Civic Tech in Africa Podcast with Nathi Mcetywa

Civic Tech in Africa is a podcast by the Civic Tech Innovation Network. The podcast focuses on the profiling of civic tech initiatives, civic innovators, activists, researchers, social entrepreneurs and others working in the civic tech and other related fields in Africa.
Season 6
Daniel Adugna & Siwe Ntombela on The African Union Civic Tech Fund and the Future of Innovation in Africa

In this episode of the Civic Tech in Africa podcast, Nathi Mcetywa discusses the African Union Civic Tech Fund (AUCTF) with Daniel Adugna and Siwe Ntombela. They explore the fund’s objectives, the importance of civic tech in promoting citizen engagement…

Transforming Nigeria’s Education Sector Through Technology | Edith Augustine

In this episode of the Civic Tech in Africa podcast, we talk to Edith Augustine from the Restored Heart Foundation, discussing the Teacher Bank project aimed at addressing the teacher shortage in Nigeria…

Enhancing Citizen Engagement: The Future of Data Accessibility in Tunisia

In this episode of the Civic Tech in Africa podcast, host Nathi Mcetywa talks to Ahmed Zoghlami, CEO of Idarity, about their innovative project Akram. We explore the role of civic tech in enhancing citizen engagement with public institutions…

Creating Smart Cities Through Digital Transformation

In this episode of the Civic Tech in Africa podcast, Nathi Mcetywa interviews Thivhilaeli Madamalala from Pulego Technologies about their innovative Co-City Citizens Engagement Application. The discussion covers Pulego Technologies’ origins…

A Geospatial Data Project for Climate Mobility | Careen Joel Mwakitalu

In this episode of the Civic Tech in Africa podcast, we explore the work of the No Taka Hub, a Tanzanian initiative focused on using geospatial technology to address climate change and migration issues…

Open Data for Water Conservation | Richard Muraya

Maai Makwa is an open data platform that aims to empower citizens in Kenya to understand and advocate for water rights. The platform provides tools and data to help individuals make informed decisions on sustainable freshwater resource management…

Season 5
Exploring the intersections between technology, community & self

The Civic Tech Innovation Forum is an annual gathering that brings together the Civic Tech community in Africa. The forum provides a space for collaboration, learning, and networking among practitioners in the field…

Data Privacy Law in Africa: Emerging Perspectives | Dr. Lukman Abdulrauf

This episode of the Civic Tech in Africa podcast continues the discussion on understanding data privacy on the African continent. The conversation focuses on the importance of data protection and the independence of data protection authorities…

A feminist approach to data privacy | Chenai Chair

In this episode, Chenai Chair discusses data privacy from a feminist lens. She highlights the relevance of data privacy in the African context and the intersection between data and gender. ..

Building Language Models for the African Context | Mbali Ndandani

In this episode, Nathi Mcetywa interviews Mbali Ndandani from Lelapa AI about language models that work in the African context. They discuss the lack of representation of African languages in digital spaces and the importance of solving the language problem for…

The Tech That Comes Next | Afua Bruce

In this episode, Afua Bruce discusses the connection between technology and social equity and explores the factors beyond technology that contribute towards a more equitable and inclusive society. She emphasizes that technology alone cannot create equity…

Understanding the Global Civic Tech Landscape | Matt Stempeck

In this episode, Nathi Mcetywa interviews Matt Stempeck, the founder of the Civic Tech Field Guide. They discuss the importance of the global civic tech community and the lessons that can be learned from other civic tech initiatives around the world…

Using Artificial Intellligence to Fight Poverty in Malawi | William Derban

In this episode, Nathi Mcetywa interviews Dr William Derban from Opportunity International about how artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to fight poverty in Malawi. Opportunity International is an international NGO that provides financial solutions…

Building Digital Platforms with Digital Ethics in Mind | Kavisha Pillay

In this episode, the host, Nathi Mcetywa, and guest, Kavisha Pillay discuss the impact of misinformation and disinformation on the democratic process, particularly during elections. They explore the role of social media platforms in combatting these campaigns and…

