Africa Daily

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.

Nowadays premature babies – born at 24 or 28 weeks - can go on to live long happy lives. But a baby’s chance of survival rests a great deal on where they’re born, the quality of medical care they’ll receive and how quickly they get it. Unicef says that in South Sudan, 40 babies for every 1000 will die within 28 days of birth. That compares with 20 in Kenya, 27 in Ethiopia and 29 in Sudan. But despite the challenges of ongoing conflict, floods and no equipment, staff at the Médecins Sans Frontières clinic in Malakal, in South Sudan’s upper Nile State, are working to save every baby they can. With no incubators, they even fill medical gloves with warm water and surround a baby with them in an attempt to keep the child warm. They’re also using a technique called ‘skin-on-skin’ or ‘kangeroo care’. The BBC’s Mercy Juma visited the clinic and has been speaking to Alan Kasujja for Africa Daily.

According to the United Nations, over 900,000 South Africans were living overseas, by the end of 2020. Many chose countries like England, the US, Australia and New Zealand for their new homes. Data from FNB, one of the country’s leading banks, reveals that 18% of homes which were sold three years ago were due to relocations. That number went down to 14% this year. While hundreds of thousands remain outside the country, other figures show that about 400,000 South Africans returned home in the last decade. Alan Kasujja has been speaking to two South Africans; Antoinette Takis and Chantel Hinrichsen, who left and have now returned home. He also heard from Dr Anthony Kaziboni from the University of Johannesburg. He’s an expert on emigration.

President George Weah left Liberia on November 1 and was meant to return this month, but has since extended his return to December 18. In his travels, President Weah’s visited a number of countries; including Morocco, Egypt, France and in early December he’s planned a trip to the US. Along the way the former footballer and Ballon d’Or winner stopped in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup, where he’s been since the start of the tournament and had the chance to see his son, Timothy Weah, play for the United States. These trips have got many Liberians talking and saying the president shouldn’t be flying and leaving the country at a difficult time. Alan Kasujja spoke to Liberian journalist Jonathan Paye-Layleh, politician Karishma Pelham-Raad, as well as the President’s press secretary, Isaac Solo Kelgbeh.

For children across Uganda, Friday is the last day in school this year. They are closing their doors two weeks early in an effort to stop the spread of Ebola. The latest outbreak of the virus was identified late September and has become the deadliest in the country for more than a decade. But there are signs that the number of cases may be declining. So, is Uganda bringing its Ebola outbreak under control?#AfricaDaily

In August this year, Cameroon’s Minister of Public Health announced that there would be a ban on harmful skin lightening products. Many of them contain harmful ingredients which alter skin pigmentation and cause other health risks like skin cancer. Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja has been looking at whether bans on skin lightening products actually work.

Earlier this year, cases of malaria began to rapidly increase in the Ethiopian city of Dire Dawa. There were ten times the number of cases in the first half of the year, than the whole of 2019. And unlike usual, the spike was happening outside the rainy season which allows the disease to flourish. It was also spreading in urban areas, rather than mainly in the countryside. Scientists have since uncovered it was due to an invasive species of malaria-carrying mosquito from Asia. So far it’s been found in Ethiopia, Djibouti and all the way over in Nigeria, putting millions of people at risk. So, how can we respond to this new medical threat? #AfricaDaily

Whether or not a child gets treated for clubfoot – when a baby is born with twisted feet - varies across Africa. In some countries, like Senegal, only a minority of cases get treated – about 20% - though the authorities are now making a push to change this. In others countries, like South Africa, the majority of children with clubfoot will be treated.But campaigners say the ‘gold standard’ treatment is actually relatively simple and low cost – no longer involving surgery. It’s named the Ponseti method after the Italian doctor who devised it.Now the first ever African conference on the condition is being held in South Africa – organised by a long term campaigner whose own son was diagnosed with clubfoot 20 years ago – and treated by Doctor Ponseti himself. Alan Kasujja reports for Africa Daily.Presenter: Alan Kasujja @kasujja Guest: Karen Mara Moss @Steps_SA

There was weary applause at the close of COP27– as the environment conference was FINALLY wrapped up in Sharm el-Sheikh with a deal at 4.15am on Sunday morning. The global agreement was meant to have been signed on Friday. African delegates had lobbied heavily for a ‘loss and damage’ fund – to compensate countries suffering climate related disasters - and this did make the final text. But efforts to set tougher targets for cutting fossil fuels failed. So was this a victory for Africa – on paper at least?For Africa Daily, Mpho Lakaje gets the thoughts of leading African environmentalist Wanjira Mathai.Presenter: @mpholakaje. Guest: @MathaiWanjira

The football World Cup is set to kick off in Qatar on Sunday. Africa will be represented by teams from five countries – Cameroon, Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal and Ghana. On Thursday it was confirmed that Sadio Mane, Senegal’s star forward, would miss the tournament due to injury. It’s a blow to their chances in Qatar. But what about the rest of the African teams? Can they triumph at the 2022 World Cup? #AfricaDaily