Podcasts by The East Africa Business Podcast: African Start ups | Investing | Entrepreneurship | Interviews

From rags to riches: Re-afric make colourful shoes from recycled African fabric that sell worldwide from 2019-12-19T06:00

This week's episode comes from Kibera, Kenya's biggest, and one of Africa's largest, informal settlements.

Life is tough here, and many talk about the "slum mentality" w...

Affordable healthcare for the masses: Ilara Health's sustainable business model saves lives from 2019-12-12T06:00

This week we're featuring what has to be one of my favourite business models to date.

One of the dominant themes in East Africa is that individuals and businesses don't ...

The opportunities and challenges of making affordable socks in Kenya from 2019-12-05T06:00

This week we're talking with two friends who have set up a business making socks in Kenya.

Both Vidyesh and Bishell grew up in Nairobi to entrepreneurial families, and a...

Cracking the nut industry: how Kenya adopted the world's most valuable nut, with Charles Muigai from 2019-11-28T06:00

Do you know what the world's most expensive nut is?

It's the macadamia nut.

Similar in shape and colour to a chickpea, but up to twice the size, it's ori...

(Chia) Seed Investors: the surprising story of how chia seeds came to be grown in Africa from 2019-11-21T06:00

In this episode, I speak with Sabina Karumba about how she and her husband started Chia Africa.

Most businesses have an interesting formation story, though this one is one of...

How Lynk raised $1.3m and evolved from "TaskRabbit for Kenya" to micro-franchising and construction from 2019-11-14T06:00

In this episode, I catch up with Johannes, co-founder of Lynk.

We initially spoke back in late 2016 along with his co-founder Adam. You can listen to the interview by searchi...

From Uber to call centre: why Flare decided on the human touch for emergency dispatch in Kenya from 2019-11-07T06:00

In this catch-up episode, I chat with Caitlin who runs Flare.

Caitlin and I first spoke in late 2016, and you can listen to the original interview by scrolling down to the ep...

Why Zamgoat believes goats are the next big meat in Zambia (and the world), with Paul Nyambe from 2019-10-31T06:00

In this second episode from Zambia, I speak with an entrepreneur who has found his niche and is fully focused on it.

Paul Nyambe grew up farming goats in rural Zambia. He an...

No credit card to drive! How City Drive Hire have opened up the Zambian car hire market from 2019-10-24T06:00

The landlocked country is just south of Malawi, Tanzania and DRC, and has the great Zambezi river as it's border with Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia.

Economically there's a l...

Moringa revisited: catching up with Audrey Cheng on the coding school's international expansion from 2019-10-17T06:00

In this episode, I catch up with Audrey Cheng, the founder of Moringa School.

We first did an interview in October of 2016, and so it had been over 2.5 years since we last sp...

How Brexit is affecting Kenya's role in the global flower market, with Chris Kulei from Sian Roses from 2019-10-10T06:00

This week we're speaking with a big player in one of Kenya's largest industries: flower farming.

Horticulture is one of the biggest sectors in the country's economy, and 60% ...

A tech success story. How Africa's Talking equips African software developers with APIs from 2019-10-03T06:00

In this episode I speak with Bilha Ndirangu who is the CEO of one of Africa's most successful tech start ups.

Started in Kenya nearly 10 years ago, Africa's Talking now serve...

How many eggs can you fit in an Uber? A Nairobi egg dealer on overcoming micro-business challenges from 2019-09-26T06:00

One of the nice things about having a podcast is that it allows you to have conversations with people you wouldn't otherwise get around to.

In this episode I sit down with Jo...

How a Kenyan couple captured the Japanese market in Kenya, with Wangari Wachira from 2019-09-19T06:00

Near to where I live in Nairobi is a Japanese cafe.

Whenever I've been the food has been delicious, and the small place is full of people from Japan, enjoying Ramen bowls and...

Why did the home of running not make running shoes? Nava the co-founder of Enda Running explains from 2019-09-12T06:00

If you think about brands that different countries have, most people probably have two strong associations for Kenya.

Safari and running.

The safari industry is we...

Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, why SunCulture can profitably sell to smallholder farmers from 2019-09-05T06:00

If you've been following The East Africa Business Podcast for a while, you might notice that most episodes are around the 30-40 minute mark.

Whilst that was the intention her...

