Africa Daily

World marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum will be buried on Friday in his village in south-western Kenya. The 24-year-old died in a road accident two weeks ago alongside his Rwandan coach Gervais Hakizimana.Kiptum’s death comes after several tragic incidents which have claimed the lives of Kenyan athletes in their prime. In today’s Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja talks to former Boston Marathon champion Wesley Korir and asks if athletes are faced with greater risks outside the field of play.

“This is a cycle in Congo. It’s been almost 30 years this has been happening again and again and again. And (it) is devastating to see the same civilian populations are moving again and again.”Goma – the largest city in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo - has an official population of 2 million people. But more than half a million displaced people are now also living there, following a spike in fighting between the Congolese army and the Tutsi-led M23 rebel group around the town of Sake - just over 20 kilometres away.Sake is on the main road that connects Goma to the rest of the region – meaning the city is all but cut off for supplies by road.Aid agencies say if the rebel group were to move into Goma it would be an even greater disaster for the local population.But how likely is that, and what is M23’s goal?Presenter: Alan Kasujja @kasujja. Guests: Eric Batonon, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s country director and security analyst Alex Ntung.

Afrobeats and Amapiano are two of the most popular genres in Africa and both genres are now also being recognised and appreciated worldwide. This year's prestigious Grammy awards gave us 'Best African Music Performance’ for the first time. Out of the seven nominees- four were from Nigeria- Davido, Burna Boy, Asake and Olamide and there were two artists from South Africa, Musa Keys and the winner Tyla. The only other country represented was Arya Starr from Benin but even she lives in Nigeria. A lot of people raised the question of why this award didn’t recognise artists from other parts of Africa if it's an award created to celebrate music across the whole continent. So why does Nigerian and South African music seem to be dominating music from other parts of Africa? Guests: MC Yallah, ePianoh and Keiitumetse Maako

Back in 2015, Burundi closed its border with Rwanda, amid internal violence that erupted from the disputed re-election of then President Pierre Nkurunziza. At the time, Burundi accused Rwanda of supporting the protesters and encouraging the perpetrators of a failed coup. But the two governments seemed to put that behind them, following the election of Évariste Ndayishimiye as Burundi’s president in 2020. Two years later, the crossing was reopened and trade was back on track. But at the start of this year, diplomatic ties between the two nations suffered a new blow. Burundi, once again, shut the entry points, accusing its neighbour of hosting and training a rebel group known as RED-Tabara. This armed militia claimed responsibility for a deadly attack near Burundi's western border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. So, what will it take to end tensions between the two nations? Guests: Rwanda’s government spokesperson Yolande Makolo and political analyst Kwezi Tabaro Presenter: Alan Kasujja

“This is a time for us to stand very tall and stop aid in Africa. We need to find a way of nurturing our natural resources that we have in Africa and really claim back this beautiful continent that we call the Mother Africa” – Nthabeleng Likotsi, South African entrepreneur Today Alan Kasujja sits down with award-winning South African entrepreneur Nthabeleng Likotsi, to discuss how she and her team are building a mutual bank. Her country’s central bank, SARB, recently granted her organization a license to officially run their organization. It took nearly a decade for Nthabeleng to secure this crucial document because businesses first have to tick all the boxes. Her organisation, Young Women in Business Network, is the very first black women owned financial services company of its kind to be granted such a permit in her country. Nthabeleng’s is a story of relentless optimism, perseverance, the ability to learn all the time and most importantly, having the courage to pursue your dreams. The lessons don’t only apply to business. As our listener, you could use them to start anything. It could be a small initiative that helps your community or anything that makes a difference in the lives of your loved ones.

After the introduction of the first African woman referee at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in 2021, the expansion of women into football decision-making on the continent continued in Ivory Coast where a total of six women were officiating at the 2023 Afcon tournament. Zambian assistant referee Diana Chikotesha made history when she became the first female on-pitch match official to feature in a men’s Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday. She was assistant referee in the match that saw Ivory Coast crowned champions after a 2-1 win over Nigeria. In this week’s Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja speaks to Diana along with her fellow referee, South Africa’s Akhona Makalaima.

“The government has been reacting very strongly to the possibility of famine and they’re dismissing it, but they are admitting there is drought and that millions of people are being affected.”It’s just over a year since the Ethiopian government signed a peace deal with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front – to end the brutal civil war in the north of the country.The ‘Pretoria agreement’ saw the TPLF agreeing to disarm, in return for the reopening of Tigray, to allow in desperately needed food aid.During the war hundreds of thousands of people are reported to have died – many from starvation. But now, international aid agencies are warning that people there are again in desperate need of food. And throughout the last year there have been outbreaks of violence in other regions in Ethiopia: Amhara, Afar, and Oromia. So what’s happening in Tigray and Ethiopia? Alan @Kasujja speaks to the BBC’s Kalkidan Yibeltal.

The African diaspora are viewed by many as a valuable asset for Africa on the global stage. One country trying to harness that power and influence is Rwanda. They have events around the world to connect and engage with their diaspora. This year an event was held in Washington DC in the United States where President Paul Kagame spoke. So how can Africa tap into the diverse skills, knowledge and expertise gained from years of experience abroad to further develop the continent in terms of innovation, entrepreneurship and capacity-building? BBC Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja spoke to the spokesperson for the Government of Rwanda, Yolande Makolo, as well as Natasha Muhoza and Maudo Jallow - two young Africans living in the diaspora who spoke about their personal experience.

“Some members will still look at you as a person who is only there to talk about disability. So every time you want to speak about a different issue, people still want to push you into the disability corner and say ‘this is not your space… If you’re not talking about disability you better keep quiet’.” Women in politics already face a lot of challenges in Africa - with some of their male counterparts questioning their ability, criticising their clothing and telling them to stick to ‘women’s issues’. But what about if you’re a woman and deaf? Or blind? Or live with another disability? Today, Alan Kasujja speaks with two women with disabilities who’ve had success in politics – but who are still pushing to make sure they are represented at the very heart of government. “Of course I can be President! Why not?!” Presenter: @kasujja Guests: @ashura_michael and @LKanushu39049Producers: Gbenga Ogundare and Tabitha Mwai

“When I wake up every morning my work is only to find work, yet I have not heard from any employer for the last six months,” says Abdullahi Mohammed, a young Somali graduate. He has a degree in Information Technology, a master’s in Development Studies from the UK, and has some short-term experience working with international organisations. And yet he still can’t find a job in Somalia. This is the reality for millions of young people in the country, who are well educated but who face real challenges getting work. And it is particularly difficult for women. The statistics vary wildly according to who you speak to: The World Bank says about 20% of people are unemployed, while the Somali Congress of Trade Unions says it’s as high as 70%. In this episode of the Africa Daily Podcast, Alan Kasujja speaks with Abdullahi, another graduate Fardowsa Khalif, the president of Somali Trade Unions Mohamed Osman Haji Ali, and Mohammed Adam from Somali Public Agenda, a public policy research NGO.