Why female led startups stall in Sub-Saharan Africa

We meet the creator of a dessert business whose story starts in her parents’ bakery. Vivien Wong tells us how she faced a family loss and eventually channelled that experience into building a company making mochi with a twist: taking a traditional Japanese rice cake and wrapping it around balls of ice cream. She shares how she turned a niche treat into a global brand, Little Moons.If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is [email protected]: Rahul Tandon Producers: Niamh McDermott, Victoriya Holland and Jay Behrouzi(Picture: Vivien Wong. Credit: Jack Ladenburg)

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world, according to the World Bank, and most founders there are women. Why, then, do so many of those startups fail to grow? We look at why many female entrepreneurs struggle to access investment and ask three business leaders what might change that.If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is [email protected]: Will Bain Producer: Ahmed Adan(Picture: Worker and partner with data analytics, charts and graphs paperwork. Credit: Getty Images)

Artificial Intelligence has upended the market for entry-level jobs, but could AI be blocking graduates from getting a foot on the jobs ladder altogether? In this episode, we look at the new AI arms race in recruitment. Tech advancements have allowed graduates to apply for more jobs than ever, and hiring managers can let AI do the initial shortlisting and interviews, so why do both sides of the employment equation feel short-changed? And what can graduates do to stand out in a crowded market of thousands of applicants when an AI app is making the decision? We discuss the pros and cons of the AI hiring pipeline.If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is [email protected]: Ed Butler Producer: Josh Martin(Picture: Young woman sitting at a kitchen table looking at a laptop screen searching for job. Credit: Getty Images)

Getting a barrel of crude oil out of the ground in Saudi Arabia costs around $25. The market price right now is around $95. So where does that $70 go - and why has the price at the pump jumped so sharply since the war in the Middle East began?We follow the money behind a tank of petrol: from the oil field, through the world's most dangerous shipping lane, through the commodity markets, through a refinery, and right back to you, waiting at the pump. We hear from the former Saudi Aramco executive who oversaw production of the world's largest oilfield, one of the world's biggest tanker operators making real-time decisions about whether to sail through a war zone; the chief economist of one of the world's largest commodity traders; and an energy analyst who has been tracking the refining crisis that most commentators have missed.What product do you want us to follow next? Get in touch with the team by sending us an email to [email protected]: Sam Fenwick Producer: Matt Lines(Photo: A worker pumps gasoline into a car at a petrol station in Bangkok, Thailand, on the 26th of March 2026. Credit: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA/Shutterstock)

Amsterdam has become the world's first capital city to ban commercials for low-cost flights, petrol and diesel cars, and burgers from its billboards, bus and metro shelters. The travel and meat industries say it's over-reach, and violates their rights. We explore whether stripping adverts from public spaces can really change what we eat and how we travel. If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is [email protected]/producer: Anna Holligan(Picture: A bike being ridden through Amsterdam, Netherlands.)

We speak to the Emirati entrepreneur who set up a business making biodegradable cutlery made from discarded date palm trees, driven by the goal to replace single-use plastics in UAE.Lamis al-Hashimy, co-founder of Palmade, shares how a hobby project became a business producing millions of items, the early failures that nearly stopped it, and the challenges of competing with cheap plastic. How did a failed prototype including a fork that melted in pizza, lead to a growing business?If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is [email protected] Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism devoted to the world of money and work. From small startup stories to big corporate takeovers, global economic shifts to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.Each episode is a 17-minute, daily deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.Recent episodes explore the weight-loss drug revolution, the growth in AI, the cost of living, the economic impact of the war in the Middle East, and why bond markets are so powerful.We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs. These include Google's Sundar Pichai, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and the CEO of Canva, Melanie Perkins.Presenter: Sarah Rogers Producers: Bisi Adebayo, Victoriya Holland and Jay Behrouzi(Photo: Lamis al-Hashimy. Credit: Lamis al-Hashimy)

The world of sport is being reshaped for the algorithm, with new formats emerging for quick, shareable moments online. From influencers managing sport teams to bite‑sized versions of traditional games like 3-a-side football, more sports are fighting for the attention of younger fans. But is this paying off?If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is [email protected] and produced by Matt LinesBusiness Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism devoted to the world of money and work. From small startup stories to big corporate takeovers, global economic shifts to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.Each episode is a 17-minute, daily deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.Recent episodes explore the weight-loss drug revolution, the growth in AI, the cost of living, the economic impact of the war in the Middle East, and why bond markets are so powerful.We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs. These include Google's Sundar Pichai, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and the CEO of Canva, Melanie Perkins.(Photo: M7 FC in action against Wembley Rangers FC during Baller League UK at the Copper Box Arena, London, 24 March, 2025. Credit: Ben Whitley/PA)

The price of natural gas has shot up around the world after the war began in Iran, but how is the gas price linked to electricity in some countries more so than others? We’ll be looking at how gas still sets the power prices so often. We’ll also look at Ethiopia, to see if hydropower could be a solution for other places who want renewables to bring down the cost of bills.If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is [email protected] and produced by Rick KelseyBusiness Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism devoted to the world of money and work. From small startup stories to big corporate takeovers, global economic shifts to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.Each episode is a 17-minute, daily deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.Recent episodes explore the weight-loss drug revolution, the growth in AI, the cost of living, the economic impact of the war in the Middle East, and why bond markets are so powerful.We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs. These include Google's Sundar Pichai, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and the CEO of Canva, Melanie Perkins.(Picture: Gas flare at petroleum and natural gas offshore power plant. Credit: Getty Images)

Diamonds in places like Sierra Leone have long had a tarnished association with war and corruption – blood diamonds, as they’re known. There’s now also the economic threat of synthetic, lab-grown diamonds. Can traditional mining compete? And are natural diamonds really so much worse for us, for the planet, than their new rivals, grown in a lab? To get in touch with the team, send us an email to [email protected]/presenter: Ed Butler Sound engineer: Toby JamesBusiness Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism devoted to the world of money and work. From small startup stories to big corporate takeovers, global economic shifts to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.Each episode is a 17-minute, daily deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.Recent episodes explore the weight-loss drug revolution, the growth in AI, the cost of living, the economic impact of the war in the Middle East, and why bond markets are so powerful.We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs. These include Google's Sundar Pichai, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and the CEO of Canva, Melanie Perkins.(Photo: A diamond specialist inspects an uncut rock. Credit: Getty Images)

We’re in Sierra Leone where the gems have helped to fuel war and, many would say, decades of corruption. The closure of the country’s biggest diamond mine has added to the economic uncertainty as well as the fear of further conflict. In the first of two programmes, we look at the clouds hanging over West Africa’s diamond industry. To get in touch with the team, send us an email to [email protected] and produced by Ed ButlerBusiness Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism devoted to the world of money and work. From small startup stories to big corporate takeovers, global economic shifts to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.Each episode is a 17-minute, daily deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.Recent episodes explore the weight-loss drug revolution, the growth in AI, the cost of living, the economic impact of the war in the Middle East, and why bond markets are so powerful.We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs. These include Google's Sundar Pichai, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and the CEO of Canva, Melanie Perkins.(Picture: A man washing diamonds in a mine in Kono, Sierra Leone. Credit: Getty Images)