Business Daily

There are an estimated ten million donkeys in sub Saharan Africa, many providing crucial roles supporting the livelihoods of low income families. We explore why these beasts of burden are so important to the economics of the region, and how demand from China for the skins of donkeys is worrying many across Africa. We visit a donkey sanctuary in Lamu, Kenya, and speak to one campaigner trying to stop the slaughter of donkeys for the export of their skins. We also hear how donkeys support economic freedom for women, from Emmanuel Sarr, regional director for the charity Brooke, based in Senegal. Image: A donkey. Credit: BBCPresenter: Vivienne Nunis Producer: Sarah Treanor

On this episode of Business Weekly, with the site down and a whistle-blower’s testimonial, was this Facebook’s worst-ever week? We hear what went wrong with their internal internet and find out why Frances Haughan’s evidence to Congress was important. Plus, we discover how a tech company is helping dispatch ambulances in Kenya where there is no centralised system. And if music be the food of love - swipe on. We hear from the app designer hoping to match-make with music. Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Matthew Davies.

Geraldine Robarts is a painter based in Kenya who has been exhibiting since 1958 and who still paints everyday, aged 82. Whether it’s a passion for what they do, the social connection, or the simple need to earn a living, a growing number of octogenarians remain in work. Over the coming weeks, Business Daily will hear from several workers putting in a shift, well into their ninth decade. As retirement ages around the world creep higher, we're asking what can these older professionals teach us about the nature of work? And when is the right age to down tools? Presenter: Vivienne Nunis Image: Geraldine Robarts. Credit: BBC

We go to Dandora, one of Africa’s largest rubbish tips. A court in Nairobi has ordered the dumpsite to come up with a concrete plan to close by February next year. But what will that mean for the community relying on the waste to survive? We hear about life at Dandora through the eyes of Liz Oteng’o, who grew up relying on airline meals dumped at the site. Vivienne Nunis hears how she and her husband Remco Pronk, are fighting to change the lives of those growing up there today. Image credit:GettyProducers: Sarah Treanor, Lulu Luo

Google pledges to be carbon free by 2030. Ahead of next month's UN Climate Summit, the company has come out with new targets to become greener than ever. But what does that mean? Is Google supporting the energy transition away from fossil fuels or just fuelling ever greater consumption? Ed Butler speaks to the company's Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Brandt, about how this is just the latest step in her company's aim to be a world leader in sustainability. Ian Bitterlin, a Consulting Engineer & Visiting Professor at the University of Leeds in the UK tries to quantify the amount of carbon pollution that could reasonably be attributed to data centers worldwide. And Sonya Bhonsle, the Global Head of Value Chains at CDP, the world's leading climate NGO that helps companies and cities disclose their environmental impact, tells Ed that Google scores very highly in their ratings and that the company is sending out good messages to others in the industry.(Photo: Google's logo adorns their office in New York, Credit: Getty Images)

Are virtual online worlds the future of the internet? Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg thinks so. He is among the tech leaders who say we'll increasingly live, socialise, play and shop in the metaverse. Is he right, and what is the metaverse anyway? Ed Butler speaks to venture capitalist and metaverse big-thinker Matthew Ball, and to Manuel Bronstein from Roblox - the hugely successful gaming platform where gamers already live out virtual lives through their avatars. Janine Yorio tells us why her 'virtual real estate' company Republic Realm is buying up land and property in metaverse worlds, and why the metaverse will be the future of shopping.(Photo: Roblox avatars, Credit: Roblox)

Getting to hospital in a medical emergency, in countries without a centralised ambulance service, can be critically slow. In rapidly urbanising Kenya, Vivienne Nunis meets Caitlin Dolkart – cofounder of Flare; a company which created a technology platform to dispatch ambulances anywhere across the country. But how do you direct an ambulance without accurate maps? We hear from Humanitarian Open Street Map’s Ivan Gayton how open source data is improving heathcare outcomes. Image: Ambulance operator Paul Ochieng disinfects a stretcher at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, on April 17, 2020. Credit: Getty

As China suffers its worst blackouts in over a decade, on Business Weekly we ask what’s causing the power shortages and what they mean for the rest of the world. We also hear from Germany, where political wrangling over who will be the next Chancellor continues. The Green Party will play kingmaker - and there are hopes from people in flood-hit areas that environmental policies will take centre stage. Plus, have you ever wondered how valuable influencers can be for a brand? We spend the day in a luxurious mansion full of social media personalities to find out if they represent value for money. And as James Bond takes to the silver screen once more, we ask whether the studios can afford to retire 007. Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Matthew Davies.

Do smart cities live up to the hype? Urban centres from New York to South Korea’s Busan are rebranding themselves as ‘smart’. From real-time crime mapping to lower energy use, smart cities promise a shortcut to a better future. But what is a smart city? The BBC’s Technology desk editor Jane Wakefield explains. Meanwhile, brand new metropolises are being planned across Africa, often envisioned as shiny tech hubs. Will they ever get off the ground? And why are global consultancy firms often a key part of the story? We visit Kenya’s Konza Technopolis, still a construction site 13 years after it was first promised. Konza CEO John Tanui says the project is on track but Kenyan writer Carey Baraka isn’t convinced. Picture: An artist’s impression of the planned Akon City in Senegal. Credit: Akoncity.comPresenter: Vivienne Nunis Producer: Sarah Treanor Reporter: Michael Kaloki

China's second largest property developer, Evergrande, is at risk of financial collapse, saddled with billions of dollars of debt. It's already defaulted on some bond repayments and has been forced to sell off assets; both Chinese and international investors are worried and Beijing is weighing the risk of spreading contagion. The BBC's Stephen McDonnell tells us about the property boom in China while Sara Hsu, a Visiting Scholar at Fudan University, tells us that the sheer size of the company is a worry. China watcher George Magnus, Research associate at Oxford University's China Centre, and at SOAS appraises the wider ramifications of the Chinese property bubble being deflated for both China and the rest of the world. (Image: Evergrande's HQ; Image credit: Reuters)