African Radio Online: Afrobeats, Amapiano, News and Local Stations

African music has become a global thing in the last few years, from Afrobeats on the charts to Amapiano at parties around the world. But the best way to hear it is not a playlist. It is radio, because a presenter introduces something you did not know existed.

This guide will help you find African stations on your phone or computer.

Start with music pages

Two pages are good for first-time listeners:

• Afrobeats radio: live stations playing Afrobeats and related African pop.
• Reggae radio: roots reggae and dancehall, which are loved in many African countries.

If you like what you hear, keep the station playing for an hour. A good radio set has things you would never think to search for.

Look for your country

Several African countries have their own pages with live stations, for example Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and Ethiopia. There are more on the full list.

A country page usually mixes music, news, talk and sport, so it is a good place to hear what the country sounds like in a day.

News and talk

A lot of Africans abroad use radio to stay close to what is happening at home. Look at the news page and the country page together. Some stations broadcast in English, French, Arabic or Portuguese, and some in local languages. Do check the time difference, because a "morning show" runs on local time.

Faith and community radio

Gospel and church services are a large part of radio in many places. You can find them on the Christian radio page. Muslim listeners can find Quran and Islamic stations. Small community stations are often the ones that play the music no big station will touch.

Why some stations are not available

Some stations only allow their own country to listen, and some streams go down when the power or internet is unreliable at their end. If a station stops, it is usually not you. Try another from the same page. This guide lists the other common reasons.

Help us add more

Online radio from Africa is changing quickly, with new stations starting all the time. If you know a good one that is not listed, send us its name and we will try to add it.

Press play on something, let it run and see who you find.

Questions people ask

Do I need an account? No. Just press play. An account is only for saving favourites.

Will it use a lot of data? A radio stream uses a modest amount, usually less than video. Even so, on a small data bundle it is worth listening on Wi-Fi when you can.

Can I listen while I do other things? Yes. On a computer, leave the tab open. On a phone, allow your browser to run in the background, or the sound may stop when the screen locks.