River blindness – or onchocerciasis – is a tropical disease which causes itchiness, skin damage, and eventually blindness. It affects millions of people across Africa. In Niger a staggering 70 percent of the population was once infected. But now, after a gruelling 45 year health campaign, it’s become the first African country to eliminate the disease. Alan Kasujja speaks Dr Paulin Basinga, head of the Gates Foundation in Africa who has who has played a key role in the fight against river blindne...
Mar 12, 2025•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast “We didn’t harvest anything at all” – Zimbabwean resident Hlengiwe Moyo Today, Africa Daily’s Mpho Lakaje focuses on Zimbabwe, one of several southern African countries recently hit by a prolonged drought. Seven million people are now desperate for food assistance. The World Food Programme, along with several nations, partnered to donate bags of maize, pulses and cooking oil. Other countries that were hardest hit include Zambia and Malawi. Namibia even resorted to slaughtering wild animals such ...
Mar 11, 2025•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Autism remains one of the most misunderstood conditions in many African countries, often leading to stigma, misdiagnosis and a lack of support. Why do so many children in Africa go undiagnosed, and what impact does this have on their futures? BBC Africa Daily’s Peter Musembi speaks with Cameroonian author Delly Singah, whose personal journey as a mother of an autistic child has shaped her advocacy. Through her book ‘Diary of a Special Mum – Kicking Autism to the Curb’, Delly challenges misconcep...
Mar 10, 2025•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast “Sudan is on the brink of a return to full-scale civil war - and this civil war could be on a much larger scale than we’ve seen in the past.” What’s going on in South Sudan? This week alarm bells have been ringing after leading allies of the Vice President, Riek Machar, were arrested – and Machar’s own home in Juba was surrounded temporarily by troops. It follows clashes between a militia called the ‘White Army’ which fought alongside Machar during the civil war, with government troops in Upper ...
Mar 07, 2025•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast “I believe that when I sing things will change and we shall have a bright future. We are going to be the ambassadors of change for our country South Sudan." War and displacement leave scars that go beyond the physical. In Bidibidi, one of the world’s largest refugee settlements, many struggle with trauma, substance abuse, and uncertainty. Bidibidi is home to over 250,000 refugees but a performing arts centre is helping refugees find healing, and hope for a better future, through music, dance, an...
Mar 06, 2025•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Schools in South Sudan could remain closed for another four weeks as a severe heat wave continues in the country. Last week the government ordered schools across the country to close for two weeks as temperatures rose above 42°C, with reports indicating that an average of 12 students had been collapsing daily due to the soaring heat. It is the second consecutive year schools have been shut down during the hottest months, disrupting the academic calendar. Floods have in the past contributed to th...
Mar 05, 2025•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast The bacteria in our stomachs – known collectively as the microbiome - are increasingly seen by scientists as playing an important role in our overall health. According to research, it can show markers of disease as well as affect everything from digestion to mental health. Everyone has a different microbiome depending on where you live, your lifestyle, and various external factors. But data in Africa has been lacking. Now a new study of four different countries on the continent – Burkina Faso, S...
Mar 04, 2025•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the world - from healthcare to finance, agriculture to education. But in Africa, the stakes are different. How do we make sure AI isn’t just another import but is something built for Africans, by Africans? With so many languages, infrastructure gaps, and the need to protect our own data, building a truly African AI comes with big challenges, but also huge opportunities. Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja speaks to Ambassador Philip Thigo, Kenya’s Special Envoy o...
Mar 03, 2025•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast “Lacking respect for Mohamed Salah and lacking respect for Egypt and for African football.” That’s how three-time Afcon winner Wael Goma sums up Jamie Carragher’s comment that the Africa Cup of Nations is ‘not a major tournament’. The former England and Liverpool defender was taking part in a TV discussion about Mohamed Salah’s chances of winning the Ballon d’or after Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday. He said because Salah hadn’t won a ‘major’ tournament like the World Cup, Eur...
Feb 28, 2025•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently told journalists that he has no interest in extending his term of office. “These terms are very definite, and I’m so democratic. When they come to an end, I will step aside and my party will elect my successor”, he said. But will the head of state really hand over the baton to someone else? Towards the end of last year, Mnangagwa’s party, Zanu PF passed a resolution to extend his term when it ends in 2028. Some in Zimbabwe believe the president is...
