Africa Daily

By BBC World Service

What's Africa Daily about?

One question to wake up to every weekday morning. One story from Africa, for Africa. Alan Kasujja takes a deep dive into the news shaping the continent. Ready by early morning, five days a week, Monday to Friday.

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Africa Daily episodes:

05.24.2024
Why have plans for a mass wedding sparked controversy in Nigeria?
“Without the public outcry, the mass marriage would have gone on as planned.” There’s been a lot of debate, claim and counter-claim in Nigeria this week over a proposed mass wedding of 100 couples in Niger state in the north...
05.23.2024
Why has the US invited Kenya’s President Ruto on a state visit?
Kenyan President William Ruto is on a state visit to the US, the first by an African leader since Ghana’s John Kufour in 2008 and only the 6th state visit Biden has hosted since taking office in 2020 A state...
05.22.2024
Who will win South Africa’s national election next week?
It’s expected to be a bruising election, with 70 political parties contesting for power. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s African National Congress, and the official opposition, Democratic Alliance, are seen as the frontrunners. Former president Jacob Zuma’s Umkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP),...
05.21.2024
How climate-resilient are African cities?
During the recent floods in East Africa it became quickly apparent just how ill-prepared most cities across the region are in the face of heavy rains. Some of the continent's major cities are located on the coast, and therefore at...
05.20.2024
Can Liberia’s war crimes court bring justice to victims of its civil wars?
During Liberia’s two civil wars, it became normal for children to be abducted by armed groups, often drugged, and forced to fight. 250,000 people are estimated to have died in the conflict which continued between 1989-2003. In 2006,...
05.17.2024
Should male circumcision in Africa be a personal choice?
Male circumcision is deeply rooted in tradition and culture across many African communities but there’s a lot of controversy around the method that is used to remove the foreskin. Some initiatives that promote voluntary medical male circumcision for the...
05.16.2024
Darfur: Is a massacre imminent in El Fasher?
“The irony and the tragedy at once is that all this happened while the international community are watching it. So I think this is the time to prevent the atrocities that happened in El Geneina from repeating itself in El...
05.15.2024
How has Ghana’s tough anti-LGBTQ+ bill changed life there?
The Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill, drafted in 2021, was passed by parliamentarians in Ghana earlier this year. It imposes a prison sentence on anyone identifying as being LGBTQ+. This bill still needs to...
05.14.2024
Can Cape Verde tempt its diaspora home with its digital hub plans?
“We’re creating a new generation of digital entrepreneurs that we like to call digital warriors… And this new generation they’re passionate about technology – they’re going to be the ones driving innovation in our country.” Throughout its history, the island...
05.13.2024
Should farmers insure themselves against climate disasters?
Even though they see it as something that would benefit them… they would rather put that dollar into fertiliser which they really need to boost their yields.” Recently on Africa Daily we’ve heard about different insurance schemes for farmers and...
05.10.2024
Will Chad’s elections bring democratic change?
“My wish is that we hold free and transparent elections, so that the voice of the people can be heard for peace. Because governing a country with weapons is not normal.” – voter, Chad. Interim president, General Mahamat Déby, has...
05.09.2024
How will Sierra Leone clamp down on the addictive and lethal drug kush?
Kush is being sold all across Sierra Leone. It’s a psychoactive blend of addictive substances and has been prevalent in the country for years. Sierra Leone's president - Julius Maada Bio - has called Kush a “death trap"...
05.08.2024
What’s really behind Burkina Faso’s media crackdown?
Today we’re in Burkina Faso where there's been a serious crackdown on foreign media. There have been several reports alleging that the army massacred hundreds of civilians in northern villages in February 2024 and the government's not happy about...
05.07.2024
Where does donated medicine in Africa really end up?
Liberia, along with several other African nations, receives donated medications from international organisations such as The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The World Health Organisation says that Africa accounts for 94% of global malaria cases and...
05.06.2024
Why do so many African countries struggle to maintain a supply of electricity?
Today, we're shining a light on a topic that keeps many African nations in the dark – the struggle for stable electricity supply. Africa has the lowest access to electricity in the world. Roughly half a billion people lack access...
05.03.2024
What’s preventing Nigeria’s Plateau State authorities from keeping people there safe?
