Africa Daily

“More than ever, the people of Burkina Faso need to remain united around the defence and security forces.”

A video showing scores of civilians shot dead in the ditches they were digging - was released by an Al Qaeda-linked group active in Burkina Faso earlier this week. It was apparent proof of a major attack it said it had conducted in the northern village of Barsalogho on Saturday.

It’s believed at least 100 people were killed, but the government hasn’t confirmed numbers. But what is clear is that it’s one of the worst attacks by Jihadist fighters the country has ever suffered.

The government often doesn’t acknowledge such attacks, but this time ministers were filmed visiting victims in hospital. They condemned the attack and called on the public to support the army in its fight against the insurgency. The leader of the military regime, Ibrahim Traore, came to power in a coup in 2022 promising to reconquer all rebel held areas - and last year declared a "general mobilisation" of the population.

But will this attack make civilians even more fearful of aiding the military?

Presenter: Alan @Kasujja

“I always say to them (South Africans), these foreign nationals are developing your country. Why can’t you see that? The main guy who owned this shop was always helpful, especially to the old ladies here in our area.” – Samuel Makgowa, South African landlord

“As a person living with disability, sport gives you the purpose and the inspiration to move on with life because when you see someone who is physically worse off than you doing better than you, you get inspired and want to do more."

The Paralympic games start today in Paris, just over two weeks after the Olympic games ended in the French Capital. Over 4,400 athletes with various forms of disabilities will be competing in 22 sports for 549 gold medals. Africa has just over 300 para athletes representing 44 countries from the continent.

Kenya’s Asiya Mohammed Sururu will be competing in para rowing, a sport not accessed by many in Africa despite the abundant natural water bodies on the continent. The 32-year-old lost both her legs after she was run over by a train at the age of two.

In this episode of Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja talks to Asiya about the challenges African para athletes face beyond their physical disabilities.

“It becomes scary when you see people that would normally smile at you - and all of a sudden you see so many people on the streets making those kind of chants. And you think, 'wow, what has been going on underground? This is the city that I used to know. Why should I now be extra watchful? What exactly is going on?'” - Toyyib Adelodun, Nigerian migrant in the UK

"If not now, then when? And if you don’t do it, who else will?”

Those are the two questions Sara Sabry suggests all woman ask themselves when they’re thinking through a big move… and finding they don’t have the confidence to follow it through.

And she should know. The Egyptian mechanical and biomedical engineer was the first African woman in space when she blasted off in Blue Origin’s New Shepherd rocket in 2022.

But is space travel and research really something for Africa to invest in when there are so many other priorities?

Alan Kasujja hears her thoughts.

We all know that Africa is getting hit hardest by climate change - even though the continent contributes less than 4% of global emissions.

Kulthoum is on the front line, making sure Africa’s voice is heard and fighting for the support it deserves.

“The cost of food will just go higher and higher, because farmers like myself cannot afford to invest in farming and can’t even have their capital back at the end of the season.”

With thanks to the African Food Systems Forum's 'GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize'.

“If the leadership of the minibus taxi sector is prepared to be patient and invest in research and development, absolutely, they stand a chance” – Dr. Mathetha Mokonyama, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research

When international e-hailing services Uber and Bolt arrived in South Africa about a decade ago, they claimed a massive chunk of the metered taxi market.

This left local taxi operators fuming, with tensions leading to the loss of life in some parts of the country.

But now, South Africa’s main taxi associations, the National Taxi Alliance and the South African National Taxi Council, are responding with innovation of their own.

They call it Shesha, a downloadable app that enables you to order a ride from the comfort of your home.

So, today our presenter Mpho Lakaje is on the road, testing the new local service.

He attempts to find out if it stands a chance against well established players with deep pockets.

Guests: Rebecca Phala, Irene Hlabangwane and Dr. Mathetha Mokonyama.

Just over four months ago Senegal elected a new president.

After a tumultuous start to the election- Bassirou Diomaye Faye was declared the winner and became at 44 years old Africa’s youngest head of state.

Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko promised a radical break from the past, an Afrocentric and nationalist agenda.

They vowed to fight poverty and corruption. To create jobs for young people, contracts for gas, oil, fishing and defence would be renegotiated to get a better deal. And there would be an end their currency the CFA franc, which is pegged to the euro and backed by former colonial power France.

So what’s happened since they were elected?

Alan Kasujja has been hearing from people on the streets of Dakar and speaking to El Malick Ndiaye, Senegal's Minister for Infrastructure, Land and Air Transport.

It started with the horrific killing of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event for children in the seaside town of Southport, in northern England.

After false rumours were spread on social media that the 17-year-old charged with their murders was a Muslim migrant who’d arrived by boat a few years before, a wave of anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant protests spread across the UK. Cars were set on fire, immigrant-owned-businesses were destroyed, and the police attacked. A hotel housing asylum seekers had its windows smashed and a video went viral showing rioters stopping cars to see if the drivers were ‘white enough’ to be allowed to pass through safely.

In response, there were a number of massive counter-protests against racism – and the UK government promised swift and tough justice would follow. So far, more than 1,100 people have been arrested and more than 600 charged. But has this helped to reassure Africans and people of African descent living in the UK?

Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja speaks to BBC Arabic's Reda El Mawy, and Mohammed Idris, a Sudanese business owner living in Belfast, whose shop was destroyed in the attacks.