Claim OwnershipAfrica Daily
Subscribed: 18,614Played: 915,023
Subscribe
© (C) BBC 2024
Description
One question to wake up to every weekday morning. One story from Africa, for Africa. Alan Kasujja takes a deep dive into the news shaping the continent. Ready by early morning, five days a week, Monday to Friday.
838 Episodes
Reverse
Today, we're shining a light on a topic that keeps many African nations in the dark – the struggle for stable electricity supply.
Africa has the lowest access to electricity in the world. Roughly half a billion people lack access to a stable power supply, including two of the continent's biggest economies — Nigeria and South Africa.
Recently in Sierra Leone, people faced longer than average blackouts in the capital city Freetown and other main cities across the country.
The reason behind these power cuts was because Sierra Leone owed $48 million to the Turkish energy company, Karpowership. Some of that debt has since been settled and electricity has been restored.
In today’s Africa Daily, Mpho Lakaje has been looking at how frequent black outs impact life on the continent and what should be done to fix the problem.
Regular attacks by men on motorbikes wielding AK-47 rifles have become a common occurrence in Plateau State in central Nigeria.People in the state are still reeling from the trauma of Christmas Eve attacks just over four months ago, when gunmen attacked 25 villages killing over 150 people.Over the years, the clashes have mostly been between Muslim Fulani herders from the north and Christian farmers in the state. The conflict however seems to have morphed into a complicated situation, with the authorities claiming there are some ‘political forces’ fuelling it.The region is fertile and regarded as Nigeria’s bread basket but insecurity has meant low food production with farmers not being able to go to the farms.
In this episode of the Africa Daily podcast, Peter Musembi talks to Plateau State's Governor Caleb Mutfwang about what the authorities are doing and why the killings have persisted for so long.
Federalism in Africa is the topic of today’s episode. Depending on how you define the term, there are only around six countries in Africa that use the federal model, with Nigeria and Ethiopia among them.But what is federalism and what does it look like in practice? How does it function and differ from a system where power is centralised under one authority? Mpho Lakaje has been looking into all of this and examining whether this is a form of government that suits Africa. He is in conversation with Dr Bizuneh Yimenu, a teaching fellow at Birmingham University in the UK. He has also been talking to Dr Dele Babalola, a senior lecturer in International Relations at Canterbury Christ Church University in the UK and author of `The political economy of Federalism in Nigeria`.
“We should also harvest the water, store it in the soil. Grow our crops and grow our trees. Because the storage in the soil is much, much bigger than any store we can ever put on the surface. God has already given us a huge reservoir where we can put our water.”
Kenya has been ravaged by flooding this month: dozens have died – specifically after a dam burst and a passenger ferry capsized – and thousands more have been made homeless. Schools were closed and farmers have seen their crops destroyed.
But in a few months, many of the areas now under water will be struggling with drought.
So what can be done to conserve flood waters and build up resilience? And how can small farmers manage their land better?
For today’s Africa Daily, Peter Musembi speaks with Professor John Gathenya a Hydrologist from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
We’ve spoken many times on Africa Daily about mining and whether natural resources are actually a blessing or a curse for the continent. It’s led to decades of conflict in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and the neighbouring Central African Republic - and reports from Human Rights organisations about the appalling conditions miners - including children - often work in.But we rarely get a real sense of what it’s like for people living in these areas. The BBC’s new Global China Unit has been looking inside the mines owned by Chinese companies in the DR Congo, Indonesia and Argentina. Africa Daily’s Mpho Lakaje talked to the BBC’s Wanqing Zhang about a mine near Lubumbashi, a place often referred to as the mining capital of the country, and learned more about the lives of the communities living near the mine.
“Before pronouncing sentence on Bobrisky, the judge asked, ‘are you male or female?’. For me this was a red flag. Bobrisky’s gender has nothing to do with whether he (or she) abused the Naira.”
Money spraying is part of Nigerian culture: throwing bank notes or putting them on a person’s forehead to congratulate them at weddings, birthdays or other big social events.
But since 2007, it’s technically been illegal – as those bank notes can fall to the ground and be trodden on - and the maximum punishment is six months in jail.
But until recently, prosecutions were rare.
So there was much consternation earlier this month when Nigerian internet personality and transgender woman, Bobrisky - who has 5 million followers on Instagram - was sentenced to spend 6 months in a male prison for ‘Naira abuse’ after spraying banknotes at a film premier.
The government says it’s just clamping down on the practice. But others argue that Bobrisky has been targeted because of her gender identity.
