Africa Today
Africa news and analysis from the BBC's Focus on Africa. The Africa Today podcast contains the day's top stories from African news - available to download Monday to Friday from 1630 GMT.
20 Episodes
The silent killer: hypertension in Africa
The World Health Organization says the African continent has the highest prevalence of the "silent killer" hypertension. What are the signs and what can be done? Why is the DR Congo government now calling for an accelerated withdrawal of the UN peacekeeping mission? And good news for Morocco ,a chance…
Kenya ready to face Haiti gangs
Kenya says it's confident the deployment of hundreds of its police to Haiti by January will end gang warfare in the country. Last year Haiti's government appealed for help because of spiralling gang violence. Kenya's Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua says it will be an intervention force to disarm what he…
Who is fighting in Ethiopia’s Amhara region?
Fighting has reportedly erupted in Ethiopia’s turbulent Amhara region. Reports say local militia fighters clashed with the military, over government plans to disarm local forces. What's behind this escalation, and what does it portend for the future of Africa's second most populous country? We look into why the Egyptian government…
French troops pulling out of Niger: What does it mean?
France says it will withdraw its troops and ambassador from Niger. The military junta which seized power in July has welcomed the move. But what impact will this have on Niger’s ability to deal with insurgency? Also, in Ghana protestors demand their right to protest amid the arrest of several…
Why is rapper Mohbad’s death controversial?
Mohbad: There's been controversy and outrage following mysterious death and hasty burial of Nigerian Afrobeats rapper Mohbad. Authorities have now carried out an exhumation of his body for autopsy following protests on streets and social media How is climate change affecting Africa's pastoralists. We hear from a representative attending Climate…
Kenya: Westgate attack ten years on
Ten years ago, members of the Islamist group al-Shabab attacked the Westgate shopping mall in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. The incident lasted for four tense days and left 67 people dead. In this special episode of Focus on Africa, we'll hear from Valentine Kadzo and Shamim Allu who survived the…
Is Ivory Coast at risk from extremist groups?
There are concerns that violent extremists are expanding their activities to northern Ivory Coast. A report by the Institute for Security Studies says that these groups have found ways to finance their activities, particularly along the border which West Africa's largest economy shares with Burkina Faso. A landmark case in…
Covid Vaccines: South Africa "bullied" into paying more
A South African group advocating for a more inclusive and equal health system says the nation paid more for Covid vaccines in comparsion with countries in the European Union. Concern mounts as violence between Eritrean rival groups from the migrant coummunity spreads internationally. And we visit of Africa's largest museums,…
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger sign defence pact
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, three West African countries in the Sahel region which are ruled by military juntas, have signed a defence pact to come to aid each other in case of any rebellion or external aggression. BBC Africa Eye investigation team gets a look inside a xenophobic vigilante…
Libya floods: Impact on migrants
Thousands of migrants are among those affected by the floods in Libya. More than 11,000 people are known to have died and the death toll continues to rise. Gambian lawmakers have been calling for the repeal of the law which criminalises Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) citing religious and cultural reasons…
Mali: Tuareg ex-separatists resume hostilities
The crisis in Mali continues to deepen. An alliance of Tuareg rebels called the CMA, which had signed an agreement with the government, has announced that it is resuming hostilities. That comes after Mali’s military government ordered the expulsion of French troops and UN peacekeepers from the country, with a…
Libya floods: What you need to know
There are scenes of utter devastation in Libya's eastern city of Derna, after a powerful storm caused two dams to burst, sweeping away large parts of the port city. Some aid has arrived, but with the country struggling under divided political administrations in the east and west, Libya's Prime Minister…
Why Morocco is selective over earthquake aid
We look at why Morocco’s government has been selective over offers of humanitarian assistance from abroad, after the devastating earthquake which has killed more than 2,800 people. Four East African countries have reportedly incurred an estimated $30 billion in losses between 2021 and 2023, due to extreme droughts and devastating…
What caused Morocco's earthquake?
The number of people killed in Friday's powerful earthquake in Morocco has risen to more than two thousand people, the interior ministry says. With a magnitude of 6.8, the earthquake which hit central Morocco is the biggest the area has seen since before 1900. We explore the impact of military…
Gabon coup latest
We go to Gabon to get the latest on the situation in the country, after the military forced President Ali Bongo from power. The transitional authorities have held talks with dissidents jailed under Ali Bongo, and have freed some political prisoners. An update from Kadugli in Sudan, an area that…
Nigeria: Are election petitions relevant?
Nigeria's Appeal Court has rejected challenges to Bola Tinubu's narrow victory in February's presidential election. As election petitions become more common in Africa we ask how fair are election challenges. Between July and October 2022, about 70 children in the west African nation of The Gambia died because of suspected…
Taiwan's president visits last African ally Eswatini
Taiwan's president is visiting Eswatini. It's to mark 55 years of cooperation with her country's last African ally. Has Taipei's influence on the continent waned ? We examine the recent spate of coups in former French colonies in Africa. Plus do we really need vultures? Fears that the scavengers are…
DR Congo: What's behind the instability?
The government in the Democratic Republic of Congo has said that at least 43 people were killed when soldiers broke up a demonstration against UN peacekeepers in the eastern city of Goma on Wednesday. We ask what's behind the chronic instability in the DRC? Around 80 percent of all farms…
First ever African Climate Summit begins
As the first ever Africa Climate Summit begins in Nairobi, we hear from a community suing the Kenyan government over climate damage. We look at the serious danger to human life posed by air pollution in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos. Plus, can Kenyan police help bring stability to Haiti?
South Africa fire: What are Johannesburg's hijacked buildings?
Many buildings in the centre of the South African city of Johannesburg, where a horrific fire has killed more than 70 people, are deemed unfit to live in. Yet these old blocks, abandoned by their owners or the city authorities, are full of families often paying rent to criminal gangs…