East Africa's first board game cafe, and why most Kenyans don't know how to play, with Bao Box from 2019-08-29T06:00

There are certain business models or concepts which seem to be universally popular.

One big one recently has been creating a public space where friends can meet up for some f...

Move over Tesla, Opibus has a better way to get electric vehicles on African roads from 2019-08-22T06:00

We've got a very interesting interview this week, one that brings together using modern technology with a compelling market need.

It's all about electric vehicles.

Listen

Video Games: Africa prepares for the $bn gaming market, with Nathan Masyuko from Ludique Works from 2018-10-11T06:00:46

Gaming is something that a lot of people may not consider as a business industry.

I, for one, know or rather knew very little about it, though this interview with Nathan...

Relocating top African software developers to European tech teams, with Caspar Coding from 2018-10-04T19:05:55

An interesting heuristic you can think about when considering companies operating in East Africa is where the demand comes from.

There are lots of businesses you can see...

Entrepreneur and author Sean Keough explains the need for a different financial model in developing markets from 2018-09-27T06:00:13

This is an episode which I really hope you stick with.

As you’ll have seen from some of the other episodes, I find that often the “unsexy” aspects of doing business in E...

The Economist's Africa editor compares East Africa's development with the rest of the continent from 2018-09-20T06:00:03

In this episode I speak with Jonathan Rosenthal, the Africa Editor of The Economist.

Our paths crossed when I was back in London for a few weeks, and so we took the oppo...

Big retail CEO Daniel Githua explains the role of supermarkets formalising the East African economy from 2018-09-13T06:00:22

Some of the biggest and most visible players in any country are the supermarkets.

They employ thousands of people, have a wide geographic presence and interact with many...

Booming factory business. Tales of growth, expansion and toilet paper, from Darshan Chandaria from 2018-09-06T07:05:02

Manufacturing is one of the major value drivers in an economy.

In this episode, I speak with Darshan Chandaria, Group CEO of Chandaria Industries, the company founded by...

An innovative construction material transforms Kenya's booming housing market, with Mburu Karanja from 2018-08-30T07:04:33

Housing in Africa is a huge problem.

Every year millions more people arrive in cities and are forced to stay in informal settlements.

Developers struggle...

How Busara Center's unintuitive behavioural insights bring clarity to the complex, with Chaning Jang from 2018-08-23T07:00:31

A lot of the interviews on The East Africa Business Podcast have been related to individual companies telling their stories, and the lessons they’ve learned.

In this epi...

Impact Investing: Beyond Capital’s perspective, with Brian Axelrad and Nicholas Java from 2018-08-16T07:00:47

In this episode I speak with Brian Axelrad and Nicholas Java: investors at Beyond Capital.

They are a special type of investor, which is the topic of our discussion.

Season Three Preview from 2018-08-12T16:28:45

Overview
So it’s been a few months since we last released episode and we’re back soon with some more interviews on the bustling business scene in East Africa.

Big Data Lending: unlocking commercial capital for Africa with Daniel Goldfarb from Lendable from 2018-04-12T07:00:44

It’s widely acknowledged that one of the biggest prohibitions to the development of East Africa is lack of capital.

The global economy is premised on aggregating savings...

A "one for one" model delivering nutritious hot lunches for schoolchildren, with Wawira Njiru from 2018-04-05T07:48:42

Most people have somewhat underwhelming memories of school lunches.

Bland, uninteresting food which likely compelled you to go off at break time to the local shop and ea...

The social (and commercial) upsides of building an online parenting platform, with MumsVillage from 2018-03-29T09:00:25

One of the upsides of the internet is the ability to collect and store information that was previously only passed down between generations, or spread by word of mouth.

...

Where does hair comes from? The global supply chain of human wigs and weaves from 2018-03-22T08:00:32

This is an episode I’ve been wanting to do for a long long time.

One of the things I’ve found bewildering working in the region is the frequency with which the females I...

How the "Distributed Economy" thesis could revolutionise how we think about Africa's development from 2018-03-15T08:00:06

This is a slightly different episode of The East Africa Business Podcast where  we’ll be covering a thesis around development.

When you consider how countries and societ...

Kasha opens up access to sanitary pads in East Africa through last-mile distribution from 2018-03-08T08:00:32

There are certain products which, let’s face it, are more embarrassing to purchase than others.

You don’t think twice about buying a pint of milk, however things such as...

