Africa Daily

In Lagos, some tenants are starting the year with a harsh ultimatum; pay double your rent or move out. With inflation at 34.8% and housing already consuming up to 60% of household income, many are struggling to keep up. Meanwhile, landlords report 80% of their tenants are defaulting and investors are abandoning the buy-to-let market due to poor returns. What’s driving this rental crisis and how is it impacting everyday Nigerians? BBC Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja spoke to BBC journalist Bisi Adebayo who’s been following the story and Deyo, a tenant in Lagos navigating the fallout first hand.

It has become a worrying trend in Kenya. Out of nowhere, hooded men appear in unmarked vehicles wielding guns with the aim of kidnapping someone. Victims are then blindfolded and taken to places that are not officially recognised police stations to be interrogated. Foreign nationals have not been spared.Tanzanian human rights activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai says she was abducted by armed men in Nairobi last Sunday afternoon but released hours later. She’d fled to Kenya in 2020 seeking asylum after facing increasing threats. And last year, Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye was reportedly kidnapped and taken to Uganda where he is currently facing a military court. In today’s episode, Alan Kasujja hears from a father whose son was abducted, and speaks to an investigative journalist about what’s behind this spate of kidnappings.

"I have seen presidents come and go, one after the other, but there’s no change. Poverty continues. So, I hope and pray that things change” - Armdando Sthole, Mozambican economic migrant in South Africa Today Mozambique’s president-elect Daniel Chapo will be inaugurated at a ceremony in the country’s capital, Maputo. It comes as the nation has been rocked by violence which has so far claimed the lives of more than 300 people. It all started on the 9th of October 2024, when the citizens of Mozambique voted in a national election. Daniel Chapo, the candidate of the ruling Frelimo, was subsequently declared winner over opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane, who rejected the election results. Since then, thousands of people have crossed the border into countries like Malawi and Eswatini. So, does the unrest in Mozambique threaten to destabilize southern Africa?Presenter: Mpho LakajeGuests: Mozambican journalist Fernando Goncalves, Hilda Katema from Malawi’s Department for Refugees and Mozambican expat Armdando Sthole

The latest offensive happened last week when the M23 rebels took Masisi, the administrative centre of the Masisi territory, in North Kivu. Days before, they’d captured another town Katale. Thousands of people have fled and been displaced by the fighting. The Congolese army fought back and reclaimed Masisi but the rebels have since regained control of the town. The M23 has held control over large parts of territory in the east since starting a renewed offensive late last year following the breakdown of peace talks between the presidents of DRCongo and Rwanda, who have been accused of supporting and arming the rebel group. In today’s Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja looks at M23’s advance, the response from the army and the humanitarian situation for those displaced by the fighting.

Snakes… they send a shiver down the spines of a lot of people… especially in Africa where their bites kill tens of thousands every year – mostly In rural areas – with farmworkers and children particularly affected. Many more are left permanently disabled. And yet these numbers may not actually represent the scale of the problem. It’s estimated that 70% of incidents go unreported, because people don’t always know the cause of death, many can’t get to health centres, and even when they can, health workers often don’t have access to anti-venom.In today's episode, Alan Kasujja speaks to Dr Blessing Kasenge, who’s campaigning for better access to antivenoms, and Rudo Nalondwa, a Zambian student who has first-hand experience of surviving a snakebite late last year.

Znaida Machado, a Senior Researcher at Human Rights Watch, provides crucial insight into the recent political turmoil in Mozambique following the return of opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane. They discuss the explosive claims of electoral fraud and the violent protests that erupted after the October elections. Machado highlights the dire human rights implications, including the fatalities and destruction caused by the unrest. The episode also explores the deep distrust among citizens towards their institutions and the urgent need for electoral reforms.

This week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said genocide had been committed in Darfur by the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. He said the RSF was responsible for the murder of "men and boys - even infants", that it had committed brutal crimes of sexual violence against women on ethnic grounds, and that it had murdered civilians even as they tried to flee the conflict. He also announced sanctions on its leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti. So will this have an impact on the RSF’s military operations? Presenter: Alan @Kasujja Guests: Former governor of Central Darfur, Adeeb Yousif, the BBC’s Mohanad Hashim, and Kholood Khair, a Sudanese political analyst and Yale Peace Fellow.

Jamie Mighti, a South African political commentator, discusses the African National Congress (ANC) as it celebrates its 113th anniversary. He highlights the party's recent electoral challenges and loss of parliamentary majority, emphasizing failures in job creation, power supply, and water access. With President Cyril Ramaphosa at the helm, the ANC reflects on its past while contemplating necessary reforms to regain public trust. Mighti questions if the historic party is still relevant in today’s political landscape.

Over the past five years Ghana has seen a wave of Africans from the diaspora returning to their ancestral land. That’s because of initiatives like ‘The Year of Return’ which the government launched in 2019. Former president Nana Akufo Addo said “we believe we have a responsibility to extend a hand of welcome” and that ‘The Year of Return’ had been a “great success”. But this movement isn’t without controversy. While diasporans celebrate newfound opportunities and belonging, many local communities feel excluded from the economic benefits.BBC Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja spoke to Ghanaian Culture Journalist Emmanuel Olele as well as Annabelle McKenzie, the Director of the Beyond the Return Secretariat, an initiative of the Ghana Tourism Authority.

In this engaging discussion, former Olympic champion Nancy Chebet Lagat, now a coach advocating for athlete welfare, joins Elizabeth Keitany, Athletics Kenya's safeguarding executive. They tackle the alarming issue of gender-based violence faced by female athletes, highlighted by the tragic case of Rebecca Cheptegei. The conversation emphasizes the urgent need for protective measures and safeguarding policies, the importance of mentorship, and addressing the exploitation vulnerable young athletes confront in Kenya's sports landscape.