US President Donald Trump’s return to the Oval Office raises pressing questions about how his policies will impact Africa. From trade and aid to health programs and climate policies, Trump’s first term saw cuts to foreign aid, shifts in trade priorities and the controversial Prosper Africa initiative. With his withdrawal from the WHO and the Paris Agreement, there are growing concerns about how these decisions will affect Africa’s health systems and climate change efforts. Africa Daily's Mpho La...
Jan 24, 2025•19 min
Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community in the United States, but for many Somali refugees finding stability and employment has been a struggle. So Mariam Mohamed, a Somali woman living in Minnesota, co-founded Hoyo in 2015. It’s a business that provides empowerment and jobs to refugee women through the shared tradition of making sambusas, a popular Somali delicacy. This savoury snack has now become a hit in school cafeterias across the state. In today's episode, Alan Kasujja speaks to...
Jan 23, 2025•17 min
Today Africa Daily’s Mpho Lakaje sits down with firebrand South African politician Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). They discuss a variety of topics ranging from the party’s ideology, its policy on immigration to its stance on nation building. The EFF lost its position as South Africa’s third biggest political party, following the May 2024 election. “There was a phenomenon that arose in South Africa of MK (Umkhonto Wesizwe Party) which we underestimated and never...
Jan 22, 2025•25 min
Robert Katende is a man with a mission to use chess to bring about social change. In his home country of Uganda he works with thousands of disadvantaged children, those with disabilities, and even prisoners, to use chess as a means to provide useful skills for life. He’s even had his story portrayed in a film made by Disney, the 'Queen of Katwe'. Alan Kasujja talks to Robert to hear how this ancient game can be a catalyst for changing lives. Guests: Robert Katende and ‘Coach’ Julius...
Jan 21, 2025•21 min
“She was buried in the same place where she was murdered, at the field in the crops.” Today on the podcast we hear about the life and death of Swedish-Somali journalist Amun Abdullahi Mohamed, who also worked to advocate for the advancement of women in Somalia. She was shot multiple times in the head by gunmen as she walked to her sorghum and watermelon farm in a rural part of Somalia, 40 kilometres from Mogadishu. She’d moved back to Somalia after years of threats and intimidation in Sweden bec...
Jan 20, 2025•17 min
In Lagos, some tenants are starting the year with a harsh ultimatum; pay double your rent or move out. With inflation at 34.8% and housing already consuming up to 60% of household income, many are struggling to keep up. Meanwhile, landlords report 80% of their tenants are defaulting and investors are abandoning the buy-to-let market due to poor returns. What’s driving this rental crisis and how is it impacting everyday Nigerians? BBC Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja spoke to BBC journalist Bisi Adeba...
Jan 17, 2025•17 min
It has become a worrying trend in Kenya. Out of nowhere, hooded men appear in unmarked vehicles wielding guns with the aim of kidnapping someone. Victims are then blindfolded and taken to places that are not officially recognised police stations to be interrogated. Foreign nationals have not been spared. Tanzanian human rights activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai says she was abducted by armed men in Nairobi last Sunday afternoon but released hours later. She’d fled to Kenya in 2020 seeking asylum afte...
Jan 16, 2025•18 min
"I have seen presidents come and go, one after the other, but there’s no change. Poverty continues. So, I hope and pray that things change” - Armdando Sthole, Mozambican economic migrant in South Africa Today Mozambique’s president-elect Daniel Chapo will be inaugurated at a ceremony in the country’s capital, Maputo. It comes as the nation has been rocked by violence which has so far claimed the lives of more than 300 people. It all started on the 9th of October 2024, when the citizens of Mozamb...
Jan 15, 2025•17 min
The latest offensive happened last week when the M23 rebels took Masisi, the administrative centre of the Masisi territory, in North Kivu. Days before, they’d captured another town Katale. Thousands of people have fled and been displaced by the fighting. The Congolese army fought back and reclaimed Masisi but the rebels have since regained control of the town. The M23 has held control over large parts of territory in the east since starting a renewed offensive late last year following the breakd...
Jan 14, 2025•15 min
Snakes… they send a shiver down the spines of a lot of people… especially in Africa where their bites kill tens of thousands every year – mostly In rural areas – with farmworkers and children particularly affected. Many more are left permanently disabled. And yet these numbers may not actually represent the scale of the problem. It’s estimated that 70% of incidents go unreported, because people don’t always know the cause of death, many can’t get to health centres, and even when they can, health...
