

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 6, 2024 • 28min
Will Kenyan police be deployed to Haiti?
Kenya and Haiti have signed a deal to deploy Kenyan police officers to Haiti but what's holding up their deployment?The United Nations Security Council sanctions rebel leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We ask just how effective they are.And scientists unearth the hidden mysteries of a giant, moving star dune in Morocco.

Mar 5, 2024 • 24min
Why has Kenya become part of the trafficking route to South Africa?
Kenya is now a common transit route for undocumented migrant workers to try and reach the southern tip of the continent, and particularly South Africa, says the UN’s migration agency.The Church of England explains how it will repair the damage caused by their links to the slave trade. And it is the end of Nigeria's favourite TV family - The Johnsons. Director and lead actor Charles Inojie tells us the sitcom portrayed the average African home, with issues that every family could relate to.

Mar 4, 2024 • 32min
Calls for a war crimes court in Liberia
Hundreds of thousands of people were killed in Liberia's civil wars and the Truth and Reconcialition Committee proposed war a crimes tribunal but why has it not been established yet?Cameroonians struggle to cope as food and fuel prices continue to rise.And what are the benefits and advantages of women-led health tech companies?

Mar 1, 2024 • 35min
Chad: What's going on and what next?
A leading critic of Chad's military leader, Mahamat Déby, has been killed in a shootout with security forces, that's according to officials Yaya Dillo's death comes after the government blamed him for a deadly attack on the country's security agency. He had denied the accusation. Several others were killed following that attack. What's going on?Also, fresh calls for a proper investigation into the killing of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru and a letter to King Charles.And a Cameroonian student who fled Ukraine tells us what life is like for him, two years after the conflict began.

Feb 29, 2024 • 35min
Ghana passes controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill
Ghana ‘s parliament unanimously passed a controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill that could get some people sent to prison for 10 years. Is the proposed law constitutional and is it really about promoting family values?Concern grows in South Africa over how children access guns. And what is circular finance, and can it help with environmental issues?

Feb 28, 2024 • 32min
A landmark deal for Libya. How will it work?
According to the Libyan government, militias have agreed to leave Libya's capital, Tripoli, following lengthy negotiations. The deal comes after a series of deadly clashes in the city in recent months. The country has been battered by armed groups who emerged after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. How will the deal work?Also, following the tragic death of a zookeeper at a Nigerian university, we'll find out how and why Universities across the country have zoos?And why did Algeria decide to build the largest mosque in Africa?

Feb 27, 2024 • 32min
Why are Malawi's Catholic Bishops critical of the government?
Malawi's influential Catholic Bishops have written a letter criticising President Lazarus Chakwera's government. They say the country is worse off now. than it was four years ago. The government has acknowledged the issues raised by the church. Also how widespread is the recruitment of child soldiers in Africa?And we hear the second half of the story of the Nigerian student who fled Ukraine two years ago, at the start of the war.

Feb 26, 2024 • 28min
Why are migrants using Mauritania to get to Europe?
There's been a rise in the number of people attempting the dangerous Atlantic crossing from West Africa to Europe. Migrants are once again returning to Mauritania, which is struggling to cope with the growing numbers. Why are migrants choosing Mauritania?Also, we'll hear a personal and distressing story of how a Nigerian student fled Ukraine and made her way across Europe when the war broke out two years ago.And why are more African countries growing bamboo?

Feb 23, 2024 • 30min
Are child-beggars on Uganda's streets 'sold'?
More than 100 mothers in Uganda have been given community service for allowing their children to beg on the streets of Kampala. We hear more about why street-begging is a huge issue in the country and how most are from a particular region where they are sold as a commodity.Senegal’s President Macky Sall says he will stand down on 2 April when his term in office expires, but he has not announced a new date for the presidential election. So what will happen next? And we hear from a Tanzanian student, who fled Ukraine two years ago when Russia invaded, but now she has returned to complete her medical studies, even though the war rages on.

Feb 22, 2024 • 39min
South Africa's youth struggling to find jobs
South Africa's finance minister Enoch Godongwana, acknowledged that the country's economy is facing 'a tipping point'. There's massive youth unemployment in South Africa and this recent forecast won't be favourable to young people. We hear reaction and look at possible solutions.Also, Somalia signs a military and economic deal with Turkey. What's the deal and why has it angered Somaliland? And Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso want to form their own economic bloc, away from Ecowas. Can it work?


