“It’s unacceptable for a member who was a veteran and he was a former president, to have started a new political party. Of course he knew that he was violating the ANC’s rules” – Snuki Zikalala, president of the ANC’s Veterans League The relationship between South Africa’s African National Congress and its former president Jacob Zuma appears to have come to an end. Zuma was officially expelled by the party last month, following a disciplinary hearing. It comes after he established Umkhonto Wesiz...
Aug 02, 2024•20 min
Hidden behind the fearlessness displayed by Kenyan youths during recent anti-government protests could be a mountain of mental health challenges. A mental health expert says this is linked to the extra responsibilities young people are having to take up in a continent where the median age is 19. But while mental health awareness is high among the youth, access to mental health services remains limited. In this episode of Africa Daily Alan Kasujja talks to Tom Osborn- the founder of the Shamiri I...
Aug 01, 2024•20 min
Last year, the United Nations Security Council unanimously voted to lift Somalia's arms embargo, a decision that is now under scrutiny. The embargo had aimed to limit weapon deliveries to the Somali government and security forces, preventing them from reaching warlords. A recent ambush in Abudwaq, central Somalia, has some people debating whether lifting the embargo restriction was a mistake. During the attack, a convoy of weapons transported by Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agenc...
Jul 31, 2024•19 min
“Why were they born in Europe? Their parents were escaping the economic realities of Africa. We need to work on ourselves. We need to work more as Africa in order to keep this talent here” – Brian Wesaala, Football Foundation for Africa In recent times, Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has been captivating football lovers around the world with his talent. He played a critical role when his national team, Spain, won this year’s European Football Championship. But Morocco and Equatorial Guinea are now ...
Jul 30, 2024•18 min
“A lot of people were mocking me. People would send pictures to my mum saying ‘is there something wrong with your son? We’ve seen him in traffic hawking watches’”. For a lot of African people, luxury goods are synonymous with international brands. They believe that high-quality products can only come from abroad. Today in the podcast, Africa Daily’s Muthoni Muchiri speaks with Anthony Dzamefe of Caveman Watches who quit his job working for a hotel collecting tourists to set up his own business. ...
Jul 29, 2024•16 min
The Olympic Games officially open in Paris today. Over three billion people around the globe are expected to watch the world’s best sportsmen and women compete for 329 gold medals in 32 sports over 18 days. The continent will be fully represented with all 54 countries taking part. So, what can Africa expect from the games and who are the athletes to watch? Peter Musembi has been finding out from Malawian swimmer Tayamika Chang’anamuno and Ugandan sports journalist Darren Darren Allan Kyeyune who...
Jul 26, 2024•20 min
An investigation by BBC Verify has revealed that over 2 million people in the northern part of Ethiopia are at risk of starvation due to drought. The need for food aid has forced many to remain in camps for displaced persons. The Tigray region is still dealing with the aftermath of a bitter two-year war with the federal government that ended in 2022. BBC reporter Girmay Gebru led the investigation and spoke about what he uncovered with Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja.
Jul 25, 2024•14 min
“The initial investment is quite high, but looking long-term into many development projects, I think it is an investment worthwhile” – Professor Otlogetswe Totolo Botswana is building its very first space satellite. Known as Bot-Sat-1, it is being developed by scientists and engineers at Botswana International University of Science and Technology in the town of Palapye. The southern African country is looking to use images produced by this technology in town planning, mining, farming and other a...
Jul 24, 2024•16 min
“That will be a miracle on its own because when I started taking ARVs I began with 20 tablets.” In June, the US drug company Gilead announced that a trial of its HIV drug Lenacapavir had got a 100% success rate. The drug - a twice-yearly injection – can be used to protect people from catching the virus, but also to treat those who have it. But the question of pricing remains – with people in poor countries unable to afford the current price tag of $40,000 per person per year. One analysis has su...
Jul 23, 2024•20 min
‘The Apartheid Killer’ is the latest investigation from the BBC Africa Eye team. Filmed over four years, it tells the story of Louis van Schoor, an ex-police officer turned security guard who in the late 1980's terrorised and killed at least 39 people in the South African city of East London. All of his victims were black and the youngest was just 12 years old. He was finally arrested in 1991. But was released from prison after just over a decade in jail. More than 30 of Louis van Schoor’s killi...
