Africa Daily

A stretch of sea wanted by Kenya and Somalia. For years now, the two countries have been at loggerheads over a slice of the Indian Ocean, thought to be rich in oil and gas. Both Kenya and Somalia desperately want it, but can’t quite agree on who actually owns it. A case was filed with the International Court of Justice back in 2014. After several delays, hearings are expected this week - though Ke...

Who in Africa responded best to Covid-19? It’s been a year since the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic. At the time, many feared the virus would take a heavy toll on Africa. And in some countries, like South Africa, those fears proved to be well-founded. But other nations have done better: take Rwanda, Togo, or Morocco. All three countries have been praised for some of measures they hav...

It’s been a war of narratives. Conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region has been going on for months now - and troops from neighbouring Eritrea have been accused of joining the fight. And that’s not the end of the story. The UN and human rights groups have also blamed them for some of the worst violence in the region, including potential crimes against humanity. But the Eritrean government says their...

Young Senegalese have had enough. They’re angry about the impact the pandemic has had on their pockets, but also at the way their president has been running the country. So, when a popular opposition leader was arrested and charged with rape, they went out and protested. They said the charges were nothing more than a high-level conspiracy to stop him from running in future elections. But is there...

‘The world’s most dangerous seas’ That’s how experts have come to refer to the seas in the Gulf of Guinea. And no, it’s not because of the currents or the weather, but because of pirates. They’ve been attacking ships in West Africa, often taking hostages for ransom. And while they mostly target oil and gas tankers, smaller boats have at times been attacked too. But how bad is the problem? And how...

How do you get more women in charge so that one day they could be leading the continent? There are, of course, examples of women in charge and only recently we heard that Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Nigeria’s former finance minister, had become head of the World Trade Organisation. Not only is she the first woman but she’s also the first African to get the job. You might say though she’s a rare example s...

Growing up without a dad at home can be hard. And yet, this has become the norm for most black children in South Africa. According to a new report, seven out of ten have no biological father at home as they get older. Money has something to do with it, but there are other complex reasons behind this trend. So, what does it all mean for the children, for the mothers, for the fathers? Hosted by Alan...

Zambia’s up to its eyeballs in debt. Late last year, it became the first African country to default on its foreign debt since the Covid pandemic began. And people across the country have started feeling the pinch: many complain about rising prices and their sudden inability to pay their bills. But Zambia’s looking for a way out: it’s been talking to the International Monetary Fund, hoping to get s...

They're like dark moving clouds, buzzing above your head. Swarms of locusts have been tearing through parts of East Africa… And they’re hungry. They’ve been devouring crop after crop, putting food supplies and farmers’ livelihoods at risk. These invasions aren’t new - and yet, they now seem to be happening more often than ever. Why is that? How did things get so bad? And can these locusts ever be...

The agony of not knowing. As Tigray stood on the brink of war, contact was severed between families and their loved ones in the diaspora around the world. In this guest episode, The Comb’s Kim Chakanetsa asks: what’s it like to be cut off from your family when they’re at their most vulnerable?

It’s a jab that could save your life - and yet, some people still have misgivings about Covid vaccines. They’re now being rolled out in parts of Africa, but the logistics of getting millions vaccinated are enormous. A real challenge to be reckoned with. And health authorities worry another problem might get in their way: the misconceptions and misgivings some people still have about the vaccines....

Ebola is back in West Africa. Five people have died in Guinea - the country’s first deaths since the last epidemic ended in 2016. But it’s not all bad news. Vaccines are being rolled out in hotspot areas, scientists know more about the virus and governments are better equipped to contain outbreaks. So, could this be the beginning of the end of Ebola? Hosted by Alan Kasujja (@Kasujja on Twitter) #A...

Power cuts can be such a pain, right? But, for many South Africans, they have become a part of day-to-day life: something that you’d expect, rather than something you’d be surprised by. And the problem’s got so bad, that even President Cyril Ramaphosa has had to take action – but even he says it will be impossible to fix the problem overnight. So, why exactly is electricity giving South Africans s...

