Africa Daily

As the holiday season approaches with its parties, dinners and festive gatherings, one trend is emerging: a growing number of people are choosing to celebrate without alcohol. The “sober curious” movement is gaining traction, especially among younger generations focused on health and wellness. BBC Africa Daily’s Muthoni Muchiri sits down with Ghanaian author and entrepreneur John Asogonnde, who has not only given up alcohol but also built a business around it. He’s the founder of Eden Bar, Ghana’s first non-alcoholic bar.John shares his personal journey, the challenges of going alcohol-free and how his bar has been received in Accra.

Ghana: it’s done it again. Leading the way when it comes to showing the continent how to do democracy. On Sunday, ruling party candidate and Vice President, Mahamudu Bawumia, conceded defeat even before the official result had been declared.But John Mahama, the country’s next President - who is also a former president – inherits some really tough challenges – especially finding solutions to the country’s economic woes.Alan Kasujja gets the latest from BBC presenter James Copnall, who’s been speaking to voters in Accra.

Warning: This podcast includes description of sexual violence. “I’ve worked in this situation for more than 25 years. And for me it’s not acceptable to stay in the operating room waiting for patients, and treat them, treat their children and treat their grandchildren. This is not acceptable.” Dr Dennis Mukwege set up the Panzi Clinic in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo in 1999. It was initially set up to help women in childbirth, but it quickly changed its focus to treating women raped and brutalised by the different armed groups fighting in the East of the country. It has since treated more than 83,000 survivors of sexual crimes, and in 2018 Dr Mukwege received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work. And yet, decades on, he says little has changed and the civilian population is still unprotected from the brutality. Earlier this year the UN’s Monusco peacekeeping force withdrew from South Kivu – where Dr Mukwege’s clinic is based – under pressure from the Congolese government which accuses it of failing to protect civilians. But its planned withdrawal from North Kivu has been postponed due to fears that the Congolese army is unable to fill the vacuum - leaving civilians even more at risk. In this interview with Africa Daily, Dr Mukwege says it’s time the global community stepped in to help – because while civilians suffer, “the wealth of Congo is serving all the world”.

“A lot of times women were the power behind the throne, so they never got documented.”Women are often missing from historical records, their voices are not heard, their roles in society reduced to the background of a story. This is something that the Women’s History Museum of Zambia is trying to re-balance. Through examining how women often took a leadership role in indigenous culture, the founders of the museum, Samba Yonga and Mulenga Kapwepwe, are re-discovering the importance and power of women. And they say this process illustrates how long-lost cultural traditions have a relevance for women today.

Malaria, a preventable mosquito-borne disease, kills 600,000 people annually in Africa, most of them are children under five. Nigeria accounts for 30% of these deaths globally. This week, the country started administering the R21 malaria vaccine to children aged 5 to 11 months, beginning in Bayelsa and Kebbi states, which have high infection rates. Developed by Oxford University and manufactured in India, the vaccine has 75% efficacy. With 1 million doses donated by Gavi, the campaign is expected to expand nationwide by 2025. In today’s episode Alan Kasujja speaks to the BBC’s Health reporter Makuochi Okafor who was in Bayelsa this week and Professor Halidou Tinto, who helped to test the vaccine in Burkina Faso. Presenter: Alan Kasujja. Guests: Makouchi Okafor, Halidou Tinto

In this episode, we explore President Joe Biden’s historic visit to Angola, his first and only trip to Africa during his presidency. As the first U.S. president to step foot in Angola, Biden brings an agenda aimed at strengthening economic ties and countering China’s growing influence in the region. At the centre of his efforts is the multibillion-dollar Lobito Corridor project, a revitalisation of a century-old railway linking the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia to Angola’s Atlantic port. But as the U.S. prepares to transition to Donald Trump’s presidency, uncertainty lingers over the future of Biden’s Africa focused initiatives. Will Trump’s administration continue this engagement, or will it mark a departure in U.S- Africa relations? Africa Daily's Alan Kasujja spoke to Angolan political analyst Claudio De Silva and Yinka Adegoke - the Africa Editor for the news platform Semafor.

“We are encouraged by the fact that indigenous farmers will now have these land titles and may be able to find value in the land they own. It’s optimism with a lot of caution” – Zimbabwean farmer Kudakwashe Musasiwa Zimbabwe’s government recently announced that it will give black farmers permanent title to land seized from white farmers in the past two decades. In this way, the indigenous citizens will finally own these properties and be in a position to secure affordable finance from banks. This is something they are unable to do under the current 99-year leases. At the same time, the country’s Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said, white farmers whose land was taken during president Robert Mugabe’s tenure would be compensated. Today Alan Kasujja attempts to find out what all these developments mean for Zimbabwe.Guests: The BBC’s Shingai Nyoka and farmer Kudakwashe Musasiwa

Fava Nunu, BBC's correspondent in Accra, and Lydia Foson, an award-winning Ghanaian actress and social media influencer, dive into the heated political climate ahead of Ghana's elections. They discuss how economic struggles, including high inflation and unemployment, are influencing voter sentiment. The guests highlight contrasting strategies from presidential candidates and the critical need for youth engagement in politics. With a nation on edge, every vote carries immense weight as Ghanaians seek a path toward recovery.

In today's podcast, we are looking at life for people with Down Syndrome in Africa. Down Syndrome is a genetic condition where a person is born with an extra chromosome; they’ll have an extra copy of chromosome 21, making 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46. It alters the development of the body and brain, leading to delays in areas like speech. In Africa, people with the condition often face additional barriers, a shorter life expectancy because of limited healthcare, delayed diagnosis, and scarce support systems. Opportunities for education and employment can also be hard to come by which exacerbates the stigma they experience. So, what can be done to begin to change this? Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja hears from Eunice Koros, a Kenyan mother, and her son Ivan Kiprono, a 26-year-old man with Down Syndrome who works at their family factory. He also speaks to David Maxwell, Project Manager for the Down Syndrome Association of Ghana, who shares how witnessing his sister’s life with the condition inspired him to advocate for change.

Last week the Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye, appeared before a military court in Kampala, following his arrest in Kenya. His wife said he’d been abducted and driven overnight across the border into Uganda.He denied charges including the illegal possession of firearms and negotiating to buy arms abroad, and objected to being tried in a court martial, saying that if there were any charges against him, he should be tried in a civilian court.But Dr Besigye’s case is far from unique.Over the decades hundreds of civilians have been tried in Uganda's military courts, despite Uganda’s Constitutional Court ruling against the practice. So why does it continue? For Africa Daily Alan Kasujja speaks to director of Public Information for Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces, Brigadier Felix Kulayigye, and with human rights lawyer Agather Athuhair who has campaigned against the use of the courts for civilians.