“We don’t have clear legislation (for) the carbon market that can guarantee the rights of local communities and indigenous people.”

The Congo Basin forest is known as the “lungs of Africa” because of its ability to absorb carbon dioxide – around 1.5 billion tons each year.

It also provides food and income for indigenous and local populations in the six countries it spans.

And this week, at the COP 29 climate conference, it’s being discussed as an example of a carbon sink which can help the world prevent further global warming – and be part of global carbon credit trading. So why – with the forest in urgent need of protection from deforestation - do some activists say Carbon trading is NOT the answer?

Presenter: Alan @Kasujja Guests: Ève Bazaiba, DRC Environment Minister. Bonaventure Bondo, a forest campaigner with Greenpeace Africa.

“I ask myself, where will I be after graduating? And looking at ownership of a house, it seems like a farfetched dream that could never materialize” – First time Namibian voter Rivaldo Kanongo Kavanga On the 27th of November, the citizens of Namibia will choose a new president in an election expected to be the most competitive since independence in 1990. The ruling South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) is fielding veteran politician Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah who is tipped to become the country’s first female president. Land reform is one of the key election issues. Government statistics show that the white population still own 70% of agricultural land while the indigenous majority remain marginalised. Namibia attained its independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990, with liberation hero Sam Nujoma becoming its first head of state. Before South Africa’s occupation, Namibia was under German colonial rule. In 2021, the European country apologised for the killings of 65, 000 Herero and 10, 000 Nama people, pledging to fund development projects worth more than a billion dollars.

In today's Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja speaks to people in Namibia about whether this election will address the question of land reform.

Eritrea is the worst place to work as a journalist in the world and is one of the most repressive countries on press freedom. In the latest World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, Eritrea was ranked last out of 180 countries. Since 2001, the government has banned all independent media outlets, leaving only state-controlled media under the Ministry of Information. That year, about 11 journalists were arrested and put in jail without trial in a crackdown against the country’s first independent newspaper. Half of them have since died while the rest, including journalist Dawit Isaak, languish in prison. Mr Isaak is now considered to be one of the world's longest detained journalists. He was recently recognised with the prestigious Edelstam prize in Sweden for his commitment to freedom of expression. His daughter Betlehem Isaak will be receiving the award on his behalf today. Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja spoke to her about campaigning for her father’s release and what she believes needs to be done to make this happen.

“You should not put too much expectation on your young ones, especially those from a humble background. They have their own lives to live.” Femi Olayanju.

“Parents put themselves on hunger strike so they can abolish poverty from their families. And then this child grows up and comes back to say ‘I’m sorry I can’t take care of you’. That’s insensitive.” Abosede Sodiq ___________________________________________________________________________ It’s always been an expectation: when children reach adulthood in Africa they should ‘look back’ and care for their parents – especially as they age and can no longer work themselves. But in Nigeria some young professionals – from Gen Z - are pushing back against this, saying they’re struggling to manage financially themselves with the spiralling cost of living. They say too many parents treat their children as their ‘pensions’ expecting them to support them financially, even if they themselves don’t have the resources, and even if they gave them little care when they were children. For today’s Africa Daily Alan Kasujja hears the opinions of three Nigerians from different generations. And it’s a discussion which certainly gets passionate!

In 2018, Nigeria passed the Not Too Young to Run bill, opening doors for younger candidates by lowering the age limits to hold office. This movement was meant to bring a shift, a break from the old ways of using power. But did it?

Last month Nigerian MP Alex Ikwechegh, was caught slapping and intimidating a taxi driver who had delivered food to his house. Ikwechegh, aged 42, is one of Nigeria’s youngest MPs, he was brought to office by the Not Too Young to Run movement. The taxi driver filmed the incident and the video went viral, sparking outrage.

Many Nigerians hoped younger leaders would leave behind the misuse of power and bad behaviour seen in politicians in the past.

In today’s Africa Daily Alan Kasujja looks at the controversy and the questions incidents like this raise for young politicians in Africa.

Huldah Momanyi Hiltsley has just made history.

She’s become the first Kenyan-born woman to be elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Moving from Kisii in Kenya to the US Huldah faced challenges, including navigating the immigration system to prevent her family’s deportation.

