Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Africa

This episode explores the central role of Botswana’s diamond industry in the country’s economic success and its reputation for responsible, transparent mining. Diamonds remain Botswana’s dominant export, generating around 80% of export revenue and supporting national development through jobs, infrastructure investment, and environmental stewardship. We also look at the growing importance of ESG –...

G20-Gipfel - Wird es Afrikas Moment auf der globalen Bühne? | Inge Herbert Wortlänge: 4‘27 Moderation: Anja Goerz Sendetermin des Beitrags auf Bremen Zwei: Do., 20 .11.2025 um 08:35 Uhr

Released exactly one month after Prison Awareness Day, this episode takes you inside Ghana’s criminal justice system, where justice delayed often means justice denied. Host Masechaba Mdaka journeys through Accra, uncovering the lived realities behind statistics: people held on remand for years without trial, families torn apart by incarceration, and prisoners who find themselves caught in a system...

In the new look and new sounding sixth season of the Let’s Talk Human Rights podcast, titled “Getting it Right – Championing Human Rights for Effective Governance”, our host Masechaba Mdaka explores the progress and successes in the human rights space across a range of critical issues, focusing on how these challenges are being addressed and the solutions that are proving effective. Countless orga...

This podcast episode, titled 'Conversations with the Past, Present, and Regenerating Democracy: The Ethiopia Chapter', marks the conclusion of Season 3 of the Let's Talk Human Rights podcast, focusing on Transitional and Restorative Justice. The host, Masechaba Masemola wa-Mdaka, explores Ethiopia's journey through various transitions and its current efforts in implementing transitional justice me...

The Sierra Leone Civil War was one of the bloodiest in Africa resulting in more than fifty thousand people dead and half a million displaced in a nation that was then inhabited by around four million people. The conflict was particularly gruesome and protracted as a result of both the RUF and the Sierra Leone government often funded by “blood diamonds” mined on the backs of a slave labour raw mine...

In this compelling episode, we delve into the complexities of transitional justice and peacebuilding in Liberia, a nation marked by a tumultuous history of civil wars from 1989-1997 and 1999-2003, leaving profound scars on its society. Our guests, Aaron Weah and Ibrahim Al-Bakri Nyei, illuminate the path towards healing and reconciliation. We embark on a journey through Liberia's Truth and Reconci...

In this momentous season finale episode, the recording of the Let’s Talk Human Rights podcast takes centre stage in Siha District, nestled within the vibrant Kilimanjaro Regions of Tanzania. Our host, Masechaba Mdaka, is joined in person by two remarkable individuals, Elizabeth Mushi and Daniel Siphael, representing the Kilimanjaro Women Information Exchange and Community Organisation (KWIECO). Th...

This is part two of the episode taking an in depth look at digital rights and digital security. In this episode, we will delve into the practicalities of overcoming the challenges of censorship,surveillance, and strategies curtailing freedom of expression. In our modern era, where we champion various freedoms and associated rights, it's curious that we continue to grapple with a persistent challen...

Africa is undergoing a remarkable transformation with an exponential surge in internet connectivity, marking a significant milestone in the continent's technological advancement. However, this commendable progress in bridging the digital divide comes with a stark and concerning juxtaposition – Africa finds itself trailing behind in the crucial realm of cybersecurity. This pressing issue took centr...

“Access Denied! My right to self not authorised” The plight of LGBTQIA+ communities in an increasingly intolerant world”. In 2019, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation launched a campaign titled “An African Thing”. The significance of this campaign was to empirically document how many instances in various African cultures and societies where homosexuality could be found before colonisation. Evidence o...

The Wrong Side of Right, Counting the Cost for Whistleblowers. As many of you may know, the first part of the Zondo Commissions report was published on 4 January 2022. The fifth and final part was published on 22 June 2022. This after four years of an enquiry and investigation which was preceded by two painstakingly long years and resources that cost taxpayers millions to uproot and uncover the pl...

This round-table session was hosted by South Africa journalist, Mandy Wiener. It highlights the experiences of those who have blown the whistle and the gaps in protection. The panellist are Mr Tlholo Phakwe (Son of Moss Phakwe), Mr Mthabisi Moyo and Ms Mosilo Mothepu.

