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BBC World Service

Africa Daily has now come to an end. But do listen to Focus on Africa for all the big stories and for the African perspective on major global news. Hosted by Audrey Brown and ready by late afternoon every weekday. Search for Focus on Africa, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

Africa Daily

As Tanzania gears up for elections on 29 October, we hear from two young people about the issues that matter to them and whether youth concerns have been featured in the electoral campaigns.

How a young Senegalese footballer's dream of joining a professional club ended in tragedy after he was tricked and lured to Ghana by fake football agents.

And how Africa is rapidly becoming a compelling destination for outsourcing services.

Presenter: Nyasha Michelle
Producers: Mark Wilberforce, Stefania Okereke, Sunita Nahar and Yvette Twagiramariya
Technical Producer: Craig Kingham
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Maryam Abdalla and Sam Murunga

Tanzanian elections: What issues are young people concerned about?

A BBC investigation uncovers dozens of social accounts using stolen identities of Somali and Muslim influencers and posting political propaganda content. We hear more about what was uncovered and who might be behind this widespread operation.

Chad’s parliament has overwhelmingly approved a controversial constitutional amendment removing presidential term limits. What will this mean for 41-year-old President Mahamat Idriss Deby’s hold on power?

And why the Kenyan Catholic Church took the decision to introduce a new brand of altar wine.

Presenter: Nyasha Michelle
Producers: Mark Wilberforce, Stefania Okereke, Sunita Nahar and Elphas Lagat
Technical Producer: Gabriel O'Regan
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Maryam Abdalla and Sam Murunga

Focus on Africa: Hundreds of stolen social media identities used to spread propaganda

The last ebola patient in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been released from a treatment centre in Kasai province. Can the country now be declared free of this latest outbreak?

What is behind the escalating tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea over control of the Red Sea?

And we hear from the Nigerian scientist, who has been recognised with a global award from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, on how her pioneering work is protecting yam and cassava crops and making them more resilient.

Presenter: Nyasha Michelle
Producers: Mark Wilberforce, Yvette Twagiramariya, Stefania Okereke and Alfonso Daniels
Technical Producer: Chris Kouzaris
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Focus on Africa Can DRC be declared ebola free?

An elite military unit says it has seized power in Madagascar from President Andry Rajoelina following weeks of youth-led protests. Where did it all go wrong for the entrepreneur and former DJ, who first became president in 2009 when he was just 34.

Being a park ranger in Africa can be one of the most dangerous professions in the world. We hear from a ranger at Zambia's South Luangwa National Park, who, with a group of others, has picked up an international award for his work.

And Ghana’s iconic kente cloth has been officially recognised and granted protected status as a national heritage fabric.

Presenter: Nyasha Michelle
Producers: Yvette Twagiramariya, Mark Wilberforce, Alfonso Daniels and Ryan Johnson
Technical Producers: Chris Kouzaris and Sarah Kimberley 
Senior Journalist: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Focus on Africa: What led to the downfall of Madagascar's president

Mali's military government is reportedly engaged in talks with the militant group Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) amid an ongoing blockade which has paralysed a key trade route for fuel, food, and essential goods. Could the crisis also threaten Mali’s stability and governance?

A BBC Africa Eye investigation in Cape Town, South Africa, reveals how self-appointed healers and shamans are openly using psychedelic drugs as part of treatment for mental health issues.

And if you are in a relationship, do you have 'a swag gap'? We hear more about the new phrase that is going viral on social media and whether being more stylish and confident than your partner can be a deal breaker.

Presenter: Nyasha Michelle
Producers: Yvette Twagiramariya, Stefania Okereke, Mark Wilberforce and Joseph Keen
Technical Producer: Chris Kouzaris
Senior Journalist: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Focus on Africa: Militants' blockade paralyses Mali-Senegal trade corridor

In an exclusive interview with the BBC's Waihiga Mwaura, Botswana's President Duma Boko, outlines his plan to reduce his country's reliance on the diamond industry amid falling global demand, and how he is pushing for a 0% tariff deal with the US.

Guinea is showing signs of economic progress under the military-led regime. What is driving the country's economic growth?

