The United Nations says the human rights situation in Madagascar is “deteriorating” ahead of next month’s presidential election, as police put down opposition protests. The EU and the US have also voiced concern over the "disproportionate use of force" to disperse demonstrations. Who really benefits from the buying and selling of carbon credits? And Nollywood screen legend Richard Mofe-Damijo talks to us about his latest streaming hit The Black Book.
Oct 17, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Burkina Faso's military leaders have signed a deal with Russia to build a nuclear power plant, with the hope of increasing its electricity supplies. Burkina Faso is one of the least electrified countries globally, with only 21% of people connected to power. Our West Africa Correspondent Mayeni Jones talks us through the advantages and disadvantages of a nuclear power plant in the Sahel. Also there's a rise in child labour across the globe, that's the warning from the International Labour Organiz...
Oct 16, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Bretton wood institutions are meeting in Morocco this year. It's the first such summit on African soil in 50 years. Does this meeting signal a renewed approach to how it works with and supports African economic growth? Also did you know, eggs are currently South Africa's hottest commodity? The country has been grappling with one of its worst outbreaks of bird flu which has resulted in the culling of millions of chickens and supermarkets, running out of eggs. We'll hear more about the impact ...
Oct 13, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Liberians voted in elections on Tuesday, with President George Weah seeking a second term. Observers said polling was peaceful, despite some violence during the campaign. Mr Weah is the favourite to win, with former Vice-President Joseph Boakai considered his main challenger. Did the president deliver in his first term? Are reparations the best way of rectifying the injustices of the past? After Ghana’s president Nana Akufo-Addo calls for Western countries which profited from the transatlantic s...
Oct 12, 2023•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast What is Egypt's reaction to the war between Israel and Hamas? Israel has continued to heavily bomb the Gaza strip since the attack. Egypt shares a border with Gaza. We find out more about the shared border and get analysis into Egypt's relationship with both the Palestinians and Israelis. Also thousands of tonnes of much needed food aid is stuck on the border between Benin and Niger, unable to get into Niger. We'll hear how it's adding to the country's food insecurity. And we'll find out more ab...
Oct 11, 2023•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast The United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has accused the government of restricting the democratic and civil space in the country. The claim comes ahead of an exercise to draft a new constitution, ahead of the country’s first election since achieving independence in 2011. Plus, we hear from an African migrant caught up in the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas. And on World Mental Health Day, Ghanaian Afrobeats sensation KiDi opens up on coping with the demands of life ...
Oct 10, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast There is international concern and diplomatic pressure following the attacks and retaliation between Israel and Hamas. Hundreds of people have died, in both Israel and Palestine. We get analysis into how Africa is reacting. Also in Mauritius the courts have decriminalised same sex relations on the basis that the ban reflected colonial era values rather than indigenous ones. We'll hear from a LGBTQ+ campaigner. And we meet the South African teenager, Mika Abrahams, who is breaking records in the ...
Oct 09, 2023•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Morocco will co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, becoming only the second African country to stage the event. Why did the country succeed with its bid, at the sixth attempt? What are Liberians prioritising ahead of next week’s general election? The vote will be the fourth since the end of two successive civil wars which ravaged the country. Plus, we meet Bose Ogulu, mother and manager of afrobeats sensation Burna Boy. Known as Mama Burna, she tells us about her life and inspiration....
Oct 06, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast A report submitted to the UN Committee against Torture this week said, torture in Egypt has been used as a political tool to curtail dissent and that it was so widespread it amounted to crimes against humanity. We hear a testimony from an Egyptian female in exile in the United States, who alleges she was tortured in prison, under the current regime. The Egyptian government denies all allegations of torture in facilities, including prisons. Also quelea birds are a pest across many countries on th...
Oct 05, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast The main opposition leader in Seychelles, Patrick Herminie, is one of eight people charged with witchcraft, following the exhumation of two bodies. They deny the charges, with Mr Herminie calling the prosecution a "political show" intended to taint his image. Meanwhile, we examine the arrest of Tunisian opposition politician Abir Moussi, and look at why another opposition leader from the country, Rached Ghannouchi, is on hunger strike. And why the price tag for conserving the king of beasts, the...
