Limitless Africa

Paul Kagame has won the last four elections in Rwanda with over 90 % of the vote. There is no powerful opposition. What does that say about democracy in the country?For this episode of Limitless Africa, we speak to Seth Karamage, a Rwandan development economist specializing in peacebuilding and good governance. He has worked on fostering democracy in Rwanda as well as Nigeria, Kenya and Somalia. He’s a former soldier with the Rwanda Defence Forces. This is an opportunity to ask someone who really knows the situation: Should young people bother voting in the election? And in situations where elections aren’t held or their results are not in doubt, are military or political coups ever justifiable? 

There have been nine military coups d'états in Africa since 2020. If we continue at this rate, there will be more coups in this decade than in any since the 1960s. Is this a good thing for Africa?

Victor Ochen grew up in a refugee camp in Northern Uganda in the 1980s and 1990s at the height of the Ugandan civil war, one of Africa's longest conflicts.  He has become a spokesperson for the people of Northern Uganda and has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Many wars have been waged on African soil. But it also means that Africans have something to say about conflict resolution. At a moment in time, where conflict seems to be all around us, Limitless Africa wanted to highlight three approaches to peace. Souleymane Bachir Diagne is one of the foremost scholars of Islamic and African philosophy and a professor at Columbia University in New YorkJoseph Nkurunziza is a medical doctor and CEO of Never Again Rwanda, a peace-building NGO which works in 22 out of the 30 districts of the country.Former refugee Victor Ochen supports local communities still affected by war with his organisation AYINET, the African Youth Initiative Network.

Gaopalelwe Phalaetsile is a groundbreaking journalist and social media influencer. She writes and thinks about what it means to be a mother and a feminist today. Feminism seems to have forgotten motherhood, when the decision to have - or not to have - a child is a question almost all women face. Gao is a mother to two children, but she is also an activist fighting for women’s right to choose. In 2016, she also founded Abortion Support South Africa, an organisation which helps women access safe abortion clinics online. In 2023 they launched a telemedical service that provides first-trimester terminations, in collaboration with pharmacies, to give women access to safe abortions.Our correspondent Dimpho Lekgeu spoke to her. They spoke about how to bring up children with feminist principles, what the mommy influencer online community is really like, and how speaking out about her own abortion changed everything.

Women can do amazing things if they are given the opportunity. Success can come in many forms, in business, in family life, or in international sport. Claude speaks to an award-winning entrepreneur, a renowned artist and an Olympic athlete about the importance of empowering women.

Healthcare is one of the greatest challenges facing Africans today. But it’s also one of the most exciting. Diseases and illnesses are constantly evolving. But so is technology. Can Africans keep up?Dr Magda Robalo is a medical doctor from Guinea-Bissau. She’s worked for the World Health Organisation in Zimbabwe, Congo, Namibia and Ghana. She was Minister of Health in her home country and also served as the high commissioner for COVID-19,. She is now President and co-founder of the Institute of Global Health and Development. We talk about the diseases we really should be worried about, what kind of technology is really needed and why the best way you can stay healthy is to go to school.

We need more doctors in Africa. According to the United Nations, Africa has approximately 1 doctor for every five thousand people. Can technology help us reduce this healthcare inequality?

Think of any infrastructure project in Africa, and it’s likely a Chinese firm will be behind it. In 2020 Chinese firms were responsible for a third of all African infrastructure projects. So what does this mean for the continent? To find out Claude Grunitzky speaks to Hannah Ryder, the CEO of Development Reimagined (DR), an independent international development consultancy. They have offices in Beijing, Nairobi, and London. Hannah has over 20 years experience working as a diplomat and economist. She also led the United Nations Development Programme’s work with China to help improve its development work in Africa.