Africa Daily

Ghana has made a major leap toward gender equality with the passing of its Affirmative Action law, after nearly three decades of delays and political promises.

The law aims to increase women's representation in leadership positions, setting a goal of 50% by 2030. However, questions remain about its enforcement and the impact it will have ahead of the upcoming elections.

Will this law bring real change to who holds power in Ghana, or will it face further challenges in implementation?

BBC Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja spoke to Ghana’s Gender Minister, Dakoa Newman, on what the new law means for women in leadership.

In today’s podcast, we hear the fascinating story of Nigerian rapper Samuel Morrison, better known as Yung Sammy, who found success as a hip hop artist in India.

Born and raised in Nigeria, Sammy moved to Delhi at 12 and developed his passion for music. Now fluent in Punjabi, Gujari, and Haryanvi, he’s using his multilingual talent to captivate audiences across India.

Yung Sammy’s story is one of perseverance, embracing a new culture, and thriving in an unexpected environment. So how did a young Nigerian man become a rap sensation in the heart of India?

“I look good and no-one else has it”.

“One of them said: ‘but you have your ovaries so you can have a surrogate mother to carry a baby for you. I was like, ‘really?’"

Joyce Wanjala-Lay is a former Member of Parliament in Kenya. Her son was born through surrogacy with the help of a friend, and in the years since she’s campaigned for the procedure to be recognised in law.

Rwanda has recently made such a change – meaning the legal mother of a child can be the genetic egg donor rather than the woman who gives birth.

For today’s Africa Daily Alan Kasujja speaks to Joyce and lawyer Florida Kabasinga who worked to get the law changed in Rwanda.

“You catch the flu time and again. Once the weather gets this bad, guaranteed, we get sick” - Calvin Takesure, South African resident

When president Samia Suluhu Hassan came into power in 2021 she lifted a ban on political rallies imposed by her predecessor the late John Magufuli, and promised the 4 Rs: reconciliation, resilience, reforms and rebuilding.

But now, as the country heads towards elections - this year and next - fear is growing.

Just under 3 weeks ago, an opposition official Ali Kibao, was abducted, killed and his body doused in acid. A number of other activists have disappeared. And the two most senior opposition leaders have been arrested – twice – on the eve of planned protests.

For today’s Africa Daily podcast, Alan Kasujja speaks to one of them, Freeman Mbowe, leader of the main opposition party CHADEMA.

He also speaks to former BBC journalist Salim Kikeke for context of what has been happening in the country.

Today on the podcast we meet a young Nigerian who’s made it her mission to revive the tradition of weaving – especially for women.

Presenter: Alan @kasujja

Albinism is an inherited condition that affects the production of melanin. People born with the condition have fair skin, hair and eyes.

Superstitions about the body parts of people with albinism have led to violent attacks.

In 2008 Tanzania appeared to be the epicentre of these superstitions and attacks. Anyone living with albinism there lived in fear. The BBC’s former Tanzania correspondent Vicky Ntetema’s reporting on the brutality of the attacks - maiming and beheadings - brought global attention to what was happening there.

Over the past 16 years, attacks in Tanzania have reduced significantly but the recent increase in violence against people with albinism in Madagascar suggest the problem has not gone away.

In today’s episode Africa, Daily’s Alan Kasujja speaks to journalist Raissa Ioussef in the capital Antananarivo and to Ikwonponsa Ero, the Managing Director of the African Albinism Network.

The Mpox outbreak was declared a public health emergency in August 2024. Since then, more than 29,000 cases and 738 deaths have been reported across 15 Africa Union member states, according to the Africa Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC).

Despite some progress, such as the delivery of 200,000 vaccines to the DRC, challenges remain in getting the vaccines to the most affected communities. The outbreak has also evolved from a health crisis into a wider issue affecting businesses and livelihoods.

Alan Kasujja speaks with BBC Africa Health Correspondent Dorcas Wangira and Monique Gieskes, Managing Director of Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC), the DRC's largest industrial palm oil producer with over 10,000 employees.

“I hated myself so much. But now I have the courage to love myself and see myself beyond this virus.”

Singing a song in class with the words ‘Aids is a killer disease’ when none of your classmates know you’re HIV positive…

Telling friends your status and then finding people are afraid to touch you…

Being told by young men that you’re ‘lucky’ they will date you.

Two young women from South Africa and Kenya who were born with the virus share an emotional discussion about how these experiences impacted on their childhood and mental health. Nomonde Ngema is a 21 year old HIV activist from KwaZulu-Natal who shares videos on TikTok about her daily life managing her illness. Jerop Limo is a 24-year-old activist from Kenya.

Both are currently in New York to speak to world leaders as part of the UN’s Summit of the Future – before the General Assembly debates start next week.

They’ve both decided to speak openly about their status and experiences to help other young people with the virus know they’re not alone.

According to the World Health Organisation there are about 1.5 million children under the age of 14 currently living with HIV.