Season 1 — September 2026
You only ever see the canopy.
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.
Two years of weekly broadcasting. More than a hundred episodes. Sixteen 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.
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 — Mwanzo· 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 — Pesa za kwanza· 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 — Kukua· 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 — Upeo· 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
Also read — Why uncompetitive ecosystems discourage innovation
Also read — The invisible cost of fragmentation
See also — Nzamba Observatory, the dataset measuring what startups have built.
See also — Africa Tech, the programme I have hosted for three years, which continues.