Tanzania's October 2025 election will mark President Samia Suluhu Hassan's first as a presidential candidate, despite her holding office since 2021. A former vice-president, President Samia came to power following the sudden death of her predecessor, and is widely anticipated to win a new term for her CCM party – extending their unbroken rule in Tanzania since the country's independence in 1961. Key questions surrounding the 2025 polls include the systematic exclusion of leading opposition candidates, tightened restrictions on media, increases in reported abductions and attacks on activists, and the limited presence of external observer missions.

In this episode, Thomas Kibwana, Anna Bwana and Deus Valentine Rweyemamu join Chatham House's Fergus Kell and Lisa Musumba to discuss the lead-up to Tanzania's election and the long-term future for the country.

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Reviving Tanzania's regional leadership and global engagement

Côte d'Ivoire is widely regarded as a regional powerhouse amid increased political instability and fragmentation in West Africa. However, the country has also been marked by violent conflicts and repeated bouts of political crisis in recent history. With the October 2025 elections fast approaching, Côte d'Ivoire faces another decisive moment – President Alassane Ouattara has confirmed that he will seek a fourth term, while a slew of prominent opposition figures including former president, Laurent Gbagbo, Tidjane Thiam, Charles Blé Goudé, and Guillaume Soro, have been barred from challenging the incumbent at the polls.

In this episode, the leader of Côte d'Ivoire's main opposition party, Parti Démocratique de la Côte d'Ivoire — Rassemblement Démocratique Africain, Tidjane Thiam discusses his political aspirations, the hurdles faced in the lead-up to the upcoming elections and the state of Ivorian democracy moving forward.

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Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire: Stumbling Totems of Democracy

The public health systems in Africa are under growing pressure. The sharp 70% drop in official development assistance (ODA) risks weakening critical health programmes, while a rise in public health emergencies continues to stretch already fragile infrastructure.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) – the public health agency of the African Union – recognises that these are not isolated challenges. They present a fundamental threat to Africa's political, social, and economic resilience, with far-reaching implications to global stability.

In this episode, Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General at the Africa CDC, discusses the agency's mandate to support AU member states in advancing public health priorities and strengthening the capacity of national health institutions to respond to disease threats.

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Africa's Health Financing in a New Era – April, 2025