Africa Daily

“I have lived with HIV for 25 years out of 50. I just turned 50, and I was diagnosed in 1999 at the age of 25 with HIV.”

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has significantly impacted African countries south of the Sahara. By late 2001, over half of the world's HIV cases were in sub-Saharan Africa.

UNAIDS, the organisation advocating for accelerated and effective global action on the HIV pandemic, is leading efforts to eradicate the virus by 2030.

They will hold their 25th conference next week.

In today’s Africa Daily Alan Kasujja speaks to Friedel Dausab, a gay man living in Namibia who remembers a time when treatment was unavailable, that changed for him in 2002, and Winnie Byanyima, the Executive Director of UNAIDS.

In a viral video from South Africa, drivers are seen eagerly stopping to donate money to Ayanda Msweli, founder of The Bucket Initiative.

This grassroots effort is capturing hearts by building houses for impoverished families.

South Africa faces a severe housing crisis, with a backlog of 2.3 million units affecting 12 million people, exacerbated by rapid urbanization, high construction costs, and limited affordable financing.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further intensified poverty and homelessness, making initiatives like Ayanda’s crucial.

Africa Daily’s Mpho Lakaje has been hearing more about these efforts and their origins from Ayanda as well as Sunday World senior journalist Mawande AmaShabalala.

Women in Tanzania face immense hurdles in accessing education, employment and financial services.

Despite these challenges, Tanzanian women are incredibly resilient. Many are the backbone of their families and communities, often juggling multiple roles as caregivers, breadwinners and entrepreneurs.

Yet, they face systemic barriers that keep them from achieving financial independence.

President Samia Suluhu took office in 2021 with promises to prioritize initiatives promoting gender equality, tackling violence against women and boosting economic empowerment.

However, there's still much more to do. Lydia Charles Moyo, the founder of ‘Her Initiative’, is leading efforts to empower women through technology and digital inclusion.

Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja has been hearing more about these efforts from Lydia as well as Elizabeth, a beneficiary of her work.

“The practice of female genital mutilation is so interwoven with the practice of child marriage. It’s like the marketplace, the institution through which children are prepared for marriage” – Josephine Kamara, advocacy director of Purposeful.

Today, Alan Kasujja hears the moving story of Khadijatu Barrie, a 26-year-old student at the University of Sierra Leone. She recently went public and explained how she refused to be forced into marriage when she was still a little girl.

This comes a month after Sierra Leone’s president Julius Maada Bio signed into law the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act of 2024. It means, anyone marrying a girl under the age of 18 will be jailed for at least 15 years or fined around $4,000 US, or both.

Alan sits down with Patrick Analo from Save the Children as well as Josephine Kamara from Purposeful. He attempts to understand if the new law will change anything at all and if there’s any connection between child marriage and female genital mutilation.

An ongoing inquiry is taking place in Kenya in response to a series of allegations of rape and other misconduct by British soldiers during their time training in the country. The allegations date back to the 1950s and despite a previous investigation carried out by the British army, nobody has been prosecuted or held accountable for any crimes.

The business of gaming and ‘Esports’ is growing in Africa, with an estimated $1 billion dollars expected to be spent by gamers across the continent this year.

Africa does have around 40 studios creating games, but those in the business say it needs better understanding from governments and investment from sponsors to realise it’s true potential. So we brought together two enthusiasts who have one foot in the gaming side and one foot in the business side, to hear their stories.

Guests: Krystel Kalanga, a gamer and entrepreneur from the Democratic Republic of Congo and founder of ‘Manga and Geek day’, and Cholwe Shabukali a gamer and entrepreneur from Zambia and founder of Team Gematrix which competes in Esports competitions

“We spoke to relatives of a boy who was seen carrying ammunition. The relatives say this boy had been kidnapped during a January attack in another village. The uncle and aunt of the boy were shocked to see how much confidence he showed operating as a child soldier” – Zenaida Machado, Human Rights Watch

War has raged across the whole of Sudan between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force or RSF for the past 15 months.

Human rights abuses and atrocities have been committed on both sides – in Darfur, groups like Human Rights Watch have documented what they say is ethnic cleansing by the RSF as they’ve specifically targeted people of African descent.

"I’m crazy about you & I want the world to know”.

For most people in Africa the elderly are respected for their age, wisdom and life experience. And cared for by their children, grandchildren and community.