New programme
Nzamba
You only ever see the canopy.
- Ifrikya FM
- Weekly
- In French
- 35 min
- Season 1 — September 2026
- Applications open
In Lingala, zamba means the forest. From a plane, a forest is a flat green surface: you only ever see the canopy. Everything that actually grows happens underneath, out of frame. Africa’s startup ecosystem works exactly the same way.
2 years of weekly broadcasting on Africa Tech. 29 episodes. 17 countries. After interviewing the people building the continent’s digital infrastructure for that long, one thing becomes obvious: the founders I learnt the most from are almost never the ones who wrote to me first.
No press officer. No LinkedIn feed. A real problem, a country where nobody is watching, and they push on anyway.
Nzamba exists to go underneath.
What it is
A weekly programme, in French, open to the whole continent.
Nzamba is a new programme on Ifrikya FM, devoted entirely to African startups. It is separate from Africa Tech, which continues. It is not a replacement — it is a second door.
How an episode runs
- 01The welcome
- 02The portrait
- 03The journey
- 04The lessons
- 05The outro
- 01
We do not discuss what the startup promises, but what it has built.
- 02
We ask what broke, and what it cost. Stories without failure are not stories, they are brochures.
- 03
No appearance can be bought. Not by a startup, not by a fund, not by a partner.
Three rules, and they will not move.
What it changes for a selected startup
An appearance on a pan-African radio station, and a replay that stays online — an asset you can reuse in a fundraise or in prospecting, which few young teams can afford to produce.
A targeted introduction to the investors, incubators and accelerators in my network, when the case warrants it. No promise of a cheque: an introduction done properly, to the right person, with the context already set.
Who I am looking for, now
Four profiles, and applications are open.
- Founders
- Every stage, every sector, anywhere on the continent. You do not need to have raised: a live product and real users are plenty.
- Incubators and accelerators
- Those who would rather have their cohorts heard than their press releases read.
- Investors and experts
- Ready to decode what crosses their desk: what gets funded, what no longer does, and why.
- Partners
- Those who want to carry the project further than I can alone.
How to apply
Three channels, all equally valid. The form is fastest for me: it arrives already structured, which means I answer sooner.
And if you know a team that deserves better than silence, send me their name. That is the most useful way to help me start.
Season 1
Nine months, thirty-six episodes, four blocks.
The first season’s roadmap is public: target profiles, ecosystems, stages, and the concepts travelling with each episode. Look for yours — or notice it is missing.
36 profiles
Block 1 — The beginning· E1 – E9
E1
Fondateur d’une app en bêta (épisode pilote)
Maghreb (Algérie)
E2
Étudiante, projet lancé du campus
Afrique Ouest fr.
E3
Duo de cofondateurs techniques
Nigéria / anglo.
E4
Fondateur agritech rural
Afrique Est (Kenya)
E5
Créatrice marque e-commerce
Maghreb (Maroc)
E6
Fondateur fintech mobile money
Afrique centrale (RDC)
E7
Porteur de projet de la diaspora
Diaspora / panaf.
E8
Fondatrice healthtech
Afrique Ouest fr.
E9
Récap-respiration : 3 pousses repérées
Panafricain
Block 2 — First money· E10 – E18
E10
Fondateur qui vient de boucler sa seed
Maghreb (Algérie)
E11
Startup passée par un accélérateur
Afrique Est (Rwanda)
E12
Fondatrice ayant levé (fonds local)
Nigéria / anglo.
E13
Entrepreneur : refus puis réussite
Afrique Ouest fr.
E14
Business angel de la région
Panafricain
E15
Fondateur edtech, 1ers revenus
Maghreb (Tunisie)
E16
Cofondatrice : mésentente d’associés
Afrique Est (Kenya)
E17
Fondateur logistique B2B
Nigéria / anglo.
E18
Récap : décrypter une levée de l’actu
Panafricain
Block 3 — Scaling up· E19 – E27
E19
Fondateur ayant levé une Série A
Nigéria / anglo.
E20
Startup présente dans 3 pays
Afrique Est (Kenya)
E21
Dirigeante d’une équipe 50+
Afrique Ouest fr.
E22
Fondateur ayant fait un pivot majeur
Maghreb (Maroc)
E23
Entrepreneur : quasi-faillite surmontée
Panafricain
E24
Startup deeptech / IA
Afrique Nord / diaspora
E25
Fondatrice : capital ouvert à l’étranger
Afrique Est (Tanzanie)
E26
Dirigeant d’une scale-up rentable
Nigéria / anglo.
E27
Récap : portrait d’un écosystème pays
Afrique centrale
Block 4 — Horizons· E28 – E36
E28
Fondateur dont la startup a été rachetée
Panafricain
E29
Entrepreneure à impact (social/climat)
Afrique Est (Kenya)
E30
Fondatrice d’un réseau de femmes
Afrique Ouest fr.
E31
Patron d’incubateur / hub tech
Maghreb (Algérie)
E32
Fondateur diaspora, 2 continents
Diaspora / panaf.
E33
Jeune fondateur révélation de l’année
Nigéria / anglo.
E34
Investisseur en capital-risque africain
Panafricain
E35
Fondateur vétéran, plusieurs boîtes
Maghreb (Maroc)
E36
Épisode bilan de saison + perspectives
Panafricain