Focus on Africa

Hundreds gather in protest at popular Lido beach in Mogadishu after a deadly Al-Shabab militant attack. The African Union declares coffee a strategic commodity. What does that mean? And is Nigeria ready for a new state? Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Claudia Efemini, Nyasha Michelle and Sunita Nahar in London Technical Producer  :Jonny Hall Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga Editors : Andre Lomba...

Algeria's Imane Khelif found herself at the centre of controversy at the Olympic games in Paris after her opponent, Italy's Angela Carini surrendered just 46 seconds into the boxing match. The result generated immediate discussion because Khelif had in the past failed testosterone and gender eligibility tests at the World Championships. Carina later said, "I have never been hit so hard in my life"...

Kenyan authorities begin the process of culling a million Indian house crows Why are hundreds of thousands of people in Lesotho now facing severe food insecurity ? And three journalists sentenced to years in prison after writing about corruption in Morocco released after pardons from King Mohammed VI Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers : Blessing Aderogba in Lagos and Sunita Nahar in London Technica...

Thirty-six members of Uganda’s opposition Forum for Democratic Change Katonga party - or FDC Katonga – were recently arrested in Kenya and taken back home to face terrorism charges. A party spokesperson insists they have done nothing wrong. So why were they in Kenya, and why have the Ugandan authorities detained them? Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez has competed at the Paris Olympics while seven months...

Ethiopia became the third African economy in 3 years to default on its government debt. To get IMF's fiscal support, it has had to lower the worth of its currency, making the Birr fall by 30% against the US dollar. We hear about the continued suffering with malnutrition of children in Katsina northern Nigeria And how did Senegal get its largest national park removed from the UN’s list of World Her...

A large group of Libyans have been charged with visa violations after being arrested by South African police at an illegal military training camp. But how did the site, in Mpumalanga province, go undetected? African leaders have signed up to the first pan-African human rights legislation to address the unique challenges faced by persons with disabilities. Zambian musician John Chiti who was born w...

he Olympics opening ceremony expected to get under way in Paris today. Audiences from all over the world are expected to watch. How can Nigeria solve its oil theft problem? And what is causing Namibia's housing crisis, and could mushrooms provide the answer? Presenter : Charles Gitonga Producers: Yvette Twagiramariya, Stefania Okereke, Rob Wilson and Patricia Whitehorne in London. Blessing Aderogb...

The international watchdog, Amnesty International, is calling for a nationwide arms embargo on Sudan after its investigation found that a constant flow of weapons is fuelling the devastating war. But how can the supply of arms be stopped? For the first time, sub Saharan Africa has seen a dramatic drop in new HIV infections compared to the rest of the world, so what is driving that success? And we...

Dozens arrested in Uganda for involvement in banned anti-corruption protests. President Yoweri Museveni had warned before the event that protesters were "playing with fire". Sierra Leone jails 11 people over an alleged coup attempt, who are they and are all the cases concluded? ? And we meet Gabriella Ghermandi, the Ethiopian ethno-musicologist who is all for women’s empowerment Presenter: Charles...

Zambia’s President Hakinde Hichilema has fired the entire board of the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission after allegations that certain officials on the body tasked with fighting corruption, were taking bribes. The accusations have been strongly denied, but a former chairman says the board needs to be reformed. Ethiopia has seen a surge in kidnappings for ransom in recent years and the country’...

Angola's new law with lengthy prison sentences for vandalism. Who are the real targets-criminals or the opposition? Can Zambia stop boys from being abducted to undergo circumcision? And is China muscling in on Nigeria's potentially lucrative car market? Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Rob Wilson, Patricia Whitehorne, Bella Hassan and Yvette Twagiramariya in London. Blessing Aderogba in Lagos. S...

Early findings into why a school building in Nigeria's Plateau state collapsed killing more than 20 children, have revealed many shortcomings. But the tragedy was one of more than 20 reported cases in the past few months. How can rules and regulations be tightened to prevent building collapses? Sierra Leone is considering dropping jury trials. What are the arguments for and against the proposed ch...

