Who We Are
Africa Talks is a podcast network dedicated to telling African stories through a solutions lens. We go beyond headlines to explore what is working, who is building change, and how communities are responding to the challenges around them. Our journalism is rooted in context, nuance, and lived experience.
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We are multi format storytellers. Across audio, video, and narrative journalism, we blend reported features, conversations, documentaries, and personal storytelling to make complex issues accessible and human. From environmental stories to gender, culture to social justice, we focus on stories that are often overlooked but deeply consequential.
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Our network brings together broadcast journalists and creators with different voices and perspectives. That mix shapes how we work. We value intersectionality, thoughtful analysis, and honest dialogue. We treat storytelling as both craft and service, centering people rather than noise.
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Audience participation is core to our process. We actively invite feedback through voice notes, messages, and social platforms, and we regularly turn those responses into episodes and conversations. Our listeners do not just consume the content. They help shape it.
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At its heart, Africa Talks is about connection. We create space for deeper conversations, guest contributors, and community voices because we believe the best stories are built with people, not just about them.
Meet The Founders
Fola Folayan
Fola Folayan is a communications strategist, media entrepreneur, and cross border journalism advocate who designs audience centered storytelling systems that help newsrooms grow reach, trust, and sustainability.
She works at the intersection of journalism, partnerships, and communications. Leading training, and engagement strategies that connect investigative reporting to real world communities.
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She has led global communications and partnership initiatives for investigative and public interest journalism projects, driving fundraising campaigns, international visibility, and multi platform audience growth. Her work spans podcast production, newsletters, community building, live events, and digital content strategy, alongside designing professional learning programs and convening journalists across Africa and beyond.
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A broadcast journalist by training, Fola spent nearly a decade on air producing and hosting live sociopolitical talk shows that reached more than half a million listeners monthly, sharpening her instinct for clarity, public dialogue, and storytelling that moves people. She later founded a training and mentorship platform that has supported over 400 early career broadcasters and journalists with curriculum, internships, and practical newsroom skills, helping build the next generation of African media professionals.
Nelly Kalu
Nelly Kalu is a news product leader, journalist, and media innovator passionate about building tools and stories that strengthen public trust in journalism.
Her work sits at the intersection of technology, storytelling, and audience engagement, where she designs media products, manages editorial projects, and experiments with new formats that help newsrooms serve communities more effectively.
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Trained by the Radio Netherlands Training Centre and Dubawa, Nelly brings deep expertise in OSINT methodologies, solutions journalism, and media innovation, along with a strong focus on campaigns that amplify underrepresented voices.
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She is also a certified trainer in Solutions Journalism and Environmental Journalism, and has facilitated workshops and mentorship programs for journalists and broadcasters across the continent.
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Nelly is a 2022 World Press Institute Fellow and has completed fellowships and certifications with leading global journalism and product programs, including the International Center for Journalists, CUNY’s Product Immersion Program, and News Product Management training. Through her work, she continues to champion journalism that informs, engages, and drives real world change.