“If I have my money, I have my assets, I have my farms, my houses, my cars, I have everything I need, I don’t need to be friendly with any white person” – Sandile Swana, former freedom fighter.In 1948, the National Party came into power in South Africa and introduced apartheid, a system that segregated society along racial lines. Black people were not allowed to share toilets, beaches, theatres and other public facilities with their white counterparts. In the decades that followed, the black majority rose up against the system and engaged in various political campaigns. Many activists - including Nelson Mandela, Robert Sobukwe, Walter Sisulu and Ahmed Kathrada - were incarcerated, while others fled to neighbouring countries. But after years of pressure on the National Party government, which included sanctions and international sports boycotts, apartheid collapsed. On the 27th of April 1994, the nation voted in its first democratic election. So 30 years since independence, our presenter Mpho Lakaje sits down with two people who were on either side of the political divide: former freedom fighter Sandie Swana and apartheid-era policeman Lourens Groenewald. So have black and white South Africans truly forgiven each other since those ugly days?
“It feels like a black man deserves the worst. The poor are getting poorer while the rich are getting richer. I don’t know how things will change” – Alexandra resident, Vusi Mbeye.
On the 27th of April 1994, millions of South Africans voted in their country’s very first democratic election. During white minority rule, black people were not allowed to vote. Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress won that election and then introduced policies like Affirmative Action and Black Economic Empowerment. In addition, many black students received financial aid from the government and private companies, to further their university or college studies. All these measures were meant to correct the economic injustices of the past.
But 30 years after the fall of apartheid, have black South Africans experienced meaningful economic freedom? Africa Daily presenter Mpho Lakaje, who is himself a black South African, sits down with two men who were both born in Alexandra township: street vendor Vusi Mbeye and Theo Baloyi, a wealthy businessman. He also visits political analyst Khaya Sithole.
Togo's President Faure Gnassingbé's proposal to change the constitution has ignited a fierce debate in the country. Some say it's a power grab disguised as reform, while others insist it's a step towards a more democratic future.The reforms aim to switch Togo from a presidential to a parliamentary system, but critics worry it will only prolong the Gnassingbé family's rule. Helping to keep him in power until 2031 and potentially beyond. President Gnassingbé came to power in 2005 after the death of his father, who had been president since 1967.Protests have been banned and elections postponed- they are now set to take place on Monday 29th April. It’s all led to heightened tension and concerns about the country's political future. Africa Daily’s Mpho Lakaje spoke to the BBC’s Nicolas Negoce about the future of politics in Togo.
Earlier this month we marked the 10th anniversary of the kidnapping of the Chibok girls. It was one of the first mass kidnappings of children witnessed in Nigeria. In 2014, 276 girls were abducted from their school by militants from Chibok, a town in the country’s north east. Over the past 10 years, mass abductions and kidnappings have become a common occurrence in Nigeria. So what is the government doing to get a handle on security?In today’s Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja speaks to Mohammed Idris, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation.
“Development is all about leadership. You can get all the resources in the world, you can get all the best human capital… but if the leadership is not there you can’t make the best of the resources you have and eventually move your country forward.”Ibrahima Cheikh Diong is UN-Assistant Secretary General and Director General of the African Union specialized agency “the African Risk Capacity Group” or ARC, which works with governments to help them deal with climate related disasters.But in a varied career, he’s also been a member of the Senegalese government and worked for the World Bank, as a senior banker and in management consultancy. And he even speaks Mandarin as well as French and English thanks to his student days in China.But he says if he had to best describe himself he’d say he was ‘an African who cares about Africa and wants to make a difference in Africa’. This is Alan’s second conversation with people included – like himself – in New African Magazine’s 100 Influential Africans list for this year.
You’ve gone to the grocery store and bought your week’s supplies… so can you imagine receiving your change in sweets, chocolates and other small items?That’s the situation in Zimbabwe where a shortage of US dollars – and a plummeting Zimbabwean dollar – has now led the government to introduce a new currency pegged to gold. The Zimbabwean dollar has already lost three quarters of its value this year.But will this latest move work any better than other attempts by the government to stabilise the economy in the past?
Earlier this month, the goalkeeper of Spanish third-tier team, Rayo Majadahonda, went into the stands to confront a fan who allegedly racially abused him. Cheikh Sarr, a black man originally from Senegal, said he heard an elderly man join others as they made monkey gestures. But what took many people by surprise was the Spanish football federation’s decision to slap the player with a two-match ban for the confrontation.
It’s not the first time European football has been rocked by a racism scandal. Last year, seven people were arrested for a similar incident against Real Madrid and Brazilian star Vinicius Junior. Samuel Eto’o, who is now the Cameroonian football federation’s president said, he too faced discrimination when he was still playing for Barcelona in Spain.
Nigeria’s Samuel Chukwueze, Ghana’s Iñaki Williams and Mouctar Diakhaby of Guinea, are among European-based African players who’ve also faced racism. So, what will it take to end racism in European football?
Presenter: Alan Kasujja
Guests: Evelyn Watta, vice president of the International Sports Press Association and veteran British-Nigerian broadcaster Osasu Obayiuwana
Ghana and Ivory Coast, responsible for over 60% of the world's cocoa supply, are suffering from catastrophic harvests.
