Panel 54 Podcast

Epizody

• 
  Nsikak Nelson - Secure Code 11.09.2026 47min

  This conversation looks at why modern national defence cannot be separated from secure code, encryption, data sovereignty, resilient communication networks, artificial intelligence and control over critical digital infrastructure.The episode explores how Nigeria can move from purchasing foreign technology towards building, controlling, modifying and sustaining its own defence capabilities.
• 
  DAUD JIRAN & DR. DIBA WAKO - Pastoral Security 04.09.2026 55min

  The episode explores how communities can move from repeated emergency response toward stronger local systems that protect herds, incomes, food access and dignity before crisis becomes catastrophe
• 
  Hon. Dr Musalia Mudavadi - Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary. 28.08.2026 1h 4min

  Dr. Mudavadi reflects on Kenya’s role in Africa, the future of diplomacy, the importance of regional stability and how foreign policy can serve national interests while strengthening Africa’s voice globally. The episode also looks at Kenya’s partnerships with the United States and other international actors, including how cooperation can support security, trade, investment, governance, diaspora protection and Africa-led development.
• 
  Thule Lenneiye - Food Security 14.08.2026 54min

  The episode explores food sovereignty, regional trade, digital agriculture, investment, post-harvest losses, farmer data and why governments must treat food security as part of national security. It also looks at how the United States and other partners can support African priorities through research, climate intelligence, finance, infrastructure, universities, markets and technology without creating dependency.
• 
  Jummai Abdullahi - The Peace Maker 07.08.2026 28min

  At its core, this is a conversation about the peacemaker, a woman using classrooms, language and trust to build stability where conflict tried to take root. A sharp discussion on Borno, education, peacebuilding, counterinsurgency, women’s protection, NGOs, security agencies and the non-kinetic side of security in Northern Nigeria and beyond
• 
  Dr. Sani Muhammad - Sahel Crisis 31.07.2026 1h 23min

  From Boko Haram and ISWAP to banditry, kidnapping for ransom, weak local government, intelligence failures and community distrust, this conversation explores why insecurity cannot be treated as a military problem alone. It is also a governance issue, a political issue, an economic issue and a crisis of state presence. Dr. Muhammad explains how bad governance, exclusion, poverty, weak service delivery, slow state response and the collapse of local authority create the conditions in which insurgency, extremism and criminal networks grow
• 
  Enos Mate & Itoro Richard - Xenophobia in South Africa 24.07.2026 50min

  The episode also looks at mixed African families, children caught between identities, the limits of legal status, police response, embassy support, vigilante document checks, and the responsibilities of South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and other African governments when Africans are threatened inside another African country.
• 
  Amira Adawe: Lightening Death 18.07.2026 1h 1min

  A sharp discussion on skin bleaching, toxic cosmetics, mercury exposure, China-linked imports, public health, beauty standards, environmental safety and Africa’s regulatory crisis.
• 
  Lillian, Queenter, Njeri and Cynthia - Sexploitation. 10.07.2026 1h 40min

  From fake job offers and unsafe migration to online abuse, forced labour, survivor protection and youth vulnerability, this conversation explores why sexploitation cannot be treated as a gender issue alone. It is also a labour issue, a migration issue, a digital-rights issue, a criminal-economy issue and an emerging national-security concern. The discussion examines how exploitation is enabled by poverty, unemployment, unsafe recruitment networks, weak institutions, poor cyber-investigation, platform impunity, stigma, corruption and limited regional coordination.
• 
  Prof. Heidi J. Larson - Fear Goes Viral 03.07.2026 1h 40min

  Professor Larson also examines why rumours travel faster than official information, how social media pushes anti-science narratives into the mainstream, and why governments and international agencies often fail when they speak at communities instead of with them.
• 
  H.E. Dr. Ali Maalim Mohamud: Water, Power and Borders 26.06.2026 56min

  From water scarcity and climate pressure to cross-border trade, infrastructure, energy, diplomacy and security, this conversation explores why Mandera cannot be understood as a remote frontier. It is a regional gateway sitting at the intersection of trade, migration, geopolitics and development.
• 
  Cpt. (Rtd.) Luqman Gidado, PhD: Nigeria’s Insecurity Economy 19.06.2026 1h 2min

  The episode also looks at insecurity as a business, asking who benefits when ransom payments, fear and violence become part of the economy. It examines how weak institutions, ungoverned spaces and limited state presence create room for criminal networks to grow.
• 
  David Meshioye - Nigeria & US, Strengthening W. African Security 12.06.2026 49min

  In this episode of Panel 54, Waweru Njoroge sits down with David Meshioye, Nigerian journalist and editor, to examine Nigeria’s security challenges and the case for stronger cooperation between the United States and African states.
• 
  Fidel Owusu - Coups, Chaos, Conflict 05.06.2026 57min

  What happens when terrorism, coups, organised crime, and geopolitical competition collide in one of the world’s most volatile regions? In this episode of Panel 54, Waweru Njoroge sits down with Fidel Amakye Owusu, Ghanaian geopolitical and security analyst, to unpack the rapidly evolving security landscape across the Sahel and West Africa.
• 
  Brig - Gen Kapeh Alwali Kazir (Rtd) - Securing Nigeria. 29.05.2026 53min

  In this episode of Panel 54, Waweru Njoroge sits down with Brigadier General Kafei Alwazi Keziah (Rtd), former Nigerian Army officer, peacekeeper, and security strategist, to discuss leadership, diplomacy, defence cooperation, and Africa’s evolving security challenges.
• 
  Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Charles Tai Gituai - Paper Peace 22.05.2026 1h 4min

  Drawing from decades of military and regional experience, Maj Gen. Gituai reflects on the evolution of African security institutions, the pressures facing modern peace processes, and the role of leadership during moments of instability.
• 
  Jinna Mutune & Mkamzee Mwatela -Who Controls Stories 09.05.2026 1h 21min

  What if culture is one of Africa’s most powerful geopolitical tools? In this episode of Panel 54, Waweru Njoroge sits down with Jinna Mutune and Mkamzee Mwatela to explore storytelling, film, performance, and the growing global influence of African creative industries.
• 
  Dr Omole: Fragility or Failure. 17.04.2026 53min

  In this episode of Panel 54, Waweru Njoroge and Ndu Okoh sit down with Dr. Charles Omole, security expert and global adviser, to unpack the realities behind instability in the Sahel and Nigeria. From insurgency and banditry to governance failures and economic dependency, this conversation challenges the idea that conflicts in West Africa are isolated or purely local
• 
  Nazanine Moshiri - Inside Iran 03.04.2026 50min

  The episode explores how sanctions, war, and external pressure shape internal realities, but also how everyday life continues under strain. Beyond politics, it highlights a quieter but critical crisis. Environmental collapse. Water shortages, mismanagement, and long-term structural stress are reshaping the country in ways rarely discussed.
• 
  Canon Fodder - Felix Kimutai & Peter Njenga 27.03.2026 54min

  The conversation traces how informal recruitment networks, false job promises, and economic pressure are drawing African men into Russian-linked military pipelines. Through firsthand testimony, the episode shows how contracts become combat, how opportunity becomes survival, and how quickly individuals lose control of their fate once inside the system.At the heart of the discussion is a brutal reality.