Oct 04, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Focus on Africa takes you inside Sierra Leone's overcrowded prisons and looks closely at the country's justice system. Our reporter Umaru Fofana looks into a much needed review on how prisoners are treated. Also the Nobel peace prize-winning gynaecologist Denis Mukwege, who is renowned for helping victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, announces his plans to run for president in December. What's the reaction in the DRC and can Denis Mukwege make a difference? And we ...
Oct 03, 2023•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast One year on from the most recent coup in Burkina Faso, we look at the current state of play regarding security, the economy and the ruling junta. We examine the political tensions in Mozambique ahead of the country’s local elections next week. Plus, we meet Kenyan stargazer Susan Murabana, who is bringing astronomy to the people.
Oct 02, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Thousands of people in Sudan remain displaced with many seeking shelter in schools. The impact of the war has had a devastating effect on the country's youth who now have no formal schools to attend. We'll hear how this ongoing conflict is disrupting the lives of young people in Sudan. Also, there's frustration in Nigeria as the country grapples with ongoing power outages, despite investment in the energy sector. We find out what's behind the perennial blackouts and get analysis from Nigeria. An...
Sep 29, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast The World Health Organization says the African continent has the highest prevalence of the "silent killer" hypertension. What are the signs and what can be done? Why is the DR Congo government now calling for an accelerated withdrawal of the UN peacekeeping mission? And good news for Morocco ,a chance to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, and after 50 years ,East Africa will host the tournament in 2027.
Sep 28, 2023•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Kenya says it's confident the deployment of hundreds of its police to Haiti by January will end gang warfare in the country. Last year Haiti's government appealed for help because of spiralling gang violence. Kenya's Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua says it will be an intervention force to disarm what he called the "thugs and the gangs". So does Kenya really have the capabilities to help end Haiti's violence and how do Kenyan's feel about this deployment? Also, why Zambia's former President Edgar L...
Sep 27, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Fighting has reportedly erupted in Ethiopia’s turbulent Amhara region. Reports say local militia fighters clashed with the military, over government plans to disarm local forces. What's behind this escalation, and what does it portend for the future of Africa's second most populous country? We look into why the Egyptian government has ordered a three-month ban on onion exports. And why young women admired Zoleka Mandela, granddaughter of Nelson Mandela, who has died of cancer aged 43....
Sep 26, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast France says it will withdraw its troops and ambassador from Niger. The military junta which seized power in July has welcomed the move. But what impact will this have on Niger’s ability to deal with insurgency? Also, in Ghana protestors demand their right to protest amid the arrest of several people by police. For three days demonstrators have taken to the streets to protest against the high cost of living. And we speak to Zawadi Ya Mungu and Kerolin Govender two South African singers from diffe...
Sep 25, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mohbad: There's been controversy and outrage following mysterious death and hasty burial of Nigerian Afrobeats rapper Mohbad. Authorities have now carried out an exhumation of his body for autopsy following protests on streets and social media How is climate change affecting Africa's pastoralists. We hear from a representative attending Climate Week in New York And at the rugby World Cup in France this weekend it is reigning champions South Africa against Grand Slam winners -Ireland. What are Af...
Sep 22, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ten years ago, members of the Islamist group al-Shabab attacked the Westgate shopping mall in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. The incident lasted for four tense days and left 67 people dead. In this special episode of Focus on Africa, we'll hear from Valentine Kadzo and Shamim Allu who survived the Westgate attack. They talk about the impact it has had on their lives and how they managed to heal ten years later. We'll also speak to the BBC's Bushra Mohamed, who is a Kenyan-Somali and explains how he...
