

Focus on Africa
BBC World Service
Three essential stories to round off your working day. Explaining the big topics and news from Africa, the people behind them, plus an African perspective on global stories. Hosted by Audrey Brown. Five days a week, ready by late afternoon, Monday to Friday.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 4, 2025 • 33min
The women luring girls into sex trade in Kenya
Two undercover investigators, posing as sex workers spent months infiltrating the sex trade in the town of Maai Mahiu. The expose by BBC Africa Eye shows how women, known as "madams" have involved children as young as 13 in prostitution in Kenya. Hear reporter, Njeri Mwangi, narrate the details of the story.Also, the United States last week announced new tariff rates for dozens of African countries. What does Malawi, Nigeria and Ghana and Libya export and how will these new taxes change things?And how are Nigerians reacting to the comments made by the UK's Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who has said she no longer identifies as Nigerian? Presenter: Charles Gitonga
Producers: Sunita Nahar and Yvette Twagiramariya
Technical Producer: Chris Kouzaris
Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp
Editors: Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard

Aug 1, 2025 • 34min
DR Congo's football deal with FC Barcelona
DR Congo have agreed a multi-million kit deal with Spanish football club Barcelona, rasing many questions. We hear from Dr Congo's Sports Minister, Didier Budimbu. Also, Northern Nigeria is facing food insecurity with the UN warning that aid cuts will push Nigerians into the arms of Boko Haram jihadists. And Kenya proposes drastic plans to control alcohol intake, following Ghana along the same pathway. So what can Kenya expect? We hear from a Ghanaian influencer. Presenter: Charles Gitonga
Producers: Richard Kagoe in Nairobi. Yvette Twagiramariya, Patricia Whitehorne, Sunita Nahar and Mark Wilberforce in London
Technical Producer: Francesca Dunne
Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Jul 31, 2025 • 31min
What is fuelling Angola's fuel protests?
What began as a three-day strike by taxi drivers against rising petrol prices in Angola, has escalated into one of the most widespread and disruptive waves of protest the country has seen in recent years. What has life been like in the capital Luanda, against the background of the unrest?Why do fewer than a quarter of South Africans trust their police service? A new survey shows only 22% of South Africans have any confidence in the institution.And we meet the Nigerian film maker, Joel Kachi Benson, who won an Emmy for a film he made about the young boy dancing in the rain who thrilled the world in a viral video a few years ago.Presenter: Audrey Brown
Producers: Blessing Aderogba in Lagos. Tom Kavanagh and Nyasha Michelle in London
Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer
Senior Producers: Patricia Whitehorne and Karnie Sharp
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Jul 30, 2025 • 38min
Nigeria: Why kidnappers killed 35 hostages despite paid ransoms
Kidnappers in Nigeria have killed at least 35 people from Zamfara state despite ransoms being paid for their release. Why is the kidnapping menace in Nigeria not only growing but changing as well ?Why fibroids are particularly a problem for black womenAnd Ghanaian students abroad facing deportation because the government failed to pay their feesPresenter: Audrey Brown
Producers: Blessing Aderogba in Lagos, Charles Gitonga in Nairobi with Patricia Whitehorne and Yvette Twagiramariya in London
Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer
Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Jul 29, 2025 • 30min
Who is behind a church attack in DR Congo?
More than 40 people including women and children were killed in an attack by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), in the town of Komanda, east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The militia group is linked to the so-called Islamic state, a jihadi militant group. Majority of those killed were worshippers at a local church, nearby shops were also attacked and looted. Also, why Cameroonian opposition leader Maurice Kamto is challenging his disqualification from October’s presidential election list. And what's the impact of Africa's disappearing Wetlands? Presenter: Richard Kagoe
Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Nyasha Michelle and Yvette Twagiramariya
Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer
Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp
Editors: Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard

Jul 28, 2025 • 32min
Somalia: The “hole” at the heart of a seized arms ship
A stand off as Somalia demands release of a cargo ship carrying military equipment that was seized by semi-autonomous Puntland. The ship was reportedly transporting military equipment to Turkey’s military base in Mogadishu.Why indigenous plants are making a comeback in African diets?And after Nigeria's Super Falcons historic victory at WAFCON, in Morocco, we ask what does this mean for the future of African women's sport ? Presenter: Richard Kagoe
Producers: Charles Gitonga in Nairobi with Sunita Nahar and Patricia Whitehorne in London.
Technical Producer: Philip Bull
Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi.

Jul 25, 2025 • 34min
Who are the CAR commanders jailed for war crimes?
This week the International Criminal Court sentenced two commanders of a civilian militia in the Central African Republic to a total of 27 years in prison. One of them, Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona, had formerly been the head of the country’s football federation. What was the conflict that engulfed CAR a decade ago, and what were the crimes that led to the ICC convictions?Also in this episode, the impact that continuing aid cuts are having on women and girls in Somalia.And we uncover the melodic contributions of Congo's queens of rumba music.Presenter: Audrey Brown
Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Yvette Twagiramarya, Sunita Nahar and Tanya Hines in London
Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Jul 24, 2025 • 34min
Ghana’s special clinic for cleft lip patients
Good news about the state-of-the-art treatment facility in Ghana for cleft lip patientsAnd as the number of billionaires on the continent rises, we ask - are billionaires good or bad for Africa? Why are violence and insecurity on the increase in Haiti despite the presence of an international force?. Does the Kenyan contingent have adequate resources?Presenter : Richard Kagoe
Producers: Alfonso Daniels, Yvette Twagiramariya, Sunita Nahar and Tom Kavanagh
Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga
Technical Producer: Frank McWeeny
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Jul 23, 2025 • 29min
How has Goma changed under M23 fighters?
The city of Goma in the conflict-hit east of the Democratic Republic of Congo was seized by the M23 armed group earlier this year after intense fighting with government forces. How has the city changed after six months under the group’s control?After retired police officers in Nigeria held demonstrations earlier this week calling for better pensions, we look at wider pension provision and ask if young Nigerians see pension planning as a secure path to protecting their retirement? And could there be a new type of diabetes that accounts for the rising number of cases among young people in Africa.Presenter: Richard Kagoe
Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Sunita Nahar and Nyasha Michelle in London. Blessing Aderogba in Lagos.
Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Jul 22, 2025 • 34min
Can solar power fix South Africa's electricity problems?
How young people in South Africa are navigating the lack of consistent power suppliesWho are the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and why are Uganda and the DR Congo governments struggling to defeat them?And the taxes, charges and fees paralyzing air travel in AfricaPresenter: Richard Kagoe
Producers: Yvette Twagiramariya, Stefania Okereke and Sunita Nahar in London. Blessing Aderogba in Lagos
Technical Producer: Philip Bull
Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi.