023 00:47:26 Algeria seemed on track with its renewable energy transition. Like many north African countries, Algeria has experienced negative climate change impacts and recognises that there’s a global shift towards renewables that it too must follow. Already as early as 2010, the government announced it would green about a third of its energy mix by 2030, and launched a big solar and wind energy program. And

Episode 6: The Cost of Connecting - Can Cameroon Catch up? Sep 7, 2023 00:52:06 Cameroon really has no excuse for poor internet: Some of Africa’s biggest internet service providers operate in the country, including MTN and Orange, and the country is connected to five fiber optic submarine internet cables. Yet, internet broadband speeds in this central African country lag frustratingly. Added to that, internet costs are high, intensifying the digital divide between the poor an

Episode 5: Will Digital IDs Deliver for the Rwandan People? Aug 3, 2023 00:46:38 Around 1 billion people in the world are unregistered, with no means or documents to identify them. According to the World Bank, half of those people live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Across the continent, governments are struggling to provide adequate identification schemes for their citizens. The results are a weakened ability to deliver services and social grants, especially to vulnerable peoples suc

Episode 4: Nigeria’s Cashless Transition: How Long Will it Take? Jul 6, 2023 00:44:23 Cash is still king in Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy, despite a decades-long push by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to switch to alternative modes of payment. Some 90 percent of transactions are cash-based, according to Bloomberg. Fees have been levied on cash withdrawals since 2012 but cash use remains high. In 2021, the CBN launched the eNaira -- a central bank digital currency or CDBC --

Episode 3: What Are The Challenges in Taking South African Music Digital? Mai 4, 2023 00:59:22 There’s no doubt that we are in the golden age of African music: The industry is experiencing an unprecedented era of recognition around the world. Some of the most streamed artists and songs hail from South Africa, particularly in the rising Amapiano genre. But despite the seeming success, South African artists faced a hard time during the pandemic, and continue to face numerous challenges. Can

Episode 2: Does Kenya Need to Be Much Tougher on Fintechs? Apr 6, 2023 00:49:39 Kenya is perhaps one of Africa’s most advanced cashless economies. MPesa - the mobile payment platform - has gained almost total dominance of the market. At least 30 million Kenyans of the country's 53 million population use MPesa for daily transactions. Fintechs in general have seen a massive emergence in this ecosystem - among them popular digital lending apps that many use to access quick loans

Bonus Episode: What Are the Legal Repercussions of Twitter Layoffs in Ghana? Mär 23, 2023 00:15:29 Since Elon Musk took over Twitter in October, 2023, he has laid off thousands of staff, cutting the company’s workforce by more than half. In Accra, Ghana where the Africa team is based, Musk disengaged all but one employee. Now, former staffers there are seeking redress for their firing, claiming Musk violated Ghana’s labor laws. In Accra, Olumide Abimbola speaks to Carla Olympio, the lawyer taki

Episode 1: Can African Countries Hold Big Tech Accountable? Mär 2, 2023 00:38:16 Welcome to The Africa Hour, the podcast that takes a deep dive into pressing policy issues in African countries, providing expert analysis and insights from various perspectives. In today's episode, we are focusing on Ghana, where the tech industry is currently grappling with the aftermath of Twitter's recent decision to lay off all but one member of its 20-person team in Accra, which is the hub o

The Africa Hour Feb 16, 2023 00:02:16 A Podcast by APRI