Sep 21, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are concerns that violent extremists are expanding their activities to northern Ivory Coast. A report by the Institute for Security Studies says that these groups have found ways to finance their activities, particularly along the border which West Africa's largest economy shares with Burkina Faso. A landmark case in Rivers State in southern Nigeria gives women the right to inherit property. What does this mean in practice? And the museum in the Netherlands which tells the story behind loo...
Sep 20, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, three West African countries in the Sahel region which are ruled by military juntas, have signed a defence pact to come to aid each other in case of any rebellion or external aggression. BBC Africa Eye investigation team gets a look inside a xenophobic vigilante group in South Africa. And how cheetahs from Namibia are now faring in India.
Sep 18, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast The crisis in Mali continues to deepen. An alliance of Tuareg rebels called the CMA, which had signed an agreement with the government, has announced that it is resuming hostilities. That comes after Mali’s military government ordered the expulsion of French troops and UN peacekeepers from the country, with a jihadist insurgency still proving impossible to overcome. Could the deaths of thousands of people in Derna, Libya and the extensive damage to property and infrastructure been mitigated? We ...
Sep 14, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are scenes of utter devastation in Libya's eastern city of Derna, after a powerful storm caused two dams to burst, sweeping away large parts of the port city. Some aid has arrived, but with the country struggling under divided political administrations in the east and west, Libya's Prime Minister in Tripoli said they would only accept "necessary aid". We look at how the catastrophic impact of Storm Daniel has brought the country’s fragile and complex political situation to the fore. The Un...
Sep 13, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast We look at why Morocco’s government has been selective over offers of humanitarian assistance from abroad, after the devastating earthquake which has killed more than 2,800 people. Four East African countries have reportedly incurred an estimated $30 billion in losses between 2021 and 2023, due to extreme droughts and devastating floods. Plus we meet the Queen of African horror writing, who is scared of ghosts.
Sep 12, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast The number of people killed in Friday's powerful earthquake in Morocco has risen to more than two thousand people, the interior ministry says. With a magnitude of 6.8, the earthquake which hit central Morocco is the biggest the area has seen since before 1900. We explore the impact of military rule in Guinea two years after the fall of former President Alpha Conde. And we hear how a British-Nigerian performance artist is using opera to reconnect with her Pidgin-speaking roots....
Sep 11, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast We go to Gabon to get the latest on the situation in the country, after the military forced President Ali Bongo from power. The transitional authorities have held talks with dissidents jailed under Ali Bongo, and have freed some political prisoners. An update from Kadugli in Sudan, an area that has been experiencing heavy fighting in recent weeks. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced there, as the country as a whole faces up to a dire humanitarian situation. Plus should Africa's hopes...
Sep 08, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Nigeria's Appeal Court has rejected challenges to Bola Tinubu's narrow victory in February's presidential election. As election petitions become more common in Africa we ask how fair are election challenges. Between July and October 2022, about 70 children in the west African nation of The Gambia died because of suspected kidney ailments allegedly caused by consumption of cough syrup made in India. A year on since the first deaths in the Gambia, we hear from the families about their shared grief...
Sep 07, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Taiwan's president is visiting Eswatini. It's to mark 55 years of cooperation with her country's last African ally. Has Taipei's influence on the continent waned ? We examine the recent spate of coups in former French colonies in Africa. Plus do we really need vultures? Fears that the scavengers are facing extinction
Sep 06, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast The government in the Democratic Republic of Congo has said that at least 43 people were killed when soldiers broke up a demonstration against UN peacekeepers in the eastern city of Goma on Wednesday. We ask what's behind the chronic instability in the DRC? Around 80 percent of all farms in Africa are tilled by smallholder farmers. They produce most of the food we eat on the continent - and yet they get very little recognition for what they do. We hear from Wangari Kuria, the founder of Farmer o...
Sep 05, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast As the first ever Africa Climate Summit begins in Nairobi, we hear from a community suing the Kenyan government over climate damage. We look at the serious danger to human life posed by air pollution in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos. Plus, can Kenyan police help bring stability to Haiti?
Sep 04, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
