BBC Africa is not one desk — it's a network spanning TV, radio, digital and World Service languages. Pitching it well requires knowing which platform you're feeding and which editorial frame you're answering.

This guide gives you a workable system for engaging BBC Africa reporters without wasting their time or yours.

Beat snapshot

• 52+ active journalists across the Africa vertical in our directory
• Output channels: bbc.com/africa, Focus on Africa (TV & radio), BBC World Service language services, Africa Eye
• Hubs: Nairobi, Lagos, Johannesburg, Accra, Dakar, Kampala, London
• Default time reference: GMT/UTC

BBC Africa prioritises stories that explain consequence to a pan-African and global audience. Governance, elections, conflict, climate, health, migration, business and tech all sit in the mix, but always with a "what does this mean" spine.

The through-line is verified, on-the-ground reporting with African voices leading — not external commentary about Africa.

National stories get picked up when they carry regional or continental implications. A policy change in Kenya matters to BBC when it signals a trend across East Africa.

Practical framing notes:

• Investigations (Africa Eye) want documents, not press releases.
• Business/tech wants market data and named founders or regulators.
• Climate wants local adaptation angles, not global summit boilerplate.
• Culture wants genuine discovery, not brand tie-ins.

Start with bylines, not org charts. Pull the last 60 days of bbc.com/africa and note who is filing repeatedly on your topic — those are the people who will actually read your email.

Your BBC Africa reporters list should separate three roles, because each has a different function.

• Correspondents — set the agenda, rarely reply cold, best reached via a warm intro.
• Reporters/producers — generate daily coverage, most responsive to timely, well-sourced tips.
• Editors/commissioning — control slotting; approach only with a fully formed package.

Directory representatives in our system — Daniel Adamson, Harriet Agerholm, Richard Askam and Zeinab Badawi — illustrate the range: from newsroom reporting to flagship broadcast anchoring. Verify current beat and platform before every send; BBC roles rotate frequently.

Two quick verification moves:

1. Check the byline's most recent three pieces for topic fit.
2. Confirm their platform (digital, TV, radio, language service) before choosing your pitch angle.

BBC Africa journalists respond to stories with a clear news peg, a verified source, and visual or audio potential. If your pitch can't be filmed, voiced or illustrated, it weakens.

The strongest pitches pair a hard datapoint with one unforgettable human detail. "Mobile money volumes up 34% — here's the market trader in Kumasi who hasn't touched cash in two years" beats any abstract trend.

Avoid the frames that get an instant delete: "Africa rising," "the next frontier," single-country findings generalised to a continent, or unnamed "experts say."

Treat BBC Africa journalists contacts as relationship infrastructure, not a distribution list. One precise, well-sourced email beats fifty blasts — mass sends get filtered and remembered.

Route one: the named reporter whose byline matches your story. Route two: the BBC press office for formal access or interview requests. Route three: warm referral via a prior source or partner organisation.

Rules of engagement:

• Subject line: story, not brand. "New data: 1.2m displaced in Cabo Delgado — local official available" works.
• Body: under 150 words, one case study, one datapoint, one offer of access.
• No attachments on first contact; paste the facts inline.
• Embargoes must be explicit, in GMT, with a named person accountable.
• Follow up once, after 48 hours. Then stop.

Language services are an underused door. A pitch to BBC Hausa, Somali, Swahili or French Africa can surface a story to the wider Africa desk faster than a cold English-language email.

Use this before every send.

• ☐ Byline verified — this journalist covered this topic in the last 90 days
• ☐ News peg is dated and real
• ☐ One named, contactable case study confirmed
• ☐ Datapoint sourced to a primary document
• ☐ Continental or regional relevance stated in one line
• ☐ Visual, audio or access offer included
• ☐ Under 150 words, no attachments, no jargon
• ☐ Sent GMT morning, 48–72 hours before the peg
• ☐ Embargo terms explicit, if any
• ☐ Logged in your CRM against the BBC Africa reporters list for the next cycle

Bottom line: BBC Africa rewards specificity, verified access and format awareness. Build a living map of who covers what, pitch the human consequence first, and protect your reputation with a single disciplined follow-up.