Africa is undergoing a health funding crisis due to overreliance on external aid and a lack of internal investment from African governments. The healthcare sector is 95 percent dependent on external aid for crucial commodities: vaccines, medication, and diagnostic equipment. Africa saw a 41 percent rise in public health emergencies in 2024, highlighting the vulnerability of the health infrastructure. In response to these challenges, the Africa Center for Disease Control (CDC) released a concept paper titled: Africa’s Health Financing in a New Era. In this concept paper, the Africa CDC introduces innovative financing measures to bridge the funding gap.Â
Mvemba is joined by Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa CDC, to discuss the importance of good governance, private sector investment, and strategic planning in strengthening Africa’s domestic resource mobilization.
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38:40
The development sector has changed irrevocably. What comes next?
Catherine Nzuki is joined by Blair Glencorse and Cheri-Leigh Erasmus, co-CEOs of Accountability Lab, to unpack the latest findings from the Global Aid Freeze Tracker. Together, they reflect on the current state of the development sector and explore where the development sector goes from here.
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28:13
Peter Obi on Leadership with Integrity
Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State and 2023 Nigerian presidential candidate, joined Into Africa to discuss his belief that the answer to Nigeria’s persistent challenges lies in the character of its leaders. Obi shared that to restore public trust in Nigeria’s government, leaders need to embody competence, capacity, compassion, and integrity.
Obi joins Mvemba to explore how leaders can be role models for their constituents. With Africa’s young population and expansive informal sector, he emphasized that cultivating a culture of entrepreneurship is essential for creating a suitable environment for poverty reduction and sustainable development – an effort that must begin with prioritizing education.
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29:31
Cameron Hudson on the internationalization of the Sudan war
Catherine Nzuki is joined by Cameron Hudson, Senior Fellow with the CSIS Africa Program. He unpacks the immediate causes of the war, the growing number of regional actors involved in the war, how the entry of foreign actors is changing the dynamics of the conflict, and the unique role the U.S. can play in mediating a peace process.
Cameron Hudson's testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa can be found here.
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25:48
Solving Africa’s Housing Deficit
From rapid urbanization to persistent housing shortages, Africa’s cities are facing immense challenges—and emerging opportunities, including innovative mortgage models, government-backed projects, and rising investor interest in sustainable development. In this episode, Mvemba is joined by Thierno-Habib Hann, CEO of Shelter Afrique Development Bank, to explore how innovative finance, strategic partnerships, and public-private collaboration are reshaping the continent’s urban future. Together, they examine the scale of Africa’s housing deficit, the barriers to affordability, and the emerging solutions driving sustainable urban development across the continent.
Fearless music activists. Savvy tech entrepreneurs. Social disrupters. Into Africa shatters the narratives that dominate U.S. perceptions of Africa. Host Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, Africa program director and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C., sits down with policymakers, journalists, academics and other trailblazers in African affairs to shine a spotlight on the faces spearheading cultural, political, and economic change on the continent.
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