Spotlight on Africa

As relations between South Africa and the US hit their lowest point since apartheid’s end, President Cyril Ramaphosa heads to Washington to mend fences after years of frosty ties and dwindling aid under Trump-era policies.  In this week's Spotlight on Africa we unpack what’s at stake - and what was said behind closed doors. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met with Donald Trump in Washingto...

Amnesty International’s 2025 annual report reviews a broad range of human rights issues, highlighting concerns in 150 countries and linking global and regional trends with an eye on the future. In Africa, the organization says the so-called “Trump effect” in the US and beyond has led to an unprecedented neglect of human rights. According to Amnesty International, Donald Trump's rise to the preside...

Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a devastating war between the army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo—known as Hemedti. In just two years, the conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced over 13 million people, and sparked what many are calling the biggest humanitarian cr...

This week on Spotlight on Africa, we explore the growing movement among African musicians to produce their music on home soil rather than relying on studios and opportunities abroad, particularly in Europe. For decades, many African artists have found that success often hinges on recording, producing, and touring overseas. However, a new generation of musicians is working to shift this dynamic, st...

This week, Spotlight on Africa explores critical questions about the future of aid, featuring a humanitarian worker, a columnist, and an analyst, each from different parts of Africa. As the United States and Europe prioritise funding for arms and domestic affairs, we ask whether the current aid model can endure, if it must evolve, and how that change might take shape. Since the start of the year,...

This week, Spotlight on Africa highlights women's empowerment across the continent, as March marks the beginning of Women's History Month, and  International Women's Day on 8 March. Officially recognised by the United Nations in 1977, International Women's Day (IWD) originated from the labour movements of the early twentieth century. On 8 March, women around the world - and throughout th...

As fighting continues in South Kivu between M23 rebels and Congolese forces in the eastern regions bordering Rwanda, uncertainty surrounding the future of the Democratic Republic of Congo grows. This week, we discuss how the African Union can assist with a International Crisis Group expert and address humanitarian risks with a UNICEF worker. The conflict in the eastern DRC has experienced a dramat...

This week, Spotlight on Africa takes us to Marrakech, Morocco. RFI English was on the ground to cover the Moroccan edition of the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, which first launched in London in 2013, followed by New York in 2015, and Marrakech in 2018. Through conversations with a range of guests, we explore how Morocco has become a key platform connecting the African continent with the wide...

In this edition of the Spotlight on Africa podcast, experts and analysts delve into Africa's evolving diplomacy as the continent approaches 2025. Topics include South Africa's G20 leadership, the division within the West African bloc ECOWAS, and emerging partnerships with the US and China. How will 2025 shape up for African nations and their global partnerships? Will Africa secure a more central r...

The Democratic Republic of Congo is launching an unprecedented case against the American tech giant Apple over conflict minerals. To explore the issues at hand, RFI talked to a former UN expert to discuss whether any progress has been made in curbing illegal mining. This week, we focus on the fight against the exploitation of 'blood minerals' or 'conflict minerals' in Central Africa, particularly...

During Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s visit to France in November, he brought a delegation of young leaders to strengthen ties and attract investment in Africa’s largest economy. RFI caught up with some of them. Kolawole Osinowo, CEO of Baobab Plus in Nigeria – a French-Nigerian energy distribution company – highlighted the challenges of energy access in the country."A lo...

Harmful stereotypes about Africa in the global media are costing the continent billions each year and shaping damaging perceptions, campaigners are warning. A recent report explored the economic impact of biased media narratives, linking them to lost investment opportunities and higher borrowing costs for African nations. “Negative narratives about Africa have real consequences for peop...

This week's Spotlight on Africa dives into Cop29’s critical discussions on climate change – focusing on food systems, green energy funding and who should pay for climate disasters. With talks underway in Baku, Azerbaijan, negotiators and experts are grappling with solutions to the growing crisis. Zitouni Ould Dada, representing the FAIRR Initiative – a network raising awaren...