Regular attacks by men on motorbikes wielding AK-47 rifles have become a common occurrence in Plateau State in central Nigeria. People in the state are still reeling from the trauma of Christmas Eve attacks just over four months ago, when...
05.02.2024
Why aren’t there more federal governments in Africa?
Federalism in Africa is the topic of today’s episode. Depending on how you define the term, there are only around six countries in Africa that use the federal model, with Nigeria and Ethiopia among them. But what is federalism...
05.01.2024
Kenya floods: how can farmers build resilience?
“We should also harvest the water, store it in the soil. Grow our crops and grow our trees. Because the storage in the soil is much, much bigger than any store we can ever put on the surface. God has...
04.30.2024
What’s life like for communities living near a cobalt mine in DRCongo?
We’ve spoken many times on Africa Daily about mining and whether natural resources are actually a blessing or a curse for the continent. It’s led to decades of conflict in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and the...
04.29.2024
Was Bobrisky jailed because of her transgender identity?
“Before pronouncing sentence on Bobrisky, the judge asked, ‘are you male or female?’. For me this was a red flag. Bobrisky’s gender has nothing to do with whether he (or she) abused the Naira.” Money spraying is part of Nigerian...
04.26.2024
Thirty years later, have black and white South Africans forgiven each other?
“If I have my money, I have my assets, I have my farms, my houses, my cars, I have everything I need, I don’t need to be friendly with any white person” – Sandile Swana, former freedom fighter. In 1948,...
04.25.2024
30 years on, have black South Africans got economic justice?
“It feels like a black man deserves the worst. The poor are getting poorer while the rich are getting richer. I don’t know how things will change” – Alexandra resident, Vusi Mbeye. On the 27th of April 1994, millions of...
04.24.2024
Will Togo's political rollercoaster reach a resolution?
Togo's President Faure Gnassingbé's proposal to change the constitution has ignited a fierce debate in the country. Some say it's a power grab disguised as reform, while others insist it's a step towards a more democratic future. The reforms aim...
04.23.2024
What is the Nigerian government doing to tackle insecurity?
Earlier this month we marked the 10th anniversary of the kidnapping of the Chibok girls. It was one of the first mass kidnappings of children witnessed in Nigeria. In 2014, 276 girls were abducted from their school by militants...
04.22.2024
100 Influential Africans – how is Ibrahima Cheikh Diong trying to shape Africa?
“Development is all about leadership. You can get all the resources in the world, you can get all the best human capital… but if the leadership is not there you can’t make the best of the resources you have and...
04.19.2024
Are new banknotes the ‘golden answer’ for Zimbabwe’s currency woes?
You’ve gone to the grocery store and bought your week’s supplies… so can you imagine receiving your change in sweets, chocolates and other small items? That’s the situation in Zimbabwe where a shortage of US dollars – and a plummeting...
04.18.2024
Why does racism against black players persist in Spanish football?
Earlier this month, the goalkeeper of Spanish third-tier team, Rayo Majadahonda, went into the stands to confront a fan who allegedly racially abused him. Cheikh Sarr, a black man originally from Senegal, said he heard an elderly man join others...
04.17.2024
Could West Africa’s cocoa crisis spell disaster for farmers and chocolate lovers?
Ghana and Ivory Coast, responsible for over 60% of the world's cocoa supply, are suffering from catastrophic harvests. Illegal gold mining, climate change and a devastating virus have formed a perfect storm. Over 590,000 hectares of cocoa plantations have...
04.16.2024
What impact is Sudan’s war having on neighbouring countries?
Yesterday, Africa Daily heard from two Sudanese men about how a year of war has forever changed their lives. But the impact is also being felt beyond Sudan’s borders: South Sudan’s oil industry – its main income generator –...
04.15.2024
What’s life like for the Sudanese one year after war broke out?
On April 15th last year, fighting broke out between the leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and a powerful paramilitary group know as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). As the conflict escalated millions fled for their lives. According...
04.12.2024
What is it like to be the victim of a kidnapping in Nigeria?
This month marks ten years since the kidnapping of the Chibok girls in north eastern Nigeria when militants abducted nearly 300 girls. Most of the girls have either been freed or escaped but dozens remain unaccounted. In the years...
04.11.2024
What is being done to find the missing Chibok girls 10 years on?
On the 14th of April 2014, 279 girls were abducted from their school in Chibok, in north eastern Nigeria. Since that fateful night some have escaped, many have been rescued but sadly others remain missing. As Nigeria and...
04.10.2024
What’s it like living in an air polluted area?
“The problem is that communities are always excluded when important decisions are taken. Companies impose decisions on communities” – Fana Sibanyoni, a resident of Embalenhle in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province In today’s episode, Mpho Lakaje sits down with Sharon Mbonani...
