Africa Daily

“They’re some of the best footballers and athletes that I’ve ever played alongside.”The Women’s World Cup kicks off today. Zambia, Morocco, South Africa and Nigeria will represent the continent in Australia and New Zealand. They’ll all be hoping to get to the final in four weeks’ time. While women’s football has developed at a dramatic pace in the last few years, it’s still a way behind the men’s game - with players sometimes struggling for resources… and respect.So what will it take for an African team to lift the Women’s World Cup? For Africa Daily, @mpholakaje discusses the issues involved with the BBC’s sport reporter @isaac_fanin– and hears from Nigeria’s Ashleigh Plumptre (@ashplumptre) and some of the other players taking part.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games are in doubt after the Australian state of Victoria cancelled its plans to host due to budget blowouts. The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) struggled to find a host before Victoria volunteered in April 2022. And Durban, which was meant to be hosting the event in 2022, had the games taken off them after the South African government said they were struggling to meet deadlines. But are the Commonwealth Games still relevant to the continent? And what does it mean if the 2026 events are in jeopardy?

South Africa has started preparing to host the BRICS summit next month. This is a gathering of a political and economic bloc compromised of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. China, in particular, is expected to expand its influence. Over 30% of all major building projects in Africa are led by Chinese firms while the West makes up just 12%, according to consultancy company, Deloitte. Africa Daily's Alan Kasujja has been hearing about China’s involvement in both small and large scale business on the continent.

This week the biggest women’s football tournament on the planet kicks off. Teams from 32 countries will be playing in Australia and New Zealand to win the coveted Fifa World Cup. Africa isn’t just going to be represented by the teams competing on the pitch but also by the teams of officials refereeing at the tournament. One of those officials is Rwandan referee Salima Mukansanga. As well as being among the first women referees to work in a men’s world cup in its 92 year history, she was also the first woman to referee at the Africa Cup of Nations football competition or AFCON. Africa Daily’s Mpho Lakaje spoke to her about how she got started and what it takes to get to world’s biggest football tournaments.

Nigeria's state-owned oil company says an oil tanker capable of carrying 800,000 litres of smuggled crude has been intercepted offshore while heading to Cameroon. Nigeria's state-owned oil firm said the oil had been stolen from a well in the south-western state of Ondo. As dramatic as this finding was, it is just a fraction of the oil being stolen in Nigeria. So, what is behind it?

This week the continent welcomed Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi for a three country visit. It’s a rare visit, it’s the first by an Iranian president to Africa in ten years. President Raisi’s trip began in Kenya where he was welcomed by President William Ruto and a military parade. This week President Raisi heads to Uganda and then to Zimbabwe. In recent years, western countries have imposed sanctions to make Iran’s leaders agree to limit its nuclear activities and have severely damaged Iran’s economy. So today Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja has been looking at Africa’s relationship with Iran and what this renewed interest could mean for the continent.

The Children in Freedom School - which is based in Nakuru, Kenya – takes a slightly different approach to education. It prides itself on being the first “Afrocentric” school on the continent. Basically, they put African culture, identity and enrichment at the heart of everything they do in the classroom. They were recently shortlisted for the World's Best School Prize, putting them among the top 10 schools worldwide in the 'overcoming adversity' category. So, what does an Afrocentric education look like?

Kenya’s President, William Ruto, said recently that he will lift a ban on logging in the country. He said that mature trees in Kenya’s forests can now be cut down and that this will help to boost the timber industry. The ban has been in place since 2018, with the aim of protecting Kenya’s natural forests. So, what impact will change of direction have?

The stated aim of the global charity International Justice Mission is commendable: rescue millions of people from being trafficked into forced labour by the year 2030. But in the Volta Lake region of Ghana, families claimed their children had been taken from them at gun point.. BBC Africa Eye, prompted by tip offs from local sources, decided to investigate and went undercover.

Riots spread from Paris to many French cities after the killing by police of Nahel M, a 17-year-old boy of Algerian origin. The unrest has been described as unprecedented in terms of scale and intensity. While the riots were sparked by the death of Nahel, it has also raised questions about race and poverty in France. So, what can the past two weeks tell us about life in the country?