The Africa Program

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  Mobutu Sese Seko's Legacy Three Decades Later with Nzanga Mobutu 05.08.2026 1t 21min

  Few African leaders continue to inspire as much debate as Mobutu Sese Seko. Nearly three decades after his death, his legacy remains deeply contested, raising enduring questions about history, memory, nationalism, and the future of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this episode of The Africa Program Podcast, Mvemba Phezo Dizolele speaks with Nzanga Mobutu, son of the late Congolese president and curator of the landmark 2025 exhibition Mobutu: Une Vie, Un Destin at the National Museum o...
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  Why Africa’s World Cup Success Is About More Than Football 22.07.2026 55min

  The FIFA World Cup is more than the world’s biggest sporting event. It is also a stage where history, politics, and national identity converge. For Africa, the tournament has reflected decades of struggle for recognition, representation, and respect on the global stage. In this episode of The Africa Program Podcast, Mvemba Phezo Dizolele speaks with independent researcher Afolabi Adekaiyaoja about Africa’s historic performance at the FIFA World Cup and what it reveals about the future of Af...
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  Rethinking Africa Europe Relations in a Fractured World 08.07.2026 1t

  Africa and Europe share a long and complicated history. From colonial rule to post independence cooperation, the relationship has never been static. Today it is being reshaped by migration politics, supply chain pressures, rising populism, and intensifying global competition. In this episode of The Africa Program Podcast, Mvemba Phezo Dizolele speaks with Alex Vines of the European Council on Foreign Relations about where Africa Europe relations stand now. As European governments revise the...
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  Bob Marley, Rambo, Tupac and the Politics of Youth in Sierra Leone 24.06.2026 54min

  Sierra Leone is often remembered for its brutal civil war and the Ebola crisis. But beneath those defining chapters lies a deeper story, one about youth, power, and the long struggle for dignity. In this episode of The Africa Program Podcast, Mvemba Phezo Dizolele speaks with award-winning author Marc Sommers about his book We the Young Fighters: Pop Culture, Terror, and War in Sierra Leone. Their conversation explores the historical roots of youth marginalization in Sierra Leone, from the ...
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  Ben Affleck on Development Aid, Philanthropy, Advocacy, and Congo 10.06.2026 1t 12min

  Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is often defined by conflict, instability, and one of the world’s longest running wars. But beyond those headlines lies a different story, one about resilience, local innovation, and communities working to build their own future. In this episode of The Africa Program Podcast, Mvemba Phezo Dizolele speaks with Ben Affleck, co-founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative, about more than a decade of engagement in the region and what it reveals about develop...
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  Trade Not Aid Is the Wrong Debate for Africa 08.04.2026 52min

  Africa is often framed through the lens of aid, but in an era of global competition over critical minerals, infrastructure, and markets, the debate over “trade not aid” misses a larger point. In this episode of The Africa Program Podcast, Mvemba Phezo Dizolele speaks with Daniele Nyirandutiye, partner at Desmos Capital Partners and former USAID mission director in Uganda, about how development assistance has helped build the regulatory systems, capital markets, and business environments tha...
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  When Sanctions Replace Strategy in U.S. Africa Policy 25.03.2026 58min

  Sanctions have become a default instrument of foreign policy. From Sudan and Zimbabwe to Russia, Cuba, and Iran, they are often the first response to crisis. But do sanctions actually change behavior, or do they simply signal that something has been done? In this episode of The Africa Program Podcast, Mvemba Phezo Dizolele speaks with Brad Brooks-Rubin, partner at Arc Torus and former senior advisor in the U.S. State Department’s Office of Sanctions Coordination, to unpack how modern sanctio...
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  What’s Blinking on Africa’s Dashboard in a New Global Era 11.03.2026 59min

  Africa is at the center of global competition, but also at a pivotal moment in its own transformation. In this episode of The Africa Program Podcast, Mvemba Phezo Dizolele is joined by Fonteh Akum, Executive Director of the Institute for Security Studies, to examine the major trends shaping Africa’s future as the world enters a new year. Drawing on a continent-wide perspective, Akum outlines what is “blinking on the dashboard”: Africa’s youthful demographics, rapid technological adoption, gro...
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  Journalism, Identity, and the Politics of Africa Coverage 25.02.2026 1t 2min

  Covering Africa is never just about reporting events—it is about history, context, power, and perspective. In this episode of The Africa Program Podcast, Mvemba Phezo Dizolele speaks with award-winning journalist and author Michela Wrong, whose reporting and books have shaped global understanding of Africa for more than three decades. Wrong reflects on her path into Africa reporting, from Reuters postings in West and Central Africa to witnessing the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide and doc...
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  Why Military Coups Still Resonate Across Africa with Judd Devermont 10.02.2026 45min

