Africa Daily

After European nations imposed sanctions on Russia, many are looking to Africa for an alternative energy supply. But while this could be an opportunity for some countries, it also highlights global inequalities when it comes to access to electricity. Alan hears from an energy expert who says funding is needed for developing renewable technologies – and from a legal expert who’s helped countries ne...

"You know the African way of raising kids and raising men - we are taught you should keep it all to yourself, don't open up." Male suicide rates far outnumber female rates in Africa – that’s according to the WHO. Some health experts put this down to the stigma that surrounds men's mental health, which discourages men from speaking up and seeking help before their problems get too difficult to mana...

In recent weeks, Botswana’s former president, Ian Khama, has visited Zambia, Eswatini and Zimbabwe – having meetings with presidents and kings. Since November 2021, he’s been living in exile in South Africa – after being charged with crimes including the unlawful possession of firearms and receiving stolen property. He says the case is politically motivated. So is he working to build up support as...

In what appears to be its most significant attack on an African Union base in Somalia in years, Al-Shabab claims to have killed 173 Burundian soldier in a camp 160km north of Mogadishu. But there’s confusion over how many people died. A high ranking Burundian officer has been cited in the press as saying 30 lost their lives, while an official statement from the government said just ten were killed...

“The judge tells you: ‘are you really going to put your brother into prison for a monkey?’.” Around two weeks ago a Congolese man was arrested by the Ugandan authorities. They allege that he was caught with 122 endangered African Grey Parrots. He’s currently awaiting trial. His arrest follows an investigation involving a number of agencies. Africa Daily meets some of the conservationists involved...

Each day, Africa Daily brings you fresh stories thanks to journalists from across the continent. Their ability to get to the bottom of what’s going on depends on whether they can work freely and safely. But this isn’t always guaranteed. To mark World Press Freedom Day, Alan is talking to two colleagues in countries where press freedom appears to be moving in different directions. Many journalists...

This weekend Mwai Kibaki - Kenya’s third president after independence - was buried amid great pomp and ceremony. He’s fondly remembered by many for his policy of introducing free primary education for all children. It rapidly led to 1.3 million more children entering schools. But nearly 20 years on, many parents say they have to pay hidden fees – and that the scheme actually lowered standards. Ala...

Like many people across the continent, Ghanaians have seen the cost of living rising in recent months. And from Sunday they will have to budget for a new tax on some transactions. An ‘e-levy’ of 1.5% will be applied to mobile money payments, bank transfers and remittances over 100 cedis ($13). The government says the tax will raise nearly a billion dollars this year alone. And that the funds will...

In mid-April two family members in Mbandaka in the north-western Equateur Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo died from the virus within days of each other. This was the country’s 14th outbreak since the very first one back in the 70s when it was discovered. So much has changed and improved in the fight against this virus since the worst outbreaks in West Africa between 2013 and 2016, whi...

On April 27, 1994, South Africans went to the polls to elect a new president. Among them were millions of Black citizens who had never voted because of the apartheid system that prevented them from having a say in their country’s political space. That election would see Nelson Mandela, the anti- apartheid fighter, become South Africa’s first democratically elected and the country’s first Black pre...

“We are the country which has refused to take the many turning points that have been offered to us either through very painful points in our past or through opportunities.” Most of Kenya’s elections over the last 20 years have involved some level of violence and protests. The worst was in 2007 when at least 1,000 people were killed and more than half a million displaced. So it’s not surprising tha...

Many countries in Africa have ended restrictions and lockdown measures put in place during the height of the pandemic. In South Africa, which had the highest number of Covid-19 cases on the continent, this is a welcoming move for many industries; especially the hospitality sector. According to figures, nearly 400, 000 people in the restaurant industry lost their jobs at the height of the pandemic....

Several nations in Africa have decided to relax their lockdown mandates. In Namibia, you are no longer required to wear a mask in public and visitors don’t have to provide negative PCR tests. In South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa officially ended the lockdown, two years after it was imposed – and started a transition process away from mandatory facemasks in public. But it’s clear Covid-19 is still very...

