Afripods, a platform for podcasters, listeners, and advertisers has launched in Kenya to help the country’s growing number of digital continent Africa find a user-friendly platform for their podcasts.
Founded in 2017 by Henrik Barck, Afripods can be used both online and offline, allowing users to download and listen to their favorite podcasts and stories on the go.
According to the firm, “Use of mobile services and sales of smartphones is also surging on the African continent. We deliver to you for free the best podcasts Africa can offer for your mobile, computer, and all other devices available as we continue on our journey.”
For podcasters, Afripods works simply. One only needs a microphone and a computer or their smartphone to upload their podcast. The platform is also set to launch a professional studio to allow podcasters to do production inhouse.
Listeners can download or listen to podcasts on football, entertainment, politics, music, documentary, fashion or tech among others from its wide selection of genres on the platform. Currently, there are more than 100 podcast channels on the platform including Utunzaji Rasilimali, BenchWarmerz, African Banana, Ghetto Stories, Quick Tech Chats, The Blaze, Sanaa Talks and Hawayuni by Eric Omondi.
Afripods podcasts are free for all and users can search for their favorite podcasts depending on their interest and follow those topics or categories they like.
At the moment, Afripods is focusing on English and Swahili podcasts but all content on Afripods will be in major languages from all over Africa. The firm also adds that all kinds of content with focus on Africa will be distributed and found on Afripods, like for instance Football, African Fashion, Politics, Documentaries, Health, Music, Religion, and Entertainment to name a few.
Afripods is taking on PortableVoices, a Kenyan audio production and podcast startup set to produce podcasts, audiobooks, African spoken word entertainment among others.
PortableVoices already has its own recording studio in Nairobi and is working with Burudani Express, Talanta Viwanjani, Campus Diaries, Africa Startup Roundup, and Motherhood podcasts, some of the first narrative podcasts in Kenya and East Africa.
PortableVoices distributes podcasts to other platforms such as Soundcloud among others. Portable Voices also has a Creatives Club, a community of audio content creators in Kenya.