Africa Daily

Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, is experiencing rising temperatures, with extreme heat becoming a major challenge for residents, especially those in crowded neighbourhoods and open-air markets.

With limited access to cooling infrastructure, the heat affects daily life, health, food security and the economy.

In response, the city recently hosted an ‘Urban Heat Hackathon’, where teams developed innovative solutions to tackle the problem.

In today's Africa Daily Alan Kasujja speaks to two of the hackathon winners, Tommy Charles and Glory Aminata Turay, to explore how technology and urban greening are helping residents adapt to and mitigate extreme heat.

Earlier this year, South African lawmakers passed the Expropriation Without Compensation Act.

The growth of women’s football in Morocco has seen more girls taking up the sport.

The evidence of this can be seen in how many young girls play the beautiful game in their neighbourhoods, in the streets. It’s something which would not have happened 20 years ago.

The success of women’s football there has also been reflected in the packed stadiums and the rising number of people watching the women’s national team- the Atlas Lionesses- on television. They are also the first North African and Arab squad to qualify for the Women’s World Cup. So what’s behind the growth in women’s football in Morocco?

In today’s Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja speaks to 15 year old Imane on why she decided to play football, Atlas Lioness forward Rosella Ayane and Meskerem Tadesse Goshime, the Confederation of African Football’s head of women’s football.

It’s now two weeks since the rebel M23 group took over Goma in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo – so what has the experience been like for the city’s inhabitants?

One person living with HIV has described how these cut would change their life and said "please tell the American government that this is a death trap for us. If I don’t get my tablets next month and the following month, how much longer will I have to live?”

USAID—the United States Agency for International Development—has funded life-saving aid across Africa for decades. Programmes assisting with famine, disease control, and poverty are now at-risk following President Trump's decision to cut its budget and merge the agency with the State Department.

From HIV patients fearing a “death sentence”, to food aid programmes coming to a sudden stop, the effects are already being felt across Africa. Alan Kasujja speaks to Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, about the consequences of these cuts and whether African governments can step up in the face of an uncertain future for global aid.

South Sudan is facing another deadly cholera outbreak, with over 24,500 suspected cases and nearly 500 deaths, according to charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

Overcrowding, poor sanitation and a lack of clean water are fuelling the crisis, while political instability and logistical challenges hinder the response.

This year it will be 30 years since Nigerian author and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa was executed by the Nigerian military government for leading protests against environmental pollution caused by oil exploration.

He remains an icon of resistance against environmental degradation beyond Nigeria.

The campaigns he led saw the exploration of crude oil stopped in Ogoniland, in the country’s Niger Delta region, after it became clear oil spills had extensively polluted rivers and farmland, destroying the livelihoods of farmers and fishers.

A report published by the United Nations Environmental Programme in 2011 said cleaning pollution in Ogoniland could take up to 30 years.

Yet president Bola Tinubu recently announced that his government would begin negotiations to resume oil production in Ogoniland.

This sparked protests from environmental rights groups who warned that the region was yet to heal from the damage wrought by decades of oil exploration.

In today’s Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja has been speaking to lawyer and leading environmental activist Celestine Akpobari and Niger-Delta-based journalist Ndume Green.

Producer: Peter Musembi

“What is the problem if South African investors invest in Congo? Why should it be Rwanda complaining, not the Congolese?” – Retired SANDF Lieutenant General Maomela Motau

“Growing up in Ogaden, I was surrounded by war - there was massacres and abuses. At a young age, I recall seeing looting and dead bodies everywhere. At the age of 12, I was arrested by government troops and imprisoned along with my whole family.”

Ogaden, or the Somali region, is a remote area of Ethiopia – little known by much of the world.

Producer: Mohamed Gabobe.

Rabies is a disease which is known across Africa, killing thousands of people each year through the bite or lick from an infected animal, usually a dog.

So why haven’t we eliminated rabies from Africa yet?

With the help of two people who are dedicated to ending rabies, we find out what needs to be done to end this deadly disease.

Presenter: Alan Kasujja