A strong interview can do more than tell a story. It can make a complex issue understandable, give an entrepreneur a platform, or help an audience see an opportunity they had not considered before. This is the space Babazile Prudence Makhubalo has increasingly made her own, bringing together journalism, business, technology and storytelling to create conversations that connect Africa’s economic realities with the people living them.
A broadcast journalist, producer, moderator and presenter, Makhubalo currently works with CNBC Africa, where she reports on business, finance, markets and economic developments. She is also the presenter of Africa Side Hustle, the weekly CNBC Africa programme that puts entrepreneurs and the businesses they are building at the centre of conversations about Africa’s economy. Recent episodes have explored everything from the creator economy and beauty to agriculture, financial literacy and the realities of turning a side hustle into a sustainable enterprise.
It is work that reflects Makhubalo’s broader approach to journalism. She is interested not only in what is happening, but in why it matters and how audiences can make sense of it. In a media environment where business and economic stories can easily become dominated by technical language and market terminology, she sees storytelling as a way of making these subjects more accessible.
Her career has been shaped by that ability to move between different forms of broadcasting. Before joining CNBC Africa, Makhubalo spent years at the SABC as a broadcast journalist and producer, working across news, business and sports. Her experience includes producing live television and radio content, giving her an understanding of both sides of the broadcast process – the demands of producing a compelling programme and the responsibility of communicating information accurately and clearly.
At CNBC Africa, that experience has developed into a platform from which she can explore some of the forces shaping the continent’s economic future. Her work on Africa Side Hustle is particularly aligned with her interest in entrepreneurship and opportunity. In recent conversations, she has interviewed entrepreneurs about the challenges of funding, scaling, innovation, personal branding and building businesses in sectors ranging from food and agriculture to technology and beauty.
For Makhubalo, however, journalism is only one part of the professional future she is building. She has deliberately invested in understanding the technologies reshaping the industries she covers. Her academic background includes a Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence from the London School of Economics and Political Science, alongside studies in business administration and qualifications in blockchain and digital currency.
That combination gives her a perspective that is increasingly valuable in African business media. Artificial intelligence, digital currencies, automation and emerging technologies are changing how companies operate and how economies develop, while journalists themselves must understand enough about these technologies to interrogate their impact. Makhubalo’s commitment to continuous learning allows her to approach these developments not simply as headlines, but as forces with implications for businesses, workers and communities.
Her leadership journey is similarly focused on growth. Makhubalo is intentionally working towards becoming a leader who creates opportunities for others rather than measuring leadership through titles or recognition. She is developing her public-speaking abilities, having already used her voice in spaces such as a women’s spiritual gathering where she volunteered her time to encourage and uplift others.
That experience reinforced something she increasingly believes about leadership: influence begins with service. The aspiration is not simply to become a more visible broadcaster or speaker, but to use every platform she receives to leave people with greater confidence, clarity or possibility than they had before the conversation began.
She is also beginning to build beyond media through entrepreneurship. Makhubalo is developing Bossy and Entitled, a clothing brand centred on confidence, ambition and authenticity. The brand represents another expression of the message that runs through much of her work: women should be able to pursue ambition without apologising for it or compromising who they are.
Over the next five years, she wants to become one of Africa’s trusted voices in business journalism, moderation and public speaking. Her ambition is to move beyond reporting events towards facilitating conversations that can influence how people think about business, innovation, leadership and economic development.
Central to that vision is creating more spaces where women and young people can see themselves participating in Africa’s economic future. Through journalism, she wants to tell stories that make business and economic developments relevant to everyday audiences. Through moderation and public speaking, she wants to create conversations that bring different perspectives into the same room. Through entrepreneurship, she hopes to create opportunities of her own.
The foundation for that future is being laid through deliberate investment in herself. She continues to deepen her knowledge, strengthen her communication skills and accept opportunities that stretch her beyond familiar territory. Every interview, production, moderation opportunity and speaking engagement becomes part of the leadership education she is giving herself.
There is also a strong sense of patience behind her ambition. Makhubalo has learned that her career does not have to follow anyone else’s timeline. There have been moments when she compared her progress with that of others or questioned whether she was doing enough. Over time, she has come to see growth as personal rather than competitive.
That lesson is particularly relevant in a career that has evolved across multiple disciplines. From SABC production and broadcasting to financial journalism, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship, Makhubalo’s path has not been linear. Each experience has instead become part of a broader toolkit she can bring to the next opportunity.
Her work has earned recognition along the way, including an SAB Sports Media Awards nomination during her broadcasting career. But her ambitions are increasingly less about recognition for what she has already done and more about what her platforms can make possible for others.
For Makhubalo, opportunity is not always something that arrives fully formed. Some of the most important opportunities in her own journey came through saying yes to experiences that allowed her to learn, serve and develop before she knew exactly where they would lead.
That is why her message to other women is grounded in investment. Keep learning. Build relationships. Take opportunities that stretch you. Do not allow setbacks or comparison to convince you that your journey is moving too slowly. Your voice and perspective have value, even before you have reached the destination you imagined.
There is a natural connection between that philosophy and the journalism she practices. The stories she tells are ultimately about possibility – entrepreneurs creating businesses, professionals adapting to technological change and communities finding new ways to participate in economic growth. By bringing those stories to a wider audience, Makhubalo is helping make the African economy more human, more accessible and more visible.
And as she continues to expand her work across journalism, technology, speaking and entrepreneurship, her own story is becoming another example of the kind of multidimensional career she encourages others to pursue: one built not around a single title, but around the ability to keep learning, keep adapting and keep creating value wherever the opportunity arises.
Babazile Prudence Makhubalo is an honouree in the 2026 Future 54 Leading Women Cohort, recognising women shaping Africa through leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship and meaningful impact.
