Last week, the United Nations passed a resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But the vote split African nations: with 25 voting for, 17 abstaining and just one - Eritrea - voting against it. Disagreements over who to support in the conflict have split the general public as well. But today on Africa Daily we speak to a political analyst who says it’s time Africa stops treating the war ‘like a football match’ and instead thinks more deeply about how it will impact the continent. So h...
Mar 08, 2022•16 min
Like in many countries on the continent, prayer is a big part of school life in Kenya. Pupils at public schools will often pray at the beginning of the day. And there may be specific prayer days, where the school worships together. However, not everyone is happy with this. Some atheists are calling for a ban on mandatory prayer in public schools. They think children should have the option of whether to participate or not. So, do their ideas have much support? #AfricaDaily
Mar 07, 2022•15 min
An estimated million people have fled into neighbouring countries seeking safe havens, as bombs continue to be dropped over towns and cities across Ukraine. Among those who’ve left are the thousands of Africans who had made Ukraine their home away from home. On a previous episode Alan Kasujja spoke to one lucky student who had made it safely home back to Ghana. The relief of being safe and the happiness of seeing his family again were palpable. Now he hears from the students who are still in Ukr...
Mar 04, 2022•14 min
The war in Ukraine has entered its eighth day and in that time people have now become used to the sound of air raid sirens. Several people have been seeking shelter in bunkers while missiles hit the towns and cities above their heads. Many have left the country. The United Nations estimates that more than half a million people have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion on 24th February. Among those fleeing the war in a European country are thousands of Africans, many of whom are students. While s...
Mar 03, 2022•18 min
Last week, Malawi recorded a case of wild polio, an infectious disease that can lead to paralysis, most often in children. It’s the first time that a case has been reported in the country since 1992. And in 2020, the whole of Africa was declared polio free after a decades long vaccination programme. The case in Malawi is thought to be linked to a strain still in circulation in Pakistan. It is yet to be determined how the disease arrived in Malawi. And people are anxious as to whether more cases ...
Mar 02, 2022•13 min
Social media platforms have given ordinary people a platform to share our ideas and opinions. If you have a large following, you can reach a huge audience on platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Or you can exercise influence as part of an online campaign like #EndSARS or #AfricansinUkraine. But are we listening to people who don’t share our opinions? And can we find common ground with people who have different ideas? For this special episode recorded live for AfricaNXT 2022 in Lagos, ...
Mar 01, 2022•18 min
Gender inequality is rife in many African countries, where women often do the vast majority of housework, childcare and look after entire families. But it doesn’t always have to be this way, at least not for some men in Burkina Faso. Men in the west African country are being offered the opportunity of attending what is known as “Husband Schools”. The aim is for men to learn how they can become better husbands and help their wives in all aspects of family life. Alan Kasujja has been speaking with...
Feb 28, 2022•15 min
The world’s attention has been focussed on Ukraine after President Putin ordered Russian troops to begin a large-scale military attack on its smaller neighbour. In Africa, the influence of Russia has been extending across the continent, leading to a range of opinions about Putin’s leadership, ambition and power. And while it might be many miles away, what’s happening in Ukraine has been a topic of debate on social media among Africans. So, how is the conflict is being viewed in Nigeria – which h...
Feb 25, 2022•11 min
In 2018, courts in South Africa ruled that personal use of marijuana was not illegal. The law allows households to keep small stashes of the drug under certain circumstances. People are also allowed to cultivate medical cannabis. And in the last couple of weeks, President Ramaphosa has announced that the production of cannabis will be industrialised. He said he wants South Africa to realise the huge potential for investment and job creation. So, could cannabis give the economy a welcome boost? #...
Feb 24, 2022•16 min
Around 60 people were killed in an explosion at an informal gold mine in Burkina Faso on Monday. In recent years, gold has become Burkina Faso’s biggest export. Informal, artisan mining operations are becoming more common there and across the region. People in these mines aren’t employed by big mining companies. And there is often little regulation or oversight. So, can mining in west Africa be made safer? #AfricaDaily
Feb 23, 2022•15 min
Fifty years ago, the British government forcibly evicted all the people living on the Chagos Islands to make way for a US military base. Now, as part of a campaign by Mauritius to highlight its claim to the islands, a small group have returned for a visit – erecting the Mauritian flag there. Also on the boat was the BBC’s Africa Correspondent, Andrew Harding, who helped us pick apart all the issues involved. So was this just a publicity stunt – or might it lead to what many of the Chagossians wa...
