Africa Daily

BBC World Service
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Africa Daily

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.

  1. 19 HR AGO

    Is Somali piracy on the comeback?

    “A lot of people in our communities don’t view them as pirates. I think they are defenders of the sea.” In 2011, Somali piracy peaked. Crews were attacked at gunpoint and many held as hostages for months. The World Bank says there were 243 incidents that year. After a crackdown involving international navies, attacks plummeted to almost zero. But since last year there’s been an uptick in incidents. Houthi attacks on shipping using the Suez Canal - in support of the Palestinians in Gaza – drew global attention, and firepower, away from the Somali coastline. And the root causes of the problem – poverty and lack of infrastructure for local fishing communities, and illegal fishing by foreign trawlers – were never addressed. So could piracy return to the levels of 15 years ago? Alan @kasujja speaks with a local fisherman from the affected town of Eyl, and to fisheries expert Abdirahman Mohamed.

    18 min

  2. 3 DAYS AGO

    How much is South Africa willing to sacrifice for Palestinians?

    “The question that I’ve been grappling with is, are we not punching above our weight as a country given the fact that we are not one of the biggest economies?” – Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast, Nelson Mandela University in South Africa Tensions between South Africa and the United States appear to be intensifying. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s party, the African National Congress recently said, it won’t be dropping its genocide case against Israel to appease America. South Africa took Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s country to the International Court of Justice in 2024, arguing that it was committing genocide. This relates to the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. These developments come weeks after President Donald Trump’s administration took a hostile stance towards South Africa, including cutting off funding. In today’s episode, Alan Kasujja tries to understand how far South Africa is prepared to go for the cause of Palestine, amid America’s pressure.

    20 min

  3. 4 DAYS AGO

    How is Zambia dealing with lead contamination?

    “It has made nearly every person, every mother, to have their child contaminated, because the lead levels are so rampant,” says Cornelius Katiti, a father from Kabwe, Zambia, whose three children are affected by lead poisoning. For decades, the town has struggled with remediating 6.4 million tonnes of toxic lead waste left behind by a former mine. A Human Rights Watch report shows 95% of children in affected areas of Kabwe have dangerously high lead levels. Cornelius, along with many others in the community, is left asking: who is responsible for the clean-up? In today's episode, Alan Kasujja explores the ongoing environmental and health impacts of mining with Cornelius, an environmental chemist , and an environmental consultant.

    21 min

  4. 5 DAYS AGO

    What does Africa’s urban population boom mean for its major cities?

    Africa’s cities are expanding at an unprecedented rate. A new report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Sahel and West Africa Club says the urban population will double to 1.4 billion by 2050. But are these cities prepared to handle the growing demand for housing, transport and services? And as urban areas evolve, who truly stands to benefit from this transformation? BBC Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja explores this with Patrick Analo Akivaga, Chief Officer for Urban Development in Nairobi as well as Kenyan photographer Mutua Matheka, who documents Nairobi’s changing cityscapes and comedian Ty Ngachira, who shares his experience of moving to the capital.

    17 min

  5. 6 DAYS AGO

    Why don’t we know more about Lupus and autoimmune diseases?

    Lupus is a condition where someone’s immune system attacks their own body, including healthy tissue and cells, leaving them with debilitating conditions like exhaustion, extreme weight gain, organ failure and pain. It can lead to death. It disproportionately affects black women but very little is known about the condition in Africa and statistics are hard to come by. In today's episode, Alan Kasujja speaks to two women in South Africa who are determined to change this. GUESTS: Palesa Ramakatsa and Una Van Rhyn is the founder of the Andreas Gift Foundation

    21 min

  6. 31 MAR

    Why does southern Africa experience so many devastating cyclones?

    Have you noticed how southern Africa tends to be hit by deadly cyclones that leave a trail of destruction? Right now the people of Mozambique are trying to piece their lives together after Cyclone Jude battered the country this month. Before it, two others, Chido and Dikeledi, hit the same part of southern Africa in quick succession. All three claimed dozens of lives, leaving schools, homes and other buildings severely damaged. Today Alan Kasujja sits down with Lehlohonolo Thobela of the South African Weather Service in Pretoria. “If you speak about Mozambique, Madagascar, South Africa, those are usually the areas that usually experience tropical cyclones. Geographically, the Indian Ocean is in the eastern parts. The Indian Ocean itself is where cyclones are born. Why? Because they need warmth”, Lehlohonolo says. Alan also hears from Mary Louise Eagleton of UNICEF, who is in Maputo. She’s been to the most affected areas and shares what she's seen.

    18 min

  7. 28 MAR

    What will Kirsty Coventry’s win mean for Africa?

    “A lot is expected of her. A lot of eyes are going to be on her.” A moment of sporting history. That’s how many sports fans around the world will remember it. Africa’s most decorated Olympian, swimming champion, Kirsty Coventry will become the next President of the International Olympic Committee. The first time for a woman, an African and the governing body's youngest president. In today’s Africa Daily Alan Kasujja hears reaction from Zimbabwe and speaks to two female Olympians on what this means for Africa. Guests: Zimbabwean sports journalist Steve Vickers, two-time Olympic medallist Nigeria's Mary Onyali Omagbemi, and Kenya’s Sinaida Aura who took part in the Tokyo Olympics for Kenya’s rugby Lionesses

    18 min

  8. 27 MAR

    Why are street football tournaments a Ramadan tradition in Egypt?

    “You cannot feel that you’re fasting when you’re playing. No water, no food, but it’s still very exciting to finish and to score" Ramadan is a time for prayer and reflection worldwide. But in Egypt they mark it using one of their nationwide passions: football. Since the 1960s street football tournaments have spread to every town – involving everyone from professional footballers to children and old men. A woman’s tournament is in its infancy. Some footballers have even been slapped with heavy fines by their clubs for taking part – but many remain undeterred, as it’s such a part of Ramadan tradition and culture. PRESENTER: Alan @Kasujja GUESTS: 70 year old Elsayed Mohamed and his son, football journalist, Mohamed Kutbah, and Hamada Elalfy, one of the organisers of the Mit Rumi tournament.

    17 min
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    3.7
    out of 5
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    About

    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.

    Information

    • Creator
      BBC World Service
    • Years Active
      2021 - 2025
    • Episodes
      1.1K
    • Rating
      Clean
    • Copyright
      © (C) BBC 2025
    • Show Website
      Africa Daily

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