Focus on Africa

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

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 on Fire. She is challenging the leaders currently meeting in Nairobi at the first Africa Climate Summit.And we do a deep dive on the Bongos; the family that has held power in Gabon since 1967.

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?

Many buildings in the centre of the South African city of Johannesburg, where a horrific fire has killed more than 70 people, are deemed unfit to live in. Yet these old blocks, abandoned by their owners or the city authorities, are full of families often paying rent to criminal gangs who run them. The buildings, which lack running water, toilets or a legal electricity connection, are then said to have been "hijacked". We find out what this means. A private plane found with more than $5m in cash, fake gold, guns and ammunition on board, is at the centre of a deepening investigation in the Zambian capital, Lusaka. The African Climate Summit will take place in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi next week, featuring speakers from Kenya’s government, the African Union and the United Nations. Will the event be just hot air or will it provide a solid plan of action?

At least 15 truck drivers stuck on the Egypt-Sudan border have recently died from heat stroke.  Hundreds have been stuck at the border due to bureaucratic red tape causing congestion What are the medium and long term implications of the coup in Gabon?Plus we meet Koyo Kouoh, the woman in charge of the biggest museum of contemporary art in Africa.

Senior army officers in Gabon announced a coup shortly after President Ali Bongo's re-election was announced. One of the BBC's team spends 24 hours with Tunisia's coast guard as it finds people desperate to cross continents. How to win an argument? We debate the pros and cons of the art of debating with high school students.

Sierra Leone is grappling with a serious substance crisis. A cheap and illegal synthetic drug known as Kush that is wreaking havoc among the youth.Around 500 schools have been shutdown in Cameroon. Will they open in time for the new school year? Plus what's life like as the great granddaughter of Emperor Haile Selassie?

The runner-up in Zimbabwe's presidential election, Nelson Chamisa, has accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa of carrying out an electoral coup. Former Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria chairperson Attahiru Muhammadu Jega is leading the Carter Center's observer mission to Zimbabwe. He talks about his role as electoral observer. It has been more than a month since the military in Niger overthrew former President Bazoum. Burkina Faso and Mali have also been living under military governments that came to power through coups. In today's episode of Focus on Africa we ask have the juntas there delivered on their promises and what has life been like for the ordinary citizens ? We speak with Ghanaian actor Majid Michel about how he coped with losing his voice after a car accident in 2015 and the secret to his longevity in the industry.

The BRICS bloc of developing nations agreed this week s to admit six new countries. The countries Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - are set to join in January. Can this counter Western dominance?As thousands of UN troops speed up their pull out of Mali, despite a deteriorating security situation. We talk to BBC Arabic’s Feras Kilani the first journalist to travel to Northern Mali since French forces ended their military operation there two years agoPlus why are more airlines adopting the use of sustainable aviation fuel? We hear from an expert based in Kenya

Wagner boss Prigozhin is presumed dead after Russia plane crash. In his last address, he said the Wagner group is making Africa "more free". His presumed death received little media attention or official reactions in Mali and the Central African Republic where thousands of mercenaries are active. So in today's episode, we ask what would be the impact of Prigozhin’s presumed death on Wagner in Africa.Also, in Tunisia dozens of environment activists are appealing harsh prison sentences handed down after protesting against a dangerous landfill site.And how is climate change affecting livestock? More than one billion cows around the world could experience heat stress by the end of the century.