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Africa Daily

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Dec 5, 2024 • 23min

What will the first rollout of a malaria vaccine mean for Nigeria?

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
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Dec 4, 2024 • 19min

Will President Biden’s historic visit transform US-Angola relations?

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.
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Dec 3, 2024 • 20min

Will Zimbabwe’s major land policy shift empower black farmers?

“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
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Dec 2, 2024 • 20min

What's at stake in Ghana's elections?

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.
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Nov 29, 2024 • 20min

What’s life like for people living with Down Syndrome in Africa?

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.
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Nov 28, 2024 • 21min

Why are civilians being tried in Uganda’s military courts?

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.
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Nov 27, 2024 • 22min

COP29: Was a raw deal for Africa better than none?

African negotiators at the COP29 left deflated and disappointed with the $300 billion deal reached at the summit, saying it fell short of their expectations.Delegates from the continent at the summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, had called on rich nations to commit $1.3 trillion per year to help poor countries address climate change.But after two weeks of intense negotiations a deal was reached, with rich nations agreeing to pay $300 billion annually to poorer countries.But some expressed relief that a deal, at least, had been struck. In this episode of Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja speaks to Uganda’s ambassador to the UN Adonia Ayebare, who was the lead negotiator for The Group of 77 plus China, representing the interests of 134 developing countries.Producer: Peter Musembi
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Nov 26, 2024 • 20min

Why does South Africa want Hamas and Israeli leaders arrested?

“The warrant signals to Israel, it signals to the supporters of Netanyahu [that] you have moved out of the realm of approval of a very great number of nations” – Professor Emeritus André Thomashausen, University of South Africa On the 21st of November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Mohammed Deif, a military commander of the Islamist group, Hamas, has also been added to the ICC’s list, even though Israel previously said he was killed in an airstrike in July. ICC judges say there are “reasonable grounds” that the three men bear "criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. These relate to the on-going conflict in the Gaza Strip, in the Middle East. But Mr. Netanyahu has rejected the warrants, describing them as “anti-Semitic”. In a statement, the ICC says the office of its prosecutor received a referral of the situation in the State of Palestine. It came from South Africa, Comoros, Djibouti and several other nations worldwide. So, today Alan Kasujja wants to know why South Africa, a country which has long been campaigning to end the war in Gaza, wants senior Hamas and Israeli leaders arrested. Guests: Zane Dangor, Director General of South Africa's Department of International Relations and Professor Emeritus André Thomashausen of the University of South Africa
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Nov 25, 2024 • 21min

How are women being tricked into believing they are pregnant?

"I was hoping that by 9 months I will be a mother, but then they told me that I will carry the baby for at least 1 year and 5 months. So, I did not understand."A year-long investigation by the BBC's Africa Eye team has exposed how fraudsters in Nigeria are targeting women struggling with infertility with the promise of miracle babies in exchange for hundreds of dollars. Vulnerable women are tricked into believing they’re pregnant and told delivery of their baby won’t happen without payment for an expensive drug. The film discovers a network of deception and exploitation involving the illegal trafficking of babies. BBC reporter Ebere Ekeopara went undercover to expose one clinic in Anambra state, in southeastern Nigeria. She spoke to Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja about the stories of women convinced to carry “pregnancies” for over a year.
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Nov 22, 2024 • 18min

What’s behind Mozambique’s post-election unrest?

Mozambique’s government has banned protests and restricted internet access amid post-election unrest that has left several people dead and injured.The unrest follows last month’s disputed presidential election, won by the long-ruling Frelimo party, which denies opposition claims of vote-rigging.Opposition leader, Venâncio Mondlane, went into hiding after his lawyer and aide were shot dead while preparing to challenge the results.BBC Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja spoke with Mozambican journalist Fernando Gonçalves about the crisis and its impact on ordinary citizens.

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