Can African countries resist democracy capture and embrace good governance?

Experts are warning that democracy across Africa is under serious threat. The new Democracy Capture (DEMCAP) Index shows that powerful interests are increasingly taking control of democratic institutions, undermining governance. Eddy Micah Jr speaks to researchers Dr. John Osae-Kwapong and Lois Matthew. They focus on democratization and authoritarianism in West Africa and the Sahel.

In Ghana, women in agriculture face tough challenges, including entrenched gender norms, limited access to credit, and unequal access to land. Some of them have decided to break barriers by joining forces to fight discrimination and poverty while boosting food security in rural areas. DW's Eddy Micah Jr. speaks to Wedam Kadoa Rhoda, CEO of the Song-ba Empowerment Center and DW's own Maxwell Suuk.

The Nigerian government says will simplify the system and boost compliance. But how will this affect businesses and citizens already stretched by rising living costs? Eddy Micah Jr. talks to Daniel Olika, a lawyer and fiscal policy analyst, and DW's Abiodun Jamiu in Nigeria.

A new wave of anti-government protests in Kenya led to scores of fatalities and hundreds of arrested this week. And, the Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights says police are working with criminal gangs. Eddy Micah Jr. talks to political analyst Michael Nato and DW's Diana Wanyonyi in Mombasa.

Uganda's opposition parties are drafting a cooperation agreement ahead of a general election. They aim to unseat Yoweri Museveni, the country's president for the last 40 years. Josey Mahachi talks to Adolph Mbeine, a lecturer at Makerere University, and DW's Frank Yiga in Kampala.

Rights defenders in Kenya want more community protections for elderly women, especially in rural areas. It follows reports of old women being accused of witchcraft, denied inheritance, forced out of their marital homes, and abandoned. Josephine Mahachi speaks to DW’s Andrew Wasike and Anne Rose Chege, a social worker and rights advocate in Kenya.

Malawi’s biggest refugee camp, Dzaleka Refugee Camp, currently home to around 56,500 people, faces a bleak future as UNHCR withdraws funding and staff. What could this mean for a facility that human rights activists say is already as a source of human trafficking and crime? Josey Mahachi speaks to Jessie Chingoma, a gender and labor activist and DW's George Mhango in Blantyre.

Human rights groups say a US-backed peace deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo fails to hold any parties accountable for fighting that has left thousands dead. President Donald Trump touts the deal as a way to access mineral resources. Josey Mahachi speaks with political commentator Gonza Mugi and Gasominari Jean Baptiste, a Congolese lawyer living in Rwanda as a refugee.

A Malawi-based human rights body says survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) are punished instead of being protected, with little recourse to state protection from abusive partners. So why is it that laws meant to protect have become a barrier to justice? Josey Mahachi talks to Victor Mhango, executive director of CHREAA, and DW's Chimwemwe Padatha in Lilongwe.

Police fired tear gas into the streets and sealed off government buildings with barbed wire. At least 16 people were killed, according Amnesty International, and a government minister said the protests were 'terrorism disguised as dissent'. But how did this unfold? Josey Mahachi talks to analyst Martin Oloo and DW's Andrew Wasike in Nairobi.