Africa Daily

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan says Nigeria’s senate President began to sexually harass her in December 2023 and that there were multiple incidents of this nature. She’s been speaking publicly about what she says happened and filed a petition to the senate. But earlier this month Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan received a six month suspension from her job over what was described as a “breach of the rules of the Senate”. There are only four women in the senate and 109 men, so the allegations have got lots of people talking and sparked protests. What does this all say about how sexual harassment allegations are treated in Nigeria? In today’s Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja hears more about the story from the BBC’s Azeezat Olaoluwa in Lagos. He also speaks to Nigerian lawyer and civil rights activist Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi and Omowumi Ogunrotimi, the founder and executive director of Gender Mobile Initiative.

Sally Nabil, a BBC correspondent, shares her insights from her visits to the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria. She discusses the harsh living conditions and economic hardships faced by the Sahrawi people, who have been displaced for over 50 years. Nabil illuminates the struggle for identity and self-determination amid the political stalemate between Morocco and the Polisario Front. She also addresses rampant human rights violations and the yearning for a resolution to their plight, emphasizing the urgent need for international attention and support.

“This is a payment of debt. Definitely we are trying our best to show our gratitude and also to stand by our brothers and the nation of Sudan.”After three decades of civil war in Somalia, the healthcare system in the country was a mess and many people had to travel to neighbouring countries for treatment - if they could afford it. And so, in 2014, a group of Somali businessmen founded the Somali-Sudanese Hospital in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, to respond to the challenge. It followed years of Somali medical students going to Sudan for training – and the hospital became a place for them to use their expertise on their return. But then in 2022 war broke out in Sudan – and the hospital became a refuge for Sudanese doctors fleeing the war, thanks to that long-established relationship. The Sudanese medics are also offering crucial specialist services the hospital could not provide before. In this episode of Africa Daily, Peter Musembi talks to Prof Helmi Daoud who was the first doctor to flee to Somalia with his whole family three months after the start of the war.He also hears from Dr Abdilqadir Yusuf, the hospital’s Research and Development manager on how the arrival of the Sudanese doctors has transformed services there.NOTE: This pod was updated at 0709 GMT on 17/3/25 to correct the year war broke out in Sudan.

Black Economic Empowerment was initially introduced by former South African president Nelson Mandela in the 1990s, as one of his government’s policies. But in 2003, it was revised and changed to BBBEE: Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment. It's aim is to facilitate the much broader participation of black South Africans in the economy, thus addressing inequality. This section of the population was excluded during the years of white minority rule, leading to high levels of poverty. But some sections of the white population, including American businessman Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa, have been critical of this policy. So today Africa Daily’s Mpho Lakaje finds out why this law is so polarizing. Guests: Tshepo Mokoena, Kganki Matabane and Sandile Swana

For African immigrants in the US, the threat of mass deportation is a constant fear. Many have built lives, found stability, and raised families but now over a million non-US citizens face the reality of potential deportation. The Trump administration now plans to create a national register for undocumented migrants over the age of 14, with those failing to sign up risking criminal prosecution. Deportees like Anwar Mohamed, sent back to Somalia in 2018 after being convicted of a felony, recall the shock of being forced to leave the country they had come to see as home. Alan Kasujja speaks with Anwar and Muktar Ahmed about their deportation experiences, as well as Ghanaian immigration attorney Akua Aboagye, who helps families navigate the complex US immigration system.Producer: Mohamad Gabobe

River blindness – or onchocerciasis – is a tropical disease which causes itchiness, skin damage, and eventually blindness. It affects millions of people across Africa. In Niger a staggering 70 percent of the population was once infected. But now, after a gruelling 45 year health campaign, it’s become the first African country to eliminate the disease. Alan Kasujja speaks Dr Paulin Basinga, head of the Gates Foundation in Africa who has who has played a key role in the fight against river blindness in western Africa.

“We didn’t harvest anything at all” – Zimbabwean resident Hlengiwe Moyo Today, Africa Daily’s Mpho Lakaje focuses on Zimbabwe, one of several southern African countries recently hit by a prolonged drought. Seven million people are now desperate for food assistance. The World Food Programme, along with several nations, partnered to donate bags of maize, pulses and cooking oil. Other countries that were hardest hit include Zambia and Malawi. Namibia even resorted to slaughtering wild animals such as hippos, elephants and zebras, to feed its people. The situation became so bad that Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a national disaster to tackle the prolonged drought crisis. Guests: Ish Mafundikwa, Regina Vurayayi and Hlengiwe Moyo

Autism remains one of the most misunderstood conditions in many African countries, often leading to stigma, misdiagnosis and a lack of support.Why do so many children in Africa go undiagnosed, and what impact does this have on their futures?BBC Africa Daily’s Peter Musembi speaks with Cameroonian author Delly Singah, whose personal journey as a mother of an autistic child has shaped her advocacy. Through her book ‘Diary of a Special Mum – Kicking Autism to the Curb’, Delly challenges misconceptions and highlights the struggles families face in getting a proper diagnosis and help.

“South Sudan is on the brink of a return to full-scale civil war - and this civil war could be on a much larger scale than we’ve seen in the past.”What’s going on in South Sudan? This week alarm bells have been ringing after leading allies of the Vice President, Riek Machar, were arrested – and Machar’s own home in Juba was surrounded temporarily by troops.It follows clashes between a militia called the ‘White Army’ which fought alongside Machar during the civil war, with government troops in Upper Nile state, close to the Ethiopian border.The relationship between Machar and President Salva Kiir has always been fractious and in 2013 a bloody civil war broke out after their political differences spiralled. 400,000 people were killed and 2 and a half million were displaced.So is the peace deal which ended that war in 2018 now under threat?Presenter: @Mpholakaje Guest: Daniel Akech Thiong of the Crisis Group.

“I believe that when I sing things will change and we shall have a bright future. We are going to be the ambassadors of change for our country South Sudan." War and displacement leave scars that go beyond the physical. In Bidibidi, one of the world’s largest refugee settlements, many struggle with trauma, substance abuse, and uncertainty. Bidibidi is home to over 250,000 refugees but a performing arts centre is helping refugees find healing, and hope for a better future, through music, dance, and theatre. Alan Kasujja speaks to Victor Aluonzi, who helped bring the project to life, as well as South Sudanese refugees Moses Modi and Mary Nadia, who find comfort in the arts.