Absa puts its name on a BBC business show for Africa
The pan-African bank is sponsoring Africa Enterprise, a weekly BBC News programme hosted by Nancy Kacungira that opens with an interview with Aliko Dangote.
Absa is sponsoring a new BBC business programme aimed at African and global audiences, under an agreement announced by the bank and BBC Studios.
Africa Enterprise launched globally on 5 October on the BBC News channel and on a dedicated page on BBC.com. It is hosted by business journalist Nancy Kacungira and produced by BBC Studios, the BBC’s commercial arm.
The series runs as three four-minute episodes each week plus a 12-minute programme at the end of each month, according to the announcement. Digital material is being produced for BBC.com/Business and BBC social channels, and episodes will be carried on the BBC Global YouTube page with clips on BBC Instagram and Facebook.
The launch episode carries an interview with Aliko Dangote, described in the announcement as Africa’s richest man, setting out his plans for the continent and his views on how Africa can achieve greater economic sovereignty.
Kacungira said the programme would cover business from several angles, including entrepreneurialism, agriculture, mining, the future of work, the creative industries, pan-African identity and infrastructure.
Sydney Mbhele, Absa Group’s chief marketing and corporate affairs officer, said Africa is not one market or one story. He said the partnership creates a global platform for the business leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators moving the continent forward, and that African progress is most powerfully understood through African voices.
Isla Macleod, vice president commercial for Africa and Europe at BBC Studios, said the two organisations share a commitment to bringing Africa’s business stories to life.
Absa is also due to launch a suite of branded content produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions, titled Stories of Africa: Season 2, which the announcement says explores creativity across arts, culture and business leadership.
The announcement cites BBC audience figures. It says the BBC reaches around 127 million people on average every week across Africa, with its largest audiences in Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, the DRC and Ethiopia, and that its global weekly audience has grown to a record 502 million, citing the BBC Global Audience Measure 2026. It says BBC.com reaches an average of 149 million people outside the UK every month.
It also cites the BBC Global Minds Study of August 2026, conducted by Harris Poll UK, which found 70% of BBC News audiences interested in content from the continent, rising to 92% among African audiences, and 40% keen to be kept up to date about major business events in Africa.
Source: Absa Group, https://www.absa.africa/media-statements/2026/bbc-africa-enterprise