African contemporary art are attracting increasing interest thanks to a packed season stretching from Europe to Africa. Artists and curators from across the continent and the diaspora reflect on the impact of cultural exchanges beyond their borders – from London to Paris, Luanda to Dakar. October and November are set to host a series of events celebrating African art across the continent, in...

This week's podcast focuses on textile waste from fast fashion. As cheap clothes from China, Asia and Europe increasingly end up in West Africa, pollution is rising – particularly in Ghana. RFI spoke to Greenpeace Africa investigators to understand the scale of the issue and how to combat it. Ghana is being swamped by millions of unwanted clothes from the West, creating an environmental...

Following a month filled with key summits and continued trade negotiations across Africa, this week's edition of Spotlight on Africa examines the growing rivalry between China and Western nations as they vie for business opportunities on the continent. This week, our focus shifts to the dynamics of Chinese-African-Western relations. In September, as the United States pursued investments in nuclear...

With a prolonged drought affecting the supply of hydroelectricity all over southern Africa, a growing number of people are turning to solar to fill the energy gap. Spotlight on Africa focuses this week on progress made in Zambia.  While floods are devastating West Africa, about 68 million people in southern Africa are suffering the effects of an El Nino-induced drought which has wiped out cro...

Some 24 million Algerians vote on 7 September to elect their next president, with incumbent Abdelmadjid Tebboune the clear favourite of only three candidates. If Algeria has enjoyed economic and social stability in his five years of mandate, human rights organisations warn of a decrease of freedom and rights. This week, we focus on the presidential election in Algeria, scheduled for 7 September, w...

Decolonising Beauty is a campaign designed by the producton company Zikora Media to educate the public and celebrate the rich tapestry of indigenous and local beauty customs across Africa. This week we speak with its founder, Chika Oduah. In a world increasingly dominated by Western beauty standards promoted through pop culture and the global beauty industry, the Decolonising Beauty campaign...

RFI's Spotlight on Africa met with artist Gavin Jantjes to chat about his To Be Free! A Retrospective 1970-2023. The exhibition traces his journey as "a creative agent of change" from South Africa to Europe, celebrating his multifaceted roles as painter, printmaker, writer, curator and activist. In this episode we hear from the artist and from Hoor Al-Qasimi, director of the Sh...

The Paris Olympics are officially open, and athletes from Africa are competing in a broad range of disciplines. In this episode of the podcast, we look at what to expect from the African teams.  In total, more than 200 delegations and 10,000 athletes are participating in 36 sports at the Paris Games. RFI's sport editor Paul Myers discusses how African athletes from all over the...

2024 is a big election year for the world and especially for Africa, and in July all eyes are on Rwanda.  Rwandans will cast their ballots on Monday in an election where President Paul Kagame is expected to secure another term, facing the same opponents he defeated in 2017.Kagame, who has effectively led Rwanda since the 1994 genocide, confronts challenges from two other candidates: Frank Hab...

Displacement takes many forms, from refugees forced into exile to returnees who find themselves strangers what was once home. In this episode, we speak to aid workers about the very different experiences of refugees in Sudan and Mauritania, and hear from an artist who draws on his own migrations between France, Algeria and beyond for inspiration. According to the UN's refugee agency, UNHCR, more t...

This week, we are addressing the issue of reparations for historical injustices, including slavery, colonial violence, and war crimes. Calls for compensation are gaining momentum, particularly in the Global South, with a strong focus on the Caribbean and Africa. These reparations could take various forms, primarily financial compensation. Activists argue that former colonisers should compensate fo...

In this episode of Spotlight on Africa, Melissa Chemam discusses the recent elections in South Africa and the possibility of the ruling ANC losing its overall majority, potentially forcing it into a coalition government. On  29 May, South Africans participated in parliamentary and provincial elections in the most fiercely contested vote since the end of apartheid in 1994.After 30 years in pow...