Feb 27, 2025•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Millions of people in Sudan are facing hunger and possible famine due to the war between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces militia, which has been going on for almost two years. The country has the ability to feed itself if farmers could use the most fertile land, between the White and the Blue Nile rivers in El Gezira state. Although a massive irrigation scheme has been in place there for a century, the past choice of cash crops, along with mismanagement by the government have...
Feb 26, 2025•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Warning: this pod contains description of violence from the beginning. “They died in the hands of the state. And to die in the hands of the state – that’s something we can’t just let pass… Without their rights they cannot rest in peace.” Nearly a month ago, M23 rebels captured the regional capital Goma in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. At the time, one of the worst reported atrocities of the conflict took place – when more than 150 women prisoners and their children were killed in...
Feb 25, 2025•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Being online has become a huge part of our lives. Everywhere you look, you see people on their phones in homes, schools, work and markets. These devices are not just almost glued to our hands for fun, they are also crucial to people’s businesses and livelihoods. So earlier this year when Nigerian telecommunication companies announced they would be raising their prices, with some services increased by 50 percent, it got many Nigerians talking. These companies say they are doing this because they ...
Feb 24, 2025•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Muhsin Hendricks, the world's first openly gay imam, was shot dead in South Africa on Saturday, leaving many in mourning. The 57-year-old was a trailblazer, known for his advocacy and for creating safe spaces for queer Muslims. From founding The Inner Circle, a support group for queer Muslims, to leading an inclusive mosque, his work gave many a sense of belonging. Alan Kasujja speaks to those who knew and were inspired by him—including activists and religious leaders—to explore the impact of hi...
Feb 21, 2025•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast “Our minerals, yes, are important for the advancement of the world, but they are also important for the progress of our people. We could share these minerals with the world, but our people must come first” - Shanty Tshiela Byart-Mutombo, DRC company owner On Friday, the 14th of February, the M23 rebels started entering Bukavu, having already captured another strategic city, Goma. The Rwandan-backed militants' progress comes despite international calls for a ceasefire and a resumption of talks ai...
Feb 20, 2025•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Midwife or mid-husband? That’s a common question on social media posts highlighting the work of the very few men who help women to deliver babies. Midwifery is a profession that has traditionally been dominated by women. Less than 1% of people registered as midwives globally are men. According to research conducted by the University of Northampton in the UK, 19 countries have no men registered as midwives and five countries legally prohibit men from being midwives. In today’s Africa Daily podcas...
Feb 19, 2025•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast “The writers of our time who used to criticise the government are no longer there.” Today on the podcast, Alan has the pleasure and privilege of speaking to one of Africa’s great writers: the South Sudanese author Taban Lo Liyong. In the 1960s he rubbed shoulders with independence politicians like Jomo Kenyatta and Kwame Nkrumah and with giants of African literature like Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and Ngugi wa Thiong’o. He was taken to Uganda as a young child and spent his formative years there...
Feb 18, 2025•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast “This is the new reality that we are going to have to face and it is a fantastic opportunity for us to redefine our position away from the US trying to tell us who we can or cannot be, because they really don’t care about us” - Ugandan coffee farmer Robert Kabushenga In the year 2000, the United States government set up the African Growth and Opportunity Act also known as AGOA. It's aim was to give qualifying sub-Saharan African countries access to the US market, without paying import taxes, thu...
Feb 17, 2025•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, is experiencing rising temperatures, with extreme heat becoming a major challenge for residents, especially those in crowded neighbourhoods and open-air markets. With limited access to cooling infrastructure, the heat affects daily life, health, food security and the economy. In response, the city recently hosted an ‘Urban Heat Hackathon’, where teams developed innovative solutions to tackle the problem. In today's Africa Daily Alan Kasujja speaks to two of...
Feb 14, 2025•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Earlier this year, South African lawmakers passed the Expropriation Without Compensation Act. This is part of their country’s effort to address the injustices of the past. During the years of white minority rule, black South Africans were dispossessed of their land, some even forcibly relocated to areas far from business districts. But years before the current land act was passed, a pressure group called AfriForum, composed of white Afrikaners, travelled to the United States to lobby conservativ...
