

Africa Daily
BBC World Service
Africa Daily has now come to an end. But do listen to Focus on Africa for all the big stories and for the African perspective on major global news. Hosted by Audrey Brown and ready by late afternoon every weekday. Search for Focus on Africa, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 1, 2025 • 32min
Focus on Africa: South Africa building fire: What happened to survivors?
Two years on from the devastating fire at an abandoned building in Johannesburg that was occupied by squatters, how much has changed? We revisit the scene of one of South Africa's worst tragedies, in which more than 70 people - including children - died, to find out what happened to the survivors.Scientists warn that global warming and climate change could be making flight turbulence more frequent. Will bumpier skies put people off air travel?And lawyers are arguing for easier divorce laws in Uganda. So what are the pros and cons of no-fault, as opposed to, fault divorces?Presenter: Audrey Brown
Producers: Alfonso Daniels, Sunita Nahar and Priya Sippy in London. Makuochi Okafor in Lagos
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Technical Producer: Ricardo McCarthy
Editors: Maryam Abdalla, Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Aug 28, 2025 • 28min
Focus on Africa: Mauritania accused of widespread abuses against migrants
A new Human Rights Watch report says the EU's and Spain’s outsourcing of migration control to Mauritania has worsened abuses against asylum seekers and migrants heading for Europe, but the Mauritanian authorities reject those claims. Why are cybercrimes on the rise in Africa and how can you stay safe?And we find out why the population of one of Kenya's iconic tourist attractions - flamingos - is in decline.Presenter: Charles Gitonga
Producers: Sunita Nahar, Mark Wilberforce and Priya Sippy in London
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer
Editors: Maryam Abdalla, Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Aug 26, 2025 • 30min
Focus on Africa: Kenya's starvation cult: New bodies found
There are fears that the mass starvation cult in Kenya is still active after the discovery of new bodies in fresh graves near the site of the Shakahola forest massacre. So far, eleven people have been arrested in connection with these new exhumations. We hear from a Rapid Response Officer, working with a human rights organisation, who has been helping people track down missing relatives.Why are African students ending up on the battlefields of Ukraine after applying to study in Russia?And France returns the remains of a Malagasy king who was beheaded during the colonial era. Presenter: Audrey Brown
Producers: Sunita Nahar, Alfonso Daniels, Tanya Hines, and Nyasha Michelle in London. Charles Gitonga in Nairobi
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Technical Producer: Pat Sissons
Editors: Maryam Abdalla, Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Aug 22, 2025 • 32min
Focus on Africa: Exploring Africa-Japan trade ties
Japan has pledged to work more closely with African countries at global summit on economic development. How can Africa benefit from stronger ties with Japan?The former prime minister of Chad is facing a 20-year prison term after being convicted of hate speech, xenophobia and having incited a massacre. Who is Succès Masra and what sparked the intercommunal violence that led to the charges against him?And did you know there are four distinct species of the African giraffe? We find out why that discovery is important for conservation.Presenter: Charles Gitonga
Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Sunita Nahar, Nyasha Michelle and Stefania Okereke
Technical Producer: Pat Sissons
Senior Journalist: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Maryam Abdalla, Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard

Aug 20, 2025 • 28min
Focus on Africa: Increased concerns over missing Ethiopia journalists
Two prominent journalists in Ethiopia, Abdulsemed Mohammed and Yonas Amare, have been missing for more than a week after being abducted by what reports say, were men wearing masks and military uniforms. There has been no news about their whereabouts but their disappearances have raised concerns about a crackdown on media freedom in the country. Aid agencies warn that a surge in the number of people with the respiratory illness diphtheria is becoming 'the most urgent and dangerous threat' to public health in Somalia. Why are cases of the disease increasing?And how the conflict on the ground in Sudan is affecting migratory birds in the sky.Presenter: Audrey Brown
Producers: Tom Kavanagh and Nyasha Michelle in London. Richard Kagoe in Nairobi
Technical Producer: Francesca Dunne
Senior Journalist: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Maryam Abdalla, Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard

Aug 15, 2025 • 33min
Focus on Africa: Nigeria negotiates $346m arms deal with US
The US government has approved a $346m arms deal with Nigeria which would include munitions, precision bombs and precision rockets. What is behind the change in a decade-long US policy about selling certain kinds of weapons to Nigeria?The mining of gold has been a key driver of Sudan's economy, and now it is a major source of funding of the two-year civil war. We look back at its history in Sudan, and its role in the current conflict.And one year on since Ghana's parliament passed its landmark Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Act, which was hailed as a victory for women's rights, how have things changed?Presenter: Audrey Brown
Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Nyasha Michelle and Stefania Okereke in London. Charles Gitonga in Nairobi
Technical Producer: Philip Bull
Senior Journalist: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Aug 11, 2025 • 33min
Focus on Africa: Activists block foreigners from South African hospitals
Doctors Without Borders and other NGOs have raised concerns about anti-migrant groups preventing non-South Africans from accessing healthcare services. The South African government has called on all communities to uphold the rule of law, respect human dignity. So why are activists blocking health clinics and hospitals?
The African Union sends a delegation to South Sudan to encourage the warring sides in the country to revive a 2018 peace deal and pave the way for elections. Can they bring both sides back to the table?
And as Africa Fashion Week London comes to an end, how can African fashion leverage its global appeal?Presenter: Richard Kagoe
Producers: Tom Kavanagh and Stefania Okereke
Technical Producer: Francesca Dunne
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Jul 31, 2025 • 31min
Focus on Africa: 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 filmmaker, 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 25, 2025 • 34min
Focus on Africa: 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 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 in the future? 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


