In this episode of The Africa Program, host Mvemba Phezo Dizolele speaks with journalist and researcher John Lechner—author of Death Is Our Business—about the rise of private military companies in Africa and the evolution of Russia’s Wagner Group. Drawing on years of fieldwork in the Central African Republic, Mali, and across the Sahel, Lechner explains how Wagner blends state interests, private ambition, and entrepreneurial warfare, and how its fighters navigate local politics, conflict dynamics, and community relations on the ground.

The conversation explores why African governments turn to Wagner and similar groups—often out of frustration with ineffective peacekeeping or limited Western support—and how these partnerships fit into broader movements for sovereignty and multipolar engagement. Lechner and Dizolele also discuss how Western policymakers frequently misread these choices through outdated Cold War frameworks, missing the complexity of local realities.

Finally, the episode looks ahead to Wagner’s future after Prigozhin, the emergence of the Africa Corps, and what this new era of private warfare means for the continent’s security landscape. This is a sharp, accessible discussion for anyone interested in African politics, global security, or Russia’s expanding footprint in the region.

In this episode of The Africa Program, host Mvemba Phezo Dizolele speaks with Cynthia Chigwenya, former African Union Youth Ambassador for Peace, about the realities facing Africa’s young majority and the governance structures that shape their lives. Drawing on her experience in regional institutions and youth movements, Chigwenya explains how unemployment, the digital divide, and inherited colonial-era systems continue to limit meaningful youth participation.

The conversation explores why young people increasingly turn to informal activism—from #EndSARS to LUCHA—when formal political channels fail, and how gender, geography, and tradition deepen these divides. Chigwenya also reflects on navigating power as a young woman inside the AU and what genuine inclusion and accountability should look like.

In this episode of The Africa Program, host Mvemba Phezo Dizolele speaks with author and journalist Howard French about his new book The Second Emancipation: Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Global Blackness at High Tide. Drawing on Nkrumah’s journey from colonial Ghana to the Black intellectual circles of 1930s America and postwar London, French traces how these experiences shaped Nkrumah’s vision of African liberation and global Black solidarity.

The conversation explores why Nkrumah saw decolonization as a “second emancipation” linked to the earlier struggle against enslavement, and how his ideas ignited independence movements across the continent while inspiring African Americans during the civil rights era. French and Dizolele also revisit the founding of the Organization of African Unity, the political fault lines among newly independent states, and the enduring challenge of Pan-African unity in a world shaped by colonial borders.

Finally, the episode considers Nkrumah’s legacy today—from debates over African sovereignty to new expressions of Pan-Africanism emerging from youth movements and the Sahel. This is a rich and accessible discussion for anyone interested in African history, decolonization, or the global currents of Black political thought.

Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Insightful.

Welcome to The Africa Program, your essential podcast for fearless conversations and sharp analysis on everything Africa. Tune in for thought-provoking dialogue with changemakers, thinkers, writers, and leaders from Africa and beyond. Whether you're seeking context, challenge, or clarity, The Africa Program delivers unfiltered insights and unapologetic truths. 

Hosted by Mvemba Phezo Dizolele — storyteller, analyst, and founder of Dizolele Advisory — this show connects the dots across the continent’s political shifts, artistic movements, economic transformations, and security dynamics. Subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts — and join the conversation at www.Dizolele.com.