Africa Daily

When the Africa Cup of Nations started, hosts Ivory Coast were on the verge of disaster after losing two of their first three matches. But they dusted themselves off and went on to reach the final. They will take on a Nigerian side who boast talented players like Victor Osimhen, who plies his trade in Italy, and Stanley Nwabili, who plays in South Africa. But the Ivorians have dangermen of their own, including Seko Fofana and Sebastien Haller. But before the final, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Africa will be fighting for the bronze medal. This has been hailed as one of the most captivating AFCON tournaments in recent history, with smaller nations like Namibia beating Tunisia while Equatorial Guinea shocked the hosts in the group stages, by defeating them 4-0. So, come the end of the weekend, who will be crowned the kings of African football?

Senegal has long had the reputation of being a bastion of democracy in Africa. It has been a stable democracy in a region that’s often been blighted by instability. In fact, it is the only country in mainland West Africa that has never had a military takeover. But a recent postponement of the election by 10 months has seen Senegalese take to the streets saying they are worried their country’s reputation is at risk. So how did Senegal get to this point and what next for the country? Alan Kasujja has been speaking to Senegalese journalist Borso Tall and political analyst Ibrahima Kane.

It’s a common story across the continent. A student graduates from university. They celebrate the end of their hard work with proud family members. But when they start job hunting they find they face fierce competition for a small number of jobs. The International Labour Organization say one in five African youth were not in employment, education, or training in 2021. But a similar proportion of Africa's working-age population are starting new businesses - the highest rate of any region in the world, according to the African Development Bank. So is entrepreneurship the answer to low job creation? Alan Kasujja has been looking at this issue with a budding entrepreneur who is about to graduate and a university professor who has witnessed trends in graduate employment.

"It's time to bring the decent story about Africa forward."It’s not every day you get to chat to a billionaire. But for today’s episode Alan Kasujja speaks with Mo Ibrahim - the Sudanese born businessman who’s made it his life's mission to counter corruption. His charitable organisation ‘The Mo Ibrahim Foundation’ rewards African leaders for good governance with awards of $5 million. He made his wealth by building a telecommunications company called Celtel which he sold in 2005 for $3.4 billion.In a lively conversation, Alan talks to him about celebrating Africa’s heroes, corruption – and how much cash a billionaire carries in his wallet…

In today's episode, Alan Kasujja sits down with Michayla Moss who is American-Israeli and Iyad Abu Kalusa, a Palestinian from Gaza. Both of them currently live in Johannesburg, South Africa. The conflict started on the 7th of October 2023, when Palestinian group Hamas and other armed factions attacked Israel, killing about 1,300 people - mostly civilians - and taking 240 hostages. Israel subsequently retaliated, killing more than 27,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. South Africa then asked the international Court of Justice (ICJ) to consider whether Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.So what's it like to watch a war unfold in your homeland from thousands of kilometres away?

A regional bloc is a group of countries that team up to work together on common goals, like trade or security, to benefit all members. In Africa they include Ecowas, which stands for the Economic Community of West African States, the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) amongst others. But are they always as effective as they set out to be? Recently, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso quit the West African bloc - Ecowas. The military-led countries had already been suspended from the bloc, which has been urging them to return to democratic rule.From Liberia in 1990 to the Gambia in 2017, regional groups have deployed troops to address coups, civil wars, and disputed elections. While some interventions, like the restoration of President Kabbah in Sierra Leone, were successful, others such as the intervention in the Liberian civil war, faced criticism for human rights abuses.BBC Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja spoke to BBC Africa’s Beverly Ochieng about the role regional blocs play in Africa and how their interventions impact citizens.

Religion is a close to the heart of many Africans – closely linked as it is to identity, culture and values. So no-one will have been surprised at the ferocious response to the BBC Africa Eye documentary series called ‘Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua’ – in which a number of former followers recounted experiences including sexual abuse, rape and manipulation by the self-proclaimed prophet.But do allegations of abuse of power – levelled at a number of religious leaders over the years – suggest regulation is needed? And how can the followers of different religious groups be best protected?Today on Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja brings together two Christian theologians who’ve wrestled with this question: Bishop Zac Niringiye, who was assistant Bishop of Kampala with the Church of Uganda, and Rev Dr Kenneth Ofula, a priest in his Anglican Church of Kenya and currently Tutorial Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University.

"I was so thankful that at my age, at 18, I had discovered this. Grown men were moved to tears… it was a collective state of euphoria."Before his death in 2021, TB Joshua, the TV evangelist and founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos, was often seen alongside presidents and powerful politicians. But for the last few weeks, he has been the subject of furious debate, after the publication of a 3-part documentary series which exposed his rape, abuse and mistreatment of his ‘disciples’. The former disciples accuse him of using both fake miracles and threats to win and then retain followers. His church didn’t respond to the allegations in the documentary series but said previous claims against TB Joshua have been unfounded. In the first part of a two-part series on cults, prophets and religious leaders, Alan Kasujja hears about the experiences of one of TB Joshua’s disciples – and speaks to Professor Maria Frahm-Arp from the department of religious studies at the University of Johannesburg. He discusses why prophet-led, ‘single-man’ churches are so attractive to many people – and asks how people can spot if their church is actually a cult. For more, listen to the World of Secrets 'Disciples' podcast from the BBC World Service. Or watch "Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua" on Youtube.

Table tennis lacks the glamour of football and the investment that athletics gets in Africa. However, it is played to a high standard in many countries, and in 2023, over 500 million people watched the World Table Tennis Championships in Durban, South Africa, according to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). So do the young dedicated players of today believe that their game can raise its profile, and if so, what is needed for that to happen? Alan Kasujja talks to two table-tennis playing students in Lagos, Ayuba Daniel Ikko-Allah and Ayomikun Oyenuga, about their hopes and dreams, and Latifat Ohiosumuan from the Africa branch of the ITTF to find out what needs to change to put table tennis on the map in Africa.

In November 2023, South Africa approached the International Court of Justice, to consider whether Israel is committing acts of genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. It also called for an immediate ceasefire. And on Friday, the 26th of January, the UN’s top court made its interim ruling. It said, among other things, that Israel must do everything in its power to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza. But the court did stop short of ordering an immediate halt to military operations. So, what’s next? Will this ruling change anything in relation to the war in the Middle East? Africa Daily’s Mpho Lakaje talks to Palestinian ambassador to South Africa, Hanan Jarrar, and Benji Shulman of the South African Zionist Federation. He also sits down with Dr. Hlengiwe Ndlovu from the Wits School of Governance in Johannesburg, to unpack the recent developments.