Africa Daily

“If you’re poor in Kinshasa, you are going to stay single, even to the day you die.” In the Democratic Republic of Congo, it’s traditional for a man to pay a dowry to the family of the woman he wants to marry. But in recent years the cost has spiralled – with some parents asking for thousands of pounds, or even items like flat-screen TVs. And there are also fees to be paid by those wanting to get legally married after their first traditional marriage.The rising expense has meant many couples are choosing not to get married at all – leading churches and the government to launch a campaign last year called ‘projet marriage’ in an effort to encourage people to tie the knot.It’s involved some mass-weddings to help those who otherwise couldn’t afford to marry, and the government is trying to push a bill through parliament to place a limit on fees and dowries.For Africa Daily, Sara Menai speaks to one of the couples who got married in a mass wedding this summer, and Léonnie Kandolo, Minister of Gender, Family and Children, who says marriage is vital for protecting the interests of women.Producer: Njoroge Muigai

The COP 29 climate summit has been christened the finance COP - and negotiators will seek to agree on a new goal for how much money richer countries should be paying to poorer countries to help them adapt to climate change.A new fund to be known as the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) is replacing the $100 billion a year fund which was meant to have been paid out from 2009 to 2022 but which hardly took off. As the latest summit got underway in Baku, Azerbaijan, negotiators for the Least Developed Countries (LCDs) have demanded a “scaled up, new, additional, and easily accessible climate finance.” They say more than US$ 1trillion is needed by 2030 to help them adapt to climate change, money they want as grants instead of loans. In this episode of Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja speaks to the negotiator leading the LDCs at COP29, Evans Njewa from Malawi. He also hears from some Malawians about how money paid in as part of the Loss and Damage Fund has helped them recover from the effects of Cyclone Freddie which hit the country last year. For more on this, you can listen to The Climate Question podcast from next weekend.Producer: Peter Musembi.

“Women are getting more empowered to know their rights… the law is there, violence is a crime, but following through and reporting is also a problem because of the way we are brought up to think that women are supposed to be subservient and bear it all.”Martha Koome describes herself as a defender and advocate for women’s and children’s rights, and in 2020, she was runner-up for the ‘United Nations Person of the Year’, in recognition for her work in this field. But Chief Justice Koome has also come under a lot of scrutiny from critics of Kenyan’s judiciary – who say she has failed to properly investigate and tackle allegations of bribery and corruption. Today on the podcast, Alan Kasujja discusses these criticisms, her plans for courts across Kenya specialising in gender-based violence, and asks how a girl who grew up in a family of eighteen in rural Kenya ended up as one of the country’s most powerful women.

“Tug at my jacket – tell me what needs to be done.”Later today, Botswana’s newly-elected president, Duma Boko, will be inaugurated in Gaborone – but he still found time this week for a discussion of his agenda with Africa Daily’s Mpho Lakaje.In a wide ranging discussion he talks about signing a new deal with global diamond giant De Beers, how he wants to help people to become entrepreneurs, and why he wants to grant permits to undocumented Zimbabweans to make the system more ‘orderly’ and to allow Batswana to acquire more skills.He also argues that politicians need to be more accessible if they are to do their jobs.

In today's podcast, we explore the tradition of bridal counselling in Zambia. Before marriage, elderly women share tips on how to run a home, how to look after the husband, how to look after the children, how to resolve conflict and there are lessons about sex too. For many, this training is a way to strengthen a marriage, but for some women it’s meant lasting harm. ‘Bride of Zambia’ is a short film which tells the story of a young Zambian-American woman who reluctantly has this counselling ahead of her wedding after arguing with her mother about the merits of this practice. It’s a story that’s resonated with some women in Zambia, sparking conversation on social media about a tradition that’s rarely discussed in public. In today’s Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja speaks to the film's director, Tisa Chigaga, and to Samfrosa Chibwe, a woman who says watching the film brought up memories of the counselling she received before her wedding. Alan also speaks to Tisa’s mother, Mwila Chigaga, to share an elder’s perspective on why she still considers this a vital tradition.

This week Botswana’s president-elect Duma Boko will be inaugurated in an event that’s expected to be attended by dignitaries from across the continent. The 54-year-old lawyer and his Umbrella for Democratic Change beat Mokgweetsi Masisi’s Botswana Democratic Party, which had been in power for 58 years. When he officially takes over as the country’s president, Mr Boko will be hoping to create jobs particularly for young people who’ve been agitating for change. But some are still wondering how he managed to beat Mokgweetsi Masisi by such a big margin. In this episode, Alan Kasujja attempts to understand what exactly went wrong for Mr Masisi and his Botswana Democratic Party. Guests: Mmapula Molapong and Tendai Mbanje

Last month, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) awarded Nigeria victory in a forfeited 2025 Nations Cup qualifier against Libya, and fined Libya $50,000.It came after an investigation found that a plane carrying the Nigerian squad had been deliberately redirected to the wrong airport – where the Super Eagles were left for nearly 20 hours without food, water or internet access. The incident has yet again exposed the unorthodox – and unsporting - tactics which are often used against visiting teams in African football. So why has psychological and physical intimidation been allowed to continue?Presenter: Mpho LakajeGuests: Sports journalist Oluwashina Okeleji, and Isha Johansen, former president of Sierra Leone Football Association, and a member of FIFA’s council, and the CAF executive committee.

Redi Tlhabi, a South African broadcaster based in Washington, D.C., delves into the important connections between the 2024 US election and African nations. She explores how candidates' policies—Trump's focus on domestic issues versus Harris's climate and partnership initiatives—could reshape US engagement in Africa. Tlhabi discusses the emotional impact of US politics on global perceptions, the ongoing struggle for Africa's representation at the UN, and the evolving landscape of immigration policies affecting African communities.

After two years of conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region, the 2022 Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) finally put a stop to the fighting between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Both sides agreed to work together to find lasting solutions, including the restoration of constitutional order in Tigray.Two years on, some say the Ethiopian government is downplaying the seriousness of the current situation in the country - while aid agencies warn of significant food shortages and humanitarian needs. BBC Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja speaks to BBC correspondent Kalkidan Yibeltal who was recently in Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, for 6 days.

Today Alan Kasujja sits down with Ghanaian artist, Israel Derrick Epeti, to discuss the environmental disaster that’s caused by illegal mining. Mercury is being used to extract gold by miners digging on a massive scale in forests and farms across the west African country. The 26-year-old artist recently visited the town of Twifo Praso to see for himself how the Pra River is polluted by chemicals. “I was able to paint with the water on my canvas. That’s how bad it was”, he tells Alan. He further says “if this is not curbed, it will affect each and everyone in the country. We might need to import water from outside”. According to the Institute for Security Studies, galamsey, a term used in Ghana to describe illegal mining, involves large firms operating against the law. It is carried out by Ghanaians and foreigners, including Chinese and West African nationals from Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast. The government has introduced a variety of interventions to stop the problem, including the deployment of the army.