BBC World News launches new weekly programme, In Business Africa

BBC World News is launching a new weekly programme, In Business Africa, to look at the trends shaping Africa’s future.

In Business Africa will be presented by Nancy Kacungira and Lerato Mbele-Roberts. Kacungira, an established journalist from Uganda and the winner of the BBC World News Komla Dumor Award, will bring the show from Lagos, Nigeria.

Mbele-Roberts will bring the show from Johannesburg, South Africa. Together, the duo aims to change the narrative of African storytelling by showcasing some of the continent’s most prolific business stories to global audiences.

Each week, In Business Africa will look at the major changes and progression happening on the continent.

A magazine-style show, In Business Africa will consist of a mixture of interviews, discussions and informative features about a wide variety of business topics from the continent. With 16 BBC News bureaux across Africa, the show will also draw on the knowledge from a network of correspondents.

In the first episode, which airs on BBC World News at 18:30 GMT on Friday, 1 February, Kacungira looks at what it takes to develop products that are truly made in Africa, to serve African consumers and create meaningful jobs along the supply chain.

This will be followed by an episode about Africa’s move towards cashless transactions, which will focus on the growing number of fintech start-ups and the rise of internet penetration.

In the third episode, In Business Africa will explore how major infrastructure projects are transforming transport across the continent, and explore what that means for trade and travel. 

Charlie Villar, chief operating officer, BBC Global News, says, “There’s a growing appetite from global audiences for African news. With two of the continent’s best business presenters, and some of the world’s most established African journalists, In Business Africa highlights our commitment to the continent by offering positive, high production value programming that clients can partner with.”

In Business Africa will air every Friday at 7:30pm WAT, with repeats at 5:30pm WAT on Saturdays, 6:30am and 7:30pm WAT on Sundays, 11:30am WAT on Mondays, and 11:30am WAT on Wednesdays. In Business Africa will be supported by a range of special features on BBC.com/InBusinessAfrica.