Spotify invests R1.8 million in African podcasts, four of them South African

Spotify might not be having the greatest time on a business level but the streaming company is making up for it in other areas. The platform is investing a relatively small sum (if you’re American or Swedish) in a collection of African podcasts.

Of the thirteen podcasts to grab funding from the Africa Podcast Fund, four are based in South Africa. The remaining nine podcasts are scattered around Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria. But we’re, obviously, a little less interested in those (for the purposes of this article).

Spotify for Africa

The South African podcasts getting a cut of R1.8 million in funding (a paltry $100,000) are After School Is After School with Sis G.U, The Journey Kwantu, Wisdom & Wellness with Mpoomy Ledwaba, and Convos & Cocktails with Lesego Tlhabi.

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These podcasts, and the others, were selected based on several factors. They’re all independent voices which are seeing a growing audience. They also “showcase a range of voices in terms of varying podcast formats, gender, language and content”. The launch of the Africa Podcast Fund is part of Spotify’s larger drive into the podcast space.

How the funding will be split among the countries and podcasts involved hasn’t been explained, but it will be administered by a Kenyan company called Africa PodFest. “Africa Podfest is excited about the development of podcasting in Africa particularly because the medium allows underrepresented African voices to tell the story of Africa,” said Melissa Mbugua, one of Africa Podfest’s directors.