Illegal gold mining, climate change and a devastating virus have formed a perfect storm. Over 590,000 hectares of cocoa plantations have been affected according to Ghana’s cocoa marketing board Cocobod. Meanwhile, shoppers who indulged in Easter treats in the United States found the cost of chocolate had increased by more than 10% on last year, according to data from research firm NielsenIQ.BBC Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja spoke to BBC's Nicolas Negoce about the specific challenges faced by cocoa farmers in the region.
Yesterday, Africa Daily heard from two Sudanese men about how a year of war has forever changed their lives. But the impact is also being felt beyond Sudan’s borders: South Sudan’s oil industry – its main income generator – has been heavily impacted because routes to the coast for export have been cut off. Chad and South Sudan are hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees each. And in border areas, armed groups have been growing more active and refugees report extortion, brutal attacks and murder. In response, many regional leaders have attempted to bring the leaders of the two warring parties together for talks: military chief General Abdel-Fattah Burhan and General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the commander of Rapid Support Forces, who is more commonly known as Hemedti. But mistakes and perceived insults mean little has been achieved from their efforts. So can African countries do anything to stop the conflict?
1On April 15th last year, fighting broke out between the leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and a powerful paramilitary group know as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
As the conflict escalated millions fled for their lives. According to the United Nations World Food Programme, around 18 million people in Sudan are facing food insecurity – a situation likely to worsen because of failed harvests.
In Darfur, now mostly in the hands of the RSF, whole cities have emptied out as civilians faced targeted attacks and rapes based on their ethnic group, and there have been countless atrocities committed by both sides throughout the country.
Today on Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja speaks to a man who has just been reunited with his elderly mother and younger brother after they crossed the desert to reach him in Egypt, and to the BBC’s Mohanad Hashim, who is himself Sudanese.
This month marks ten years since the kidnapping of the Chibok girls in north eastern Nigeria when militants abducted nearly 300 girls. Most of the girls have either been freed or escaped but dozens remain unaccounted. In the years since, kidnapping for ransom - for profit- by criminal gangs has also become the norm, even in places like trains or in the capital Abuja, which used to be considered relatively safe.In today’s episode Alan Kasujja speaks to a woman who was kidnapped twice on her way home from work, and hears more about the approach by Nigerian police to kidnappings.Some listeners may find some of the descriptions of kidnapping in this episode distressing.
On the 14th of April 2014, 279 girls were abducted from their school in Chibok, in north eastern Nigeria. Since that fateful night some have escaped, many have been rescued but sadly others remain missing. As Nigeria and the community of Chibok mark 10 years since the kidnapping of the girls, the country has seen many more abductions. One estimate suggests more than 4,000 people have been abducted in Nigeria in the past 8 months. So today Alan Kasujja will be looking at how the girls, now women, families and community are getting on. And we hear from the army on what they are doing to find the girls who are still missing.
“The problem is that communities are always excluded when important decisions are taken. Companies impose decisions on communities” – Fana Sibanyoni, a resident of Embalenhle in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province
In today’s episode, Mpho Lakaje sits down with Sharon Mbonani and Fana Sibanyoni, the residents of Embalenhle in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province.
They share their personal stories on how they are affected by air pollution.
Their province is known for being home to some of South Africa’s major mines and power stations.
This conversation comes after Greenpeace Africa released a report stating that Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa are leading air polluters in Africa.
Some of the main culprits include power plants that use fossil fuel for electricity generation, and the results are devastating.
The report has revealed that air pollution is responsible for 6.7 million deaths every year on the continent.
So, how are the nations mentioned in the study responding to this problem?
Last week, Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a national disaster due to a prolonged drought crisis, saying the country needed $2 billion to address hunger. Zimbabwe, once a regional food producer, now grapples with high inflation and scarcity, intensified by climate change-induced droughts. This crisis affects not only food production but also electricity generation, leading to power cuts.
And it’s not just Zimbabwe. Neighbouring countries are also struggling, with Zambia and Malawi also declaring drought a national disaster.
BBC Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja hears from an impacted farmer in Zambia and hears from the BBC's Shingai Nyoka how people are coping in the region.
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States
It is sad that most infringing laws are passed from a point of ignorant fear and tremendous misinformation. God help Africa. Too many wrong people running the countries.
Kiswahili not Swahili
This conversation was too short!
Very nice episode. I particularly find it insightful, and wish that you had talked about the impact of our different currencies in trades between africain regions
Fantastic podcast, always interesting. And I love the music!
This is what l have been looking for. Great job
Really enjoying the shows. Concise and informative. Any chance the guest's names can be added to the show notes in the case the viewers would like to engage further into what they've spoken about.
looking forward to following