Jul 22, 2024•22 min
“I have lived with HIV for 25 years out of 50. I just turned 50, and I was diagnosed in 1999 at the age of 25 with HIV.” The HIV/AIDS epidemic has significantly impacted African countries south of the Sahara. By late 2001, over half of the world's HIV cases were in sub-Saharan Africa. UNAIDS, the organisation advocating for accelerated and effective global action on the HIV pandemic, is leading efforts to eradicate the virus by 2030. They will hold their 25th conference next week. In today’s Afr...
Jul 19, 2024•22 min
In a viral video from South Africa, drivers are seen eagerly stopping to donate money to Ayanda Msweli, founder of The Bucket Initiative. This grassroots effort is capturing hearts by building houses for impoverished families. South Africa faces a severe housing crisis, with a backlog of 2.3 million units affecting 12 million people, exacerbated by rapid urbanization, high construction costs, and limited affordable financing. The COVID-19 pandemic has further intensified poverty and homelessness...
Jul 18, 2024•18 min
Women in Tanzania face immense hurdles in accessing education, employment and financial services. Despite these challenges, Tanzanian women are incredibly resilient. Many are the backbone of their families and communities, often juggling multiple roles as caregivers, breadwinners and entrepreneurs. Yet, they face systemic barriers that keep them from achieving financial independence. President Samia Suluhu took office in 2021 with promises to prioritize initiatives promoting gender equality, tac...
Jul 17, 2024•15 min
“The practice of female genital mutilation is so interwoven with the practice of child marriage. It’s like the marketplace, the institution through which children are prepared for marriage” – Josephine Kamara, advocacy director of Purposeful. Today, Alan Kasujja hears the moving story of Khadijatu Barrie, a 26-year-old student at the University of Sierra Leone. She recently went public and explained how she refused to be forced into marriage when she was still a little girl. This comes a month a...
Jul 16, 2024•22 min
An ongoing inquiry is taking place in Kenya in response to a series of allegations of rape and other misconduct by British soldiers during their time training in the country. The allegations date back to the 1950s and despite a previous investigation carried out by the British army, nobody has been prosecuted or held accountable for any crimes. A new defence pact that came into effect in 2021 means British soldiers can now be sued in Kenyan courts. The inquiry has heard emotional testimonies fro...
Jul 15, 2024•21 min
The business of gaming and ‘Esports’ is growing in Africa, with an estimated $1 billion dollars expected to be spent by gamers across the continent this year. But it faces challenges, from internet connectivity to investment to cultural representation. Africa does have around 40 studios creating games, but those in the business say it needs better understanding from governments and investment from sponsors to realise it’s true potential. So we brought together two enthusiasts who have one foot i...
Jul 12, 2024•19 min
“We spoke to relatives of a boy who was seen carrying ammunition. The relatives say this boy had been kidnapped during a January attack in another village. The uncle and aunt of the boy were shocked to see how much confidence he showed operating as a child soldier” – Zenaida Machado, Human Rights Watch In today’s episode, Alan Kasujja revisits the conflict in Mozambique because it’s now emerged that insurgents are using children in their operations. Human Rights Watch says youngsters, some as yo...
Jul 11, 2024•18 min
War has raged across the whole of Sudan between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force or RSF for the past 15 months. Human rights abuses and atrocities have been committed on both sides – in Darfur, groups like Human Rights Watch have documented what they say is ethnic cleansing by the RSF as they’ve specifically targeted people of African descent. Millions have fled from the region. El Fasher is the only major city in Darfur that remains outside of RSF control. Mohammed Zak...
Jul 10, 2024•20 min
"I’m crazy about you & I want the world to know”. It looks like a pretty harmless Instagram post. Two women kissing and expressing their love. But one of the women – and the woman who posted that photo and accompanying message - was Brenda Biya, the 26 year old daughter of President Paul Biya of Cameroon. The law in Cameroon states that those who engage in same-sex acts or relationships can face up to five years in jail, so it’s perhaps not a surprise that the post has caused a lot of discus...
Jul 09, 2024•20 min
For most people in Africa the elderly are respected for their age, wisdom and life experience. And cared for by their children, grandchildren and community. But contradicting this tradition are horrific cases of elder abuse revealed by the BBC’s Africa Eye team in their latest investigation. Haki Yetu, a local human right organisation, say at least one elderly person is killed every week in Kilifi County after being accused of being a witch. Africa Daily Alan Kasujja speaks to Julius Wanyama fro...