According to the website of the International Service for Human Rights, the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders defines a human rights defender as anyone working for the promotion and protection of human rights. This broad definition encompasses professional as well as non-professional human rights workers, volunteers, journalists, lawyers and anyone else carrying out, even on an...

"Show me the money, the economy of human life, the real truth behind human trafficking." Today we look at the increasing threat and prevalence of human trafficking. The International Labour Organisation believes there are almost 21 million victims of trafficking around the world. The UN's most recent report found almost half of the victims were forced to work typically in factories, restaurants, a...

This social entrepreneur was born in Limpopo, South Africa and holds a Bachelor of Technology degree from Cape Peninsula University of Technology, with a major in Chemistry. He also has a certificate in Water Treatment Technology. His brainchild, Kusini Water provides safe drinking water to people in rural areas using a solar-powered water purification system. Murendeni is a firm believer in the i...

Nelson Boateng and his team at Nelplast Eco Ghana Limited are killing two birds with one stone by ridding the state capital of filth and providing affordable building materials made from plastic waste. Unlike many who recycle plastic waste into bags or other handy products, Nelplast Eco Ghana uses plastics as ‘concrete’ to build roads and houses. Plastic waste management in Ghana is a failed ventu...

In the latest episode of Let's Talk Human Rights podcast. Host Masechaba Mdaka is joined by Nice Nailantei Leng’ete, a Kenyan human rights activist advocating for an alternative right of passage or ARP for girls in Africa and campaigning to stop Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). According to the February 2022 United Nations Population Fund statistics on FGM, 14 African countries, predominantly in t...

Kenneth Guantai is a Kenyan innovator and inventor. He noticed how the use of the regular tuk-tuks polluted the environment and how handcarts (referred to as mkokoteni by the locals) was tedious and tiresome for youths who used them to earn a living. This concern led Kenneth to invent electric tuk-tuks and motorised mkokoteni to respond to the pollution and health hazard posed by the use of the re...

CIST Ethanol Fuel is a clean cooking ethanol made from invasive water hyacinth. While ethanol is traditionally made by adding yeast to products like sorghum, barley and sugar cane, CIST Ethanol Fuel uses water hyacinth, a plant found in abundance in Lake Victoria. Chemist and high school teacher Richard Arwa started producing ethanol with two high school students for a science and engineering fair...

Arnold Nyendwa is a Zambian entrepreneur, inventor, and founder of AFNON (formerly Venturas Jumpstart). Arnold invented a revolutionary stainless steel stove that was inspired by people living in marginalised communities in Zambia. He was concerned about respiratory diseases such as asthma developed by using charcoal, wood, and other wooden cooking devices. The frequency of load-shedding also infl...

Brian Vhutali Gadisi and his co-founders at Arion – the creators of the wiBox, are solving a small but important part of South Africa’s energy crisis – continued connectivity to the internet for work and study during load-shedding (planned power cuts). What started out as a university project and a challenge to beat a running record for the most money made from a business on the programme, quickly...

While studying for a BSc in Human Nutrition at Sokoine University of Agriculture, Jolenta Joseph was looking for a business idea that would help reduce the rampant malnutrition among vulnerable communities in Tanzania. The entrepreneur created Sanavita in 2019, an innovative agribusiness company that processes biofortified crops to create various edible products. The first product her enterprise d...

Colrerd Nkosi is a young Malawian who innovated with basic materials to generate and connect his village to electricity. Using a bicycle dynamo and an old refrigerator compressor, Nkosi at the age of 21, was able to bring electricity in his village. Since then, more households continue to be connected. The households pay $1 per month for maintenance. The money has helped in expanding the grid. Onl...

Gertrude Gugu Mlanga, 25, is a Malawian innovator and entrepreneur investing in protecting and preserving the environment. Gertrude has always been a passionate artist and says that her love for art and the environment is what has led her down the path of sustainable fashion. Through her firm, House of Gugu and Trashion, she collects waste (mainly plastics, glass and paper) in cities and recycles...