Young people in Zanzibar are able to pursue boxing for the first time in nearly six decades, now that a ban on the sport has been lifted. Zanzibar’s first president Abeid Karume banned boxing in 1965, saying it was inhumane and against the culture of Zanzibaris. In the years since, some aspiring boxers had to travel to mainland Tanzania to pursue their ambitions. It means that people on the island were only recently able to enjoy one of Africa’s most popular sports in person for the first time i...
Sep 04, 2023•18 min
We speak hundreds of languages across the African continent. But only a small number are represented on the internet. So what future do the languages we speak at home and with our families have, if we cannot use them in a digital world? This is where machine learning comes in, Artificial Intelligence. Because there are translation tools out there, built through Natural Language Processing (NLP), which can allow you to be understood anywhere in the world. But the data needed is complex and takes ...
Sep 01, 2023•22 min
When South African Motswedi Modiba made her first appearance on Sing China, one of the world’s biggest TV shows, the video went viral. It wasn’t just because she sang the song beautifully or because she belted out the words in perfect Mandarin. People were also excited because she became the first black African to appear on the show. The show has more than 150 million viewers and since her audition, she’s picked up thousands of new followers across Asia.
Aug 31, 2023•17 min
On Sunday, Russian officials confirmed that Yevgeny Prighozin was among those killed in a plane crash last week. Prighozin was chief of the Wagner mercenary group, which has carried out operations in a number of African countries. Over the last year, many countries in the Sahel region have moved away from their former security partners in the west. And Mali, which is struggling to contain secessionists and Islamist militants, has turned to Wagner to bolster their security. So, what might Prighoz...
Aug 30, 2023•22 min
“It is not cast in stone that a military junta is always bad. What if it’s the only thing that we have?” On the 26th of July 2023, a group of soldiers in Niger ousted president Mohamed Bazoum from power. His presidential guard commander general Abdourahamane Tchiani proclaimed himself the leader of a new military junta. Niger joined Sahel nations like Sudan, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Guinea who are also led by army men. Some of these leaders, including Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traore, appear to...
Aug 29, 2023•17 min
It’s been 135 days since the start of the conflict in Sudan. Four million people have been displaced since the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces turned their guns on each other, according to the UN Refugee Agency. More than 700,000 people have left the country, crossing the border to neighbours like, Egypt, South Sudan and Chad. Around 3.2 million are displaced within the country, making their way to areas that feel relatively safer. So, what has it been like for those who made ...
Aug 28, 2023•22 min
On Monday, the government in Somalia announced that TikTok, Telegram and an online betting platform would be banned. They said the move would help limit the spread of indecent content and terrorist propaganda. The Minister of Communications ordered the internet companies to block the apps by Thursday night. For many people, TikTok is a light hearted escape. But creators have sometimes spent years building up millions of followers. Posting on the platform has become their livelihood. So, why is S...
Aug 25, 2023•20 min
We all grow up with an identity shaped by history – where we were born, how our parents and grandparents lived, what happened in our country, all these things shape us. But we also have agency, we have the ability to look at our history and the sources that shaped it, and interpret it for ourselves. The same historical event can mean many things to many people. Nigeria is a country where many communities and identities are held within one nation. And the history of that nation is the source of i...
Aug 24, 2023•18 min
As the majority of African countries work towards a tobacco free world, Tanzania - the third largest producer on the continent - is still hanging onto the crop as part of its revenue. The country’s health ministry has been discouraging smoking, with data showing 17 thousand Tanzanians are killed by tobacco related diseases each year. But the ministry of agriculture has been supporting tobacco farming, with reports indicating local politicians are key stakeholders in the tobacco industry. For Afr...
Aug 23, 2023•20 min
For the next two days, South Africa will host world leaders including Xi Jinping of China, Brazil’s Lula da Silva and Narendra Modi of India. Russia’s Vladimir Putin was initially invited, but couldn’t travel to Johannesburg due to a warrant of arrest issued by the ICC. It relates to alleged war crimes in Ukraine. Those gathered for this week’s BRICS summit, will discuss an alternative currency to the US dollar, trade and expanding the BRICS bloc. In recent months, dozens of countries including ...
