Episode 161 - Charting Africa’s Digital Transformation with Balancing Act's CEO Russell Southwood

In this episode, I sit down with Russell Southwood, CEO of Balancing Act and author of Africa 2.0 and the Africa Interconnection Report 2025, to unpack 20+ years of telecoms, internet, data centres, AI, and policy across the continent. We go from Celtel and M-PESA to today’s cloud & AI wave—and the human and cultural factors that make (or break) adoption. Chapters 00:00 Intro01:30 Russell’s origin story (SOAS, Kenya at 7, early digital influences)07:18 Founding Balancing Act & the weekly Africa telecoms newsletter10:33 Lessons from the books (Less Walk, More Talk; Africa 2.0)17:53 E-commerce’s long runway & the digital divide (2G ↔ smartphones)21:28 Extending rural coverage (AMN, iSat, Vanu, Neuron & more)27:22 Data centers, cloud & AI — key takeaways from the Interconnection Report33:29 OTT regulation: innovation vs. control, free speech, shutdowns37:26 Broadband today, cable resilience & the rise of home internet40:45 Startups that last: solving real problems, not just raising rounds43:51 Government, talent & delivery (why execution matters)45:23 Looking ahead: energy constraints, AI realism & practical optimism53:20 Closing What you’ll learnHow people—not pipes—ultimately drive tech adoption in Africa Why data centres are reshaping the ecosystem (IXPs, neutrality, sovereignty) How to balance OTT regulation without stifling free speech or innovation The real blockers: literacy, energy, policy capture—and what’s changing How enduring African startups think about users, utility, and scale About Russell Southwood CEO, Balancing Act. Veteran analyst of African telecoms, internet & media. Author of Africa 2.0, Less Walk, More Talk, and lead author of the Africa Interconnection Report 2025. Enjoyed this? 👍 Like the podcast 💬 Drop your thoughts or questions in the comments 🔔 Subscribe to Pure Digital Passion for more conversations on Kenya's and Africa’s digital transformation