Africa Daily

Each day, Africa Daily brings you fresh stories thanks to journalists from across the continent. Their ability to get to the bottom of what’s going on depends on whether they can work freely and safely. But this isn’t always guaranteed. To mark World Press Freedom Day, Alan is talking to two colleagues in countries where press freedom appears to be moving in different directions. Many journalists in Tanzania feel that reporting has become less difficult since President Samia Suluhu Hassan came to power last year. But in Ethiopia, covering the news has become even harder since conflict spread in 2020. So, what does World Press Freedom Day mean in these two countries?#AfricaDaily

This weekend Mwai Kibaki - Kenya’s third president after independence - was buried amid great pomp and ceremony. He’s fondly remembered by many for his policy of introducing free primary education for all children. It rapidly led to 1.3 million more children entering schools. But nearly 20 years on, many parents say they have to pay hidden fees – and that the scheme actually lowered standards. Alan Kasujja speaks to parents and an education analyst to get their thoughts. “You can find classes of 100 pupils with one teacher…. It’s not free. Maybe we can say it’s subsidised but it’s not free.” Presenter: Alan Kasujja (@kasujja) Guests: Amos Kaburu (@kaburukitui) and parents Njeri Maina and Celestine Odiwuor.

Like many people across the continent, Ghanaians have seen the cost of living rising in recent months. And from Sunday they will have to budget for a new tax on some transactions. An ‘e-levy’ of 1.5% will be applied to mobile money payments, bank transfers and remittances over 100 cedis ($13). The government says the tax will raise nearly a billion dollars this year alone. And that the funds will be used to build roads, fund education and support young entrepreneurs. But some people are worried that the tax will hit those on low incomes the hardest and force many people to return to using cash. #AfricaDaily

In mid-April two family members in Mbandaka in the north-western Equateur Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo died from the virus within days of each other. This was the country’s 14th outbreak since the very first one back in the 70s when it was discovered. So much has changed and improved in the fight against this virus since the worst outbreaks in West Africa between 2013 and 2016, which left tens of thousands of people dead in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. It’s believed that on average the virus kills about 50 percent of those infected, but it can be contained and treated, if caught early. There’s now a vaccine against it and a new rollout is underway in Mbandaka to mitigate the latest outbreak. But despite all this progress Ebola still resurges. Today Alan Kasujja is asking why Ebola keeps re-occurring in the DRC? Guests:Rhoda Odhiambo, BBC Health Correspondent Dr. Mory Keïta, WHO Incident Manager of Ebola response in the DRC

On April 27, 1994, South Africans went to the polls to elect a new president. Among them were millions of Black citizens who had never voted because of the apartheid system that prevented them from having a say in their country’s political space. That election would see Nelson Mandela, the anti- apartheid fighter, become South Africa’s first democratically elected and the country’s first Black president.The fight against apartheid was long and bloody. Many political activists disappeared while in exile and in police custody in South Africa and they’ve never been found.Today Mpho Lakaje, who was 14 years old when his country saw the fall of the apartheid system, is speaking to Bafana Nkuta, whose brother has been missing since the 1970s. He also speaks to Madeleine Fullard, who sits on the Missing Persons Task Team, a government initiative whose mission is to finding out what happened to those people who disappeared.

“We are the country which has refused to take the many turning points that have been offered to us either through very painful points in our past or through opportunities.” Most of Kenya’s elections over the last 20 years have involved some level of violence and protests. The worst was in 2007 when at least 1,000 people were killed and more than half a million displaced. So it’s not surprising that many in Kenya are looking ahead to the upcoming elections in August with a sense of nervousness. Journalist John Allan Namu tells us that it doesn’t help that some politicians are using ‘unsanitary’ language on social media, that the independent election body is underfunded and untrusted by many Kenyans, and that the recent process for nominating candidates was chaotic and controversial. So what hope is there for a peaceful election in Kenya? Presenter: Alan Kasujja (@kasujja) Guest: John Allan Namu (@johnallannamu)

Many countries in Africa have ended restrictions and lockdown measures put in place during the height of the pandemic. In South Africa, which had the highest number of Covid-19 cases on the continent, this is a welcoming move for many industries; especially the hospitality sector. According to figures, nearly 400, 000 people in the restaurant industry lost their jobs at the height of the pandemic. And the unemployment rate is said to be at a staggering 35.3%. So with all that the country has faced and with so many people losing their livelihoods, today Alan, who’s recently returned from South Africa, speaks to two businessowners about how their businesses were affected in the last two years and asks if South Africa’s economy can recover and get back to its feet. Sakhumzi Maqubela is a restaurant owner in Soweto and Thato Mothopeng runs an event management company.

Several nations in Africa have decided to relax their lockdown mandates. In Namibia, you are no longer required to wear a mask in public and visitors don’t have to provide negative PCR tests. In South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa officially ended the lockdown, two years after it was imposed – and started a transition process away from mandatory facemasks in public. But it’s clear Covid-19 is still very much with us. Total cases currently stand at 8.6 million, with over 170 thousand deaths across the continent.So is this the right time to lift Covid measures? Alan Kasujja speaks to Namibia’s Health and Social Services minister Dr. Kalumbi Shangula and Dr. Mary Stephens of the World Health Organisation.Presenter: Alan Kasujja (@kasujja).

Street hawkers are a common sight, plying their trade on streets across Africa. From fruit and vegetables to gadgets and clothes – they sell it all. But in Tanzania, ‘Machingas’ - petty traders - have been evicted from their stalls and told they need to go to official markets. They were given one month’s notice. President Samia Suluhu Hassan says the street traders pay no tax, block up congested roads and take customers from formal shop owners who DO pay tax. But the Machingas say the move has left them struggling to feed their families. Presenter: Alan Kasujja (@Kasujja) Guest: Economist Walter Nguma. Street traders Godfrey Massima and Khamisi Mohammed

He’s got millions of fans and sold millions of records. Since 2009, Tanzanian musician Diamond Platnmuz has entertained legion of fans. First in his native Tanzania, then soon enough his popularity spilled across the rest of East Africa before he took on the rest of Africa and the world. His catchy tunes, often sang in Swahili, have captured fans beyond those who speak or understand the language. From his humble beginnings in Tandale, a low-income neighbourhood in Dar es Salaam, to Netflix where he’s one of the stars of the hit reality show – Young, African and Famous, there doesn’t seem to be an end to Diamond’s reach or talent. Africa Daily’s Victoria Uwonkunda sits down with him to find out what drives Diamond Platnumz. Guest: Diamond Platnumz (@Diamond Platnumz)