Focus on Africa

In this episode, we examine how Spain’s plan to offer over 500,000 migrants legal status will affect African migrants in the country. Following an announcement by Spain's government, several in support of the proposal say it’s practical and crucial for Spain’s economy, while critics warn it could encourage irregular migration. We speak to a young Nigerian man in the queue for documentation.
And we take a look at a recently released UNESCO report that shows Africa is giving the creative industries greater priority in comparison to other regions, with 62% of countries now including culture in development plans.
Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna
Technical Producer: Herbert Masua
Senior Producers: Bella Twine and Blessing Aderogba
Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla

For the second week, Gabon has suspended social media platforms like Whatsapp, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram - in a move it says is aimed at curbing the spread of false information and cyberbullying. What does this mean for the youth, as well as the right to access information in the country?
And what does it take for an African athlete to make it to the Winter Olympics? We speak to 24-year-old skier Mialitiana Clerc, who represented Madagascar at this year's edition in Italy.
Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna
Producers: Bella Twine and Basma El Atti
Technical Producer: Herbert Masua
Senior Producer: Charles Gitonga
Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla

We speak to a Kenyan man who says he believed he was travelling to Russia to join a basketball team but was instead coerced into military service. He describes signing a contract in Russian, witnessing death in battle, and fighting in a war he says he never agreed to join.
Presenter: Charles Gitonga
Producers: Carolyne Kiambo and Fana Negash.
Technical Producer: Herbert Masua
Senior Producer: Priya Sippy.
Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla

Nigeria’s Senate has passed a controversial electoral law after tense debates over how election results should be transmitted during elections. At the centre of the dispute was a provision allowing election officials to revert to manual transmission of results if electronic methods failed. Opposition lawmakers had sought to remove the clause, arguing that it could undermine transparency.
And Ndaba Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela, says African youth are still missing from leadership conversations, and speaks on the potential of Africa's youth, leadership and gender based violence.
Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna
Producers: Keikantse Shumba and Blessing Aderogba
Technical Producer: Herbert Masua
Senior Producer: Charles Gitonga
Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla

University students in Senegal have been protesting in demand of payment of their stipend from the government. They say the allowance, paid to students mostly from low-income backgrounds, has not been disbursed for months. A week ago, a protest at the country's main Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar left one student dead after a confrontation between the protestors and the police. The push by the learners comes at a time when Senegal is facing a high debt burden.
And we hear from award-winning poet Hafsat Abdullahi on the evolution of spoken word poetry in Africa, and its role in cultural preservation and activism.
Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna
Producers: Bella Twine and Ayuba Iliya
Technical Producer: Herbert Masua
Senior Producer: Charles Gitonga
Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla