Voices of Africa

Marcus speaks to Rita Madeira, Africa Programme Officer at the International Energy Agency about what it’s going to take for African energy-related development goals to be achieved, including universal access to modern energy services by 2030 and the full implementation of all African climate pledges.

Marcus Courage talks with Jakkie Cilliers, chair of the Board of Trustees and head of the African Futures and Innovation Programme at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) . They discuss the growing divergence between Africa and the rest of the world, how Africa can reap the demographic dividend and the continent’s significance in an increasingly polarised geopolitical context.

Marcus speaks with Moky Mokura, CEO of Africa No Filter, about storytelling, why it matters, and the work she is spearheading to shift narratives about Africa. “Because until lions learn to write, hunters will tell their stories for them. The only way to change a narrative is to change the underlying stories.’’ - Moky Makura Moky also has her own podcast platform - Woman on Top

Marcus speaks to Rebekah Shirley, Director of Research, Data and Innovation at the World Resources Institute, about the challenges and opportunities that Africa faces in realising a just and fair energy transition. Rebekah discusses the complexities of delivering energy access at scale on a continent where 560 million people don’t have access to electricity, and the importance of decentralising re...

Marcus speaks to Mzila Mthenjane, Head of Stakeholder Affairs at Exxaro Resources, one of the largest coal producers in South Africa. Mzila joined Exxaro in 2013 after stints at AngloGold, Gold Fields Limited, RMB and Deutsche Bank. In this episode Mzila gives an insight into Exxaro’ journey to transition from a coal base to a minerals and renewable energy solutions business. He speaks about the s...

Marcus speaks with Hilaire Diarra at Barrick Gold, one the leading gold and copper producers on the African continent, with mines and projects in Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, DRC, Mali, Tanzania and Zambia. Hilaire joined Randgold Resources as a graduate in 2008 (before the merger with Barrick). In 2021 he was appointed Sustainability Head, responsible for ESG performance in the Middle East and Africa. M...

Marcus speaks with Charles Murito, Regional Director at Google, responsible for Government Affairs and Public Policy in Sub Saharan Africa. Charles sheds light on the large scale investments the tech giant is making in infrastructure connectivity solutions, in growing the software developer ecosystem in SSA, and in supplying early and growth stage African startups with funding. He outlines too the...

Marcus speaks with Saul Levin, Executive Director of TIPS (Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies), a leading South African economic research institute. Saul gives his views on industrial policy in South Africa, progress towards a clean energy transition and the state of intra-regional trade within Southern Africa. He reflects too on the upbeat mood among companies and investors at the recently co...

Marcus talks to Sharmi Surianarain who is the Chief Impact Officer at Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator. The Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator is a not for profit social enterprise that's building African solutions for the global challenge of youth unemployment. She leads research, knowledge, and insights, focusing on the impact of Harambee’s capabilities to change the system and contribut...

Marcus speaks to Jean-Claude Tshipama, Deputy CEO of Equity BCDC, a leading financial institution in the Democratic Republic of Congo. EBCDC is a subsidiary of Equity Group Holdings Ltd, the Kenyan-domiciled banking group.. Prior to joining EBCDC, Jean-Claude worked throughout Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and North America, serving in senior Commercial, Sales and Distribution roles for Microsoft,...

Rakesh Rajani, Vice President of Programs at Co-Impact has devoted himself to social impact causes over three decades, working in the fields of human rights, education, governance and philanthropy. Our CEO, Marcus Courage, speaks with Rakesh about why some systems do not function, who we are leaving out and what kind of levers can be used to change systems so that they benefit all people equally....

This week Marcus talks with Ken Munyi, Managing Director of Echo Kenya. Ken is an accomplished leader in both private and public sectors with more than 15 years’ experience in IT, finance and administration management in various countries. Ken shares his observation of the Kenyan ITCT space and technology. He alerts us of threats that malware and cyber security represent for all of our businesses.

