

Africa Daily
BBC World Service
Africa Daily has now come to an end. But do listen to Focus on Africa for all the big stories and for the African perspective on major global news. Hosted by Audrey Brown and ready by late afternoon every weekday. Search for Focus on Africa, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 14, 2022 • 18min
How did one woman fight her enslavement in Niger?
Hadizatou Mani spent a decade as a slave, having been sold aged just 12 to a tribal chief in Nigeria,
She has told BBC 100 Women that it was a terrible life: “I had no rights; not to rest, not to food, not even to my own life”.
In 2005, Hadizatou was granted her freedom, but was still pressured to return and legally harassed by a man who considered himself to be her master.
She was jailed for bigamy a year after she became free, because the man claimed that she was still married to him
However, Hadizatou fought for her rights in the courts eventually winning a landmark case at the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States.
Despite her case being instrumental in getting legislation passed in Niger, thousands of people are thought to still live in slavery there today.#AfricaDaily

Dec 13, 2022 • 13min
Is sugarcane the answer to Africa's electricity problems?
Whether you're in South Africa, Nigeria or Egypt, power outages are a frequent inconvenience.
As energy demands rise across the continent, generating enough power to keep the lights on is an ongoing challenge.
Eswatini is one of the countries trying a new approach - a method called cogeneration.
Most of the time, cogeneration uses gas or biofuels but in Eswatini, they're burning waste products from sugar production to generate power.
Could it be one of the solutions to energy sustainability?#AfricaDaily

Dec 12, 2022 • 18min
Are African coaches the secret to Africa’s football success?
The Atlas Lions have made history to become the first African team to reach a World Cup semi-final. They will play world champions France in that semi-final game on Wednesday. Morocco were one of five African teams to qualify for the World Cup and for the first time all of the teams were led by African coaches. Although Morocco were the only African team to make it to the quarter finals, there were some historic wins for the continent. Cameroon beat Brazil and Tunisia won their game against France for the first time. So today Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja has been looking at whether African coaches are the secret to African football success.#AfricaDaily

Dec 9, 2022 • 22min
Why is a new oil pipeline between Uganda and Tanzania controversial?
This week, a group of NGOs took TOTAL – the lead investor in a new pipeline between Uganda and Tanzania - to court.
They’re asking a French court to protect local people and the environment from the adverse impacts of the project.
TOTAL refutes all allegations and says they are protecting the rights of local communities and will make sure the project has a positive impact.
Meanwhile, people in Uganda are divided over whether the project is an economic opportunity, or a recipe for disaster.
#AfricaDaily

Dec 8, 2022 • 15min
Can Kenya run away from doping troubles?
Kenya and athletics are synonymous to one another. In November the country came close to being banned from the sport it loves and excels in the most. There is no doubt that the sports is huge to the country’s image and great effort goes into it - 34 of Kenya’s 35 Olympic gold medals have come from track and field events. But with 17 Kenyan athletes suspended just this year by the Athletics Integrity Unit for a range of violations, joining another 55 who are already serving bans, the threat of a ban loomed large. So the country’s authorities made assurances to World Athletics and avoided a ban. But can Kenya run away from its doping troubles? Alan Kasujja speaks with BBC Sport Africa’s Michelle Katami in Nairobi.

Dec 7, 2022 • 16min
How has Malawi’s fight against corruption become so controversial?
Malawi is not short of scandal, especially when it comes to claims of corruption. If you look back over the years, you will find different cases.
And last year the country ranked 110th out of 180 countries in Transparency Internationals Corruptions Perceptions Index.
So what is happening in Malawi now and how is so much of its politics caught up in it?
Those claims of corruptions have been followed by charges against some of the most senior people in the country. Which in turn have been followed by denials or counter claims.
The anti-corruption chief Martha Chizuma is one of the latest to be arrested and charged with making statements that could prejudice judicial proceedings.
And it was Ms Chizuma’s investigation that was pivotal in the arrest of Deputy President Saulos Chilima.
He has since been charged with multiple counts of corruption. His supporters say that the charges are political.
He is from a different party to the country’s president. And with elections in 2025 beginning to loom, people are asking whether their alliance is fracturing.
So, how has Malawi’s fight against corruption become so controversial? We’ll try to take you through this tangled web.

Dec 6, 2022 • 17min
Does Africa need its own space satellite programmes?
In November Uganda and Zimbabwe launched their first satellites – PearlAfricaSat-1 and ZimSat-1, respectively - into space.Space engineers from both countries worked and trained with their counterparts in Japan to make it possible. The two countries said the satellites would capture and send back images from space to help with advancing mineral exploration and monitoring weather patterns to help manage the impact of floods and droughts. But in Zimbabwe particularly, the launch kicked off a bit of an uproar, especially on social media, with people asking whether the resources could have instead gone to schools, hospitals and overall infrastructure. Alan Kasujja has been speaking with two African space engineers; Dr Sias Mostert, a space scientist at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa and Dr Berhanu Bulcha, an Ethiopian-American NASA research engineer. In their conversation Alan asked them whether Africa needs its own space satellite programmes and if the continent can afford it.

Dec 5, 2022 • 18min
Can Cyril Ramaphosa survive a raging political scandal?
After days of political pressure, South Africa’s President Ramaphosa has said that he does not intend to resign.
The row centres on claims he kept large sums of cash on his property then covered up its theft.
A panel of legal experts concluded that he has a case to answer.
The top leadership of his party - the African National Congress - are meeting on Sunday and Monday to see what steps to take next.
But Mr Ramaphosa’s spokesperson has said he will not resign based on a “false report”. And suggested he would seek a second term as the party’s leader.
So, what’s next for President Ramaphosa?#AfricaDaily

Dec 2, 2022 • 21min
What should justice look like for survivors of sexual violence?
This week a major conference organised by the UK government called The Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative took place in London. Delegates, policy makers, politicians and survivors from around the world listened to discussions on justice, reparations, accountability and ending sexual violence. Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja spoke to a survivor of the 2007 election violence in Kenya on what justice looks like for her.This episode contains reference to sexual violence which you may find distressing.

Dec 1, 2022 • 17min
Can Kenya afford to lead the DRC peace process?
The Democratic Republic of Congo is the newest member of The East African Community, a regional group made up of seven countries. With a population of nearly 100 million people, vast agricultural land, and rich mineral reserves, DRC has great potential for business but an endless conflict spanning decades is threatening the region's stability. The M23 rebel group has escalated its attacks, leading the East Africa Community to sanction a regional force to help DRC forces to repel the rebels. Kenya has committed 1,000 soldiers, it’s a deployment which will cost the Kenyan taxpayer 37 million dollars in a year. But is it worth it? And can the East Africa Community finally bring peace to DRC? Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja has been speaking to East Africa Security expert Sylvanus Wekesa.