Street hawkers are a common sight, plying their trade on streets across Africa. From fruit and vegetables to gadgets and clothes – they sell it all. But in Tanzania, ‘Machingas’ - petty traders - have been evicted from their stalls and told they need to go to official markets. They were given one month’s notice. President Samia Suluhu Hassan says the street traders pay no tax, block up congested r...

He’s got millions of fans and sold millions of records. Since 2009, Tanzanian musician Diamond Platnmuz has entertained legion of fans. First in his native Tanzania, then soon enough his popularity spilled across the rest of East Africa before he took on the rest of Africa and the world. His catchy tunes, often sang in Swahili, have captured fans beyond those who speak or understand the language....

Warning: Please be advised that this episode contains open and frank discussions about topic listeners might find distressing. Across Africa’s newsrooms, sexual harassment appears to be rife. That’s according to research by Women in News - a media development programme. Half of all the women surveyed said they’d been harassed at work - and only a third had reported it. So, despite all the progress...

“You cannot rely on the rain to do farming. Either it’s recurring drought or if rainfall comes, it floods. The seasons have become unpredictable.” Last week on Africa Daily we heard about the drought in East Africa and the flooding in South Africa – both bringing misery to millions. Basic food supply becomes difficult. So today Mpho Lakaje speaks to Abdi Hashi, a farmer and entrepreneur in Somalil...

Hundreds have died in KwaZulu Natal, in what South African officials are calling ‘one of the worst weather storms in the history of the country’. In one utterly heartbreaking instance, one family is said to have lost ten members in the floods. Days of torrential rain have washed away homes, roads and bridges, prompting the government to declare a state of disaster. Mudslides have trapped people un...

We are looking at the state of comedy in Africa as South Sudan, a country ravaged by war and which since 2013 continues to deal with an ongoing conflict, stages its first comedy festival. Tired of seeing the constant one-sided images and news stories of a war torn country with millions of people who have been displaced, and hundreds of thousands of people said to have been killed in the conflict,...

“We’re raised in a culture where these kind of things are hush hush. You don’t speak out about them. Ever since I shared my story a lot of other women I know started talking about theirs… This is exactly why I’m feeling better and I’m not feeling like it’s the end of the world.” It’s a shocking statistic: about 80% of black women will suffer from fibroids at some point in their lives. Fibroids are...

Somalia hasn’t seen enough rain for three consecutive seasons, and this has led to what experts are calling the worst drought in a decade. They are also warning the worst is yet to come. Hunger has been rife, as many Somalis have seen failed crops and thousands of their livestock, which many depend on for a living, dead. Hundreds of thousands people have been displaced, and the most vulnerable in...

Eswatini is a small country of just over a million people which is facing big problems. Last year dozens of people died after a crackdown on pro-democracy protests– and in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic led to the economy shrinking. According to World Bank estimates, nearly 40% of its population lives on less than two dollars a day. Now the government is planning the launch of a national airline – it...

Africa has relatively low rates of diabetes. But cases are rising faster than any other continent. The condition causes the levels of glucose in the body to become too high. Untreated it can damage the nerves, eyes, heart and even lead to death. So, why is it a growing problem across Africa? And what can be done to prevent further cases? The episode contains frank discussion about sexual health is...

Nigerians are well used to power-cuts – they’ve lived through hundreds, many nationwide – over the last decade. Businesses and individuals who need a reliable power source turn to private generators… and the costs for running them have gone up. The World Bank says that unreliable power costs the Nigerian economy an estimated $28 billion. So when last month the national grid collapsed twice in just...

In recent months, many people around the world have seen their cost of living increase. Basics such as food, fuel and electricity are costing more than they used to in many countries. Recent research has tried to pinpoint the most expensive cities on the continent, by looking at the cost of these goods. The data suggests that life in cities like Dakar, Addis Ababa and Abidjan is nearly as expensiv...