What Nigerian Podcasting Can Teach European Creators, with Tony (Tony Doe) Onwuchekwa 🇳🇬🌏

Eurowaves #31 Interview

Tony Onwuchekwa, also known as Tony Doe, is a Nigerian media consultant and podcaster. He helps creators navigate the podcasting landscape, blending practical advice with industry insight. Through Into The Podverse, he amplifies African voices and builds bridges between local and global audio communities.

You can connect with Tony on LinkedIn here.

What’s your podcasting journey? How did you get into podcasting?

I came into podcasting through radio. That background taught me structure, storytelling, and respect for the listener. When podcasting began to grow, it felt like a natural extension of radio, more flexible, more personal, and without the limits of schedules.

Working with creators and stations across Africa, I noticed a gap. People were excited about podcasting, but many didn’t understand how to sustain it. That’s what led to Into The Podverse. It started as a newsletter and later became a podcast, focused on helping creators think long-term and build with intention.

Share with us an overview of Nigeria’s podcasting market.

Nigeria’s podcasting market is growing and energetic. There are many active creators and an audience that’s becoming more curious and consistent.

Discovery mostly happens on social platforms, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, rather than podcast apps. Monetization remains a challenge. Advertising budgets are limited, and payment tools don’t always work locally, so many podcasters rely on mixed income models. The creativity is strong. The systems are still developing.

What’s the Nigerian Podcast Index, and what do you hope it achieves?

The Nigerian Podcast Index is a public directory of Nigerian podcasts. It’s designed to document what exists, without rankings or editorial bias.

The goal is to improve discoverability and create a reliable record of Nigerian audio work. It helps listeners, brands, platforms, and researchers find Nigerian podcasts more easily.

Podcasters can get involved by submitting their shows through a form link. If you’re Nigerian at home or based in the diaspora and have a valid RSS feed, you can be listed.

How would you describe cross-border collaboration across African podcasting markets?

Cross-border collaboration is growing, but it’s still mostly informal. Creators collaborate, share audiences, and learn from one another across countries.

What’s missing is structure. Shared data, stronger regional partnerships, and systems that make collaboration easier to sustain. Africa doesn’t need one voice, but better connections between many voices.

You’re well-connected internationally. What made you branch outside your local context, and what advice do you have for others?

Podcasting is global by nature. Once you publish, your audience can be anywhere.

I branched out to learn from global conversations and bring those insights back to African creators. Exposure sharpens standards and broadens perspective.

My advice is to focus on quality, consistency, and relationships. Do the work well, stay visible, and think beyond borders while staying grounded locally.

Share 2–3 podcast recommendations.

Apart from Into The Podverse, I recommend Mindfully with Tunmise. It’s a thoughtful mental health podcast grounded in lived experience, focused on self-awareness, emotional well-being, and honest conversations.

I also recommend The Young God, by Rodney Omeokachie. It’s an introspective podcast that explores identity, creativity, purpose, and what it means to live intentionally.

Both shows are clear about who they serve, and that clarity comes through in every episode.

Thank you, Tony!