By Elijah Odhiambo
CNN has announced Larry Madowo as the new host of the CNN African Voices Changemaker – a program that once featured him for his impactful journalism.
Speaking about joining the programme, Larry said he was passionate and anxious about highlighting outstanding stories about people from across the continent. “I’m looking forward to highlighting outstanding stories and incredible people from across the continent and showing the world these remarkable African change makers, having featured on the show before joining CNN, this is full circle for me”, Larry said.
CNN International Head of Features Content Ellana Lee described Larry as a uniquely experienced journalist with enormous energy, expertise and skill noting that the media guru is also I credibly passionate about Africa. “He is incredibly passionate about Africa, and I know he is excited by the chance to bring it’s many varied experiences and stories to a global audience,” he said.
CNN African Voices features entertainers, creatives, athletes and members of the public who are making a difference, finding ways to impact their communities and making cultural contributions.
Who is Larry Madowo?
Larry has scaled through the journalism field with his journalistic prowess, seeing him rise through the media scene from one broadcasting house to the other.
He started his journalism at KTN, where he joined while still a student at Daystar University. It was a job he really needed as he had dropped from university. He however went back to finish his degree.
While at KTN, he helped set up the first ever Facebook and Twitter accounts for KTN, at a time when social media was never a thing. He grew bigger and bigger in his journalistic skills while at KTN and then left for a South African broadcasting company, CNBC where he stayed for less than a year.
After two years as a business reporter, he joined NTV as a business reporter and anchor, a position he also held for two years.
The 1987-born, left a year stint at South Africa’s CNBC, before returning to NTV as anchor and technology editor where he worked for five years, before leaving for BBC News Africa as Business Editor.
After a year and five months with the British broadcaster, he left to pursue Masters of Arts in Business and Economics Journalism as a Knight – Bagehot Fellow and later graduated with a distinction from Columbia University. His thesis at the University, “Jumia; How the ‘Amazon of Africa’ Fell from Grace”, earned him the 2020 Philip Greer Award for Financial Writing.
This carpeted his entry to CNN in 2021 as it’s correspondent in Nairobi before making a debut as CNN International anchor in August 2021.
While at CNN, he has reported about the floods in Nigeria, covered the Kenya 2022 elections, anchored news shows, reported about the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, hosted a number of business forums, with recently hosting the World Economic Forum in Davos.