04.09.2024
How is Southern Africa responding to the drought crisis?
Last week, Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a national disaster due to a prolonged drought crisis, saying the country needed $2 billion to address hunger. Zimbabwe, once a regional food producer, now grapples with high inflation and scarcity, intensified by...
04.08.2024
Why is identity theft an increasing problem?
Recently Africa Daily presenter Mpho Lakaje had a shock - he found he had been the victim of identity theft. The person or people behind the crime had opened accounts using his personal details and taken out six loans...
04.05.2024
Returning to Rwanda 30 years after fleeing the genocide
This episode contains graphic description of violence. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ “I do not know when I will die maybe it’s today or tomorrow - but I felt if I died without forgiving him the burden would be on my children.” This weekend...
04.04.2024
100 Influential Africans: What are the main challenges to doing business in Africa?
"It's hard to live in Africa. It's hard to pay your bills. Public transport is hard... And it's hard to run a business in Africa." Alan got a belated Christmas surprise this year – when he found out he’d been...
04.03.2024
Why are there still so few black women winemakers in South Africa?
South Africa is one of the top wine producers in the world yet, nearly thirty years after the end of apartheid, the industry is still dominated by white-owned wineries. Black-owned brands account for less than 1% of wine sales per...
04.02.2024
How did a shy elephant charm a local community in Kenya?
“Davy became our friend.” Tales of conflict between animals and people are all too common across Africa. People have been cast off their land to make way for wildlife parks for tourists. Animals have attacked humans, poachers kill for...
04.01.2024
What obstacles still remain for blind students in Africa?
Approximately 26.3 million people in Africa have a form of visual impairment, and it’s estimated that 5.9 million are blind. Blindness in people can occur at birth or later in life, and many people across the continent who are...
03.29.2024
Can a land-for-cash deal save Egypt’s economy?
The Ras al-Hikma peninsula on the north coast of Egypt is going to become a new city. But it’s going to be built and managed by another country, the United Arab Emirates. In a deal signed earlier this year,...
03.28.2024
Nigeria: What’s it like when your child is kidnapped?
This month there have been six mass abductions in the north of Nigeria, many involving children. One school that was attacked by armed men was in the town of Kuriga in the North West. There, the parents of...
03.27.2024
Can President Joseph Boakai make Liberia’s government more honest?
“Everybody wants to see you – everybody thinks this is an opportunity for employment…. a lot of people come into government believing they are there to enrich themselves.” It’s nearly three months since Joseph Boakai started work as Liberia’s new...
03.26.2024
What happened to South Africa’s promise of low-cost housing?
“Life here is difficult. You have to be a resilient person to survive. There’s no electricity. The roads are almost non-existent. In sunny days, the shack gets too hot. You can’t stay inside. When it’s cold, it gets very cold....
03.25.2024
How have some Rwandans overcome the trauma of genocide, 30 years later?
It’s been 30 years since one of the worst atrocities in recent African history - the Rwandan genocide. In 1994, between 800,000 and one million ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in 100 days. Some Rwandans have worked hard...
03.22.2024
Can there be a peaceful transition to power in Senegal?
After a turbulent few years of disputes and protests, and accusations that President Macky Sall was trying to hang on to office, Senegal is holding its presidential election on March 24. Speaking to the BBC this week, the president refused...
03.21.2024
Why is FGM proving so contentious in The Gambia?
Female Genital Mutilation or FGM is a practice that divides people. In the countries where it’s common – it’s usually carried out for cultural or religious reasons - but in recent years many African countries have banned the practice saying...
03.20.2024
Could a coalition government finally bring peace to Libya?
For the last 10 years Libya has been split into two – East and West - each with its own government. And in 2021 an attempt at elections failed after some questioned the eligibility of the main candidates. But now...
03.19.2024
Will Kenya police lead a multinational force in Haiti?
So the question being discussed by Kenyans for the last 2 weeks: will the country really send police officers to Haiti or not? US citizens have been evacuated and aid groups have warned that millions of Haitians face acute food...
03.18.2024
How easy is it for a rogue fake lawyer to escape detection in Kenya?
Earlier this month an arrest warrant was issued for a Kenyan man accused of practising law without qualifications after he skipped court, according to the Law Society of Kenya (LSK). The case has captivated Kenyans ever since the man was...

