Focus on Africa

A report shows how six young girls fell victim to sex trafficking in Sierra Leone. They ended up in Senegal and are waiting to be repatriated. We have the details. Also a look at the African Disability Protocol. What is it, what does it aim to do and is it effective? And we meet Zandile Ndhlovu, the first black South African free-diver, inspiring local children to swim.

Four Kenyan women living with HIV have won a legal battle over being sterilised without their informed consent. In this special edition of Focus on Africa for World Aids Day, we delve into the impact of HIV/ AIDS on the African Continent.

The Loss and Damage Fund is on everyone's lips as COP28 gets underway in Dubai. We'll have a look at what it is, and why it's important to the continent. Also, why is Boko Haram still a major security threat in Nigeria, years after it first emerged? And following on from a conference in South Africa, organised by the African Union and UN Women, we'll ask what is positive masculinity?

More than 136,000 people, including an estimated 74,000 children are trapped in the historic northern Mali city of Timbuktu, according to the NGO Save the Children. This follows a siege by the al-Qaeda linked jihadists How did Zambia get into so much debt and how it plans to get out of it? And we meet Abdullahi Mire - winner of a top UN award for promoting education for refugee children.

Eleven miners have been killed at a platinum mine in South Africa, despite earlier concerns about safety. The country has some of the deepest platinum and gold mining shafts in the world and accidents are a regular occurrance. So, how safe are the mines in South Africa? Also, coup leaders in Niger have overturned an eight-year-old law criminalising migrant smuggling in the country. What will its i...

Sierra Leone's government says it repelled an attack at the weekend and was in control of the situation. President Maada Bio calls for unity. What led to this unrest? A special investigation into the dangers of unsafe abortions in Kenya. And a prize for Ugandan psychologist Dorothy Nambi for raising awareness of autism in her country.

The United Nations says at least 75 people have been killed in Abyei. It's a highly contested region, sandwiched between Sudan and South Sudan. While the borders between the two countries were agreed, Abiye was left unallocated. What's the reason behind the ongoing battle for Abyei? Also Mali's military junta have retaken a town held by Tuareg rebels, with the help of Wagner mercenaries. So where...

Another round of peace talks between Ethiopia and the Oromo rebel group aimed at ending years of conflict end without a deal. What does this mean for the country’s unity? Why does cheating in exams occur? We look at a problem many African countries are grappling with. Plus, an Irish woman explains why she is returning African artefacts from her late father's collection.

As Liberians wait to swear in President-elect Joseph Boakai, we look back at George Weah's time in office. Why did he lose the last election? What impact did he make? Also what happened at the stadium in the Brazaville-Congo where 37 people died and over 100 were injured? And how the rise in the cost of living is forcing girls out of schools in some African countries.

The United Nations recently held the third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, in order to develop an international treaty on plastic pollution. However, campaigners have accused oil and plastic producing countries as well as special interest groups of delaying progress. Over 20 African countries are on the slippery path to debt distress. What is it, and what can they do to avo...

There's a fresh call from the Sudan Humanitarian crisis conference in Cairo to end the ongoing conflict in Sudan. The three-day conference concludes today with peacebuilding experts suggesting, negotiations in Sudan this time round, should largely be African-led. Also is there press freedom in Eritrea? The founder of ERISAT, which has been broadcasting in the country since 2018 shares her experien...

Calls for a global fund to compensate Africans for the transatlantic slave trade were made at a recent summit in Ghana. However, what form should this compensation take? Sudan civil war: Returning home to Port Sudan after escaping clashes bewteen Sudan government solders and the RSF paramilitary unit. Reporter Osman Mohamed shares his experience. At nearly five million, the country officially has...

Over thirty MPs from Zimbabwe's opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change, have lost their seats. There have also been four abductions and a death. What's going on? We shine a light on abusive work practices on foreign flagged fishing boats operating in Africa. And what's behind the world record breaking craze in Nigeria? A Nigerian woman has broken a record for making the longest hand-m...

People in Madagascar will head to the polls on Thursday, but 10 of the 13 candidates have called for a boycott of a presidential election which follows months of street protests. We look at why questions over the President Andry Rajoelina’s dual French nationality have contributed to a contentious campaign. Translators who have worked for German troops serving as United Nations peacekeepers in Mal...

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have today asked their members to down their tools indefinitely. The two, are Nigeria's biggest labour representatives. They accuse the government of failing to meet their demands. What do they want? Also, after the recent apology by German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier where he expressed "shame" for the colonial atrocities...

Thousands of people in the Horn of Africa and East Africa have been uprooted by what the UN has called “once-in-a-century“ floods. We look at why this is happening now. Kenya's Ogiek community condemns the government, over forceful evictions that have forced members from their ancestral land. Plus, the initiative bringing hope to talented young South African musicians from townships in Cape Town.

Liberians return to the polls on Tuesday in a runoff election between President George Weah and former vice-president Joseph Boakai. It follows a fiercely fought first round in which neither candidate was able to secure 50% of the votes for an outright victory. So, what can we expect from the runoff? Also British Somali author Nadifa Mohamed leads us into a world of cruelty and horror about human...

Witnesses accuse Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of targeting non-Arabs in Darfur, after capturing the Sudanese army headquarters in West Darfur’s capital El Geneina. We ask a representative of the United Nations refugee agency what is happening in the region. Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has downplayed his country’s expulsion from the Agoa free trade deal with the United States, b...

The security situation in Ethiopia's Amhara region has been concerning for a while now with the authorities in Addis Ababa trying to contain it. However, the latest escalation in violence between government forces and groups opposed to a disarmament plan is leading to a humanitarian crisis, amid fears that the conflict could spread. Also we look at a new report from Amnesty International, which ac...

We look at the future of AI in Africa, with two people involved with the development of the technology on the continent. What are some of the benefits and potential risks? Abake Adenle is the founder of Ajala, a tech company which delivers voice automation solutions for African languages, and Alex Tsado is co-founder of Ahura AI – which aims to keep workers around the world up-to-date with AI. A m...

The United Nations says, thousands of people are trapped following severe flooding in Somalia. Over forty thousand remain displaced and 14 people have been killed. We hear the latest. Also, following on from a BBC Africa Eye investigation into corporal punishment in Kenya, we'll look at the broader context across Africa and around the world. Why does it still happen despite its ban and what is the...

There is growing concern over the spread of dengue fever around the world. A medical specialist tells us what dengue is, why cases are rising and what the difference is between dengue and malaria. Also, a year after the bloody war in Ethiopia came to an end, we look at how life has changed for people in Tigray, and what more needs to be done. And we hear a discussion on the recent royal visit to K...

As the number of internally displaced persons rises to record levels in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we look at the devastating impact the ongoing conflict is having on children. Also how does Africa benefit from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), signed into law by the United States, 23 years ago? And we speak to one woman, Amira Adawe, who is determined to highlight the dangers...

Amnesty International has accused social media giant Facebook of contributing to human rights abuses against Tigrayans during the two-year war in Ethiopia. As Nigeria begins vaccinating girls to prevent cervical cancer, we look at the picture across Africa. And we look at how masquerade in Nigeria is both an art form and act of resistance.

We'll look at the Kenyan government's plan to provide universal healthcare for all its citizens. It's back on the agenda, so what will it entail? Also a Nigerian High Court rules against calling the Indigenous People of Biafra a terrorist organisation, saying it's unconstitutional. And we hear the remarkable story of a little known African anti-slave trade campaigner, Quobina Ottobah Kuguano.