Africa Daily

Warning: Please be advised that this episode contains open and frank discussions about topic listeners might find distressing. Across Africa’s newsrooms, sexual harassment appears to be rife. That’s according to research by Women in News - a media development programme. Half of all the women surveyed said they’d been harassed at work - and only a third had reported it. So, despite all the progress with the #metoo movement, why is sexual harassment still so widespread? And what’s being done to stop it?Hosted by Alan Kasujja Guests: Mary (not her real name) and Molly Chimhanda, senior manager at Women in News.#AfricaDaily

“You cannot rely on the rain to do farming. Either it’s recurring drought or if rainfall comes, it floods. The seasons have become unpredictable.” Last week on Africa Daily we heard about the drought in East Africa and the flooding in South Africa – both bringing misery to millions. Basic food supply becomes difficult. So today Mpho Lakaje speaks to Abdi Hashi, a farmer and entrepreneur in Somaliland who has set himself a task: to help the breakaway state – which currently imports 80% of its food – to become more self-sufficient. Six years ago he bought up a parcel of arid and unused land that some had deemed unfarmable. Now he has eight greenhouses and eight acres of thriving farmland – and trains other small farmers to become more productive and resilient, and less reliant on the rain. And with the drought worsening, he tells us how his farm has become a stopping point for nomads from as far afield as Somalia and Ethiopia who are looking for water for their cattle. Presenter: Mpho Lakaje (@mpholakaje) Guest: Abdi Hashi (@HorngardensB)

Hundreds have died in KwaZulu Natal, in what South African officials are calling ‘one of the worst weather storms in the history of the country’. In one utterly heartbreaking instance, one family is said to have lost ten members in the floods. Days of torrential rain have washed away homes, roads and bridges, prompting the government to declare a state of disaster. Mudslides have trapped people under buildings. Electricity and water have been restored to some areas and authorities say that almost 41,000 people are affected around the city of Durban. Rescue workers continue to go from house to house, desperately trying to find people who went missing. With the weather service warning of more floods expected in coming days, today, Mpho Lakaje, in Johannesburg, is asking how South Africa will cope. He’s joined by Nokuthula Nyandeni, one of those affected and Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman, from a non-governmental organization helping out – Gift of the Givers.

We are looking at the state of comedy in Africa as South Sudan, a country ravaged by war and which since 2013 continues to deal with an ongoing conflict, stages its first comedy festival.Tired of seeing the constant one-sided images and news stories of a war torn country with millions of people who have been displaced, and hundreds of thousands of people said to have been killed in the conflict, one man set out to try and change this world view of South Sudan. Akau Jambo, a comedian based in Juba, wanted to show the world another side – a side that shows that South Sudan too, despite everything else, can laugh and have a good time. So Akua brought almost a dozen of comedians from across the continent to his home country and put on a show over a weekend in the beginning of April. With a diverse cast of comedians from Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and South Africa in attendance, Mpho Lakaje speaks to Timothy Nyanzi, one the comedians who performed in Juba, about the festival but also the state of comedy in Africa. Presenter: Mpho Lakaje (@MphoLakaje) Guests: Akau Jambo (@AkauJambo) and Timothy Nyanzi (@timothyjnyanzi)

“We’re raised in a culture where these kind of things are hush hush. You don’t speak out about them. Ever since I shared my story a lot of other women I know started talking about theirs… This is exactly why I’m feeling better and I’m not feeling like it’s the end of the world.” It’s a shocking statistic: about 80% of black women will suffer from fibroids at some point in their lives. Fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the uterus. They can cause a number of painful symptoms, including back pain and heavy bleeding and can make it difficult to get pregnant. This can bring stigma and misunderstanding – with women blamed for having caused them in some way. Africa Daily finds out about the risk factors involved, what options are open to women – and hears from a Nigerian woman who’s dealing with the condition. Presenter: Mpho Lakaje (@mpholakaje) Guests: Stephanie Odili (stephanieodile.com) Dr Elizabeth Byakwaga (@ByakwagaE)

Somalia hasn’t seen enough rain for three consecutive seasons, and this has led to what experts are calling the worst drought in a decade. They are also warning the worst is yet to come.Hunger has been rife, as many Somalis have seen failed crops and thousands of their livestock, which many depend on for a living, dead.Hundreds of thousands people have been displaced, and the most vulnerable in society are bearing the brunt of this crisis – more than one million children are said to be suffering from severe malnutrition.Experts are warning that up to 325,000 children are at the risk of dying if nothing is done.On today’s episode Mpho Lakaje is speaking to the BBC’s reporter Mercy Juma who recently returned from Somalia’s worst hit areas. Mpho also has been speaking with Peter Ekayu, the deputy head of OCHA, (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) in Somalia about the effects the drought is having on Somalia’s most vulnerable people.Presenter: Mpho Lakaje (@MphoLakaje) Guests: Mercy Juma (@MercyJuma_) and Peter Ekayu

Eswatini is a small country of just over a million people which is facing big problems. Last year dozens of people died after a crackdown on pro-democracy protests– and in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic led to the economy shrinking. According to World Bank estimates, nearly 40% of its population lives on less than two dollars a day. Now the government is planning the launch of a national airline – its second such venture after its previous airline folded. So will this help boost trade and tourism – or just saddle the country with more debt?Mpho Lakaje explores the issue for this week’s #AfricaDaily.Presenter: Mpho Lakaje @mpholakajeGuests: Xavier Masule, commercial director at Royal Eswatini National Airways Corporation. Sanele Sibiya, University of Eswatini.

Africa has relatively low rates of diabetes. But cases are rising faster than any other continent. The condition causes the levels of glucose in the body to become too high. Untreated it can damage the nerves, eyes, heart and even lead to death. So, why is it a growing problem across Africa? And what can be done to prevent further cases?The episode contains frank discussion about sexual health issues.This episode was first broadcast on 10 December 2021Host: Alan Kasujja (@kasujja) Guests: Osarenkhoe Ethel Chima-Nwogwugwu (@osaethel) Professor Kaushik Ramaiya#AfricaDaily

Nigerians are well used to power-cuts – they’ve lived through hundreds, many nationwide – over the last decade. Businesses and individuals who need a reliable power source turn to private generators… and the costs for running them have gone up. The World Bank says that unreliable power costs the Nigerian economy an estimated $28 billion.So when last month the national grid collapsed twice in just two days – it led to widespread anger – and a rare apology from the President. So what’s behind this long running weakness in Nigeria’s energy supply? #AfricaDaily Presenter: Mpho Lakaje (@mpholakaje) Guest: Dr Vincent Emodi

In recent months, many people around the world have seen their cost of living increase. Basics such as food, fuel and electricity are costing more than they used to in many countries. Recent research has tried to pinpoint the most expensive cities on the continent, by looking at the cost of these goods. The data suggests that life in cities like Dakar, Addis Ababa and Abidjan is nearly as expensive as some cities in Europe. But people are often earning much less in these African cities. So, at a time when many people are having to tighten their belts, what’s life like in Africa’s most expensive cities?Host: Victoria Uwonkunda (@msuwonkunda)#AfricaDaily