Africa Daily

Where are the Greens in Africa?We’re now half way through the COP27 environmental conference in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt – where political and business leaders and activists have been haggling over how best to limit climate change. African leaders have taken to the podium to castigate richer nations for causing global warming, and then not helping the continent to deal with its impact.But despite the environment rising up the agenda – Green parties are still failing to cut through at election time.For Africa Daily Alan Kasujja speaks to three Green party candidates and activists about the challenges they face. “Bigger parties try their level best to keep the smaller parties low. The bigger parties will make sure you stay small and small and small… Most of the candidates have to carry all the burden of self-sponsorship.”Presenter: Alan Kasujja (@kasujja) Guests: @kagendolucy and @tbkentos

This week Ramon “Hushpuppi” Abbas, the notorious Nigerian fraudster, was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison in the US.He pleaded guilty to money laundering and other cyber crimes that cost his victims more than $24 million in losses. He had many aliases, but he was best known as Hushpuppi. He also liked to refer to himself as the “Billionaire Gucci Master”, alluding to his acclaimed wealth and love for designer goods. He styled himself as a man who went from humble beginnings to a life of unimaginable wealth. From the slum he was born in in Lagos, to the ostentatious lifestyle of his later years in Dubai, he seemed to have it all. But it was all a lie. All the cars, mansions and designer goods had all been bought with money he scammed from people. And it all came crumbling down after his arrest in June 2020 in Dubai. Today, Alan Kasujja is looking at the fast rise and spectacular fall of a man the FBI called one “of the world's most high-profile fraudsters”. He's been speaking to the BBC’s Princess Abumere in Lagos, who's been following the Hushpupppi story from the beginning.

The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 40 years. In Kenya the situation is forcing children to drop out of school to help their parents look for food and water. Kenyan President William Ruto recently told the COP27 summit in Egypt that this year alone, 2.5 million livestock, worth over $1 billion have died. In Somalia, charity CARE International says women, who are the breadwinners and heads of families, are now doing everything to ensure their husbands and children eat first, including sacrificing their health. So what is the human cost of climate change in Africa? Alan Kasujja has been speaking to Benson Meoli, a pastoralist and local tour guide at Kenya’s Amboseli national park and two CARE International workers, Pamela Agum and Abdikadir Ore.

On Monday, the Malian army rubbished reports that the north-eastern Menaka region is about to fall militants from the Islamic State group. They say the stories are propaganda designed to destabilise the country. And that they have been carrying out regular patrols in the region. In the neighbouring region of Gao, unions have called a strike. They are protesting the authorities response to violence that has left thousands displaced. So, what is being done to solve the insecurity in the north of the country?#AfricaDaily

For years the fight against HIV/AIDS was fought with antiretroviral drugs. But in October the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe announced that it had approved the use of a new medicine against HIV/AIDS. CAB-LA is long-acting injectable cabotegravir with the aim of preventing HIV. The World Health Organisation welcomed the step taken by Zimbabwe. This is particularly important considering the high HIV prevalence rate in the southern African country. The news of CAB-LA approval came shortly after a report published by the United Nations suggested that a young woman in Africa is infected every two minutes. So will this new injectable drug make a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the stigma that comes with taking antiretroviral drugs, taken in pill form? Mpho Lakaje has been speaking to two men with long experience with the disease. Farai Masekela is with the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe and explained how this new drug works. Ntimbwe Mpamba is 40 years old and has been HIV positive since birth. He shared his long journey living with the disease.

This week the global environment conference COP 27 begins in Egypt. The world is warming because of the burning of fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal. Activists say what’s needed is hard cash – for Africa and other heavily impacted areas to manage the impact of climate change. In 2009 industrialised nations promised to provide $100 billion each year from 2020 to help poorer nations. At last year’s COP in Glasgow it looked like that fund was finally going to become a reality. But at the very last minute the deal fell through. Africa Daily’s Mpho Lakaje has been looking at whether a COP hosted in Egypt will be more successful for Africa.

It’s two years since the conflict started in Ethiopia. The war has taken it’s toll on people in the affected areas with tens of thousands of people dead. And the World Health Organisation estimates 90% of people in the Tigray region are in need of food aid. This week, negotiators from the opposing TPLF and government forces signed a ceasefire agreement. A disarmament plan and commitment to restore service to Tigray have also been agreed. So, is there hope for peace in Ethiopia? #AfricaDaily

The economic aftershocks from the covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine are being felt by economies around the world. Many countries have seen their currencies lose their value and a rapid rise in inflation. This is being felt acutely in many African countries where the falling value of many currencies is causing economic hardship because money isn’t buying as much as it did at the beginning of the year. Africa Daily’s Ferdinand Omondi has been looking at the cause and solutions to this economic turmoil.

Brazil, the land of samba and football. It’s also a country with close ties to Africa, through long years of slavery, centuries ago.It currently has the largest black population outside of Africa. With the imminent return to power of Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva, popularly known as Lula, some may wonder what his win means for Africa.When the left wing leader was president from 2003 to 2010, Brazil-Africa relations blossomed.Trade to Africa ran into the billions of dollars from 2000 to 2008, and much of this came from mining, infrastructure, construction and agriculture.But then the relationship declined. So what happened? What changed and what lies ahead? These are some of the questions Ferdinand Omondi got into with Dr. Alex Vines, Managing Director of the Africa Programme at Chatham House, a think tank in the United Kingdom.

People in Mogadishu are in mourning once again. At least 120 people were killed when two car bombs exploded outside the Ministry of Education on Saturday. The government says the militant group al-Shabab were behind the attack - their deadliest for five years. President Hassan Sheik Mohamud says he will wage a full war on those responsible. So, what is behind the latest attack? And what can be done to stop the militants?#AfricaDaily