Aug 22, 2023•16 min
“What a lot of Zimbabweans are really concerned about at the moment is the level of joblessness. This has been a historical problem and so has been the high cost of living” - Shingai Nyoka On Wednesday, millions of Zimbabweans are expected to vote in this year’s national election. A total of eleven presidential candidates appear on the ballot paper. But Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Zanu PF and the Citizens Coalition for Change of Nelson Chamisa are seen as the frontrunners. Zimbabweans will go to the po...
Aug 21, 2023•17 min
This week marked a painful anniversary for Egyptians - 10 years since the violence at Rabaa Square and Nahda Square. In August 2013, supporters of the ousted President Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood had been staging protests and sit ins for almost 50 days. Hundreds of people, mostly civilians, were killed within just a few hours when Egyptian forces violently dispersed the crowds. And many more of those who witnessed the violence have faced arrests, prison terms or have fled the count...
Aug 18, 2023•16 min
The phrase ‘sanctions have been imposed’ frequently features when countries are at the centre of a big news story. Recently we’ve mentioned that some of Niger’s neighbours brought in sanctions after the military takeover. And the warring parties in Sudan have faced sanctions from the UK since the conflict started there. They are seen by some countries as a way of leveraging their influence to get a preferred outcome. But, what exactly are sanctions? How are they supposed to work? And do they act...
Aug 17, 2023•23 min
When a firework blew up in Ubokobong Amanam’s hand, he was left with life changing injuries. He needed a prosthesis to replace the fingers he lost, but none of those on the market matched his complexion. The accident inspired his brother John to work on making something better for him. But they didn’t stop there…they now run a company making prostheses (artificial body parts) for the African market and employ 35 people. And next they have their sights on the world of robotics. #AfricaDaily...
Aug 16, 2023•16 min
From buying goods to communicating with friends, mobile internet has completely changed how we live our lives. In the continents biggest cities, speedy 4G makes transactions quick and reliable. But in rural areas and poorer countries, data can be slower, temperamental and much more expensive. It means that many people are priced out of getting on line and are missing out on all the benefits that come with it. So, why is data still too expensive in some parts of the continent?
Aug 15, 2023•18 min
“If that path is clogged with trees or it’s difficult to get through but it’s the only path you have to a better circumstance, you will go a lot further through that path and you will trek a lot further before giving up than someone who has, perhaps, six or seven paths at their disposal” As the Women’s World Cup draws to a close, Alan Kasujja looks at whether or not poverty plays any part in propelling athletes to greatness. Footballers like Malawi’s Tabitha Chawinga, Sadio Mane of Senegal, Sout...
Aug 14, 2023•16 min
“It’s becoming a luxury now to purchase a pad.” Women in Ghana protested outside the parliament building in Accra in June chanting for ‘tax free periods’. It followed a rise in taxes on sanitary pads. And now, a BBC survey has found that of all women on the continent, Ghanaian women on low incomes have to spend the biggest proportion of their wages on even the cheapest sanitary protection – a staggering 13%. Because of the cost, many women and girls in Africa will use makeshift protection, inclu...
Aug 11, 2023•16 min
Finding a place to live can be challenging in a growing, expensive city like Lagos. But single women might find it particularly difficult. They report being turned down by landlords even when they can afford an apartment and have the funds to pay rent in advance. So, why is it so hard to find a place to stay?
Aug 10, 2023•17 min
“If I take one step to my right I will be in Kenya and if I take one step to my left, I will be in Somalia." A phased reopening of the border between Kenya and Somalia was meant to be happening last month. But that reopening was then postponed by Kenya's interior minister – citing security concerns. So what has the response been on both sides of the border? GUESTS: Abdikafi Adan Mohamed, Mohamed Mohamed and Waihiga Mwaura (@waihigamwaura)
Aug 09, 2023•19 min
Over the last few years there’s been a surge in violence between police and gangs in Haiti, with an eyewatering 80 percent of the capital Port-au-Prince under the control of gangs. The government has been calling for international intervention but its neighbours including the US have opted to keep out. So why has Kenya decided to get involved? It has offered to send 1000 police officers to lead a multinational force. For Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja looks at what the force will be dealing with if ...
