The BBC, in its quest to expand its reach, solidify its connection with Africans, and make its Focus on Africa Podcast more relatable to the 1.56 million people of the continent, has decided to relocate the home of the show to Nairobi, Kenya.
With that, the British broadcaster has tasked its correspondent, Nkechi Ogbonna, to lead the podcast, right from its new home in the Eastern African country’s capital.
And as a way of understanding further how and why this decision was arrived at, GhanaWeb had a rare interview with Nkechi, albeit virtually, from her her base at the BBC offices in Nairobi.
Speaking with GhanaWeb‘s Etsey Atisu, Nkechi described the opportunity as a way of getting closer to the very people for whom the program was designed in the first place.
“The BBC is moving its flagship Africa program, which everyone on the continent and even those in the diaspora love so much; the Focus on Africa, the podcast is moving to Nairobi, which has fast become the BBC’s regional hub on the continent.
“… for the past over 6 decades, Focus on Africa has been broadcast from London, the BBC’s Headquarters but now we want to bring the program closer to the people, closer to our audiences, closer to the communities whose stories we tell,” she said.
Explaining how different this new decision would be for the program and its audiences, Nkechi said that
“What audiences are going to be experiencing, which is a little different from what they are used to, is still the fact that we still have the Monday to Friday audio podcast… but the new addition we are having to the Focus on Africa Podcast is a visual aspect of it; adding a visual podcast to our weekly program,” she added.
The Focus on Africa programs from the BBC are as follows:
– Focus on Africa Radio: 15:06 GMT, 17:06 and 19:06 GMT on BBC World Service radio (1706 goes to partner stations)
– Focus on Africa Podcast: Five days a week on podcast platforms.
The visualised episode will be published every Saturday on the BBC News Africa YouTube channel: Focus on Africa TV: 17:30 GMT.
About Nkechi Ogbonna
Nkechi is a seasoned journalist with more than a decade of storytelling that has amplified African voices and connected local events to global conversations.
At the BBC, she has served as West Africa Correspondent, Senior Journalist Reporter, and Interactive/Data Journalist, delivering breaking news and reports across TV, radio, text, podcasts, and digital platforms.
A Mandela Washington Fellow and respected voice in global conversations, Nkechi brings a rare combination of field experience, strategic insight, and a powerful network across Africa and beyond.
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