Feb 22, 2022•12 min
Burundi seems to be headed towards renewed relations with the international community. Earlier this month, the European Union lifted economic sanctions, following in the footsteps of the United States. The EU says its decision was inspired by what it described as “peaceful political processes”, that started with successful general elections in May 2020 which Evariste Ndayishimiye won following the death of president Pierre Nkurunziza who died from cardiac arrest. With the sanctions lifted, Burun...
Feb 21, 2022•13 min
There have been a number of high profile campaigns to encourage more girls to study STEM subjects – that’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. But what’s it actually like for women in Africa who choose these careers? Today’s Africa Daily follows Shillah Simiyu, an infectious disease researcher, as she visits the Nairobi Academy to tell the children there about her work. But she also tells Alan about the sizeable challenges she’s faced as she’s tried to build her career – including ...
Feb 18, 2022•16 min
In 2016, the government of President John Magufuli started to ban some newspapers. Over the coming months a number of daily and weekly newspapers disappeared from the newsstands. Questions were asked about whether journalists were being prevented from doing their jobs. And Tanzania slipped from to 124 out of 183 countries in the Press Freedom Index. But last week, the government of the new president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, announced that the publications would be allowed to print again. So, is it ...
Feb 17, 2022•13 min
Swahili is one of Africa’s most spoken languages. In it’s heartland, it can be heard from Somalia down to Mozambique, and across to parts of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. But it’s now being taught at some schools in South Africa and Botswana. Universities in Ghana and Ethiopia are offering Swahili courses to their students. And the African Union has adopted it as the first official working language native to the continent. So, is Swahili becoming a lingua franca - a common language - for...
Feb 16, 2022•19 min
It’s already a week since Senegal took the crown at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. The players, match officials and commentators, are now back with their local leagues. The Confederation of African Football is now preparing for the next tournament. But for Cameroon, there is still some work to be done. Millions was spent building new stadiums and infrastructure for Afcon. In other countries that have hosted major sporting events, the venues are lying deserted and unused. So, what can Cam...
Feb 15, 2022•15 min
A video of this episode, recorded for Africa Podcast Day, is available on the Africa Daily page of the BBC website. In August this year Kenyans will go to the polls in a general election. The vote will decide who is the next president and who will form the next government. But people will also be looking at how many women are elected. Kenya’s 2010 constitution states that at a third of public offices should be held by women. But only 25% of MPs are currently female. A number that is far behind s...
Feb 14, 2022•20 min
More than 70,000 women in Africa lose their lives to cervical cancer each year. Almost all the countries with the highest rates of the disease are on the continent. But a cervical cancer diagnosis doesn’t need to be a death sentence. It’s caused by a virus which, if caught early can be treated. And there’s also a vaccine that can prevent girls getting the virus in the first place. So, why are women in Africa still dying of cervical cancer? #AfricaDaily
Feb 11, 2022•16 min
It’s more than a year since the first vaccine was administered and since then more than 10 billion doses have been given out around the world. But across Africa, only 11% of people have been vaccinated against Covid-19. In some countries – Mauritius, Morocco and Rwanda for example – that number is much higher. And Seychelles was leading the world in vaccinations at one point. But in other countries, the number is even lower. While some of this may be due to the availability of vaccines, it isn’t...
Feb 10, 2022•15 min
There's no full episode of Africa Daily today while we work on something...a little bit different. Alan will be taking part in Africa Podcast Day on Saturday 12th February, which means we're recording an episode on camera for the very first time. You'll be able to watch it as part of the podcast festival and there will be a Q&A session with Alan shortly after. It will also be available on the Africa Daily website early next week. Normal service will resume on Thursday with a brand new episod...