Jan 13, 2025•20 min
On Wednesday, opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane returned to Mozambique after a two month self-imposed exile. He was greeted by thousands of his supporters at the main airport in the capital Maputo. Video shared on social media shows him kneeling with a hand on a bible declaring himself president-elect of Mozambique. This latest twist in the country’s post-election drama comes amidst heightened tensions and tight security. Deadly protests kicked off soon after the October 2024 elections which t...
Jan 10, 2025•19 min
This week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said genocide had been committed in Darfur by the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. He said the RSF was responsible for the murder of "men and boys - even infants", that it had committed brutal crimes of sexual violence against women on ethnic grounds, and that it had murdered civilians even as they tried to flee the conflict. He also announced sanctions on its leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti. So will this have an imp...
Jan 09, 2025•20 min
“The African National Congress right now is at a crossroads and that crossroads is as a result of one, the electoral performance in 2024 and two, some of the challenges that the country is facing” – Jamie Mighti, South African political commentator Today South Africa’s biggest political party, the African National Congress (ANC), is celebrating its 113th birthday. It comes nearly a year after it lost its parliamentary majority, for the first time since the end of apartheid. Its poor showing at t...
Jan 08, 2025•20 min
Over the past five years Ghana has seen a wave of Africans from the diaspora returning to their ancestral land. That’s because of initiatives like ‘The Year of Return’ which the government launched in 2019. Former president Nana Akufo Addo said “we believe we have a responsibility to extend a hand of welcome” and that ‘The Year of Return’ had been a “great success”. But this movement isn’t without controversy. While diasporans celebrate newfound opportunities and belonging, many local communitie...
Jan 07, 2025•20 min
2024 was a phenomenal year for women’s sport in Kenya. Amongst other achievements, women athletes won three of Kenya’s four gold medals at the Paris Olympics; in November, Kenyan women were first, second and third in the New York City Marathon; and on the very last day of 2024, double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet smashed the women’s 5000 metre record with an incredible time of 13 minutes and 24 seconds. And yet the biggest news story about a sportswoman in Kenya last year was when Ugandan Ol...
Jan 06, 2025•19 min
Tsitsi Dangarembga is a critically acclaimed Zimbabwean writer. She is known for her trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels- ‘Nervous Conditions’, ‘The Book of Not’, and ‘This Mournable Body'. She’s won awards, made films, been arrested for anti-government protests in her home country and lived in Zimbabwe and abroad. For the last episode in our ‘How I became me’ series, Alan Kasujja speaks to her about the choices and moments that shaped her life and her decision to become a writer....
Jan 03, 2025•23 min
In today's Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja speaks to Franca Ma-ih Sulem Yong Akinboboye. She campaigns for a better understanding of mental health in Cameroon. She founded two NGOs, Positive Youths Africa which is based on encouraging positive mental health for young people and Afrogiveness which uses art therapy, amongst other methods, to help survivors of conflict and discrimination. Her work has reached an estimated 100,000 people. These include victims of the Boko Haram insurgency which has spill...
Jan 02, 2025•22 min
Yesterday Alan and his BBC colleagues from South, East and West Africa gathered for a reminder of the big stories of 2024 – and to discuss how they’d shaped the continent. Today they pick up and look forward to the next year: so what can we expect to see in the news in 2025? With presenter Alan Kasujja (@Kasujja), Africa Daily’s @Mpholakaje in Johannesburg, East Africa Deployments Editor @RuthNesoba in Nairobi, and BBC journalist @Chrisewokor in Abuja. NOTE: Since the recording of this discussio...
Jan 01, 2025•19 min
Which news stories have stuck with you over the last year? Sudan? Mpox? The Gen Z protests? What about the cost of living? Alan Kasujja is joined by three BBC colleagues in South, East and West Africa to unpack the biggest issues which impacted the continent in 2024. With presenter Alan Kasujja (@Kasujja), Africa Daily’s @Mpholakaje in Johannesburg, East Africa Deployments Editor @RuthNesoba in Nairobi, and BBC journalist @Chrisewokor in Abuja.
Dec 31, 2024•29 min
"The power of live entertainment is unmatched." In today’s podcast, we explore the vibrant culture of African festivals and their growing impact on the continent's economy and global influence. Events like Flytime Fest in Lagos and Sauti Za Busara in Zanzibar draw thousands of visitors annually, fuelling tourism, hospitality, and cultural exchange. But what does it take to organise a music festival? Alan Kasujja speaks to Keke Hammond, Chief Operating Officer of Flytime Fest, and Journey Ramadha...
