Into Africa

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Fearless music activists. Savvy tech entrepreneurs. Social disrupters. Into Africa shatters the narratives that dominate U.S. perceptions of Africa. Host Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, Africa program director and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C., sits down with policymakers, journalists, academics and other trailblazers in African affairs to shine a spotlight on the faces spearheading cultural, political, and economic change on the continent.

Recent Episodes
  • Navigating Africa’s Environmental Dilemma
    Apr 24, 2025 – 39:53
  • Best Of: The boomers in Mali getting their news from TikTok
    Apr 17, 2025 – 36:53
  • Advancing Change in Nigeria: Advocacy in Action
    Apr 14, 2025 – 32:13
  • Accra’s housing crisis is forcing young people to delay the traditional milestones of adulthood.
    Apr 3, 2025 – 25:15
  • Africa at a Crossroads: The 2025 African Union Summit
    Mar 27, 2025 – 38:18
  • The think tank making impact evaluation skills accessible to every Tanzanian
    Mar 20, 2025 – 28:02
  • Finding Paths to Sustainable Development in Africa
    Mar 13, 2025 – 45:24
  • The new Alliance of Sahel States and the future of Africa’s legacy institutions
    Mar 6, 2025 – 48:46
  • Africa’s Narrative Revolution
    Feb 27, 2025 – 35:35
  • DeepSeek’s AI is cheap. Is this a game-changer for African startups?
    Feb 20, 2025 – 41:27
  • Power, Politics, and Peace in Somalia
    Feb 13, 2025 – 34:35
  • The fallout of the U.S. aid freeze in Washington, Abuja, and beyond
    Feb 6, 2025 – 44:48
  • AFRICOM at 17: Shaping U.S.-Africa Relations
    Jan 30, 2025 – 01:15:35
  • The festivities and frustrations of ‘detty December’ 
    Jan 23, 2025 – 30:16
  • The Reporter’s Note: Observations on U.S. Africa Policy
    Jan 17, 2025 – 37:01
  • Decoding demographics with Dr. Jennifer D. Sciubba
    Jan 9, 2025 – 31:18
  • Africa’s bid for two permanent UNSC seats (with Amb. Martin Kimani)
    Dec 19, 2024 – 59:30
  • The Fight Against HIV and Gender-Based Violence
    Dec 12, 2024 – 26:55
  • Africa spends more on servicing debt than on health care. How did we get here?
    Dec 5, 2024 – 40:18
  • A behind-the-scenes tour of Afrobarometer, Africa's leading survey research organization.
    Nov 21, 2024 – 38:18
  • Internal Challenges: Ghana’s Security Landscape
    Nov 14, 2024 – 49:00
  • Trump has won a second term. What does his victory mean for U.S.-Africa policy?
    Nov 7, 2024 – 33:01
  • Rwanda's Strained Relations with Neighbours
    Oct 31, 2024 – 01:04:54
  • The boomers in Mali getting their news from TikTok
    Oct 24, 2024 – 36:53
  • Introducing The Afropolitan Podcast
    Oct 22, 2024 – 01:27
  • Youth Voices: The New Wave of Kenyan Activism
    Oct 17, 2024 – 42:21
  • Botswana Beyond Diamonds
    Oct 4, 2024 – 46:25
  • Security and Governance in Nigeria
    Sep 19, 2024 – 44:03
  • Fostering Transformative Leadership: The Mandela Washington Fellowship
    Sep 5, 2024 – 35:58
  • Rethinking U.S.-Africa Strategy
    Aug 22, 2024 – 38:32
  • Building Africa’s Digital Future
    Aug 8, 2024 – 32:24
  • Partnerships for Peace: The Global Fragility Act
    Jul 25, 2024 – 39:21
  • The Hidden Genius Project
    Jul 11, 2024 – 30:12
  • Young and Radical
    Jun 27, 2024 – 39:11
  • Understanding the DRC’s Governance Structure
    Jun 13, 2024 – 31:07
  • That’s A Great Question!
    May 30, 2024 – 35:43
  • Into the Africa Land Forces Summit
    May 16, 2024 – 22:12
  • The Twists and Turns of U.S.- Tanzania Bilateral Relations
    May 2, 2024 – 45:06
  • From a Jail Cell to the Presidential Palace
    Apr 18, 2024 – 35:43
  • The State of Eight: Challenges Facing the East Africa Community
    Apr 4, 2024 – 40:13
  • Project Hope: Improving Maternal Health in Sierra Leone
    Mar 21, 2024 – 30:21
  • AFCON and the Power of Unity 
    Mar 7, 2024 – 39:31
  • Mali: Between the Lines
    Feb 22, 2024 – 31:22
  • Breaking Up with ECOWAS
    Feb 8, 2024 – 35:04
  • How to Speak about Africa
    Jan 26, 2024 – 36:54
  • The Promises of COP 28
    Jan 11, 2024 – 28:40
  • Peaceful Transitions, Close Elections, and Voting Trends in Liberia
    Dec 14, 2023 – 29:39
  • Angola’s Paradox of Abundance
    Nov 30, 2023 – 36:06
  • Taking Africa's Pulse with Afrobarometer
    Nov 16, 2023 – 36:24
  • Cooking Up a Storm from Dakar to Brooklyn
    Nov 2, 2023 – 38:04
Recent Reviews
  • MachameMachame
    Sound Quality
    Great guests and interesting topics! I’d love to listen to this podcast more but, in all honesty, I find the sound quality much too tinny and hard to enjoy over a long period of time. Is there any possibility to invest in a better recording set up?