What's Africa Daily about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Africa Daily episodes:

Why have plans for a mass wedding sparked controversy in Nigeria?

Why has the US invited Kenya’s President Ruto on a state visit?

Who will win South Africa’s national election next week?

How climate-resilient are African cities?

Can Liberia’s war crimes court bring justice to victims of its civil wars?

Should male circumcision in Africa be a personal choice?

Darfur: Is a massacre imminent in El Fasher?

How has Ghana’s tough anti-LGBTQ+ bill changed life there?

Can Cape Verde tempt its diaspora home with its digital hub plans?

Should farmers insure themselves against climate disasters?

Will Chad’s elections bring democratic change?

How will Sierra Leone clamp down on the addictive and lethal drug kush?

What’s really behind Burkina Faso’s media crackdown?

Where does donated medicine in Africa really end up?

Why do so many African countries struggle to maintain a supply of electricity?

What’s preventing Nigeria’s Plateau State authorities from keeping people there safe?

Why aren’t there more federal governments in Africa?

Kenya floods: how can farmers build resilience?

What’s life like for communities living near a cobalt mine in DRCongo?

Was Bobrisky jailed because of her transgender identity?

Thirty years later, have black and white South Africans forgiven each other?

30 years on, have black South Africans got economic justice?

Will Togo's political rollercoaster reach a resolution?

What is the Nigerian government doing to tackle insecurity?

100 Influential Africans – how is Ibrahima Cheikh Diong trying to shape Africa?

Are new banknotes the ‘golden answer’ for Zimbabwe’s currency woes?

Why does racism against black players persist in Spanish football?

Could West Africa’s cocoa crisis spell disaster for farmers and chocolate lovers?

What impact is Sudan’s war having on neighbouring countries?

What’s life like for the Sudanese one year after war broke out?

What is it like to be the victim of a kidnapping in Nigeria?

What is being done to find the missing Chibok girls 10 years on?

What’s it like living in an air polluted area?

How is Southern Africa responding to the drought crisis?

Why is identity theft an increasing problem?

Returning to Rwanda 30 years after fleeing the genocide

100 Influential Africans: What are the main challenges to doing business in Africa?

Why are there still so few black women winemakers in South Africa?

How did a shy elephant charm a local community in Kenya?

What obstacles still remain for blind students in Africa?

Can a land-for-cash deal save Egypt’s economy?

Nigeria: What’s it like when your child is kidnapped?

Can President Joseph Boakai make Liberia’s government more honest?

What happened to South Africa’s promise of low-cost housing?

How have some Rwandans overcome the trauma of genocide, 30 years later?

Can there be a peaceful transition to power in Senegal?

Why is FGM proving so contentious in The Gambia?

Could a coalition government finally bring peace to Libya?

Will Kenya police lead a multinational force in Haiti?

How easy is it for a rogue fake lawyer to escape detection in Kenya?