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 ef...

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...

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 Sam...

“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 explain...

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. A new defence pact that came into effect in 2021 mean...

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. But it faces challenges, from internet connectivity to investment to cultural representation. Africa does have around 40 studios creating games, but those in the business say it needs better understanding from governments and investment from...

“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 In today’s episode, Alan Kasujja revisits the conflict in Mozambique because it’s now emerged th...

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. Millions have fled from the...

"I’m crazy about you & I want the world to know”. It looks like a pretty harmless Instagram post. Two women kissing and expressing their love. But one of the women – and the woman who posted that photo and accompanying message - was Brenda Biya, the 26 year old daughter of President Paul Biya of Cameroon. The law in Cameroon states that those who engage in same-sex acts or relationships can fa...

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. But contradicting this tradition are horrific cases of elder abuse revealed by the BBC’s Africa Eye team in their latest investigation. Haki Yetu, a local human right organisation, say at least one elderly person is killed every week in Kilifi...

Udoh Ebaide Joy has just finished what many would describe as an epic adventure. She rode her motorbike across Africa – stopping in ten countries including Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia, Angola and Cameroon. She covered over 9,000 km and ended her journey in her country Nigeria. Why did she make the journey? And what was it like travelling solo as a woman on a motorbike? In today’s Africa Daily, Alan Kasu...

Is nuclear power a possible answer to the challenge of phasing out fossil fuels in response to global warming? Many African governments say yes – and 18 are now in the feasibility stage of developing nuclear power stations. Currently, South Africa is the only country on the continent which generates electricity from a nuclear power plant. But activists argue there are too many risks – and that Afr...

Over one million people died during Mozambique’s civil war – which continued from 1977 to 1992. By its end, much of the country’s infrastructure was also gone. One place which was heavily impacted was Gorongosa National Park – in the middle of the country – where virtually all the wild animals were slaughtered for food or for ivory, which was then traded for weapons. Wildebeest and Zebra populatio...

Today South Africa’s cabinet ministers will be sworn-in at a ceremony in the country’s capital, Pretoria. They are from various political parties and form part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government of national unity. Many of them have, in the past, taken each other to court over policy differences. But they now have to work together as a team, in the same cabinet. These political events were t...

Thousands of students in secondary schools across Africa are sitting their final year exams at the moment and in the coming few weeks. In the maths paper, they are certain to come across one question from the quadratic equations topic requiring them to find X. Very few people on the continent look back at their days of finding X with joy, because maths has never been a popular subject for the vast...

Rights groups in Zimbabwe have criticised the deteriorating human rights climate in the country. Complaints of arbitrary arrests, abductions and harassment have also come from individuals such as politicians and writers. The finger of blame has been pointed at state security forces. So, what exactly is going on? In today’s Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja speaks to the BBC’s Shingai Nyoka in Zimbabwe, a...

“I concede.” After a dramatic - and bloody - week of protests on the streets of Kenya, President William Ruto has agreed to ditch his unpopular finance bill. In an address to the nation he said that it was clear that Kenyans “want nothing” to do with the bill which would have introduced controversial tax hikes. Protesters say they would have hit the poorest who are already struggling with rising l...

“People will say nasty things about you in their lyrics. You will then be tempted to respond. That’s how the violence starts” – Molefi “Mantsoaki” Tjemolane – Lesotho musician Famo music is a genre whose origins can be traced back to the 1920s, among Lesotho’s migrant labourers. Over time, it became commercial and formed a big part of national culture, enabling artists to make a living and win awa...

When Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja was in Lagos last year, he learned that some parents there are using harmful products on their children in order to lighten their skin and that in some instances parents are unintentionally lightening and damaging their children’s skin. The usage of skin lightening products is high in Nigeria. According to the World Health Organisation, the prevalence of skin bleac...

Today Alan Kasujja sits down with Dr. Philbert Komu from the University of Dar es Salaam and Dr. Gideon Chitanga of the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. They are discussing the role of former liberation movements in Africa’s contemporary politics. Is their performance in line with the expectations of their nations? The conversation was sparked by the dismal showing of the African Nation...

More than 50 defendants are being tried for an attempted coup attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo. On May 19th, armed men dressed in military attire attacked the home of the economy minister, Vital Kamerhe and later moved on to President Felix Tshisekedi’s offices in Kinshasa. Former Congolese military officer, Christian Malanga, is still expected to face charges for leading this alleged co...

Millions in Africa live without a consistent supply of electricity, something which has caused a lot of socio-economic setbacks. Some countries, like Ghana, are turning to power ships to solve their energy problems. These floating power plants are a quick fix, providing an electricity supply and that helps to reduce those frequent blackouts. However, money troubles still loom large. Unpaid bills c...

“I think historically, science or STEM related subjects have not been encouraged for young girls to participate in. It’s generally been viewed as a male dominated industry” – Lerato Kubushi, African Leadership Academy In today’s Africa Daily’s Mpho Lakaje speaks to four teenagers from Tunisia, Lesotho, Nigeria Zimbabwe and their teacher from Ghana about why African women are underrepresented in sc...

“We believe our president has taken a very, very wonderful initiative and we support it 100%... Our president is a Christian and he believes in the power of prayer.” For months now, a plan to send a thousand Kenyan police to quell gang violence in Haiti has been surrounded with uncertainty. There have been a series of hold ups to the deployment including challenges in the Kenyan courts, changing l...

"This could be one of the greatest teams we’ve ever seen out of Africa… they were the hope of Africa for the 1994 World Cup. And that was taken away instantly.” In 1993, a plane carrying almost all of Zambia's national football squad crashed in Gabon, killing 18 players. The young team was carrying the hopes of many Africans as they progressed towards the 1994 World Cup. But out of that tragedy, a...