  Coups have shaped African politics since independence, and they are once again at the center of the continent’s political debate. In this episode of The Africa Program Podcast, Mvemba Phezo Dizolele is joined by Judd Devermont, former senior director for African affairs at the U.S. National Security Council, to examine why coups continue to resonate with African publics and why they so often fail to deliver lasting change. Drawing on decades of history, from Mobutu and Rawlings to today’s j...
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  Wind Turbines for Peace with Karana Olivier 28.01.2026 47min

  Across West Africa, millions of people live without stable electricity—especially in regions facing conflict, drought, and state neglect. In this episode, Karana Olivier, founder of KOC Bridges, joins Mvemba Phezo Dizolele to explain how simple, locally built wind turbines are helping communities generate not just energy, but also cooperation, agency, and resilience. Karana describes his unique approach: enter villages with no predetermined solution, listen to every member of the community,...
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  The Rise of Cybercrime and the Need for Digital Literacy in Africa 14.01.2026 53min

  Africa’s rapid entry into the digital age brings unprecedented opportunity—and unprecedented risk. Digital futurist and AI thought leader Nicky Verd joins Mvemba Phezo Dizolele to discuss the continent’s cybersecurity vulnerabilities, the rise of AI-driven scams, and why digital ignorance may be one of Africa’s most dangerous threats. Verd explains how cybercriminals exploit gaps in awareness, how AI is making deception easier than ever, and why Africa must prioritize cybersecurity and AI lit...
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  Building and Losing Africa’s Voice in Washington 31.12.2025 53min

  For more than 50 years, Melvin Foote has been one of the most influential advocates shaping U.S.–Africa policy. From his early Peace Corps service in Ethiopia and Eritrea to founding the Constituency for Africa, Foote helped mobilize support for AGOA, advance anti-apartheid activism, and build crucial bridges between African Americans, African immigrants, and U.S. policymakers. In this conversation with Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, Foote reflects on the evolution of Africa advocacy: its early champ...
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  Digital Governance in Rwanda: A Conversation with Irembo CEO Israel Bimpe 17.12.2025 41min

  In this episode of The Africa Program, host Mvemba Phezo Dizolele speaks with Israel Bimpe, Chief Executive Officer of Irembo, about Rwanda’s innovative approach to digitizing public services and the broader implications for governance and service delivery across Africa. Drawing on Irembo’s decade-long evolution, Bimpe explains how the platform has transformed citizen interactions with government—from passports and driver’s licenses to birth records, business registrations, and more—while red...
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  Death Is Our Business: John Lechner on Mercenaries, Wagner, and Africa’s Security Future 03.12.2025 57min

  In this episode of The Africa Program, host Mvemba Phezo Dizolele speaks with journalist and researcher John Lechner—author of Death Is Our Business—about the rise of private military companies in Africa and the evolution of Russia’s Wagner Group. Drawing on years of fieldwork in the Central African Republic, Mali, and across the Sahel, Lechner explains how Wagner blends state interests, private ambition, and entrepreneurial warfare, and how its fighters navigate local politics, conflict dyna...
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  Young, Ready, Excluded? The State of Youth and Governance in Africa 03.12.2025 49min

  In this episode of The Africa Program, host Mvemba Phezo Dizolele speaks with Cynthia Chigwenya, former African Union Youth Ambassador for Peace, about the realities facing Africa’s young majority and the governance structures that shape their lives. Drawing on her experience in regional institutions and youth movements, Chigwenya explains how unemployment, the digital divide, and inherited colonial-era systems continue to limit meaningful youth participation. The conversation explores why ...
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  Inside “The Second Emancipation” with Howard French 03.12.2025 53min

  In this episode of The Africa Program, host Mvemba Phezo Dizolele speaks with author and journalist Howard French about his new book The Second Emancipation: Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Global Blackness at High Tide. Drawing on Nkrumah’s journey from colonial Ghana to the Black intellectual circles of 1930s America and postwar London, French traces how these experiences shaped Nkrumah’s vision of African liberation and global Black solidarity. The conversation explores why Nkrumah saw deco...
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  Introducing The Africa Program 31.10.2025 1min

  Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Insightful. Welcome to The Africa Program, your essential podcast for fearless conversations and sharp analysis on everything Africa. Tune in for thought-provoking dialogue with changemakers, thinkers, writers, and leaders from Africa and beyond. Whether you're seeking context, challenge, or clarity, The Africa Program delivers unfiltered insights and unapologetic truths. Hosted by Mvemba Phezo Dizolele — storyteller, analyst, and founder of Dizolele Advisory...