Business Day Spotlight

Tracing 20 years on YouTube in Africa with Google’s Alex Okosi

Google role and influence in Africa’s R100bn creator economy is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Alex Okosi, MD for Google in Africa.  Through the discussion, the executive unpacks Google’s strategy around content creation; staying relevant in the competitive market for attention…

17 Sep 2025 40 min

Pushing trust in the world of digital payments

The importance of trust in influencing digital payments use is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Charles Lobo, senior vice president and regional risk officer for Visa Central Europe Middle East and Africa (CEMEA).  Topics of discussion include: the payments executive outlines…

15 Sep 2025 44 min

Mastercard digital payments strategy in focus

The influence of secure payment technology in shaping SA’s digital retail economy is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Gabriel Swanepoel, country manager for Southern Africa at Mastercard.  Topics of discussion include: the place of digital payments in a growing e-commerce…

12 Sep 2025 36 min

Unpacking Cisco’s investment in artificial intelligence and Africa

Cisco’s investment in artificial intelligence and Africa is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Francine Katsoudas, executive vice-president and chief people, policy and purpose officer at Cisco.  Topics of discussion include: Cisco’s latest earnings performance; the role of effective change management in the…

10 Sep 2025 34 min

Investec pushes for online retail investment through Clarity platform

The rise of the confident retail investors using technology is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Tinus Rautenbach, head of Clarity at Investec.  Through the discussion, the banker highlights the impact of fintech in growing accessibility to investing; Investec decision to create Clarity; generational shifts…

7 Sep 2025 43 min

Zooming in on Radisson Hotel Group's South Africa Expansion

The Group’s plans to grow its hotel business in Africa is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by the team from Radisson Hotel Group: Ramsay Rankoussi, regional chief development officer; and Daniel Trappler, senior director of development Southern & Eastern Africa Learn about the Group's plans to double…

5 Sep 2025 55 min

Salesforce’s push to grow its AI agent business

Salesforce’s push to grow its artificial intelligence agent business is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Linda Saunders, country manager and senior director for solution engineering in Africa at Salesforce   Topics of discussion include: the development of Salesforce Agentforce; evolution of agentic AI; use cases for…

3 Sep 2025 42 min

Taking on the giants in SA’s home finance sector

MortgageMarket’s push to take up market share in SA’s competitive home financing market is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Tim Akinnusi, co-founder and CEO of MortgageMarket. The businessman details the journey of MortgageMarket from inception; his history in SA’s home loans market; strategy to…

1 Sep 2025 45 min

Leadership tools for the AI driven business of the future

The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and tools to adapt to an evolving landscape is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by futurist and author, John Sanei. Through the discussion at an iqbusiness event, Sanei explains the shifts that AI is causing in business; tools for leaders…

27 Aug 2025 29 min

The push to cut SA’s youth unemployment

Effort to bring down the rate of youth unemployment in SA is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by  Sharmi Surianarain, chief impact officer at Harambee Youth Accelerator.  Harambee is funded through a combination of government, corporate and private fundraising.  Business Day Spotlight is…

25 Aug 2025 39 min

Ralph Mupita on MTN’s Africa growth prospects

MTN performance in the first six months of 2025 is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Ralph Mupita, group CEO of MTN.  Through the discussion, the telecoms executive outlines MTN’s first half financial performance; macroeconomic conditions in its main operating countries; five…

20 Aug 2025 18 min

Township Entrepreneurs Alliance lays out plans for the next decade in SA

SA’s fraught relationship with the township economy is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Bulelani Balabala, founder of the Township Entrepreneurs Alliance (TEA). Through the discussion, Balabala outlines his organisation’s major goals for the next decade; weighs in on the unemployment debate; the…

18 Aug 2025 34 min

AI agents in SA banks. Future reality or fiction?

The move towards artificial intelligence agents in SA’s banking sector is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Subash Sharma,  chief digital officer for Absa's personal and private banking unit.  Topics of discussion include: Absa’s strategy around agentic AI; the importance of building trust; and the complexity…

13 Aug 2025 42 min

Bridging the saving and investment gap in SA through tech

The importance of consumer savings to the South African economy is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Tobie van Heerden, CEO of 10X Investments.  Topics of discussion include: progress made to ensure more people have access to saving and investment platforms; the…

11 Aug 2025 33 min

Realities of funding universal healthcare in SA unpacked

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8 Aug 2025 46 min

The case for MVNO growth in SA

The growth of mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) in SA is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined byCraig Palmer, CEO of Vas-X, a mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE) platform.  Through the discussion, Palmer outlines the growth of MVNOs in SA; Vas-X’s business model; what it…

6 Aug 2025 47 min

GSMA calls for greater child online protections in Africa

The growing need for child online protections in Africa is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined byCaroline Mbugua, head of state commendation and GSMA director of public policy for Sub-Saharan Africa Through the discussion, the policy expert highlights the problem of higher internet…

4 Aug 2025 38 min

Verto’s push to win Africa’s cross-border payments market

Verto’s push to win Africa’s cross-border payments market is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined byCornelius Coetzee, country director for Verto SA.  Through the discussion, the payments executive highlights Verto’s business model; challenges and opportunities for cross border payments in Africa; and the partnerships underpinning…

1 Aug 2025 38 min

Advocate Thandi Orleyn’s career over four decades in focus

Thandi Orleyn’s more than four decade career is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Advocate Thandi Orleyn, retiring chairperson of BP Southern Africa.  Topics of discussion include: her career in law, energy and business; reflects on her time at BP; examines the state of…

30 Jul 2025 47 min

The work to make SA businesses more digitally secure

The state of cybersecurity in SA businesses is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.  Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Nabeel Rajab, technical solutions architect at Cisco SA.  Topics of discussion include: Rajab outlines the state of cybersecurity in SA businesses; best practices for keeping organisations secure;…

28 Jul 2025 45 min