The Future of Informed Conversations—2025 Prospects

Hello everyone, welcome to February!

My name is Richard, ADC’s Managing Editor. I’m co-writing this article with Rita, our ED Operations, whose insatiable desire for Africa’s prospects and progress has set her on a path to help our audience—listeners, viewers, and readers—stay ahead of the curve in appreciating Africa’s strides across thematic industries.

Although traditional media still has its foothold in some African societies, digital media is evolving every day on the continent and across the globe due to increasing levels of internet penetration and the ease of delivering and accessing information. Additionally, it presents more opportunities to consider how technology shapes society and expands the digital economy. This year, at ADC, we are poised to harness the full might of digital media while partnering with existing traditional media to shine a light on Africa’s successes and growth, one industry at a time.

Quick Reflections

The Africa Discourse Channel started as a conversation in a small room in Accra two years ago—2023, to be specific. Nearly two years later, the idea of leading discourse in converging industries for critical analysis, while spotlighting Africa’s burgeoning successes, has grown into much more than a predictable platform, blog, or website. We’ve gone from sharing industry events and highlighting salient quotes from African leaders to engaging with industry experts about the prospects and progress on the African continent.

In 2024, we built meaningful partnerships that deepened our impact. We partnered with StartOA to produce "Fintech Focused," a podcast exploring the future of financial inclusion on the continent. We also collaborated with organizers (Impact Investing Ghana, Ghana Hubs Network, NEIP, and others) of the Ghana Digital Innovation Week to document the growth of Ghana’s innovation landscape. Additionally, we co-hosted the Accra Talent Weekend with Bridge Africa and partnered with Gift Africa for the Dominate Conference, driving forward crucial conversations in line with our promise to enlighten Africans about the role of connected industries.

We remain optimistic about the trailblazing founders across themed industries and the African industrial landscape. Nonetheless, our coverage has also had a high impact on regions such as Nigeria, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Senegal, the USA, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom over the last two years.

And we have no plans of slowing down. This year, we are hyper-focused on fine-tuning our standards across our editorial publications and digital channels, establishing Africa Discourse Channel as one of Africa’s most reputable industry media publications. We will lead compelling conversations on hot-button topics such as the pitfalls of Africa’s industrial growth, green African communities, Africa’s digital innovation footprints, African talent migration, and the rise of AI. Furthermore, expect us to spotlight more African unsung heroes innovating around draconian policies, industry events shaping the future of Africa, spinoff conversations bordering on youth and culture, and the Untold Truths. Our coverage will expand into lesser-known regions, cities, and industrial community hubs.

For us at ADC, 2025 is about striving towards our shared vision, delighting our audiences (readers, listeners, and viewers), and putting Africa’s industrial ecosystem on the global stage. We hope we can count on you to support us on this journey.

What Is New?

Maryann Abena Oteng is no longer ADC’s Communications Director and has moved on to pursue personal goals and interests. Abena joined the channel in March 2024 and hit the ground running almost immediately. She provided high-level oversight of ADC’s communications objectives, worked closely with our senior management, and drove communication training for our interns. She may continue contributing to the Discourse Channel via publication as an op-ed writer.

Following Abena’s exit from the comms directorate, Yaa Essuamaah Afran-Okese is stepping up as Africa Discourse Channel's Digital Platform Manager, reporting directly to Rita, ED Operations. Her new role comes with many responsibilities, and I strongly believe she has what it takes to deliver on assigned objectives with motivation from her team and support from the channel’s leadership.

Essien Osman Blay is the most recent addition to our production team. He resumed in January as a production assistant, leading audio productions at the channel. Essien is an audio engineer with specialist skills in producing and mastering music and voice-overs, among many others. He currently operates at the intersection of growth and creative enablement in Africa. Essien will be managing the Waaves of Africa Discourse, the channel’s online radio platform focused on delivering quality listening experiences to Africa’s discerning audience.

What Has Changed?

Last year, we ran a series of Monday Motivation posts and celebrated the independence anniversaries of sister African countries. This year, we’re ramping up efforts to deliver curated content through our sub-brand, Ignite Daily, which focuses on delivering themed messages that help Africans stay ignited in pursuit of daily growth and success. Also, in remembrance of each African nation's struggle for independence, we will share video content that educates our audience about key facts and figures that have shaped the future of individual countries and their impact on the continent at large.

Storytelling and Coverage

On storytelling and reporting insights across Africa, the Discourse Channel is vehemently committed to capturing the players, human impact, and business of diverse industries spearheading growth on the continent. We are dedicated to covering more regions, including North Africa, East Africa, South Africa, and Francophone Africa. ADC’s team will continue to provide up-to-date content, reports, data, events, and context to help the world understand how connected industries are changing Africa. We will publish deep dives on Africa’s technology and innovation wins, advancements in AI and Africa’s position, the impact of regulations on business and industry, Africa beyond borders, and major industry operators in Africa.

What Is Coming Soon?

Newsletters, Podcasts, Radio!

Africa Discourse Channel plans to launch new newsletter products, podcasts, and an online radio service. While we cannot reveal all the details just yet, keep your eyes peeled for more information on Waaves of Africa Discourse, or the ADC Blog.

Extra Hands

In 2025, we will open the African Discourse Fellowship, designed to nurture the next generation of storytellers and media professionals through mentorship, training, and real-world projects, thereby expanding our team of regional correspondents. Additionally, we will report on more countries beyond Ghana, Nigeria, and West Africa. By bringing in analytical thinkers and on-the-ground reporters, we will be able to tell more compelling stories about the impact of diverse industries in these emerging regions.

Thank you!

Well, that’s all from the office of the Managing Editor. As always, we are immensely grateful for your support and for betting on us countless times. Thank you for falling in love with our podcast, publication, events, tweets, and contributions. We hope to delight you even more in 2025 and beyond—helping you understand the future of African industries today.

Africa Discourse Channel is a pan-African media-education platform that hosts conversations converging industries for critical analysis while building a development value chain and pipeline of connected multi-stakeholders united toward the shared goal of a successful and thriving Africa. We are also creating new media forms utilizing existing technologies to spark and propagate positive change in our society. At our core, ADC’s programs and products are designed to create a positive social impact by addressing information gaps and enhancing access to crucial knowledge—especially for underserved communities—contributing to the success of African industries.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Say hello, and we’ll share a fun article, podcast, or piece of content with you! 😄

Chale, you are a vibe! Thank you for taking the time to learn about us and our intent to serve you scintillating content from the African continent.

Stay Connected: If you’d like to receive updates, exclusive content, or contribute to the discourse shaping the future of informed conversations, please shoot an email to [email protected] 

Warmest regards,

Richard & Rita
On behalf of everyone at the Discourse Channel www.discoursechannel.com