Feb 09, 2022•1 min
WEB du Bois is considered by many to be one of the fathers of Pan-Africanism. A leading figure behind the Pan-African congresses that ran from 1919 onwards, he became a close friend of Ghana’s first President Kwame Nkrumah - eventually renouncing his US citizenship and becoming Ghanaian on Nkrumah's invitation. The president also gave him a house in the capital Accra and accorded him a state funeral. But his former home and his grave are now both in a state of disrepair– leading a group of campa...
Feb 08, 2022•14 min
It was billed as a shoot-out between Sadio Mané and Mo Salah… and effectively that’s how it turned out. After extra-time it was still 0-0 and so another match went to a penalty shoot-out, and it was Mané who became the man of the moment, taking the final penalty to win the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations for Senegal, depriving Salah’s Egypt of the trophy. Hosts Cameroon came third. Senegal claimed the title for the first time, while Mané took the player of the tournament. But the past month also saw ...
Feb 07, 2022•16 min
“Put South Africa First” started as a movement of organisations who were against illegal immigration. It has since grown. The hashtag #PutSouthAfricanFirst has been trending in South Africa every day for months. There have also been marches, protests, social media campaigns in support. And pressure is also being put on companies to hire local citizens, even over totally legal immigrants. The movement has caused concern among some observers. Unemployment is a hot topic in South Africa. It is, of ...
Feb 04, 2022•15 min
More than 80 people were killed when Storm Ana struck Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi last week. In Malawi, floods flattened maize crops, destroyed buildings and washed away bridges. The tropical storm has impacted businesses, schools and agriculture. And the United Nation has said it shows the reality of the climate crisis. Another storm – Cyclone Batsirai – is threatening to affect many of the same parts of the region over the next few days. So, how will Malawi cope? #AfricaDaily...
Feb 03, 2022•16 min
After three years, Rwanda has opened its busiest land border with Uganda again. The Gatuna-Katuna crossing was closed in 2019 when tensions increased between the two countries. Rwanda had accused Uganda of harassing its citizens and sheltering rebels they thought were trying overthrow its government. Kampala said Kigali had been trying to infiltrate its intelligence services with spies. The border may have reopened but it doesn’t necessarily mean a complete return to warmer diplomatic relations ...
Feb 02, 2022•15 min
Ghanaians have been given until the end of March to get new high-tech biometric identity cards. The government says the cards, which include the user’s finger print, photo and retinal scan, will improve government services, cut fraud and allow people to travel across different countries in Africa without a visa. But, as they’re also linked to sim cards, people are worried that if they can’t get one in time, they’ll lose the use of their phones for calls and mobile money. Host: Alan Kasujja (@kas...
Feb 01, 2022•14 min
Last week, Malwi’s president – Lazarus Chakwera – fired his entire cabinet. He cited concerns about corruption and vowed to “confront all forms of lawless conduct in public office”. The words echo a pledge to tackle corruption he made when elected in 2020. President Chakwera has now appointed a new ministers…although some of them are familiar faces from the previous cabinet. So, is this a moment of real change I for politics in Malawi? Host: Alan Kasujja (@kasujja) Guests: Josephine Chinele and ...
Jan 31, 2022•14 min
On Monday night, eight people – including children - were killed in a crush at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon as fans massed around the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde – eager to see their team reach the quarter finals. Speaking at a press conference the following day, the president of the Confederation of African Football - or CAF - Patrice Motsepe, pledged that such an event must never be allowed to happen again. He demanded the organising committee report back to him, today (Friday), with an...
Jan 28, 2022•16 min
Taking your music everywhere has never been this easy. Music streaming is now a multi-billion dollar industry – and African start-ups want in on the action. After all, in a continent where most people are under 25, the potential for new subscribers seems huge. But can they make it? This episode was first released on 23 July 2021. Host: Alan Kasujja (@Kasujja on Twitter) Guests: Nana-Aisha Salaudeen, Nigerian journalist; Tendai Madziwanyika, CEO of Gateway Stream App. #AfricaDaily...
Jan 27, 2022•14 min
The military in Burkina Faso says it has overthrown President Roch Kaboré. They said he had failed to unite the nation. And that he hasn’t effectively dealt with a growing security crisis. Burkina Faso has been fighting militants linked to the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda. So, how have people there reacted to the coup? And what might be next for Burkina Faso? #AfricaDaily
Jan 26, 2022•13 min
