Focus on Africa

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 par...

Cameroon holds presidential elections this Sunday with Paul Biya, the world's oldest ruler, seeking another seven-year term. At 92 years old, there have been concerns about his health and ability to rule. The credibility of the election commission has also been questioned. And insecurity is rife in the English speaking parts of  the country.  So, can the polls on Sunday be free and fair?

Also in the programme: should advertising boa...

Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina has asked for one year to fix the country's challenges, promising that if they persist, he will resign. He said this during a town-hall style meeting at his palace with various groups of government supporters. Many attendees had the opportunity to ask the president questions or simply share their views. We hear analysis.

Also, South Africa’s highest court rules that all parents of newborns, w...

Eswatini accepts 10 more US deportees, despite rights groups in the southern African state mounting legal action to block the plan. We ask what has the Eswatini government got in return?

Nigeria's Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaj, resigns after allegations that he forged his academic credentials.

And nurses and midwives protest in Ghana for not being paid their salaries for nearly ten months

Presenter: Nyasha ...

A Sudanese militia leader has been found guilty of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Darfur region more than 20 years ago. Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, is the first person to be tried by the International Criminal Court for the atrocities in Darfur. We get analysis.

Also, what's Africa's reaction to the appointment of the Anglican church's first female Archbishop of Canterbury?

A...

Nearly a decade ago in Ghana, 15-year-old Kevin Moses died at Achimota High School. In a landmark ruling last year, Ghana’s High Court found the school negligent for Kevin's death. The school has appealed that decision. Between May 2023 and February 2024, six students died while in boarding school. Why are children dying in schools in Ghana?

Also, we hear differing views on what caused the recent floods in Sudan.

And how Nigeria's...

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 schist...

Violent clashes, arrests and deaths during Morocco’s GenZ 212 protests

Why Senegal's fishermen are blaming a BP natural gas project for lack of fish

And Nigeria's First Lady raises $13million for national library – but why has it taken so long?

Presenter : Nyasha Michelle Producers: Yvette Twagiramariya, Mark Wilberforce, Bella Hassan and Joseph Keen in London. Makuochi Okafor was in Lagos. Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga Technical P...

The former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo is sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity, treason and backing the Rwandan-supported M23 rebels in eastern Congo. The court has ordered his arrest, but his whereabouts remain unknown We look at the man and his life.

Also in the programme: Officials in Namibia have deployed hundreds of soldiers to battle a fire that has ravaged a third of the key nature rese...

AGOA: Why is a vital US-Africa trade deal set to expire? And why will women be more affected?

Oil workers go on strike at Dangote Refinery in Nigeria following dismissal of hundreds of staff.

And professional boxing suspended in Ghana following the death of two boxers in 6 months.

Presenter Nyasha Michelle Producers: Tanya Hines, Joseph Keen ,Yvette Twagiramariya, Stefania Okereke, Bella Hassan and Patricia Whitehorne in London Senior...

Authorities in Madagascar impose a curfew in the capital, Antananarivo, after protests over frequent power and water shortages turn violent. As the police continue to patrol the streets, we ask whether the government has improved conditions in the country?

Also in the programme: The Island of Seychelles, one of the richest countries in Africa, holds a re-run of the presidential elections after the first secured no outright winner.

An...

Malawi re-elects former President Peter Mutharika. At 85. How did he beat other contenders?

What's life like in Bunagana town along Uganda's recently reopened border with rebel held eastern DR Congo

Nigerian women push for more female MPs. Does reserving seats for women in parliament help ?

Presenter: Charles Gitonga Producers: Mark Wilberforce, Nyasha Michelle and Stefania Okereke Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga Technical Producer...

A new HIV prevention drug will be made available at a lower cost in over 100 low-income countries within two years, including across Africa. It's a move expected to give millions access to the breakthrough treatment and potentially bring the world closer to ending the HIV/Aids epidemic. So, how affordable and effective is it?

Also, Zimbabwe continues on a quest to become Africa’s blueberry capital after recently signing a tariff ...

UNGA: More than 150 member states recognise the State of Palestine-Cameroon and Eritrea will not.

South Africa's police discover illicit drugs worth $20 million on a farm.

Plus, we discover the nutritional benefits of eating dried fish.

Presenter: Charles Gitonga Producers: Patricia Whitehorne, Makuochi Okafor, Mark Wilberforce, Sunita Nahar and Nyasha Michelle in London. Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga Technical Producer: Francesca ...

A group of deportees from the US have sued the Ghanaian government, alleging they've been detained illegally. We talk to the lawyer representing these deportees and ask what legal framework underpins this US-Ghana deportation deal? And how does this situation tests the principles of human rights?

Also in the programme: The BBC has managed to get rare access into Sudan's oil-rich Kordofan region, which has turned into a major front ...

Togolese Prime Minister Faure Gnassingbe’s sister-in-law, who’s also the ex Defence Minister, has been arrested after calling for end to family rule.

How aid cuts and crocodile attacks are contributing to malnutrition in northern Kenya.

And why do Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso apparently want to leave the International Criminal Court?

Presenter: Charles Gitonga Producers : Mark Wilberforce, Bella Hassan, Nyasha Michelle and Sunita Naha...

Guineans will vote in a referendum on a new constitution on Sunday, that would permit junta leader Mamady Doumbouya to run for president, despite his promise not to do so when he seized power four years ago. Political analyst Renna Hawili explains the other major proposals.

Also, will a new World Trade Organisation agreement help protect the livelihoods of fishing communities off the coast of Africa?

And hear why an Ivorian musician'...

South Sudan: UN report accuses leaders of "systematic looting" The government denies the allegations

Why was the Gambia’s auditor general forcibly removed by police from office?

Plus, why domestic worker jobs are on the decline in South Africa

Presenter :Charles Gitonga Producers: Sunita Nahar, Stefania Okereke, Nyasha Michelle and Mark Wilberforce in London. with Jewel Kiriungi in Nairobi. Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer Senior P...

Several fuel tankers were destroyed in Mali after al Qaeda-linked insurgents, who had declared a blockade on fuel imports to the country, attacked a convoy of more than 100 vehicles. That's according to local reports. A fuel supply blockade initiated by the militant group, JNIM, has been in place since early September. The militants had threatened fuel importers and drivers that they would be targeted while bringing products into ...