It’s the summer festival season, and while Europe and North America are seeing declining sales and smaller tours - Africa’s festival scene is on an upward trend.

Eswatini’s Bushfire Festival, and Tanzania’s Sauti Za Busara are growing, bringing jobs, tourism and support for Africa’s music industry.

On this week’s episode, Tiwa Adebayo speaks to Maputo based correspondent Tavares Cebola, who’s been reporting on the summer festival season. They discuss whether the African music industry is able to capitalise on its global popularity and how the region's growing younger middle class are fueling the festival industry.

Jennifer Zabasajja will return next week.

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Two South African oil workers who had been detained in Equatorial Guinea prisons for two years have spoken to Bloomberg about their ordeal.

Peter Huxham and Frik Potgieter were arrested on drug-trafficking charges and detained in short order in February 2023, days after a South African court ordered the seizure of a yacht linked to Equatorial Guinean Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, known as Teodorin. 

In this special episode of the Next Africa Podcast they talk about their arrest, what it’s like inside Equatorial Guinean prisons and how they feel now they are back with their families in South Africa. 

And Bloomberg’s Energy reporter Paul Burkhardt speaks to Jennifer Zabasajja about the diplomatic relations between South Africa and Equatorial Guinea, the role of the Vice President, and what this means for international investment in OPEC’s smallest member.

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A private island off the coast of Tanzania, where guests pay around $50,000 a night for an exclusive-use villa, catamaran and helicopter transfers within a protected marine reserve is the latest frontier in Africa’s booming luxury hospitality market.

Bloomberg’s Prinesha Naidoo joins Jennifer Zabasajja to explain what's behind the boom in ultra luxury tourism, who’s benefiting and whether the economic boost is sustainable.

You can read Prinesha Naidoo's piece here, and for more stories from the region, subscribe to the Next Africa newsletter here 

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Opposition parties are protesting in Abidjan after court rulings blocked key opposition figures from standing in October’s presidential election. The decisions paved the way for 83 year-old President Alassane Ouattara to seek a controversial fourth term.

On this week’s episode, Bloomberg’s Abidjan-based reporter Kamailoudini Tagba joins Jennifer Zabasajja and talks about what’s behind the process, how President Ouattara is regarded in Ivory Coast and what hopes there are for fair and peaceful elections in October.

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Somaliland, which proclaimed independence from Somalia in 1991, is willing to offer the US a military base at the entrance to the Red Sea and critical-minerals deals in its quest for international recognition as a sovereign state.

On this week’s episode - Bloomberg’s Simon Marks joins Jennifer Zabasajja to explain the history behind Somaliland and its independence claim, and whether this new plan to try and get US recognition will succeed.

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African development banks are locked in a dispute with African nations like Ghana and Zambia over deals to restructure their debts.  As the countries finalize debt relief agreements with foreign lenders under the G20’s Common Framework, banks like Afreximbank and TDB are pushing back against deals forcing them to take losses saying it puts the future of African investment at risk. 

Bloomberg Reporter Matthew Hill joins Jennifer Zabasajja to explain what’s behind the dispute, what the bank’s leaders have been saying and whether a deal will eventually be done

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G20 finance ministers met in Zimbali in South Africa this week, but even with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent skipping the event - Donald Trump's trade policy dominated discussions at the expense of President Ramphosa’s agenda.

In this episode Jennifer Zabasajja speaks to South Africa Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago about the impact of the global trade war, and Bloomberg Economist Yvonne Mhango joins Jennifer to explain how the latest moves on tariffs are affecting countries in Africa.

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Demand for coffee is growing globally - but despite much of it being grown on the continent, very little is roasted locally to be sold and drunk there. West African Entrepreneur Hadi Beydoun wants to change that. 

In this week’s special episode of the Next Africa Podcast, Jennifer Zabasajja heads to Abidjan in the Ivory Coast to meet Hadi, the founder of Café Continent, to find out how he’s planning to bring homegrown, home-roasted coffee to the African market.

Then Bloomberg’s Soft Commodities reporter Mumbi Gitau gives her analysis of the state of the global coffee market and Africa’s place in it.

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The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have agreed to bring an end to conflict in eastern Congo, where millions of people have died and multitudes have been displaced over the past three decades. But fighting continues and scores of armed groups continue to control parts of the region.

In this week’s episode, Bloomberg’s Congo reporter Michael Kavanagh joins Jennifer Zabasajja to explain how this deal came about now, what role the US and access to minerals played in the talks and what hope this deal has of leading to a lasting peace

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Winnie Byanyima, the executive director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, has told Bloomberg that US cuts to foreign aid have left the global fight against HIV in crisis. 

Bloomberg healthcare reporter Janice Kew joins Jennifer Zabasajja to explain what the reality is on the ground for HIV treatment in Africa, a continent that is home to 75% of all people living with the virus, and where alternative sources of funding could come from.

You can read Winnie Byanyima’s interview with Mishal Hussain here, and for more stories from the region you can sign up to the Next Africa newsletter here

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