Bonface Orucho, Bird Story Agency….
Women-focused podcasts are gaining ground across Africa, emerging as powerful platforms to share knowledge and challenge sexual and reproductive health taboos.
Once niche and overlooked, podcasts by African women are now confronting the continent’s most sensitive issues — menstrual health, contraception, early pregnancy, gender-based violence, and mental health — through raw and relatable storytelling.
“Digital platforms, especially podcasts, are opening up new spaces where African women can finally hear honest, relatable conversations on their terms,” Hope Simiyu, a medical doctor and sex and reproductive health (SRH) advocate, told Bird Story Agency.
Simiyu, who hosts ‘A Dose of Health – The Podcast,’ a health podcast, believes the growing access to the internet in Africa is facilitating women in Africa to speak more boldly about sexual health.
“With just a smartphone and internet access, you can tap into content that speaks to your reality, whether it’s about navigating your first period, understanding birth control, or busting myths around fertility,” she explained.
The need for people-centred conversations on issues affecting adolescent girls and young women has never been more relevant in Africa.
The continent has the largest youth population in the world, with over 60% of its people under the age of 25, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Among them, adolescent girls and young women remain disproportionately affected by systemic inequalities in education, healthcare, leadership, and economic opportunities.
In Kenya, for instance, access to healthcare remains a significant challenge. WHO data shows that nearly one in five adolescent girls begins childbearing between the ages of 15 and 19, often due to limited access to reproductive health services and information.
According to Mudzithe Phiri, one of the executive directors of the That’s What She Said (TWSS) podcast, the format is becoming a popular forum for women on the continent because podcasts “allow content creation with minimal equipment, making them accessible and cost-effective.”
Audio casts are particularly popular, she said.
“They require less data than video, which makes them more accessible for our audience,” Phiri explained.
‘That’s What She Said’ (TWSS), co-created by Africa InSight Communications and the Education Development Center, is preparing to launch its second season with an expansion into Kenya and Nigeria, following a season in South Africa.
According to Phiri, TWSS seeks to shift the narrative from expert-driven discussions to authentic, lived experiences of adolescent girls and young women in Africa.
“This year, we’ve been fortunate to receive funding from the Gates Foundation’s Women’s Initiative because they also see the value in engaging young women through a platform that resonates with their generation and how they interact with media,” she explained.
According to TWSS Producer Bilha Luseka, “There is a huge need to have SRH (sexual and reproductive health) conversation(s), and young women are ready to share their experiences boldly and candidly.”
“In African culture, there has been a lot of secrecy surrounding female reproductive health… but this is changing,” said Luseka.
From Kenya to Sierra Leone, more and more podcasts are surfacing, handing the mic to adolescent girls and young women to amplify their voices and demands.
In Sierra Leone, storyteller Saibatu Mansaray, for instance, dives into sexual and reproductive health through personal stories of resilience and cultural resistance in her podcast, The Saibatu Mansaray Journey.
According to Valerie Leittany, her podcast, My Journey as a Woman, highlights her evolution from silence to self-expression — and the deeper meaning she’s found.
“This podcast is my truth, my healing, and my legacy — it’s how I’ve come to understand what life means to me as a woman,” she explained in a call.
“I made this podcast to reclaim my narrative — and in doing so, I found the soul of who I am,” she explained.
Others, like the ‘Make Way for Youth’ initiative, focus on youth-led advocacy to challenge exclusion in health systems.
The Young and Powerful Podcast by CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality captures voices from across Africa and Asia, focusing on themes of bodily autonomy, stigma, and mental health.
Some, like the We Speak Podcast by Hivos, bridge continents, bringing together feminist voices from Africa and Latin America around SRHR, politics, and access.
Experts believe the end goal of these initiatives is to democratize sexual and reproductive health education across Africa, making it more inclusive and youth-driven.
According to Faith Mugo, a nurse and campaigner at Youth Alive! Kenya, a youth-focused advocacy group based in Nairobi, Kenya, podcasts co-hosted by young people are “not just about awareness anymore.”
“It’s about ownership. When young women hear stories that sound like theirs, they’re not just learning—they’re mobilizing. These podcasts are nurturing a generation that knows its rights, demands accountability, and understands that their voices matter in shaping health policies.”
TWSS’s new seasons will focus on key themes central to women’s empowerment. In Kenya, the spotlight will be on sexual and reproductive health, while in Nigeria, discussions will center on women in leadership.
