BBC Studios and BBC News launch major new business programme Africa Enterprise, bringing insights from Africa’s most successful business leaders to global audiences.
Africa Enterprise will broadcast weekly on the News channel, with digital formats and across social media
Table of Contents
Program Overview
- Launch Date: October 5, 2026
- Host: Nancy Kacungira
- Where to Watch: BBC News channel and a dedicated page on BBC.com
- Core Focus: In-depth interviews with Africa’s premier CEOs, market disruptors, and innovators.
- Premiere Guest: Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man.
- Key Topics: Entrepreneurship, agriculture, mining, infrastructure, and the future of work.
Africa’s Richest Businessman
Africa’s richest businessman has outlined plans for a $16 billion East African refinery in an exclusive interview, offering a timely story on investment, energy security and the continent’s economic future.
The interview leads the launch of Africa Enterprise, a new business programme spotlighting influential African business leaders and emerging opportunities across the continent.
In the interview, Aliko Dangote discusses the refinery’s regional impact, Africa’s energy self-sufficiency and his vision for greater economic sovereignty
Launch of Africa Enterprise
BBC Studios and BBC News today announced the launch of Africa Enterprise, a major new multi-platform business programme that dives into the worlds of Africa’s greatest business innovators and showcases the opportunities emerging across the continent.
Sponsored by Absa, Africa Enterprise will launch globally on 5th October on the BBC News channel and on a dedicated page on BBC.com, one of the widest-read English language news websites in the world.
Hosted by one of the sharpest minds in business journalism – Nancy Kacungira – the landmark series will dive into what drives the market, giving African business leaders and global investors the insight they need to build sustainable success on African soil. Week-by-week, Nancy is your guide on the latest developments, providing intellectual depth, local expertise and an international perspective.
Positioning African enterprise at the centre of the global stage, Africa Enterprise is designed to offer insight to a business audience through in-depth interviews with Africa’s premier CEOs. By sharing their views on how global shifts and continental dynamics can be transformed into business success at home, the series reveals a bold blueprint of African economic sovereignty, demonstrating where the next big commercial and economic opportunities lie.
The programme will get the inside track on the opportunities from a continent-wide perspective and showcase how pan-African business can be the primary engine for Africa’s next stage of growth.
Exclusive Interview
Africa Enterprise launches with an exclusive interview with Africa’s richest man, business leader Aliko Dangote, who sets out his plans for the continent and gives his views on how Africa can achieve greater economic sovereignty.
Nancy Kacungira says: “Africa Enterprise will be more than just a straight business programme. We’ll be exploring business from a host of angles – from entrepreneurialism, agriculture and mining to the future of work, the creative industries, pan-African identity and infrastructure – we’ll be answering the questions on the mind of our audience and bringing these fascinating stories from Africa to the world.”
Isla Macleod, Vice President Commercial, Africa and Europe, BBC Studios, says: “We are delighted to have Absa sponsoring the launch of Africa Enterprise, a programme that showcases the ambition, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit shaping Africa’s future. Through this collaboration, BBC Studios and Absa are united by a shared commitment to bringing Africa’s business stories to life, highlighting the people, ideas and enterprises driving growth across the continent. Together, we look forward to bringing compelling stories, insights and opportunities from across Africa to audiences on the continent and around the world.”
For Absa, the sponsorship reflects its commitment to championing African voices and presenting a more authentic, ambitious and multidimensional picture of African enterprise to the world.
Sydney Mbhele, Group Chief Marketing and Corporate Affairs Officer at Absa Group, says: “Africa is not one market or one story. It is a continent of diverse people, ideas and enterprises, united by extraordinary ambition and an ability to turn complexity into opportunity. As a proudly pan-African bank, we believe the people shaping Africa’s future should be seen and heard on the world stage, and that African progress is most powerfully understood through African voices. This programme creates a global platform for the business leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators moving the continent forward. By bringing their perspectives into the global business conversation, it will provide a clearer understanding of the ideas, decisions and enterprises shaping economic growth across Africa.”
Running from 5th October, 3 x 4-minute weekly Africa Enterprise episodes plus a 12-minute programme at the end of each month on the BBC News Channel will be accompanied by captivating bespoke digital content for BBC.com/Business and BBC social channels. The programme will be available on the BBC Global YouTube page with clips on the BBC Global LinkedIn channel, aimed to inspire the next generation of business owners.
In addition, Absa is due to launch a suite of branded content produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions, the multi-award-winning creative studio from BBC Studios, which shines a light on Africa’s stories of creativity, community and entrepreneurship. Leveraging BBC Studios’ world-renowned creative and production capabilities that are behind some of the most beloved storytelling on the planet, the new campaign Stories of Africa: Season 2 explores how creativity is forging a new path for Africa’s next generation – from arts and culture to pioneering business leadership – supported by Absa.
The channel reaches around 127 million people on average every week across Africa with the largest audiences in Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, DRC and Ethiopia and has also seen its global audience figure grow to a record-breaking 502 million people weekly.
BBC.com, the global digital news platform operated by BBC Studios, has seen sustained growth since its 2024 relaunch which transformed the way international audiences read, watch and find the BBC’s journalism and storytelling. Supported by significant investment in technology and journalism, BBC.com now reaches an average of 149 million people outside the UK every month.
The BBC has seen a high demand for African content from audiences, with 70% saying they were interested in seeing content from the continent, rising to 92%amongst African audiences, and 40% were keen to be kept up to date about major business events in Africa.
Source and References
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