Africa Here and NOW

A new documentary asks those INVOLVED for ANSWERS to Nigeria's June 12th 1993 Election Question that Won't Go Away. In 1993, Nigeria held what many still call the freest election in its history. MOSHOOD KASHIMAWO OLAWALE ABIOLA — MKO — won it. Everyone accepted the result. Then the military annulled it, locked him up, and five years later he died in detention, collapsing during a meeting with a US...

From Crisis to Recovery - Forson's Credited with Turning his Country's Economy Around Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ten African teams. The most ever at a World Cup. So why aren't the people who actually know the game convinced? Former Premier League striker and Nigerian Super Eagle, EFAN EKOKU and ex-DRC international ,GABRIEL ZAKUAN join me to break down Africa's prospects at the 2026 World Cup — from DRC's first appearance in 52 years, to why Nigeria keeps missing out, to the tiny island nation that recruited...

Sculptor SOKARI DOUGLAS CAMP focuses on the 1786 TIGNON LAW in Spanish-colonial Louisiana, that effectively tried to OUTLAW BLACK WOMEN'S HAIR. THE TIGNON LAW ordered women of colour — including the roughly one thousand free black women of New Orleans — to cover their heads. It was designed to DEMEAN and to STRIP these increasingly powerful women of their STATUS. It BACKFIRED spectacularly. The wo...

I sit down with Wale Babalakin, the entrepreneur behind Nigeria's first privately operated airport terminal — MMA2, the domestic terminal at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos. Eighteen years after opening, MMA2 remains one of Africa's most significant examples of successful private airport concession — and the story of how it was built is as remarkable as the terminal itself. Wale tells me how his...

Air Peace CEO ALLEN ONYEMA breaks down the BRUTAL REALITIES of building West Africa’s largest ai in an actively hostile business environment. Originally driven by a philanthropic mission to solve massive UNEMPLOYMENT in southeast Nigeria, Onyema details how his NAIVETY about the "1,000 jobs per Boeing 737" myth threw him into a ruthless aviation sector. Beyond the economics, Mr Onyema exposes the...

Guest: Adefunke Adeyemi, Secretary General of African Civil Aviation Commission In this episode, we have a super conversation with lawyer and aviation expert, Adefunke Adeyemi, to discuss open skies in Africa's aviation industry. She outlines signifiicant progress made on the continent towards full implementation of the ambitious Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM). Adefunke also reveals h...

Why Dangote Refinery Won't Lower Jet Fuel Prices: Festus Keyamo on Airfares & Subsidies Is the era of cheap air travel in Africa over? With Jet A1 fuel prices skyrocketing by 70% to 80%, Nigerian airlines and passengers are feeling the immediate impact on ticket prices. In this exclusive AHAN Special Aviation Series interview, I sit down with Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, to a...

Africa's Aviation Future: Insights from Henok Teffera Shawl Explore the promising growth and ongoing challenges within Africa's aviation sector through an in-depth interview with Henok T. Shawl, a seasoned expert in international relations and aviation, currently supporting Boeing's efforts on the continent. Discover how infrastructure, policy, and training are shaping the future of African aviati...

Africa Here and Now Aviation Special - we are asking why the sector is so problematic, what needs to be done to improve it and the huge potential it holds for the continent's development. KAMIL AL ALAWADHI, IATA Vice President for Africa and the Middle East shares insights into the unique hurdles facing African airlines, the impact of government policies, and strategies for sustainable growth acro...

Nigeria's Foreign Minister, YUSUF TUGGAR with his Ghanaian counterpart, SAMUEL ABLAKWA sat down with me at Chatham House to explore the complex security dynamics in West Africa, including threats from terror groups, regional cooperation efforts, and the importance of self-reliance and local solutions. Both ministers refuted suggestions that ECOWAS had been severely weakened by the exit of the thre...

At 16, she was a policy volunteer. Today, Bogolo Joy Kenewendo is the economist rewriting the rules for De Beers and her country's diamond trade. In this exclusive interview, Botswana's visionary leader reveals why the "Diamond Era" is shifting—and how the country is racing to unearth a 70% unexplored frontier of critical minerals. We sit down at the 2026 Mining Indaba in Cape Town to discuss Bots...

