

Focus on Africa
BBC World Service
Two essential stories to round off your working day. Explaining the big topics and news from Africa, the people behind them, plus an African perspective on global stories. Hosted by Nkechi Ogbonna. Five days a week, ready by late afternoon, Monday to Friday.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 27, 2025 • 30min
Sudan's army retake Khartoum
Sudan's army has chased out the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces from the capital city, Khartoum - but how significant is this development, and could it signal a major breakthough in the two year war? We hear from Mohanad Hashim, who is from the capital and has been following the war since it began. He has just returned from a trip there. Why has Burkina Faso’s military rulers disbanded the country’s main journalists’ association and detained its leaders?And could Africa lead the way in pioneering plant-based vaccines? We hear from a leading immunologist on how she and her team are developing plant-based immunisation technology.Presenter: Audrey Brown
Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer
Producers: Stefania Okereke, Amie Liebowitz and Elizabeth Kazibure in London. Daniel Dadzie in Accra
Senior Journalist: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Mar 26, 2025 • 32min
Is Rwanda planning to attack Burundi ?
Burundi's president alleges that Rwanda plans to attack his country. Why are relations poor between the two nations?How crypto mining is bringing power to rural Zambia.And can animation be a tool for political and social change ? Views from an award-winning Ghanaian animator-Francis Yushau BrownPresenter: Audrey Brown
Producers: Yvette Twagiramariya, Bella Hassan and Daniel Dadzie
Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga
Technical Producer: Jonny Hall
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Mar 25, 2025 • 27min
Is Chad aiding Sudanese rebels?
A Sudanese commander accuses Chad of allowing the United Arab Emirates to use Chadian airports to supply weapons to rebels in Sudan. But where's the evidence?Also in the programme: Eritrea kicked out USAID in 2005. Two decades on, what impact has it had?And the Kenyan woman who defied tradition and paid her own dowry.Presenter : Audrey Brown
Producers: Frenny Jowi and Stefania Okreke
Senior Producer : Sunita Nahar
Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Mar 24, 2025 • 33min
Why has a river in Zambia 'died'?
A vibrant river reportedly ‘died' overnight in Zambia after an acidic waste spill at a Chinese-owned mineHow the Sudan crisis is affecting gum arabic productionAnd can AI help African farmers produce more? Presenter : Charles Gitonga
Producers: Yvette Twagiramariya, Amie Liebowitz and Bella Hassan.
Senior Producer : Paul Bakibinga
Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Mar 21, 2025 • 36min
Why did Kenya exit IMF programme?
Kenya and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will discuss a new lending programme and abandon the current one, as the country struggles to get its economy back on track. Kenya needs continued financial support from the fund to keep up with debt repayments that have accumulated as a result of heavy government spending in recent years. What does a fall out with the IMF mean for Kenya? Also, why women in Nigeria are calling for a nationwide state of emergencyAnd in conversation with Ghana's top investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who has been awarded $18m in damages!Presenter: Audrey Brown
Technical Producer: Craig Kingham
Producers: Patricia Whitehorne, Nyasha Michelle and Amie Liebowitz in London. Daniel Dadzie in Accra.
Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Mar 20, 2025 • 32min
Jihadist attacks intensify near Somali capital
Why are Al Shabab jihadists intensifying attacks near Somalia's capital Mogadishu ?Lessons for Africa from the covid pandemic 5 years on.We meet the inspiring mother-daughter duo gearing up for the Safari Rally in Kenya.Presenter: Charles Gitonga
Producers : Alfonso Daniels, Khadra Salad, Yvette Twagiramariya, Stefania Okereke and Bella Hassan in London.
Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga
Technical Producer: Pat Sissons
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Mar 19, 2025 • 29min
DR Congo and Rwanda call for ceasefire
The Democratic Republic of Congo's President Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame have called for an "immediate ceasefire" in eastern DR Congo, following talks in Qatar. It's the first time the two leaders have met since Rwanda-backed M23 rebels stepped up an offensive in the region, where authorities say seven thousand people have been killed since January. Will the ceasefire be heeded?Also, there's a rapid increase of weaponised drones across the continentAnd why has Sudan suspended all imports from Kenya?Presenter: Audrey Brown
Technical Producer: Chris Kouzaris
Producers: Patricia Whitehorne and Sunita Nahar in London. Daniel Dadzie in Accra and Charles Gitonga in Nairobi.
Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Mar 18, 2025 • 32min
Angola refuses entry to African opposition leaders
Angola recently refused entry to opposition leaders from across Africa.Why is South Africa's ambassador to the United States 'no longer welcome’?And Nigeria is projected to witness an obesity explosion in the next 30 years-why? Presenter : Audrey Brown
Producers: Frenny Jowi, Yvette Twagiramariya and Blessing Aderogba
Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga
Technical Producer: Pat Sissons
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Mar 17, 2025 • 41min
Tigray: Why have fears of war emerged?
Ethiopia and Eritrea could be headed towards war, according to regional experts and officials. The warnings stem from fresh instability in Ethiopia's Tigray region, where a civil war from 2020-2022 resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. What's behind the recent tension? Also, why is there a rise in the number of women being imprisoned?And we consider the legacy of the internationally acclaimed South African playwright, Athol Fugard.Presenter: Audrey Brown
Technical Producer: Craig Kingham
Producers: Yvette Twagiramariya, Stefania Okereke and Patricia Whitehorne
Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Mar 14, 2025 • 35min
Why is far-right French leader Marine Le Pen in Chad?
France's far-right leader, Marine Le Pen, is visiting Chad this weekend where she will meet President Mahamat Déby. It's her second visit following a meeting with Déby's late father, President Idriss Déby, in 2017. Why is the French opposition leader back in Chad? Also, why do some African parents choose to send their children back home to Africa for school? And the blind football coach in Tanzania, who thinks anything is possible if you love the game!Presenter: Audrey Brown
Technical Producer: Craig Kingham
Producers: Joseph Keen and Alfonso Daniels
Senior Journalist: Sunita Nahar
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi


