Africa Daily

Last week Nigeria’s labour unions suspended a general strike, that caused widespread disruption across the country, for one week. Unions were demanding an increase in the national monthly minimum wage to help workers cope with the rising cost of living. The strike ended after the government agreed to a new national minimum wage. The government also said it will meet with the unions' representative...

Residents of Ongata Rongai, a suburb in the Kenyan capital Nairobi have recently had to be on their guard after a number of lions have been sighted roaming their neighbourhood. Concern peaked three weeks ago when a video circulated of a lion climbing over a perimeter wall into a homestead – only to re-emerge with a dog in its mouth moments later. Since then the residents have received alerts from...

It was the news that Malawians had been dreading: on Tuesday President Lazarus Chakwera announced that his vice president, Saulos Chilima, had been killed in a plane crash. Vice President Chilima had been travelling to the funeral of a former government minister. The military aircraft he was on had been flying in bad weather and disappeared from airport radars on Monday. When it was found by rescu...

President Bola Tinubu has signed into law a bill to reintroduce Nigeria’s old national anthem which was dropped by its military government in 1978. He said the country’s old anthem composed in 1959 symbolised Nigeria's diversity. But many have questioned his priorities amid the cost of living crisis which is shaking the country to the core. Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja has been hearing more about t...

Before most marriages in South Sudan go ahead, men will typically give the woman’s family a dowry in the form of money and most often cattle. For some it’s seen as an important tradition and a sign of respect. However, there are growing concerns from both men and women that providing dowries has become a burden and is leading to more sinister outcomes. This includes forced marriages and men resort...

The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has been pleading for urgent support for Ghanaian students studying abroad who have not received their stipends for almost a year. The students are on a government scholarship, and they left Ghana with the promise of getting financial support during their time at university. The scholarship was set up for "brilliant and needy" students. But as Ghana is f...

For the first time since the fall of apartheid in 1994, South Africa is now negotiating an uncharted political territory. It comes after the ruling African National Congress (ANC), a party that was once led by Nelson Mandela, lost its parliamentary majority. The organization received 40.18% in last week’s elections, followed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) with 21.81% and Umkhonto Wesizwe Party (M...

Teenagers are being actively targeted by the tobacco industry through the use of social media influencers and fruit flavoured products. That’s according to a report by the World Health Organisation which also says that around one in five adolescents in Africa are using tobacco. So what should governments be doing to protect their young people? Especially those in southern Africa which benefit from...

“If we want to be a nation we should have our own narrative, we should have our own heroes.” Alan’s guest on the podcast today is Mia Couto - one of Mozambique’s most famous authors who’s won numerous international awards during his decades-long career. But he’s so much more: a biologist, a critical thinker, the son of immigrants and, as a young man, a member of Frelimo - the independence movement...

In today’s episode, Mpho Lakaje speaks to a 36-year-old South African man who uses a drug called Nyaope or Whoonga. It’s a type of black tar heroin often mixed with other powdered substances that include cleaning chemicals. But the problem of substance abuse and addiction isn't limited to one country - and the United Nations says it expects the number of people using drugs in Africa to rise 40% by...

For many young people in Africa, traditional banking isn’t just a hassle, it’s a major roadblock. Long lines, piles of paperwork and strict ID requirements mean many are left out in the cold when it comes to managing their money in bank accounts. Digital banking platforms are trying to change this. The idea is that they use technology to provide financial services for payments, loans and even inve...

“Especially the woman, they cannot sing. They cannot go in front of the people and then sing and say ‘I am an artist’. It’s shameful.” Today Alan enjoys a treat on the podcast: singer and activist Sahra Halgan came in to the Africa Daily studios in Broadcasting House along with her fellow musicians percussionist, Aymeric Krol, and guitarist, Maël Salètes, and they performed some of their music liv...