Jul 08, 2024•22 min
Udoh Ebaide Joy has just finished what many would describe as an epic adventure. She rode her motorbike across Africa – stopping in ten countries including Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia, Angola and Cameroon. She covered over 9,000 km and ended her journey in her country Nigeria. Why did she make the journey? And what was it like travelling solo as a woman on a motorbike? In today’s Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja speaks to her about the experiences she had on the road, the challenges she faced, and the momen...
Jul 05, 2024•14 min
Is nuclear power a possible answer to the challenge of phasing out fossil fuels in response to global warming? Many African governments say yes – and 18 are now in the feasibility stage of developing nuclear power stations. Currently, South Africa is the only country on the continent which generates electricity from a nuclear power plant. But activists argue there are too many risks – and that Africa lacks the capacity to dispose of the waste nuclear power produces. In Kenya, residents of Uyombo...
Jul 04, 2024•21 min
Over one million people died during Mozambique’s civil war – which continued from 1977 to 1992. By its end, much of the country’s infrastructure was also gone. One place which was heavily impacted was Gorongosa National Park – in the middle of the country – where virtually all the wild animals were slaughtered for food or for ivory, which was then traded for weapons. Wildebeest and Zebra populations dropped from thousands to less than twenty of each. Elephant numbers decreased by more than 90%. ...
Jul 03, 2024•20 min
Today South Africa’s cabinet ministers will be sworn-in at a ceremony in the country’s capital, Pretoria. They are from various political parties and form part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government of national unity. Many of them have, in the past, taken each other to court over policy differences. But they now have to work together as a team, in the same cabinet. These political events were triggered by the outcome of the May 2024 national election, where no party secured an outright majori...
Jul 02, 2024•21 min
Thousands of students in secondary schools across Africa are sitting their final year exams at the moment and in the coming few weeks. In the maths paper, they are certain to come across one question from the quadratic equations topic requiring them to find X. Very few people on the continent look back at their days of finding X with joy, because maths has never been a popular subject for the vast majority. Statistics from the 2023 exams show there was a mean score of less than 30% in maths in m...
Jul 01, 2024•17 min
Rights groups in Zimbabwe have criticised the deteriorating human rights climate in the country. Complaints of arbitrary arrests, abductions and harassment have also come from individuals such as politicians and writers. The finger of blame has been pointed at state security forces. So, what exactly is going on? In today’s Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja speaks to the BBC’s Shingai Nyoka in Zimbabwe, and a human right's lawyer who says that defending people who say they have been arrested unjustly by...
Jun 28, 2024•20 min
“I concede.” After a dramatic - and bloody - week of protests on the streets of Kenya, President William Ruto has agreed to ditch his unpopular finance bill. In an address to the nation he said that it was clear that Kenyans “want nothing” to do with the bill which would have introduced controversial tax hikes. Protesters say they would have hit the poorest who are already struggling with rising living costs. On Tuesday, parliament was set ablaze and lawmakers hid in the basement garage after vo...
Jun 27, 2024•23 min
“People will say nasty things about you in their lyrics. You will then be tempted to respond. That’s how the violence starts” – Molefi “Mantsoaki” Tjemolane – Lesotho musician Famo music is a genre whose origins can be traced back to the 1920s, among Lesotho’s migrant labourers. Over time, it became commercial and formed a big part of national culture, enabling artists to make a living and win awards. But the music is now associated with gangs primarily linked to illegal gold mining in neighbour...
Jun 26, 2024•17 min
When Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja was in Lagos last year, he learned that some parents there are using harmful products on their children in order to lighten their skin and that in some instances parents are unintentionally lightening and damaging their children’s skin. The usage of skin lightening products is high in Nigeria. According to the World Health Organisation, the prevalence of skin bleaching varies across the continent in Mali it's 25% while in Nigeria it's 77%, so the market for these...
Jun 25, 2024•20 min
Today Alan Kasujja sits down with Dr.Philbert Komu from the University of Dar es Salaam and Dr. Gideon Chitanga of the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. They are discussing the role of former liberation movements in Africa’s contemporary politics. Is their performance in line with the expectations of their nations? The conversation was sparked by the dismal showing of the African National Congress in South Africa’s May 2024 elections. Others like Zanu-PF in Zimbabwe have also lost supp...
Jun 24, 2024•20 min
