Online streaming platform, Spotify, has unveiled the top five most streamed podcasts in Nigeria, Kenya and South, for 2024.

Spotify’s Sub-Saharan Africa Podcast Manager, Ncebakazi Manzi, in a statement on Thursday, said that “Apostle Femi Lazarus” remained the most streamed podcast in Nigeria.

Manzi said others were: “Motivation Daily by Motiversity”, Success Addicted Podcast with the voice of Earl Nightingale ; Napoleon Hill ; Jim Rohn and many more”, “Apostle Joshua Selman and The HonestBunch Podcast.

She said the top five most streamed podcasts in South Africa were: “The Joe Rogan Experience”, “The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett”, “What Now? With Trevor Noah”, “Motivation Daily by Motivarsity” and “Podcast and Chil with MacG”.

For the top five most streamed podcasts in Kenya, Manzi said they were: “The97sPodcast”, “So This Is Love”, “The Mkurugenzi Podcast”, “Mic Cheque Podcast” and “The Sandwich Podcast”.

She described podcasts as one of Africa’s favourite ways to tell stories.

She said with almost four billion minutes of podcast audio played in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2024, the continent’s appetite for the content had become loud and clear.

“South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya listened to the most shows this year, with South Africa contributing over two billion minutes.

“The numbers don’t lie. Podcasting is here to stay because it lets creators take control of their narratives and tell these stories on their terms while bringing their community along for the journey.

“Podcasts are personal, but trends do exist across the continent’s leading markets and beyond,” she said.

Manzi said that motivational shows around issues like managing finances, relationships, personal goals and health remained popular across the three leading countries.

She said shows like “The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett”, “Motivation Daily by Motiversity” and “The Success Addicted Podcast” have attracted listeners who wanted to get their lives in order and learn from the stories of inspirational people.

“Audiences in Nigeria and South Africa embrace shows about spirituality.

“Christian Motivation had one of the most shared episodes in South Africa while “Apostle Joshua Selman” maintained his popularity in Nigeria for another year.

“As the continent’s second-largest podcast market, Nigeria listened to 700 million minutes in 2024 and it created half of the new shows published in Sub-Saharan Africa this year.

“Even though spirituality dominated Nigeria’s top charts, the continued popularity of shows like “I Said What I Said” and “The HonestBunch Podcast” tell us that listeners also want conversation-style shows.

“Listeners in Kenya and South Africa also showed affinity toward these shows,” she said.

Williams Uchemba, the Nigerian actor, and Brunella Oscar, his wife, have welcomed their second child.

The actor recently took to Instagram to reveal that the baby was born on December 9.

Uchemba said he was in Nigeria attending a meeting while his wife was in labor in the United Kingdom.

The 31-year-old said despite the distance, he traveled from Enugu to London to be by his wife’s side, presenting her with a bouquet at the hospital.

The film star praised his wife, describing her as “one of the strongest women” he knows. He also shared a heartwarming clip of himself holding his baby named ‘Ethan Chidubem Uchembah’.

“I was having a meeting in Enugu and my wife called me hey baby how are you? And for the first time in our life, my life replied: ‘I am not fine’. I have never heard use those words,” he wrote.

“It seems baby wants to come today. I knew I had to find my way to London tonight.
Thankfully, there was a last flight From Enugu to Lagos.

“Landed in Lagos and started making my way to the international airport.

“My baby is here and I am 40,000 feet above sea level. All I had was Thanksgiving and praise.”

Dapper Music, the record label that played a pivotal role in launching Shallipopi’s career, has addressed the singer’s recent allegations.

On Wednesday, the singer announced his exit from the label. He also accused the music label of breaching his trust, mishandling his finances, and neglecting his growth.

In a statement on Thursday, Dapper Music emphasized their dedication to “transparency and fairness” in all their operations.

The label also denied Shallipopi’s accusations, adding that “all parties, including the artist in question, willingly agreed to a 30% management commission”.

The music firm said they do not have agreements that tie the singer’s future earnings to their business indefinitely.

Dapper explained that their contracts solely relate to recordings and opportunities worked on and provided by their team within the contract term.

The label expressed surprise at Shallipopi’s “false claims,” adding that they are currently cooperating fully with the auditors the singer has engaged.

“Dapper Music & Entertainment, we prioritise transparency and fairness in all our operations. Every contract we offer is presented with clarity, ensuring that both parties fully understand and agree to the terms. Our artists are always provided with the opportunity for legal representation,” the statement reads in part.

“All parties, including the artist in question, willingly agreed to a 30% management commission. This decision was made voluntarily and reflects the substantial investment required to launch and sustain their careers. It is important to note that earning from music in our territory is challenging due to lower royalty payouts compared to other regions, yet our investment remains substantial. We are committed to bringing new voices and talents to the world.

“We do not have any agreements with Mr. Crown Uzama that tie the artist’s future earnings to our business indefinitely. Our contracts solely relate to recordings and opportunities worked on and provided by our team within the contract term, which is common practice in the recording industry.

“Our commitment to artists is ongoing. After the success of Mr. Crown Uzama’s first album, he had the opportunity to review and renegotiate the terms with full legal representation. On October 28, 2024, we varied the terms to ensure he had the freedom to explore new opportunities. Confident in our partnership, he and his representative willingly signed a second agreement. This was a collaborative decision, not coercion.

“We have provided all parties with full accounting via our accounting system. We are surprised by Mr. Crown Uzama’s false claims, especially as we are currently cooperating fully with the auditors he has engaged. We remain actively involved in the audit process, having just held a meeting on Monday, the 9th of December 2024.

“We have received several emails from legal representatives threatening to destroy our business by utilising the court of public opinion. We are confident that we have conducted business with the highest integrity and are prepared to seek redress in a court of competent jurisdiction.”