Africa Daily

Tommy Charles, the team lead of the Sierra Leone Open Mapping Initiative, discusses the rising temperatures in Freetown and its harsh impacts on daily life. He shares insights from a recent Urban Heat Hackathon, where technology and urban greening emerged as key solutions. With the help of mapping technology, they are identifying hot spots and advocating for community engagement. The conversation highlights innovative strategies like tree planting and the use of satellite imagery to combat extreme heat in crowded areas.

Tensions between South Africa and the United States are heating up over land expropriation laws aimed at rectifying apartheid injustices. A pressure group of Afrikaners has been lobbying for U.S. support, fearing the new laws could undermine their rights. Meanwhile, Elon Musk's comments on the political climate spark further debate on diplomatic ties. The podcast also delves into the ongoing racial and political challenges in post-apartheid South Africa, shedding light on the complex dynamics of these international relations.

Meskerem Tadesse Goshime, the Confederation of African Football’s head of women’s football, discusses the inspiring growth of women’s football in Morocco. The conversation reveals how cultural shifts have allowed more girls to play, with packed stadiums and increasing TV audiences as evidence. Young Imane shares her journey as a budding player amidst challenges, while forward Rosella Ayane highlights the Atlas Lionesses’ historic achievements, including their World Cup qualification. Together, they explore the hopes and aspirations for a brighter future in the sport.

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.

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 budget and merge the agency with the State Department. From HIV patients fearing a “death sentence”, to food aid programmes coming to a sudden stop, the effects are already being felt across Africa. Alan Kasujja speaks to Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, about the consequences of these cuts and whether African governments can step up in the face of an uncertain future for global aid.

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 Nichola Mandil and Dr. Harriet Akello Pasquale from South Sudan’s Ministry of Health.

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, destroying the livelihoods of farmers and fishers. A report published by the United Nations Environmental Programme in 2011 said cleaning pollution in Ogoniland could take up to 30 years. Yet president Bola Tinubu recently announced that his government would begin negotiations to resume oil production in Ogoniland. This sparked protests from environmental rights groups who warned that the region was yet to heal from the damage wrought by decades of oil exploration. In today’s Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja has been speaking to lawyer and leading environmental activist Celestine Akpobari and Niger-Delta-based journalist Ndume Green. Producer: Peter Musembi

In this discussion, Ugandan journalist Raymond Mujuni, an expert on international relations, dives deep into the DRC conflict. He unpacks the complex interplay between South African and Rwandan interests in the region, especially regarding mineral wealth. Mujuni critiques the influence of external players on local sovereignty and the dynamic relationships among armed groups. The conversation also highlights the urgent calls for governance and dialog as East African nations seek to stabilize the conflict zone. A must-listen for those curious about regional power games!

“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 Liberation Front and the central government . A peace agreement was finally reached in 2018 with the ONLF agreeing to give up their arms and the government pledging to allow them pursue their aims politically. But the ONLF now says it’s reassessing the peace agreement, because the government hasn’t fulfilled its side of the bargain. Today on Africa Daily, Alan gets the thoughts of a former rebel who set up a support group for her fellow female fighters, and from an academic who lays out why this dispute has proved so difficult to resolve. Producer: Mohamed Gabobe.

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 Kadaoui, founder of the SFT Animal Sanctuary in Morocco, and Andre Coetzer, Technical Director of the Global Alliance for Rabies Control.