The Africa Dialogues

In this episode I spoke with Artem Adrianov, researcher on Arab affairs, consultant to business on the region, as well as expert at the Institute for International Studies at MGIMO University and project manager at the Primakov Center for International Cooperation. Artem was the host of the hit Russian-language podcast “The Oriental Express” for the Primakov Center, is the author of the telegram c...

During this episode I spoke with Gustavo de Carvalho, Senior Researcher in the African Governance and Diplomacy Programme at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). Gustavo has over 15 years of experience supporting policy development, capacity building, and research processes in Africa, particularly in multilateralism and the relationship between African actors and external...

During this episode I spoke with Brian Mugabi, member of the Ugandan delegation at the 2023 Russia-Africa Summit, Assistant Lecturer at the Department of Theory and History of International Relations at RUDN University and PHD candidate.  Having both been at the event, Brian and I exchanged opinions and impressions from the event, ran over the key takeaways and compared the 2019 and 2023 formats....

During this episode I spoke with Riverson Oppong, Commercial Manager in charge of Economic Modelling, Risk Management, and Policy Planning (ERP) at the Ghana National Gas Company, Adjunct Lecturer at Ghana Communication Technology University, Visiting Lecturer at the University of Cape Coast and GIMPA, as well as Chairperson of the Ghana Section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). Riverso...

During this episode I spoke to Zongxu Xie, researcher on African climate and water issues and joint PhD candidate at Tsinghua University and Oxford. Zongxu is actively involved in youth Belt and Road initiatives in Africa, took part in landmark Chinese infrastructure projects on the continent such as the Isimba Hydropower Station in Uganda, and makes regular visits to Africa, both for field resear...

During this episode I spoke to Daria Labutina, journalist covering Russia’s big “Return to Africa” and member of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s journalist pool, author of the Telegram channel “Africa for Dummies”.  Daria has been covering all things Africa for federal news agencies, having interviewed the prime-minister of the Central African Republic, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mali, as well...

During this episode I spoke to Mwiya Musokotwane, Co-Managing Partner, Co-Founder and CEO of Thebe Investment Management, a Zambian private investment firm building the new satellite town Nkwashi, one of Africa’s largest real estate development projects.  Mwiya was acknowledged as one of Africa’s brightest leaders in the 2018 Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 list, co-created the Zambia Technology Sector...

During this episode I spoke to Princess Mthombeni, former advisor to the South African government, nuclear technology advocate and communication specialist. Princess is a regular at high-profile global events such as UN Climate Change Conferences, various International Atomic Energy Agency working formats, the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum Conference and International Atom Expo. She is also the fo...

Today’s guest is Mikhail Lyapin, Founder at Patron Kenya, Managing partner at the business development consulting company Exotic.vc and Author of the telegram channel about business in Africa - @Mzungugram. During our discussion, Mikhail and I touched upon the face of modern Russian business in Africa today, why he chose East Africa as the starting point for his business, why high-level agreements...

Today’s guest is Ryan Collyer, CEO of Rosatom in Central and Southern Africa.  Rosatom is a Russian energy company that specializes in nuclear energy, non-energy nuclear applications and other high-tech solutions. The company plays an important role in Africa’s energy security, has been supplying enriched uranium to the continent as well as building Egypt’s first nuclear power plant and providing...

This episode’s guest is Kabanda Chewe, Country Manager for Yango in Zambia.  Kabanda graduated from the Saint Petersburg State University of Economics and holds a Specialist Degree in Finace & Credit. She is a certified Financial Modeling and Valuation Analyst (FMVA) and Project Management Professional (PMP), as well as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shaper Community. She is pas...