"When I came to Northern Ireland, when I was walking on the streets of Derry, I could hardly see a black person. At that time, I think there were only three Kenyans, with me being the fourth person." Lilian Seenoi-Barr is about to make history by becoming Northern Ireland's first black mayor. Ms Seenoi-Barr was selected by the SDLP party to become the next first citizen of Derry City and Strabane...

Are South Africans ready for Wednesday’s national election? “Since hearing that political parties will be launching their election manifestos, I decided to attend these events. I wanted to hear for myself which president would address our needs as college students. It’s my first time voting” – Thembeka Dliwako, South African voter In today’s podcast, Mpho Lakaje sits down with 21-year-old Thembeka...

For years, teachers and students at the Dandora Secondary School in Kenya’s capital Nairobi have complained of respiratory illnesses. They say they are caused by the toxic fumes given off by East Africa's largest dump site, the Dandora landfill, which is next to the school. Despite being declared full in 1996, the landfill continues to receive approximately 2,000 tonnes of waste each day. But now...

“Without the public outcry, the mass marriage would have gone on as planned.” There’s been a lot of debate, claim and counter-claim in Nigeria this week over a proposed mass wedding of 100 couples in Niger state in the north of the country. Concerns were raised that some of the girls involved were under the legal age for marriage, and a petition was quickly launched. The Women's Affairs Minister,...

Kenyan President William Ruto is on a state visit to the US, the first by an African leader since Ghana’s John Kufour in 2008 and only the 6th state visit Biden has hosted since taking office in 2020 A state visit is the highest level of international visit, and its purpose is to confirm the good relationship between the countries concerned. For President Ruto it's a significant display of his eme...

It’s expected to be a bruising election, with 70 political parties contesting for power. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s African National Congress, and the official opposition, Democratic Alliance, are seen as the frontrunners. Former president Jacob Zuma’s Umkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP), are expected to give the ANC a run for their money, particularly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. But on Monday, S...

During the recent floods in East Africa it became quickly apparent just how ill-prepared most cities across the region are in the face of heavy rains. Some of the continent's major cities are located on the coast, and therefore at risk of flooding due to rising sea levels. And meanwhile, a quarter of African cities are exposed to a high risk of drought. The continent is home to 86 of the world’s 1...

During Liberia’s two civil wars, it became normal for children to be abducted by armed groups, often drugged, and forced to fight. 250,000 people are estimated to have died in the conflict which continued between 1989-2003. In 2006, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission - known as ‘TRC’ - to identity individuals linked to war crimes, but as of yet, no-...

Male circumcision is deeply rooted in tradition and culture across many African communities but there’s a lot of controversy around the method that is used to remove the foreskin. Some initiatives that promote voluntary medical male circumcision for the prevention of HIV and sexually transmitted infections have been successful, in Zambia in particular. But the question remains, is this something t...

“The irony and the tragedy at once is that all this happened while the international community are watching it. So I think this is the time to prevent the atrocities that happened in El Geneina from repeating itself in El Fasher.” Last week a 216 page Human Rights Watch report said it had found evidence that a genocide may have been committed in the city of El Geneina in Darfur – and that ethnic c...

The Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill, drafted in 2021, was passed by parliamentarians in Ghana earlier this year. It imposes a prison sentence on anyone identifying as being LGBTQ+. This bill still needs to be signed by President Nana Akuffo Addo to become law. He's waiting for the verdict of the Supreme Court who will hear two cases challenging the constitutionality of t...

“We’re creating a new generation of digital entrepreneurs that we like to call digital warriors… And this new generation they’re passionate about technology – they’re going to be the ones driving innovation in our country.” Throughout its history, the island nation of Cape Verde has seen heavy emigration – especially at times of drought and shortages. It means that now there are many more Cape Ver...

Even though they see it as something that would benefit them… they would rather put that dollar into fertiliser which they really need to boost their yields.” Recently on Africa Daily we’ve heard about different insurance schemes for farmers and whole countries to insure themselves against natural disasters. With an increase in extreme weather events due to climate change it’s become an area of gr...