The need to digitalise the pharmacy business in East Africa, and the benefits that come when you do from 2018-03-01T08:00:13

Pharmacies are found in almost every community in East Africa, however the way in which they are currently operating leaves a lot of room for improvement

The business is...

Why Ethiopia needs a localised version of Uber, with Habtamu Tadesse from ZayRide from 2018-02-22T08:00:44

In many parts of the world, ordering a taxi from your smartphone is the new norm.

Until July 2016 though, this was not possible in the country of Ethiopia, Africa’s seco...

Running an online business in Ethiopia when the power goes out, with Feleg Tsegaye from DeliverAddis from 2018-02-15T09:00:49

When running an e-commerce company in most parts of the world, there are certain things you can take for granted. Namely that your customers can get on the internet in order to use your...

African rocketship BitPesa use blockchain to enable international payments, with Elizabeth Rossiello from 2018-02-08T11:08:11

This week we’ve got an excellent episode which looks at applying breakthrough technology, to frontier markets.

You’ve probably heard of Bitcoin and blockchain, and here ...

Revolutionising access to credit in Africa through Peer-to-Peer lending, with Hilda Moraa from 2018-02-01T09:00:26

Many international studies have pointed to the lack of SME financing as being a huge blocker to a country’s development.

In the context of Kenya, many small business own...

How mSurvey's Head of Data leverages the company's big data for insights never before possible from 2018-01-25T04:00:40

Understanding your customers is an incredibly important aspect of any forward-thinking business.

In many developed markets there are reams of public data available to un...

Season Two Preview from 2018-01-21T10:23:24

Overview
So… after a few months away The East Africa Business Podcast is coming back, with more interviews from entrepreneurs and business leaders on the ground in this exci...

*SPECIAL* Silicon Savannah: Business Lessons from East Africa Talk from 2017-08-23T18:21:10

Overview
We’ve got a slightly different format for this episode – it’s a recording of a talk that I gave on a recent trip back to London.

It was held at a co...

Season One Conclusion from 2017-06-07T05:00:08

Overview
This is a little episode to update you on what’s going to be happening with The East Africa Business Podcast.

The short version is that the podcast ...

Dream. Grow. Be Found. How Fuzu equips thousands of Kenyans for the workplace, with Jussi Hinkkanen from 2017-05-31T04:00:51

The demography in East Africa dictates that tens of millions of people will be entering the job market in the coming years

There is not only a challenge of creating jobs...

We Farm are building an SMS-based social network for farmers, with Kenny Ewan from 2017-05-24T06:00:36

When you consider different ways of getting information, you might think of going on Google or reading a book

But how to do this in an environment with no libraries, com...

Paying for textbooks by the page: how Kytabu is disrupting Kenyan education, with Tonee Ndungu from 2017-05-17T16:55:05

The main way that students learn how to pass an exam is by reading from a textbook.

Traditionally, this has been built on the premise of publishers printing physical cop...

Kenya's first local producer of coconut goods. Kentaste's hustle to get in supermarkets and more from 2017-05-10T10:38:17

One of the growing international product categories is goods made from coconuts.

The health, and taste, benefits of coconut oil and coconut milk have caused a rise in de...

Preventing food waste through solar powered fridges, with Luke Davey from Inspira Farms from 2017-05-03T04:49:10

One of the recurring themes throughout conversations with agriculture companies is the problems with post harvest loss

If produce can’t be kept cold then it will perish ...

No need for uni. Moringa School's world class coding school in Kenya, with Audrey Cheng from 2017-04-26T04:00:50

Most business is about matching demand with supply.

From her work as a Venture Capitalist talking to businesses about what would help them grow, Audrey found that resoun...

Setting boundaries: how Agrinfo's mapping technology overcomes pen and paper land disputes from 2017-04-19T04:00:43

Smallholder farmers are the majority of the East African population, but there are many issues that they face.

Rose, who founded Agrinfo, is using ICT to help. Identifyi...

Training rats to save lives (no joke) in Tanzania, with Georgies Mgode from Apopo from 2017-04-12T04:00:34

Humans are good at a lot of business functions, but one where animals have got us beaten is at sniffing things out.

Rats have the best sense of smell of all mammals and ...

Uber for ambulances. Why most Africans can't call 911 and how Flare solves this, with Caitlin Dolkart from 2017-04-05T04:00:26

There are some ideas that, when someone tells you about it, your first reaction is surprise that there even needs to be a business

I had this reaction about Flare, which...