South Africa’s parliament reopens after landmark elections that lead to the formation of a government of national unity after the governing ANC lost its majority. We talk to international co-operation minister, Ronald Lamola. Is the ANC buying time or wasting time? Somalia imposes a 5 percent tax on digital transactions sparking causing a public outcry And why is Turkey boosting cooperation with N...

The manager of a coffee farmers's co-operative says small scale farmers in Africa are concerned that they may soon be unable to sell their produce to Europe because of the impact of the European Union's deforestation regulations. New information about the largest rainforest in Southern Africa raises questions about discovery - is it just a foreign concept? And, two decades after his country's capi...

Is the role of the church in Kenyan politics changing? We hear the perspective of a senior member of the umbrella group- the National Council of Churches of Kenya Why has Chadian President Mahamat Deby cancelled an official visit to Paris scheduled for this week? We talk to the founder of a beauty pageant in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, a place with a reputation for danger.

Zimbabwe's President Emerson Mnangagwa has announced public hearings into the mass killings of Zimbabwe's Ndebele people 40 years ago. The president says the hearings will be a mechanism to bring healing and national cohesion. But a survivor of the massacre of opposition supporters, tells us he does not trust the process. Also, why are major gas companies threatening to pull out of South Africa? A...

Nigerian authorities guilty of violating protesters rights during mass demonstrations against police brutality, known as #EndSars, in 2020. Why hasn't police behaviour changed? Can Africa's booming population be harnessed? And can anyone stand in the way of another presidential term for Rwanda's  Paul Kagame? Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Charles Gitonga and Frenny Jowi in Nairobi. Nyasha Mic...

More than half the population in Sudan - nearly 26 million people - face acute hunger as the ongoing war hinders agricultural production. The UN agency for Food and Agriculture (FAO) says it is trying to provide seed to farmers to help grow food. Who are Nigeria's ghost workers who are costing the economy millions of dollars? And will a new government plan succeed in exposing them and crackdown on...

All through Ghana civil servants have been on strike following the government's failure to honour a pledge to raise their pay. Can their grievances be addressed? We meet a doctor who carries out operations to reverse female genital mutilation. And why are Somalis being forced to remove bodies from a graveyard in Mogadishu? Presenter :Audrey Brown Producers: Joseph Keen, Patricia Whitehorne and Bel...

Refugees and migrants taking land routes across Africa to get to the Mediterranean and Europe, face extreme violence, abuse and exploitation, with far more believed to be dying there than at sea, a UN-backed report says. Plus, why is Tanzania struggling with a huge shortage of university professors? And how the Eritrean cyclist Biniam Girmay made history at the gruelling Tour de France. Presenter:...

The West African regional grouping Ecowas has warned that it risks disintegration and worsened insecurity after Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formed a breakaway confederation. Can the three landlocked countries go it alone? Can your social media presence be inherited after you die? And a new look at how electronic waste can be recycled in Ghana Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Joseph Keen, Bella...

Burkina Faso's military is facing increased pressure after reports of a recent spate of  the deadly attacks of soldiers by jihadist fighters.  The Junta government lead by Ibrahim Traore ,has kept mum about this incidents. Why are soldiers deserting the army in the Democratic Republic of Congo? 25 soldiers have been sentenced to death for running away from battle with the M23 militia group. And me...

Africa's youngest nation, South Sudan will head to the polls this December, but critics say they are disappointed with the government’s lack of preparedness.  These elections will be the first ever conducted in the country since it gained independence from Sudan in 2011.  However, several conditions listed in a peace agreement, drawn up in September 2018, have not yet been met.  Is the country rea...

Two countries with major links to Africa are holding make or break elections this week. Britain and France. These elections will usher in new governments which may have completely new approaches to the continent. How will the outcome of the British and French elections impact Africa? And should Africans care? Also, Sierra Leone receives a million dollar grant from a US development agency, to scale...

Nigerian authorities say that suspected female suicide bombers participated in coordinated attacks in Nigeria that killed dozens of people. Why do young girls and women become suicide bombers? How the lives of displaced people in Mozambique's troubled Cabo Delgado Province are being rebuilt. And can local communities in Africa can be involved in conservation ? Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Su...