SAMAILA ZUBAIRU, CEO of Africa Finance Corporation, explores the strategic importance of African minerals in the context of global economic competition, infrastructure development, and the need for leadership coordination. As we chatted at the 2026 Investment in Mining Indaba in Cape Town, he emphasised the potential for Africa to transform its mineral resources into bankable projects that can dri...

We talk to author, BARNABY PHILLIPS about his new book which details the British looting of Kumasi, the Ashanti heartland, in what is now Ghana. There had been many conflicts in the course of a century between the British and the Ashanti, but Barnaby focuses on the battle of 1874 in which the Asantehene's palace was systematically stripped of its treasures, many of which had sacred value. The loot...

COVID-19, Africa, health preparedness, pandemic response, vaccine production, health financing, regional collaboration, conflict resolution, health systems, infectious diseases, ghost workers, corruption, inefficiencies In this conversation, Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the continent. He emphasis...

Ethiopian Airlines, Mesfin Tasew, aviation leadership, African aviation, airline strategy, Vision 2040, infrastructure investment, MRO Services, airline culture, career achievements In this conversation, Mesfin Tasew, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, shares his extensive journey within the airline, highlighting the importance of leadership, strategic vision and a strong corporate culture in achieving su...

Join us for our explosive Year-Ender Special, bringing together the most powerful, controversial and uncensored interviews from across the continent. This is the truth about African power - who's fighting for it, who's paying the price and who refuses to be silenced. In this landmark episode, rounding off 2025, we dive deep into the struggles for democracy, justice and dignity featuring: NIGERIA's...

Zambian visual artist, STARY MWABA, who grew up in the country's Copperbelt, discusses the enduring environmental and human cost of resource extraction in his home region. He details the history and current reality of the infamous Black Mountain in Kitwe - a century-old toxic slag heap - that is now a site of dangerous, informal mining and re-extraction. Stary explains his unique artistic techniqu...

Meet William and Lulu Wood, a Zambian couple known for their work in reframing and promoting Zambian cuisine through a contemporary lens, primarily through their platform, The Wood Kitchen. I went to The Wood Kitchen when I was visiting Lusaka a short while ago and had a fabulous time chatting with the couple. This is a family endeavour that focuses on sharing easy fusion recipes, cooking tips, an...

One in four people in the world will soon be African, and the majority will be under 30, urban, and digitally connected. We discuss with MICHELLE GAVIN how the demographic shift represents a new era for the continent —one that is already shaking the foundations of long-standing political power. Is this wave of popular demand a recipe for chaos or democratic renewal? Listen to find out why the "old...

Standard Chartered Bank's Zambia CEO, SONNY ZULU, shares his journey from aspiring medical doctor, to metallurgist in his country's copper mines to the boss of one of the top banks. He discusses the importance of leadership and management skills, the challenges of job creation in Zambia, which he says, is a collective responsibility, not just for government. This is particularly crucial for a coun...

Former Zambian minister, DR DORA SILIYA, lifts the lid on the politics of her country. She reveals the vicious campaigns waged against her in the Zambian press and the accusations that she had slept her way to the top. In her book 'Minding My Father's Country' she recounts how she managed to navigate the turbulence of Zambian political life from a young age. "Even just getting the party to adopt m...

Several African countries score very well when tested for characteristics of flourishing, better even than the US, Sweden and the UK. They are Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Egypt. But what exactly is flourishing? And how is it measured? Questions for Dr VICTOR COUNTED, Associate professor at Regent University in the US. His research has revealed the shortcomings of the current idea of...

In this exclusive interview, President Hakainde Hichilema discusses his transition from businessman to the highest political office in Zambia. He reflects on his motivations for entering politics, saying it became clear to him that sound economic policies were vital to allow businesses to flourish, leading to job creation and better opportunities for the Zambian people.'We can't share poverty', he...

We speak to Nigerian author NNAMDI CHIEKWU, a millenial who explains why he's angry and what he plans to do about it. Basically, Nnamdi says he is hugely disappointed with the generations who came before him who have left the African continent in such bad shape that he and his cohort need to lead 'a technocratic revolution' in order to revive its fortunes. He's scathing of earlier generations: 'Wh...