Inuka Pap uses mobile money to help low-income savings groups, with Waweru Kuria from 2017-03-29T04:00:50

Cash is risky business, and in Kenya, mobile money is big.

People living in rural areas are liable to have their life savings lost if it is kept under the mattress.

Treasure from trash: how The Recycler creates value/ maggots from waste in the booming Dar es Salaam from 2017-03-22T04:00:47

One of the by products of a country’s development is the amount of waste that is produced.

As populations grow the number of, say, plastic bottles that are consumed incr...

Escaping the rental poverty trap: how Tugende gives motorcycle taxi drivers the ability to own from 2017-03-15T03:00:42

A recurring theme across East Africa is how owning an asset is a path out of poverty.

It’s a bit of a chicken and egg problem, as banks typically require an asset as col...

Creating linkages in agriculture to improve farmer incomes, with Maria Biswalo from Ninayo from 2017-03-08T03:00:06

A big issue in Tanzania, and indeed the rest of East Africa, is connecting agriculture buyers and sellers.

The fact that produce goes bad because it can’t find a buyer i...

How Lynk is building a "TaskRabbit for Kenya", with the founders Adam and Johannes from 2017-03-01T03:00:49

A huge amount of employment in East Africa exists in the informal sector.

People often working on an ad hoc basis with little record of what they do.

Thi...

Game-changing technology that allows those with low-income to purchase goods on credit from 2017-02-22T03:00:48

If you don’t have much money there are lots of things that you can’t buy.

This might sound simplistic, but in a country where a high proportion of the population have lo...

Why lack of working capital chokes the Kenyan food industry, and how Umati Capital solves this from 2017-02-15T03:00:21

Working capital in East Africa is tough to get your hands on.

Umati Capital are looking to help, using technology to give credit where banks won’t, typically through giv...

Where does your tea come from? Toby Theobald from Chai Tausi in Tanzania explains from 2017-02-08T03:00:23

Tea is a product that has a strong industrial base in East Africa.

It’s been going for years, meaning that many companies have emerged and there is a pretty competitive ...

"Netflix for Africa": how Tango TV is creating a platform for streaming local East African content from 2017-02-01T03:00:23

Most people like to be entertained.

Soon after getting a smartphone, people in East Africa start to seek out entertainment in the form of videos on Youtube not even cons...

Digital transformation in Tanzania hospitals - how Geek Technologies make local businesses paperless from 2017-01-25T03:00:07

As more of East Africa goes online, they need web services.

The trend is towards broader access to the internet and with that
a demand towards bringing more and mor...

How Living Labs teaches entrepreneurship to rural Tanzanians, with Victoria John from 2017-01-18T03:00:27

Education is something which a lot of people are hungry for.

Living Lab is a non-profit organisation in Tanzania that looks to empower people in low income communities Listen

Cycling with elephants: breaking new ground in Tanzanian travel with Mejah Mbuya from Afriroots from 2017-01-11T04:00:22

When most people think of East Africa, they visualise safari.

The region is home to many large and exotic animals which parade through the national parks

Building "Spotify for Africa" with Martin Nielsen from Mdundo from 2017-01-04T05:00:55

One of the things I’ve found interesting is how proven international business models are being applied in East Africa.

Music streaming is one of these.

I...

Selling cakes (and training cake makers), with Grace Murugi from Cakes.co.ke from 2016-12-28T03:00:51

If you consider businesses that bring people joy, for me at least, cake is one of them.

It’s also a product which is being bought by the emerging middle class especially...

The CEO of iHub gives an overview of the East Africa tech ecosystem, with Kamal Bhattacharya from 2016-12-21T03:00:48

One of the first places I had earmarked for learning about business in Kenya was the iHub.

From reading up on business in East Africa it was always mentioned as the hear...

The effusive Dr Suudi gives us a taste of his Ugandan radio adverts from 2016-12-14T03:00:53

Coming from the UK, one of the biggest differences in East Africa has been how products are marketed.

In the co-working space I was at in London we would talk about Goog...

A history of surveying and market research in Kenya with Boniface Ngahu from SBO Research from 2016-12-07T02:00:34

Understanding the consumer is an important part of a lot of businesses.

Boniface is a director at SBO Research, a Market Research company that has been in business in Ke...