Times are changing for LGBT Africans. In Angola, being in a same-sex relationship is no longer a crime, thanks to a new law that has just come into force. And yet, well-rooted beliefs mean that life for the LGBT community there won’t change overnight. For long, LGBT Africans have struggled to come together and have their voices heard. But social media has finally provided them with a space to do s...

Times are changing for LGBT Africans. In Angola, being in a same-sex relationship is no longer a crime, thanks to a new law that has just come into force. And yet, well-rooted prejudices mean that life for the LGBT community there won’t change overnight. For long, LGBT Africans have struggled to come together and have their voices heard. But social media has finally provided them with a space to d...

Children should feel safe at school. But, in parts of Nigeria, parents are getting anxious. Just last week, dozens of students and staff were kidnapped by gunmen from their boarding school in Kagara, Niger state. This abduction was just the latest in a series of similar incidents that have made the headlines in recent years. But who’s behind these kidnappings? And what are they hoping to gain? Hos...

Getting a sandwich shouldn’t be this hard. In Sudan, a shortage of bread has meant prices have gone through the roof. There are queues outside bakeries, and some people are getting restless. Let’s not forget: in Sudan, bread and politics often go hand-in-hand. It was a hike in bread prices that, two years ago, led many people to call for the removal of President Omar al-Bashir from power. So, why...

Time to ditch second-hand clothes? For decades now, African countries have imported second-hand clothes from Europe and the US. And they have proven to be a real lifeline for those of us who can’t afford brand new outfits. But the sheer amount of clothes being imported has, at times, got in the way of African businesses. Designers, tailors, or garment factories complain there’s little money left f...

Having children through surrogacy isn’t simple. In fact, in most African countries, it’s still such a novel idea that most of them don’t actually have laws in place to deal with such cases. Take Kenya: just last week, President Kenyatta spoke about the legal void there is around surrogacy. He did it, as he rejected a law that would have given time off work to parents of adopted children or those b...

Is Nigeria done with cryptocurrencies? For the last couple of years, Nigeria has built a reputation as one of the largest cryptocurrency markets in the world. On social media, there’s no shortage of “rags to riches” stories: people who, having joined the cryptocurrency bubble, made good money in the process. But the Central Bank of Nigeria is worried about the legality of this trade, as well as it...

Somalia’s president is out of time. His term should have ended on 8 February, but holding elections has proven difficult. Part of the problem is that politicians can’t quite agree on how different votes should happen. The government says it has always been ready to facilitate free and fair elections. But the clock is ticking - and some say this political deadlock could come at a heavy price. So, h...

Accusations – and bullets – flying in all directions. It’s been 100 days since fighting broke out in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. In that time, thousands of people have been forced out of their homes. Many are going hungry. When it all began, the government said this about carrying out a “law-enforcement operation”. But, amid allegations of war crimes, it’s been hard to find out what’s actually going...

It’s been a rough couple of months. Mental health has rarely been a priority for most African governments. So, when the pandemic hit, the few support services available often found themselves overwhelmed. But younger people are set on changing the way the continent talks about mental health – and they’re using social media to put the topic back on the agenda. How much difference can they make? Hos...

Where did it all go wrong? Not that long ago, Nigerian farmers and cattle herders used to live side-by-side in peace. But those memories seem to belong to a distant past now. In recent years, tensions have escalated between these communities - so much so, that deadly attacks have become frequent. How did it all begin then? And how can farmers and herders find peace again? Hosted by Alan Kasujja (@...

It’s time for some discipline - or, at least, that’s what the Kenyan government thinks. The education secretary has openly called for corporal punishment to be reintroduced in schools across the country. He says discipline (and perhaps a little caning) is the only way to deal with unruly students – who, in recent weeks, have burnt down their dormitories and attacked their teachers. Teachers’ union...