Dec 30, 2024•20 min
What and who made you the person you are today? It’s a big question and the answer is different for us all. Over the festive period Alan Kasujja has been exploring this subject with people who have gone on to do amazing things in their lives. Today’s guest is the Right Reverend Dr Vicentia Kgabe, the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Lesotho. She grew up in Soweto in Johannesburg when there were no female priests but she says she knew from an early age knew that she wanted to become a priest. He...
Dec 27, 2024•20 min
In 2018 Meaza Ashenafi made history when she became Ethiopia’s first female Chief Justice, transforming the country’s judicial system while breaking barriers for women. But her remarkable path began far from the courtroom, in a small town in Benishangul-Gumuz, in north west Ethiopia. In today's Africa Daily, she speaks to Alan Kasujja about her journey- her childhood, her law school days as the only woman in her class, defending human rights, being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and what sh...
Dec 26, 2024•19 min
‘‘I was a very ambitious young girl, I looked at Margaret Thatcher and Israeli Prime Minister, Golda Meir, and I said well, if they can do it at that level, why not me?’’ What and who made you the person you are today? It’s a big question and the answer is different for us all. Over the festive period Alan Kasujja will be exploring this subject with people who have gone on to do amazing things in their lives. In the first interview of this special series, Alan speaks to former Senegalese Prime M...
Dec 25, 2024•19 min
“My age was the most talked-about thing, but I turned it into my strength.” In today’s podcast, we’re serving up the ultimate recipe for success, featuring the extraordinary journey of Bridget Mangwandi, a 20-year-old South African who made history as the first black woman in her country, and the youngest in the world, to win MasterChef. Her final challenge on the show was to create a two-course meal celebrating African flavours with a modern twist – and she responded by reimagining her mother’s...
Dec 24, 2024•20 min
“For people to be seeing me like this today, I feel embarrassed. I won’t lie to you. There are times when I want to go home and talk to them, but I’m thinking I might get rejected” - Brian Singh, a homeless man in Durban, South Africa Around this time of the year, Durban in South Africa attracts hundreds of thousands of local and international visitors. This is due to its warm weather, sea, theme parks, restaurants, bars and affordable accommodation. Sadly though, not everyone is walking around ...
Dec 23, 2024•17 min
In today’s episode, our presenter Alan Kasujja meets South African musician and writer Lebohang Morake. Popularly known as Lebo M, he co-wrote and sang the music for the Disney movie The Lion King back in 1994. 30 years later he is doing the same for the prequel Mufasa: The Lion King, he was in London to attend the film’s premiere. He talks to Alan about how he went from the slums of Soweto to the red carpets of the world. “I’m born into the most racially divided society in the world, South Afri...
Dec 20, 2024•22 min
After 50 years of Assad family rule, Syrians are celebrating the fall of Bashar al-Assad after rebel forces captured Damascus. But his fall isn’t just Syria’s story - it’s one with global implications. In Africa, countries that rely on Russian paramilitary support from groups like Wagner, also known as the African Corps, are bracing for potential impacts. Disrupted security alliances, risks of militants returning home, and heightened instability are all major concerns. To unpack how this may res...
Dec 19, 2024•20 min
For more than a year the Somali government has been using security cameras as a key part of its strategy for countering the violence of the Islamist group al-Shabab within the capital city. Many businesses installed CCTV as requested and according to many residents it has had a positive impact on crime and in making people feel safer. But, in response, al-Shabab has shot dead a number of businessmen, leaving the business community feeling very vulnerable and unsure whether to leave the cameras u...
Dec 18, 2024•15 min
Isabel Dos Santos is the eldest daughter Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, the former president of Angola and she was once described as one of the richest women in Africa- with an estimated fortune of $2 billion. But over the last four years her life has changed dramatically. She’s faced lawsuits, her assets have been frozen in several countries and in 2022 global police agency Interpol issued a red notice calling for her to be arrested. Her critics say she’s used her position and influence to enrich her...
Dec 17, 2024•26 min
"It’s not your typical ‘white Christmas’ where you’re sitting around sipping hot cocoa with family. No… it’s back-to-back parties, beach parties, pool parties, concerts featuring global superstars. That's what Detty December is!" This festive season, known as Detty December, transforms Lagos and Accra into buzzing hubs of celebration. It’s a time when members of the diaspora, jokingly called IJGBs (I Just Got Back), return home to reconnect with family, indulge in the energy of West Africa, and ...
Dec 16, 2024•21 min