Supporting Ugandan small holder farmers with affordable services, with Peter Nyeko from Reparle from 2016-11-30T01:05:12

During my travels in East Africa, time and again people would point to the low prices that farmers receive as the main blocker to development.

Low prices come from not b...

Why biomass charcoal cooking stoves are saving lives, with Ziwa Hillington from Green Bioenergy from 2016-11-30T01:00:22

Cooking is an everyday activity that most people engage in.

In places where you don’t have gas, charcoal is often used to fire up a stove.

Whilst people ...

Coworking Space: giving entrepreneurs in Uganda a collaborative place to work from 2016-11-23T03:00:27

When people start on a business idea, they typically go and work out of a co-working space so they can be amongst like-minded individuals, and also get support in starting their venture...

Why Ugandans are demanding "masculine" motorbikes, with Pankaj Tiwari from Miracle Motors from 2016-11-16T03:00:34

Arriving in Kampala (the capital city of Uganda) one of the first thing people notice are how many motorbikes there are.

It’s the de facto mode of transport for getting ...

The exciting ways brands can engage with a growing youth market in Uganda, with Belguin Prosper from 2016-11-09T01:00:38

Uganda has the world’s youngest population.

Brands are waking up to the idea that if they can create loyalty amongst this large section of society, they will reap the re...

Make up for African women - why imported cosmetics don't work and no-one trusts the Chinese from 2016-11-02T03:00:22

Make up is not an industry that I can profess to know much about, but after speaking with Sylvia, the founder of Paramour Cosmetics, I feel I...

How a credit marketplace can unlock the potential in SMEs, with George Bakka from Patasente from 2016-10-26T01:00:36

Interest rates in Uganda, and indeed the whole East Africa region, are by Western standards, very high.

A small business looking for a short term loan from a bank will b...

Glass half full: how Jibu's innovative franchise provides clean, affordable water across East Africa from 2016-10-19T01:00:26

If you consider businesses that solve Tier A problems, safe drinking water is pretty much top of the list.

Across East Africa people are unable to drink from the tap, an...

New York, Paris, Kampala..? How and why Gloria Wavamunno started Uganda's international Fashion Week from 2016-10-12T02:00:31

Across the world the pinnacle display of a country’s fashion is its annual “Fashion Week”. London, New York and Paris lead the way in this showcase of designers pushing the frontiers of...

Smoothies: how a growing Rwandan enterprise sells healthy juices, with Anitha Dusabe of Twistiblendz from 2016-10-05T02:00:50

There’s (literally) tonnes of fruit in Rwanda, but only a tiny fraction of it ends up being whizzed up and drunk as smoothies. When it does, it’s usually at Listen

How using solar energy can drastically improve how farmers water their crops, with Flavia Howard from 2016-09-28T03:00:19

Water is fundamental to any sort of agricultural business. As it stands, a large portion of Rwandan farmers only get it from the sky, in the form of sporadic rainfall. This is despite p...

Beanz Meanz Development: value addition by cooking and packing nutritious beans from 2016-09-21T01:00:59

From a GDP perspective, any business that “adds value” to a supply chain  is a good thing. Traditionally countries like Rwanda have been just growing agricultural produce, with...

Why GetIt need to use Whatsapp to deliver food produce in Rwanda, with Lauren Russell from 2016-09-14T03:05:09

Fresh produce delivery has traditionally been an informal industry in Rwanda. Reliably ordering food isn’t really a thing and so after finishing a contract at the Nike Foundation, Laure...

Why no toothpicks are made in East Africa? A market evaluation, with Olly Cassels from 2016-09-07T06:26:52

There’s a surprisingly interesting business to be had in little wooden sticks. Like much of the region, toothpicks are a staple at nearly every restaurant in Rwanda and this is a discus...

Electricity from the sun: how BBOXX's off-grid solar systems power rural Rwanda, with Justus Mucyo from 2016-09-04T08:54:23

Off grid electricity is a big thing in Rwanda. The country is not going through the arduous process of establishing the grid, and then getting everybody to connect to it, and so for the...

Accelerating Rwanda: Aphrodice Mutangana explains how the kLab hub is fostering entrepreneurship from 2016-09-01T14:42:57

Rwanda’s demography means entrepreneurship is strongly promoted as a means of providing private sector employment for a young population. Aphrodice is General Manager of Listen