Amid Donald Trump’s re-election as the 47th president, she is focused on amplifying minority voices and empowering immigrant communities.

She joins trailblazers like Somali-born Ilhan Omar, in reshaping the political landscape.

BBC Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja explores her motivations, challenges and the growing influence of African women in US politics.

“If you’re poor in Kinshasa, you are going to stay single, even to the day you die.”

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, it’s traditional for a man to pay a dowry to the family of the woman he wants to marry. But in recent years the cost has spiralled – with some parents asking for thousands of pounds, or even items like flat-screen TVs.

And there are also fees to be paid by those wanting to get legally married after their first traditional marriage.

The rising expense has meant many couples are choosing not to get married at all – leading churches and the government to launch a campaign last year called ‘projet marriage’ in an effort to encourage people to tie the knot.

It’s involved some mass-weddings to help those who otherwise couldn’t afford to marry, and the government is trying to push a bill through parliament to place a limit on fees and dowries.

For Africa Daily, Sara Menai speaks to one of the couples who got married in a mass wedding this summer, and Léonnie Kandolo, Minister of Gender, Family and Children, who says marriage is vital for protecting the interests of women.

Producer: Njoroge Muigai

The COP 29 climate summit has been christened the finance COP - and negotiators will seek to agree on a new goal for how much money richer countries should be paying to poorer countries to help them adapt to climate change.

A new fund to be known as the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) is replacing the $100 billion a year fund which was meant to have been paid out from 2009 to 2022 but which hardly took off. As the latest summit got underway in Baku, Azerbaijan, negotiators for the Least Developed Countries (LCDs) have demanded a “scaled up, new, additional, and easily accessible climate finance.” They say more than US$ 1trillion is needed by 2030 to help them adapt to climate change, money they want as grants instead of loans. In this episode of Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja speaks to the negotiator leading the LDCs at COP29, Evans Njewa from Malawi. He also hears from some Malawians about how money paid in as part of the Loss and Damage Fund has helped them recover from the effects of Cyclone Freddie which hit the country last year. For more on this, you can listen to The Climate Question podcast from next weekend.

Producer: Peter Musembi.

“Women are getting more empowered to know their rights… the law is there, violence is a crime, but following through and reporting is also a problem because of the way we are brought up to think that women are supposed to be subservient and bear it all.”

Martha Koome describes herself as a defender and advocate for women’s and children’s rights, and in 2020, she was runner-up for the ‘United Nations Person of the Year’, in recognition for her work in this field. But Chief Justice Koome has also come under a lot of scrutiny from critics of Kenyan’s judiciary – who say she has failed to properly investigate and tackle allegations of bribery and corruption.

Today on the podcast, Alan Kasujja discusses these criticisms, her plans for courts across Kenya specialising in gender-based violence, and asks how a girl who grew up in a family of eighteen in rural Kenya ended up as one of the country’s most powerful women.

“Tug at my jacket – tell me what needs to be done.”

Later today, Botswana’s newly-elected president, Duma Boko, will be inaugurated in Gaborone – but he still found time this week for a discussion of his agenda with Africa Daily’s Mpho Lakaje.

In a wide ranging discussion he talks about signing a new deal with global diamond giant De Beers, how he wants to help people to become entrepreneurs, and why he wants to grant permits to undocumented Zimbabweans to make the system more ‘orderly’ and to allow Batswana to acquire more skills.

He also argues that politicians need to be more accessible if they are to do their jobs.

In today's podcast, we explore the tradition of bridal counselling in Zambia.

Before marriage, elderly women share tips on how to run a home, how to look after the husband, how to look after the children, how to resolve conflict and there are lessons about sex too.

For many, this training is a way to strengthen a marriage, but for some women it’s meant lasting harm. ‘Bride of Zambia’ is a short film which tells the story of a young Zambian-American woman who reluctantly has this counselling ahead of her wedding after arguing with her mother about the merits of this practice.

It’s a story that’s resonated with some women in Zambia, sparking conversation on social media about a tradition that’s rarely discussed in public. In today’s Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja speaks to the film's director, Tisa Chigaga, and to Samfrosa Chibwe, a woman who says watching the film brought up memories of the counselling she received before her wedding.

Alan also speaks to Tisa’s mother, Mwila Chigaga, to share an elder’s perspective on why she still considers this a vital tradition.