Doing online participation right | Paul Plantinga

In this episode, Nathi interviews Paul Plantinga, a senior research manager at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in South Africa, about e-participation in governance. They discuss the landscape of participatory governance in South Africa and Africa…

Africa and the perils of electronic voting | Maxwell Maseko

In this episode, the host, Nathi Mcetywa introduces the new feature of the podcast, What in the Civic Tech?, and discusses the possibility of moving Africa’s election process from a paper-based voting system to an electronic voting system…

Season 4

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made significant strides in various fields such as agriculture, technology, and digital health, and it has now made a grand entrancex into government systems. Considering the current state of democracy in Africa…

Exploring Artificial Intelligence

Financing and funding civic technology activities take up a significant portion of most organisations’ worry hours. Often, when there are shortages of funds, this is viewed as an organisational failure. But instead of looking at funding and…
Parliamentary monitoring sites allow citizens to keep an eye on the people in power. They make it easy to find out who represents you, what’s being debated, and how members have voted. Mzalendo Trust, located is a non-partisan entity that keeps…
The Charter Project Africa is a pan-African initiative supporting civil society to promote the continental commitments contained in the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) – the central African Union policy document to advance…
Yosr joins Nathi Mcetywa to talk about the growth of civic tech in Tunisia and more generally in North Africa. She reflects on the impact that collaboration has had for North African civic tech organisations in Tunisia….
The Ushahidi Platform helps communities turn information into action with an intuitive and accessible crowdsourcing and mapping tool. By enabling the rapid collection, management and analysis of crowdsourced information, Ushahidi empowers everyone…
YouLead is Africa’s flagship Youth Leadership Program working to unlock youth leadership potential for a prosperous continent by identifying, recognizing, connecting and fostering cooperation among Africa’s vibrant and influential young leaders and their initiatives.
The Civic Tech Innovation Network (CTIN), in partnership with the South Africa Centre for Evidence (SACE) invites you to join us as we launch the Civic Tech in Africa Evidence Map, where we will present key findings of the Evidence Map…
In our times, the story of the Internet may sound similar. The internet, and in particular social media, has become the main theatre of manipulation and incitement. Our online spaces are home to negative commentary and reviews, manipulation and…
Dear South Africa is a non-profit organisation that facilitates public participation to help shape legislative policy at a municipal, provincial and national level. DEARSA Website · DearSA on Twitter

Season 3

The Africa Data Hub (ADH) is a collective of data organisations operating across three African countries that work together to provide local journalists with verified accurate up-to-date data, tools, training, mentoring and support to tell the stories that…
In this session, moderated by Tolulope, we spoke to civic actors that will share insights and lessons from their experiences in making data accessible and comprehensible through partnering with the government. This session is intended to shed light on some…
The global reach of international civil society organisations (ICSOs) allows these organisations to develop, scale-out, and tailor innovative approaches and novel use of technology across borders and in different countries and settings…
Pollicy is a feminist collective of technologists, data scientists, creatives and academics working at the intersection of data, design, and technology to craft better experiences for tech users 
In this episode, we talk about an initiative aimed at boosting civic participation in issues of democratic governance on the African continent. Justin Arenstein spoke to us about the recently launched Charter Project Africa initiative. We talk about how…
In this episode, we are talking about innovation hubs and their importance as an ecosystem for entrepreneurs and innovators to build on their knowledge and be empowered while also having a societal impact in the broader sense…
Hamid Khayar Defallah is the CEO & Founder of Chad Innovation. Chad Innovation represents a community of young volunteers, Chadians and foreigners, entrepreneurs, executives, and students whose objective is to raise awareness…
Many civic tech tools go largely unused because they are developed without understanding the context of the people they are meant for. Language, digital literacy, exposure, and other such factors are important things to look out for when developing a tech tool…

Season 2

In this cross-over between the Civic Tech in Africa podcast and the Talking Tech for Good podcast, we are joined by co-host Jason Bygate and guest Munyaradzi Dodo to talk about how young people can get their voices in the corridors of power.
This year, the Civic Tech Innovation Forum and Jamfest conferences invite African civic tech innovators, media innovators and stakeholders to connect around the ways in which digital innovators, innovations, initiatives and their support structures are playing out across…

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