Africa Daily

On the 1st of April last year a massive fire swept through the huge Waheen Market in Hargeisa. It was the beating heart of the city - the capital of the unrecognised Republic of Somaliland - and played a role in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people there and across the region. It burned for more than 24 hours - completely destroying thousands of businesses. So how has the city recovered – as well as individual traders? Alan Kasujja (@kasujja) reports for Africa Daily.Guest: Abdirashid Duale - CEO of Dahabshiil Group

If you’ve ever been stuck in Nairobi traffic, you’ll know that the emissions from cars and trucks is no joke. According to the World Health Organisation, air pollution contributes to 18,000 deaths per year in Kenya. The government is taking the issue seriously and has set targets to cut emissions by 2030. First on their hit list are older trucks, which are thought to be significantly worse polluters. The government has banned the import of trucks older than three years. And by the summer importing second hand trucks will be banned all together. So, can it help bring air pollution down?#AfricaDaily

A warning that listeners might find some of the stories being recounted too upsetting. After two long years, and in a region ravaged by a war that has left thousands dead, people in Tigray could finally travel to the rest of Ethiopia and the world last December. For the lucky ones who got tickets, this felt like a Christmas miracle. Alan Kasujja has been speaking to two sisters who were finally reunited and celebrated the Ethiopian Christmas together for the first time in almost 3 years. So, how special was this Christmas for them? For their own safety, we are not using their real names.

Fighting between rival jihadist groups in Nigeria’s Borno state was raging throughout December. One source believes as many as 200 militants could have been killed in the clashes. The so called Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) started life as a splinter group from the infamous Boko Haram. Since the death of Boko Haram’s leader in 2021, ISWAP have gained dominance and sought to expand their sphere of influence in the last year. But the two groups have become fierce rivals and there are reports they are putting increasing energy into fighting each other. And with Nigeria holding presidential elections in less than two months, the security situation is at the top of the agenda. #AfricaDaily

A recent list of countries with the world’s best cuisine has generated strong debate on social media. Taste Atlas, who describe themselves as a ‘’world atlas of traditional dishes, local ingredients, and authentic restaurants” published their 2022 list of the best 95 cuisines in the world. Algeria, South Africa and Tunisia were the only three African countries to make it to the top 50. Taste Atlas say rankings are based on audience votes for ingredients, dishes and beverages. Italy, Greece, Spain, Japan and India were the top five countries on the list. But some questioned the order of the list and why so few African countries made it to the top 50. Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja has been looking at what’s stopping African cuisine from getting international recognition.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento – famously known as Pelé blessed us with one of the greatest talents as he dazzled on the football pitch and took the world by storm. As Brazil said goodbye to its biggest son, the world was there alongside them especially Africans who are looking back and remembering an icon of the game.So today we are looking at how a young black Brazilian boy became a global legend. Alan Kasujja sits down with African journalists, Usher Komugisha and Oluwashina Okeleji and BBC Brazil’s Fernando Duarte to look at how Pelé become an influential figure for Africans.

News, news, news – we love it here on Africa Daily. We like to chat about what’s happening where, to whom, why….Another man who lives and breathes the news it is Patrick Gathara. He’s a man of many talents – drawing political cartoons, but also writing editorials for international outlets like the Washington Post and Al Jazeera as well as curating the news website ‘The Elephant’ in his home country of Kenya. He’s also a big user of Twitter – posting some of the longest running threads in order to challenge the language and choices of the mainstream media houses. Victoria Uwonkunda sat down to talk to him about how he’s trying to change the narrative… one tweet at a time. Presenter: Victoria Uwonkunda @msuwonkunda Guest: Patrick Gathara @gathara

In our last episode of 2022, Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja looked back on the year with the help of friends of the programme Mpho Lakaje in South Africa, Beverly Ochieng in Nairobi and Thomas Naadi in Ghana. So today – with the start of the new year, the team turn their attention to next year – and try and predict what’s to come. Never an easy task… Presenter: Alan Kasujja @kasujjaGuests: @BeverlyOchieng of @bbcmonitoring, @Mpholakaje and @Thomas_Naadi

What were the factors that affected your life last year? Insecurity? The cost of fuel and bread? Power cuts? Politics? The Africa Daily ‘family’ gets together to talk about some of the biggest issues which impacted the continent over the last year. “You and I, Alan, should move to Zambia – that’s where we should be man!” With presenter Alan Kasujja (@Kasujja), @BeverlyOchieng of @bbcmonitoring in Nairobi, Africa Daily’s @Mpholakaje in Johannesburg and @Thomas_Naadi, the BBC’s correspondent in Ghana.

DISCLAIMER: This episode originally aired on 23 June 2022. There’s been a noticeable change in the images of Africa we are now seeing on our screens. These pictures are so different from the ones the media has often shown of the continent. Gone are the children looking desolate and hungry with extended bellies, surrounded by flies, now it’s the images of rich, beautiful and increasingly famous people, living their best lives for the world to see. This is the new opulent and glitzy reality world of African celebrities who are unapologetic about their wealth and riches. It’s a world of reality TV shows where we are given a front seat to the fights and dramas from the private lives of African stars, just as we’ve seen over the years with American reality programmes. Reality shows in Africa aren’t anything new. The Big Brother franchise, one of the first reality TV programmes in the world, has been on-going on the continent for decades. So with shows like The Real Housewives of Lagos, Durban, Cape Town and the recent Netflix hit, Young, Famous and African, showing the opulent lives of rich Africans, is this the golden age of glitzy and glamourous African reality shows? Host: Alan Kasujja Guests: Peace Hyde, Young, Famous and African co-creator and Tosin Ajibade, founder of media house Olori Super Gal