And more than 200 million people worldwide are infected by schistosomiasis - also known as bilharzia - which is a disease caused by parasitic worms. The majority of those affected live in sub-Saharan Africa. How can the disease be prevented?

Presenter : Nyasha Michelle
Producers: Sunita Nahar, Mark Wilberforce and Stefania Okereke in London. Makuochi Okafor was in Nairobi
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Technical Producer: Pat Sissons
Editors: Maryam Abdalla, Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Focus on Africa: Can Botswana continue to depend on its diamond industry?

The International Criminal Court concludes hearings into war crime charges against the Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony and will decide whether he should face trial. But who is Joseph Kony and what are the charges against him? 

How some South African schools are fighting childhood obesity. 

And as Malawi gears up for elections, how can the participation and representation of women in the country's politics be increased?

Presenter: Audrey Brown
Producers: Sunita Nahar and Priya Sippy in London
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Technical Producer: Pat Sissons
Editors: Maryam Abdalla, Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Focus on Africa: Who is Uganda's Joseph Kony?

Ethiopia opens Africa's largest hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile river deepening a rift with Egypt and Sudan.

Authorities in the US have arrested two suspected leaders of the Cameroon separatists' military wing. We find out more about the charges against the two men, and why Cameroon has been blighted by a conflict between armed separatists and government forces in the country's mainly anglophone North West and South West regions. 

And following the canonisation of London-born teenager Carlo Acutis in a ceremony presided over by Pope Leo in Vatican City, what is the process of becoming a saint?

Presenter: Charles Gitonga
Producers: Mark Wilberforce, Sunita Nahar and Yvette Twagiramariya in London. Makouchi Okafor in Lagos and Jewel Kiriungi in Nairobi
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Technical Producer: Nick Randell
Editors: Maryam Abdalla, Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Focus on Africa: Ethiopia opens huge dam despite outside opposition

Zambia's former Foreign Minister Joseph Malanji has been sentenced to four years in prison with hard labour after being convicted, along with a co-accused of corruption. President Hakainde Hichilema promised to root out corruption when he swept to power four years ago, is he now delivering on that pledge?

In Egypt, dozens of teenage TikTok influencers have been arrested in recent weeks on charges such as violating family values, indecency and money laundering. We hear more on why authorities are getting tough with digital content creators.

And the Congolese word Liboke is a new entry in a French dictionary, but why has the given definition upset people in the DRC?

Presenter: Charles Gitonga
Producers: Mark Wilberforce, Sunita Nahar and Yvette Twagiramariya in London. Ayuba Iliya was in Lagos
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Technical Producer: Craig Kingham
Editors: Maryam Abdalla, Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Focus on Africa: Is the jailing of a former Zambian minister a watershed moment?

A landslide that followed days of heavy rain, has killed hundreds of people in the remote Marra Mountains in western Sudan, and many survivors may still be trapped in deep valleys. How do aid agencies help people hit by a natural disaster but also caught in the middle of a war?
 
A new report details an increase in disappearances, kidnappings and torture in Tanzania. We hear from relatives looking for their family members.
 
And a new study warns that people are using digital platforms like TikTok to sell the meat of endangered animals. 

Presenter: Audrey Brown
Producers: Mark Wilberforce, Sunita Nahar and Priya Sippy in London. Charles Gitonga and Jewel Kiriungi in Nairobi 
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Technical Producer: Chris Kouzaris 
Editors: Maryam Abdalla, Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Focus on Africa: Sudan landslide: Race to find survivors

“The writers of our time who used to criticise the government are no longer there.”

Today on the podcast, Alan has the pleasure and privilege of speaking to one of Africa’s great writers: the South Sudanese author Taban Lo Liyong.

In the 1960s he rubbed shoulders with independence politicians like Jomo Kenyatta and Kwame Nkrumah and with giants of African literature like Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and Ngugi wa Thiong’o. 

He was taken to Uganda as a young child and spent his formative years there – but now lives in his native South Sudan. 

On today’s podcast he discusses language, the impact of HIV Aids, and why he’s not ready to stop work at the age of 93 years. He says he still has two more books in him…

Why is writer Taban Lo Liyong not ready to stop working?

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