One of its founders was Zimbabwe-born James Makawa, who later founded the African Broadcast Network, a similar company, and The Africa Channel in the United States.
[1] The African Barter Company was established in 1995 by James Makawa, who after working in the United States after a four-year career with NBC and a brief stint in television syndication, decided to return to Africa, setting up ABC in Johannesburg.
[1] The programming, sourced primarily from US distributors and producers, was paid in dollars, which was expensive.
At the 1996 MIPCOM, M-Net secured an agreement with the African Barter Company to distribute Egoli in association with US distributor Media Ventures International.
[2] ABC reached 23 countries: Senegal, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Seychelles, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa and Mauritius.