Feb 13, 2025•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast The growth of women’s football in Morocco has seen more girls taking up the sport. The evidence of this can be seen in how many young girls play the beautiful game in their neighbourhoods, in the streets. It’s something which would not have happened 20 years ago. The success of women’s football there has also been reflected in the packed stadiums and the rising number of people watching the women’s national team- the Atlas Lionesses- on television. They are also the first North African and Arab ...
Feb 12, 2025•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s now two weeks since the rebel M23 group took over Goma in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo – so what has the experience been like for the city’s inhabitants? For today’s Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja speaks to two people who live in Goma: one woman who has stayed and says finding food is almost impossible, and an activist who has fled the city after receiving threats of abduction and death from the M23.
Feb 11, 2025•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast One person living with HIV has described how these cut would change their life and said "please tell the American government that this is a death trap for us. If I don’t get my tablets next month and the following month, how much longer will I have to live?” USAID—the United States Agency for International Development—has funded life-saving aid across Africa for decades. Programmes assisting with famine, disease control, and poverty are now at-risk following President Trump's decision to cut its...
Feb 10, 2025•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast South Sudan is facing another deadly cholera outbreak, with over 24,500 suspected cases and nearly 500 deaths, according to charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Overcrowding, poor sanitation and a lack of clean water are fuelling the crisis, while political instability and logistical challenges hinder the response. With a history of recurring outbreaks and 9 million people in need of aid, experts warn the situation could worsen. Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja speaks to Juba-based journalist Nich...
Feb 07, 2025•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast This year it will be 30 years since Nigerian author and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa was executed by the Nigerian military government for leading protests against environmental pollution caused by oil exploration. He remains an icon of resistance against environmental degradation beyond Nigeria. The campaigns he led saw the exploration of crude oil stopped in Ogoniland, in the country’s Niger Delta region, after it became clear oil spills had extensively polluted rivers and farmland, des...
Feb 06, 2025•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast “What is the problem if South African investors invest in Congo? Why should it be Rwanda complaining, not the Congolese?” – Retired SANDF Lieutenant General Maomela Motau On Sunday the 26th of January 2025, the M23 rebel group took over the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It followed intense fighting with the country’s main army. Since then, more than 700 people have been killed, with thousands more forced to seek refuge elsewhere. This comes as South Africa and Rwanda have...
Feb 05, 2025•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast “Growing up in Ogaden, I was surrounded by war - there was massacres and abuses. At a young age, I recall seeing looting and dead bodies everywhere. At the age of 12, I was arrested by government troops and imprisoned along with my whole family.” Ogaden, or the Somali region, is a remote area of Ethiopia – little known by much of the world. But in 1970s, Ethiopia and Somalia fought a war over it, and at the start of this century a conflict was waged between rebels from the Ogaden National Libera...
Feb 04, 2025•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rabies is a disease which is known across Africa, killing thousands of people each year through the bite or lick from an infected animal, usually a dog. However, we have the vaccines to protect dogs against rabies, and we also have the vaccines to protect humans against rabies. So why haven’t we eliminated rabies from Africa yet? With the help of two people who are dedicated to ending rabies, we find out what needs to be done to end this deadly disease. Presenter: Alan Kasujja Guests: Salima Kad...
Feb 03, 2025•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ghana’s Dr. Angela Tabiri is the first African to win ‘The Big Internet Math Off’, a global competition where mathematicians make complex ideas easy to understand. Once set on studying business, she found her true passion in maths, leading to a PhD in quantum algebra. Now, she’s mentoring girls, breaking STEM stereotypes and shaping Africa’s future in quantum science. Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja spoke to Dr. Tabiri about her win and the power of numbers.
Jan 31, 2025•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast In January 2024, Ethiopia made history as the first country in the world to ban the import of petrol and diesel vehicles, aiming to tackle fuel dependence and pollution. A year on, electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming a common sight in the capital Addis Ababa, but the country still faces major hurdles. There are issues around the high costs of the electric vehicles, limited charging stations, and a shortage of repair services. Despite these challenges, the government is determined to push forwar...
Jan 30, 2025•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