Aug 08, 2023•20 min
“I think my mum’s passing was a way of bringing me back to serve humanity. Maybe that’s what she’d have wanted to do for herself. Maybe I’m doing my mum’s work.” 80 million Africans are now above the age of 60. And with improved healthcare that’s a number that’s set to climb drastically in the coming years. Traditionally, elderly people have been cared for by their families, but now more young people are moving from villages to the city for work, leaving their parents or grandparents on their ow...
Aug 07, 2023•19 min
Last week, President Bazoum, the first democratically elected president to succeed another in Niger, was detained by his own guards. A military junta is now running the country. Niger was one of the few democracies left in the Sahel. From Mali in the west to Sudan in the east, a whole swathe of Africa is now run by the military. President Bazoum was a key ally to western countries, which have denounced the coup. And tensions are rising between countries in the region, who are split over what sho...
Aug 04, 2023•24 min
“What I’m seeing is another way of Africa rushing with a begging plate, begging saucer.” Last week, President Vladimir Putin held a Russia Africa summit in St. Petersburg. Countries in attendance included Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Uganda, Senegal and Burkina Faso. African leaders had hoped to persuade Moscow to revive the Ukraine grain deal - helping millions of people who might be affected by food insecurity. But Putin refused to entertain the proposal. He said the Black Sea Grain Initiative w...
Aug 03, 2023•16 min
Friends and family are often called on to donate blood to loved ones in a medical emergency or ahead of routine surgery. But across the continent, there is a shortfall in blood needed for life saving transfusions. The World Health Organisation estimates that they are only meeting half the need. Aisha Dafalla and Kennedy Sanya are Kenya’s biggest donors. Between them they have donated more than 170 litres of blood. So, what do they think can be done to get more people involved?
Aug 02, 2023•22 min
More than 40 people died in wildfires as temperatures soared in the Mediterranean last week. The majority of those casualties were in Algeria, where 34 people lost their lives. In Tunisia more than 300 people were displaced. A team of climate scientists - the World Weather Attribution group - said this month's intense heatwave in the region would be virtually impossible without human-induced climate change. So, what can be done to prevent similar disasters in the future?
Aug 01, 2023•17 min
“In most cases they are doing much better than men because they have to prove to the world that they are capable. And it’s not supposed to be like that but that’s how it is.” The Women’s World Cup is getting lots of attention in Australia and New Zealand – but did you know that South Africa is currently hosting another World Cup tournament? This weekend the Netball World Cup ‘tipped off’ in Cape Town – but the trouble is even many South Africans aren’t aware of it. That’s led South Africa’s ener...
Jul 31, 2023•19 min
“All the pursuits of capitalism in Africa have dismally failed” Exactly ten years ago, firebrand South African politician Julius Malema and his allies, established the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). It came after he was expelled from the ruling African National Congress (ANC) for “fomenting divisions and bringing the party into disrepute”. At its first national election in 2014, the EFF received over 6% of the vote and went on to get nearly 11%, five years later. It’s popular among young Black...
Jul 28, 2023•19 min
“He was fearless right? Someone who would never say no in the fiercest of moments… Someone who, without even thinking or blinking in the moment, would always try to respond to the crisis which he faced.” Cameroon has only known one President during the last 40 years: Paul Biya. And for 30 of those years, John Fru Ndi was his only credible challenger. The politician from the North-west Anglophone region died in June at the age of 81 – and this coming weekend his funeral will take place at his Bam...
Jul 27, 2023•20 min
For years now, South Africa has been part a group of countries that come together to combat wildfires across the world. Their firefighters have been in Canada helping to fight wildfires that have engulfed parts of the country since late May. Three teams, in total of about 600 firefighters, have been deployed to Alberta and Quebec to help protect lives and properties. In doing so, the South Africans have also come with their now trademark of song and dance at airports as they leave and land, lift...
Jul 26, 2023•16 min
To test or not to test? In Uganda, a series of high profile paternity cases has led to a very animated public discussion about whether men should do DNA tests to find out if all their children are really their own. And if they find they aren't, should that change their relationship with that child, and their responsibility for them? In response, the Ugandan government has warned people to beware home tests and unregulated businesses - saying men would be better to focus on raising their children...
Jul 25, 2023•19 min