  • RJG179
    Much Potential
    The host is both knowledgeable and an excellent communicator. The topics covered, unfortunately, tend to be disappointing, in my view. Personally, I’d be more interested in hearing more about how African countries and regions are evolving. Where are the bright spots and where are the problems. Where are they politically and economically; and how should our policy change to meet their unique needs. I can go elsewhere for topics like culinary.
  • Johnnui
    Excellent show tackling tough matters fairly
    I listen to this podcast to learn more about an area that is under and misrepresented all the time in the news and social media. I feel I get fair and honest coverage from this podcast and always leave having learned something and wanting to do more
  • truthtelher
    Authentic, no nonsense interviews
    I love how Mvemba asks tough questions that really get to the heart of global issues. He respectfully encourages guests to be solution-oriented, offering helpful perspectives from his vast experience. Always a great listen.
  • cynnieK
    Africa the continent
    This is a great podcast. It showcases Africa in its entirety, good and bad. And even though it’s called “Into Africa”, you learn quickly that Africa is more than just one monolith and has so much potential to really be a global powerhouse.
  • Kshilla
    Engaging & Accessible
    Provides a much-needed nuanced narrative of Africa, while being both engaging & informative.
  • Rmm mm
    Great show! Please make episodes longer! Or more focused!
    Very much the breadth and depth of the show. But, it could be deeper. Episodes should be longer, or fewer topics should be covered. You do a good job of creating a synergy between panelists but in almost every episode it feels like conversations are getting cut short. Which isn’t surprising because a lot of the conversations are less than 15 minutes. You do an admirable job of covering the whole continent from different angles. But that’s such a huge remit that spending so little time on each topic does it a disservice.
  • NegMatic
    Very interesting
    Thank you for putting together so much content in these podcasts.
  • mruby14
    Great US imperial propaganda
    If you want a good example of how the US State Department has outsourced its neoliberal propagandizing to beltway think tanks then look no further. It’s well-produced and occasionally features African voices but paints issues with a broad brush and is uncritical of foreign intervention and its neocolonial underpinnings.
  • momo3421
    Digestible, vibrant podcast on Africa
    Each episode makes me smarter. The podcast covers a wide range of topics and features a variety of voices. My favorite episodes are on African print, LBGTQ+ rights across the continent, and the episode featuring Bobi Wine, the Ugandan opposition politician. Fantastic lineup for each episode.
  • Life-long learner 315
    Most Dynamic Podcast on Africa Yet
    Every topic is interesting and nuanced. I always walk away learning something new and feeling challenged to think bigger.
  • Julia TM2
    Every episode delivers!
    It’s so refreshing to hear African voices featured in each episode. If you want to stay in the know on all things Africa - politics, economics and even culture, look no further.
  • Jason-I
    Absolute Nonsense
    To put it simply, this podcast features white people who aim to push their values “into Africa.” After this episode, I’m done. Your values aren’t superior to those of Africans.
  • virginiawilderness
    Best Pod on Africa
    If you’re interested in Africa, Judd’s pod is critical content. Judd is engaging and brings in interesting and authoritative speakers. The topics and content are prescient and thought provoking.
  • gwoels
    Fantastic
    This is a great podcast. Fantastic commentary and solid subject matter. Keep it up. It would be great if you guys could come up with a logo or icon; it would make it easier to find the podcast in my library.
  • emtucker
    Intelligent but not inaccessible
    For both a novice and a wonk, this podcast fills a real niche of intelligent analysis of the continent! Look forward to every episode.
  • HastyUNC
    Fills a real need.
    This podcast makes African political and military affairs accessible to everyone, but is sophisticated enough to benefit experienced Africa-watchers.
  • eyayboke
    Not your average Africa podcast
    This is definitely a different (and quite frankly refreshing) take on Africa. The inaugural Bobi Wine episode is awesome, can't wait for more!
  • WAVEY.io
    Can’t wait for more episodes!
    This was amazing and look forward to the next podcast. Thank you Judd, definitely worth subscribing!!
  • BigCR
    Concise and insightful take on Africa
    This podcast does a great job of using current events to dive into the deeper themes that are driving conversations and changes on the continent. The mix of panel discussions and interviews keeps the show moving and the listener engaged... this will definitely be on my list of regular listens.
  • Maxbone
    By far the best Africa podcast
    If you are an avid watcher of the continent or simply want to learn more this podcast is something you must listen to.
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