Business Daily

Middlemen are intermediaries who facilitate business interactions for a commission, but in Africa their role is more complex. Africa's middlemen divide opinion on whether they are predatory rent-seekers or invisible but ever present cultural brokers who are actually crucial to the economy.We hear from local businessman Bola Omololu - based in Abeokuta, southwest Nigeria, and Tony Alabi an architect also based in Nigeria, in the commercial capital of Lagos. They share their experiences of interacting with middlemen.Cocoa farmer Dimeji Green holds middlemen directly responsible for the dire conditions of farmers in the multi-billion pounds industry whilst Josephine Favre of the African association of vertical farming thinks middlemen are actually necessary for the economy to thrive.Presenter / producer: Peter MacJob Image: Bolarinwa Omololu; Credit: Bolarinwa Omololu

About 1.5 million fans, a little more than half the population of Qatar, are expected to arrive in the tiny Gulf state for the 2022 World Cup. Two weeks before the start of tournament, Sam Fenwick speaks to fans about how much they are willing to spend to support their team and hopefully watch them lift the iconic trophy. There are concerns that fans have been priced out of attending this year’s tournament. The Ghanaian government is subsidising some ticket prices. It will be the first time many Welsh fans have had the opportunity to see their team in a World Cup, they last qualified in 1958. Around 3,000 are expected to travel for the group stages of the competition. Many have spent thousands of dollars on flights, accommodation and tickets. Argentina fans are also spending big to see Lionel Messi line up for his country in a World Cup, possibly for the very last time.Presenter / producer: Sam Fenwick Image: Welsh football fans; Credit: BBC

How easy is it for a woman to start and run a business in Qatar? In the past few years, there have been changes to the constitution and laws which have made it easier for women to work and run businesses. We ask whether that’s filtered down to 'street level' or whether cultural constraints still restrict women. We visit a project in Doha where Qatari women have set up a business in a cultural centre, and Sheikha Mayes bint Hamad bin Mohamed bin Jabr al-Thani explains the important role women can play in Qatar's economy.Rothna Begum, senior women's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch explains how things have changed for women in Qatar - and what barriers and challenges still remain.Presenter and producer: Sam Fenwick(Image: Women walking through Doha. Credit: Getty)

Will a boost in visitors for the Qatar World Cup lead to more visitors in the long run? Qatar has spent over $220bn on preparations for the football World Cup, and there are hopes the tournament will draw visitors for years to come. We take a tour of Doha, looking at the dow boats and some of the common tourist sites that fans will experience, and hear from Berthold Trenkel, COO of Visit Qatar. We also hear from economists who think the strategy of hosting a “mega-event” such as this can be a gamble. Plus Oman Air, which is going to be putting on dozens of extra flights so that fans can commute in for matches, tell us how that matches up with a ‘climate friendly’ World Cup. Producer/presenter: Hannah Bewley(Image: Dow boats in Doha. Credit: Getty)

Workers from countries such as Nepal have done the bulk of the work to build the stadiums and infrastructure for the Qatar World Cup. But there are difficult questions still to be answered about the treatment of these people, and how compensation for those workers who have been badly treated, or even died in Qatar, is being paid. In this episode, Ed Butler speaks to a man from Nepal who worked on a bus depot project in Doha and an investigative journalist in Nepal who says he is speaking to workers who are being sent home from Qatar because the World Cup is happening.Human Rights Watch explain the issues with compensation payments that they are still hearing about, and James Dorsey, a specialist on the politics of Middle East football, gives his view on the gamble the Qataris are undertaking to host the event, in a hope that they gain ‘soft power’.Producer/Presenter: Ed Butler(Image: A Qatari stadium with workers climbing up. Credit: European Pressphoto Agency)

Samira Hussain visits the New York studio of one of the most in demand photographers in the world, Jason Bell.Jason has photographed some of the world’s most famous people - including Angelina Jolie, Leonardo DiCaprio and the British Royal Family. His work has been featured in Vanity Fair and Vogue and he’s shot campaigns for The Crown, Billy Elliot and The Revenant. Jason takes us behind the lens on some very famous photo shoots, explaining how his career progressed. Plus he gives his top tips for taking a truly memorable photograph. Presenter: Samira Hussain Producer: Carmel O’Grady(Photo: Photographer Jason Bell Credit: Getty Images)

In April 2022, Sri Lanka was gripped by a major economic crisis. Prices were rising sharply, protests started in the capital, Colombo,and spread across the country.Daily power cuts and shortages of basics such as fuel, food and medicines were commonplace. Inflation was running at more than 50%.In July, after months of unrest, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country. Three months on, Rahul Tandon asks whether Sri Lanka's economic situation has improved, and explores how the country could improve its fortunes - when everyone wants to leave.Rahul hears from people in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, where there are queues for the passport office, a Colombo business owner, and a Sri Lankan academic now living in the UK who says she's not going back.Presented and produced by Rahul Tandon.(Image: Sri Lankan tea seller in the rain. Credit: Getty)

In a wide ranging interview, David Malpass, president of the World Bank, speaks to presenter Sam Fenwick about the global economic situation.He talks about the consequences of rising global debt and high inflation, and how poorer countries are bearing the brunt of the economic crisis. Mr Malpass says the debt caused by the coronavirus pandemic will take decades to pay off, and says many of the subsidies were not targeted. He says a similar situation is being created again with the energy crisis. Presented and produced by Sam Fenwick.(Image: David Malpass. Credit: Getty)

In mid-2021 hot tub companies were king. Unprecedented demand through covid pushed up sales as people stayed at home. Some of Europe's well known suppliers boasted up to a 400% increase in sales compared to 2019. Companies simply could not get a hold on enough stock. In China on/off lockdowns caused a part shortage. Waiting lists across Europe went as far as six months. Some of the world's biggest tub producers made record profits.Then in early 2022 an industry went from its heyday to doomsday in a matter of months. The reason: The cost of electricity. Across Europe, some owners are draining their pools as the cost of living crisis bites. One in five hot tub owners say they now never use them, while a further third said they hardly ever use them, according to a new major survey. Business Daily's Rick Kelsey speaks to Chris Hayes from BISHTA, the trade association for hot tub installers in the UK and Ireland, about the type of people who can now afford a tub. We travel to Valencia in Spain to hear how health spas are affording to heat their water. Sophie Clarke, who’s selling her tub on a European forum tells us how upset she is to see it go and we hear from international hot tub supplier Christina Mantoura Clarke on how her business survived when so many competitors went bust.Presented and Produced by Rick Kelsey(Image: A man and child in a hot tub. Credit: Getty)

When you’re conducting a scientific experiment, you must prepare for it to fail.Lab researchers work by this motto. But for Dr Natalie Kenny, founder of international lab testing and medical training firm BioGrad, it’s proved true in every aspect of life.It’s been a whirlwind ride: from growing up in a working-class family in Liverpool, England, to battling tropical diseases in the Amazonian rainforest, and losing almost everything before going on to found a multi-million dollar business.In this episode of Business Daily, she sits down with Alex Bell to reflect on a remarkable life in science, discussing the pharmaceutical industry, gender equality in the laboratory, and being on the frontlines of the Covid pandemic. as well as the personal tests she’s had to overcome.(Picture: Dr Natalie Kenny at BioGrad’s headquarters in Liverpool, UK. Credit: BioGrad.)