Siegfried (‘Siggi’) Huegemann, co-founder and Vice Chairman of the African Hydrogen Partnership (AHP) tells Marcus why hydrogen technology could be the crucial missing link in the transition of African economies to green electrification. Hydrogen technology is ready for use and available now, Siggi explains, and new markets for it are growing rapidly. A handful of countries in North and Southern A...

Max Jarrett is Africa Director for the International Energy Agency (IEA). The IEA is at the heart of global dialogue on energy, providing authoritative analysis, data, policy recommendations, and real-world solutions to help countries provide secure and sustainable energy for all. Marcus and Max have a candid discussion about leadership in the industry, the energy crisis, and the mission and journ...

Salimatou Diallo is managing partner at ADNA, an independent African law firm. Her practice operates across four West and North African countries and focuses on complex project development and finance, M&A, general corporate and other commercial matters. The firm operates primarily in the energy and mining sectors, and advises both DFIs and sponsors. Salimatou worked as a lawyer in renowned intern...

Our CEO, Marcus Courage speaks with Kombate Marindame who is the Regional Manager for West Africa at Camco Clean Energy, Ghana. Camco Clean Energy is a fund manager focused on renewables and climate solutions in emerging markets. Kombate speaks about the shift in the investment landscape of clean energy and gives his perspective of the global climate finance markets.

Marcus speaks with Monica Musonda, a corporate lawyer turned entrepreneur who is the Founder & CEO of Java Foods, a Zambian-based food processing/FMCG company. Monica talks about changes in consumer tastes during COVID-19 and how Java has evolved its portfolio to cater for nutritional needs. She believes that consumers need to be educated more on nutrition, malnutrition and obesity. Monica highlig...

Dario Giuliani is the Director of Briter Bridges, a think tank and data-driven research company focused on the role of innovation and technology, as well as private sector development across underserved markets (i.e. those lacking a sufficient supply of data to showcase their untapped business opportunities). Briter also runs an editorial side project that looks into the trends and dynamics in the...

Marcus talks to Charles Mudiwa, CEO of Stanbic Bank Kenya about his motivations for transition from medicine to banking. and the challenges and responsibilities associated with leading a large financial institution. Charles shares his outlook for the Kenyan economy and speaks about his strategy for contending with technology companies who are disrupting the banking sector.

Greg Murray is CEO and Co-Founder of KOKO Networks – a venture-backed technology company with staff in Kenya and India. He and his team have designed an imaginative approach to deliver affordable clean cooking fuel at scale, tackling the scourge of indoor air pollution. Greg fills us in about KOKO’s smart fuel network and his plans for solving some of the most acute pain points of daily life in Na...

Marcus speaks to Frannie Leautier, Partner and CEO of SouthBridge Investments. Frannie explains how ‘Frugal Innovation’ has come to guide her investment decisions, and she speaks about her experience promoting and supporting intra-Africa trade, as well as her hopes for the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.

Marcus speaks with William Asiko, Managing Director, Africa Regional Office at The Rockefeller Foundation who shares the great work that this foundation is doing across the continent as both an active investor and being a catalyser of partnerships and policy reform in areas extending across a broad portfolio. Sectors such as agriculture, hospitality and transport were already bedevilled with chall...

In this episode, Marcus asks Sheila Khama if the mining industry has stepped up to the plate in assisting local communities during this pandemic. The pair also discuss whether the oil industry’s leaders have missed critical signals and failed to act decisively in taking decisions that would see it play a key role in the transition to a clean energy future. Sheila Khama, is one of the continent’s m...

Marcus Courage has a candid conversation on the state of transformative leadership in Africa with Dr K.Y. Amoako, President of the African Centre for Economic Transformation. former Executive Director of UNECA and author of ‘Know the Beginning Well'. Dr Amoako has operated at the apex of international development in Africa for more than five decades. He speaks here about his motivations, his inspi...

Marcus speaks with Jackie Chimhanzi, CEO of the African Leadership Institute (AFLI), about leadership. AFLI works in partnership with Oxford University to develop 20-25 carefully chosen candidates annually from across Africa. The Institute’s flagship programme is the Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellowship.