I did not plan to start a publication.
I planned to go to Italy, do my work, maybe eat my weight in gelato, then come home. What I did not plan for was the questions.
Every conversation somehow found its way to Africa. Colleagues, strangers, people I met at dinner, all of them curious, leaning in, wanting to understand a continent they had heard about but never truly met. I answered as best I could. I talked about the people, the cities, the ideas, the energy. But I kept leaving those conversations with the same quiet feeling: I was not doing it justice. There was so much more to say. So much more happening.
Rome, Italy. Where the questions began.
Then I came home. I attended the Afrinovation Festival in Kenya and something clicked. I sat in rooms full of young people doing extraordinary things, making breakthroughs in agriculture, education, artificial intelligence, energy and so much more. The energy was electric. The talent was undeniable.
Afrinovation Festival, Kenya. Innovate. Collaborate. Transform.
Africa is not waiting. Africa is creating.
What I observed was a continent full of people who are finding their own answers, moving at their own pace, walking in stride with the rest of the world. Quietly, persistently, and with an ingenuity that deserves a much larger audience.
I wanted to be that audience. And then I wanted to share what I found.
So. What is Disruptors on Safari?It is a space dedicated to the individuals and companies reshaping how Africa works, grows and creates. From construction to agriculture, from artificial intelligence to everyday tools that change ordinary lives, we go looking for the disruptors and we bring their stories back.
The name is intentional. In Kenya, a safari is a planned journey, destination set, provisions packed, purpose clear. Africa is our terrain, all of it, every country, every sector. A disruptor, in our world, is someone who looked at a challenge, had an idea and had the courage to do something about it. It could be an idea so simple you wonder why nobody tried it sooner, or so bold it changes everything. And the disruptors we cover are on their own safari every day, navigating complex, resource-constrained, wildly alive ground to create something new. We go with them.
We write Africa for Africans. To hold a mirror up to what we are already doing and say: look at this. Look at us.
There is a lot to be proud of. And the people doing the work deserve an audience that matches their ambition. When we see what our fellow Africans are doing, more of us will be inspired to do the same. That is what we are here for, to be the young voice of African innovation, to write Africa for Africans.
This is Safari Stop 000. The warm-up. The map before the journey.
Safari Stop 001 is already waiting for you.
— Jesica Akeyo Ogindo