In this bold and intellectually charged episode, I sit down with Samson Itodo, one of Africa’s foremost voices on democratic reform and civic innovation, to interrogate a pressing question: Is Technology enabling the advance of democracy or its collapse?

As trust in electoral systems declines and state capture deepens, we explore how technology—once hailed as the great equalizer—is being both weaponized by autocrats and reimagined by civic innovators. Samson reflects on his years of work mobilizing youth, auditing elections, and building platforms that aim to place power back in the hands of the people.

We ask:

• Why does tech amplify participation in some places but entrench power in others?
• Are we solving for symptoms—poor elections, disinformation—or do we need to rethink democracy itself through an African lens and values?

In this deeply philosophical and thought-provoking episode, we sit down with Dr. Jare Oladosu, political theorist and author of the paper “Designing Viable Republican Constitutions”, to interrogate a powerful question: Are all African men truly created equal?

Drawing from Jeffersonian philosophy, pre-colonial African political traditions, and post-colonial state formation, this conversation unpacks the troubling parallels between today's African governance structures and what Jefferson once called “a government of wolves over sheep.” Dr. Oladosu explores how the Kabiyesi culture—where leaders are beyond reproach—has crept from traditional institutions into the very fabric of our modern "democracies."

Together, we examine whether Africa ever had truly republican institutions that upheld the principle of equality and citizen sovereignty, and how colonialism disrupted those indigenous systems, replacing participatory governance with autocratic structures reinforced by state capture and elite dominance.

We ask:

• Why do so many African democracies function as veiled monarchies?
• Can African culture, steeped in reverence for kings and chiefs, be reconciled with republican ideals?
• What philosophical shifts are needed to revive institutions that see leadership as a trust held in service of the people?

The architecture of knowledge in African societies has long been shaped by power structures—historically controlled by elites, transmitted through oral traditions, and later disrupted by colonial systems. Today, the crisis in education extends beyond mere access; it is a crisis of pedagogy, infrastructure, and intellectual formation. Public schooling in many African nations is failing, and the fundamental question remains: Can technology serve as a true equalizer in learning, or will it merely reproduce existing disparities in new forms?

In this episode, I engage with Boye Oshinaga, CEO of Gradely and Mastercard EdTech Fellowship recipient (2023), to interrogate the role of technology in reshaping Africa’s educational landscape. We delve into:

🔹 The philosophical and structural limitations of current EdTech models—can they move beyond content delivery to foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and values like collaboration?
🔹 The viability of replacing brick-and-mortar schools in contexts where public education is failing—can digital learning alone suffice?
🔹 The paradox of access—how does technology circumvent or reinforce historical patterns of exclusion given persistent infrastructure and economic barriers?
🔹 The role of AI in redefining teaching—will it complement, replace, or marginalize educators in African classrooms?

This discussion is not just about education; it is about the epistemic foundations of Africa’s future. What we choose to do—or fail to do—will define whether Africa’s intellectual potential is unlocked or remains constrained by historical inertia.

Education is never neutral—it shapes how we see the world, how we define intelligence, and ultimately, how we build our societies. But who controls what we learn? And does Africa’s education system truly serve African progress, or does it still carry the weight of colonial influence?

In this thought-provoking episode, I sit down with Prof. Kola Babarinde, an African philosopher of education, to explore the historical forces that have shaped African learning. We question whether the colonial classroom ever truly disappeared and examine the deep tensions between indigenous knowledge and Western epistemology.

We unpack how education has been used as a tool of power—from the secret knowledge-hoarding of pre-colonial societies to the rigid hierarchies reinforced by modern schooling. Most critically, we discuss whether today’s African education system is designed for liberation—or control.

The Jude Feranmi Podcast is a bold, thought-provoking show that explores the forces shaping our society—from governance and education to the economy and technology.

In each episode, Jude Feranmi sits down with Africa’s brightest minds—thinkers, innovators, and changemakers—to discuss why progress is slow, what’s holding us back, and how technology can drive real transformation.