logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2021
16 m

Has the pandemic been all bad for busine...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Can anyone thrive amid the madness of Covid-19?

The pandemic has battered South Africa’s economy.

When the country went into lockdown last year, many businesses struggled to survive.

In the months that followed, a staggering 2.2 million people lost their jobs.

And yet, amid the economic devastation left behind by Covid-19, there are stories of hope.

For many businesses, this was just the opportunity they needed to prosper.

But who are they? And what was the secret to their success?

Hosted by Alan Kasujja (@Kasujja on Twitter)

#AfricaDaily

Up next
Oct 3
Focus on Africa: Can Botswana continue to depend on its diamond industry?
In an exclusive interview with the BBC's Waihiga Mwaura, Botswana's President Duma Boko, outlines his plan to reduce his country's reliance on the diamond industry amid falling global demand, and how he is pushing for a 0% tariff deal with the US.Guinea is showing signs of econom ... Show More
27m 30s
Sep 12
Focus on Africa: Who is Uganda's Joseph Kony?
The International Criminal Court concludes hearings into war crime charges against the Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony and will decide whether he should face trial. But who is Joseph Kony and what are the charges against him? How some South African schools are fighting childhood ... Show More
35m 33s
Sep 9
Focus on Africa: Ethiopia opens huge dam despite outside opposition
Ethiopia opens Africa's largest hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile river deepening a rift with Egypt and Sudan.Authorities in the US have arrested two suspected leaders of the Cameroon separatists' military wing. We find out more about the charges against the two men, and why Cam ... Show More
31m 49s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2021
The global youth unemployment crisis
The UN has predicted it could take two years for the world job market to recover from the Coronavirus pandemic. The hardest hit could be young jobseekers, who had almost got a foot in the door before it closed. We’ll hear from young people around the world, who have found their e ... Show More
17m 29s
May 2020
Adapt to Survive
2020 hasn't been good for British business - certainly not since Covid-19 showed up. The global pandemic and the lockdown imposed to try to fight it have affected individual livelihoods and those of many companies. John Murphy talks to some business owners from different sectors ... Show More
28m 38s
Jul 2019
Money talks: When the growing gets tough
America’s economy has been expanding for 121 months in a row—unemployment is low and the stock market has soared. But how long can this last? History suggests a painful recession might be around the corner. Nobel prizewinner and economics professor Joseph Stiglitz tells us capita ... Show More
18m 21s
May 2020
Economic Recovery in the USA
With the highest Covid19 death toll in the world, and 26 million Americans claiming unemployment insurance, the US economy has taken a massive hit. But how quickly can it bounce back?Will America’s economy will be strong enough to pull its weight in the global economy? Economist ... Show More
27m 28s
Jul 2021
Jobless, hungry, fed-up: Why South Africans rioted
As many as 75% of young South Africans are unemployed. In any other country that would be cause for a revolution according to one South African economist. Why did rioting and looting sweep the country last week? And could violence erupt again? This week The Take explores the vast ... Show More
20m 15s
Mar 2021
54. The Pandemic Profiteers: The Businesses That Made a Packet out of COVID
The pandemic has caused misery, turmoil and death for so many - but as this documentary exposes, for much of the rich elite, this is boomtime. From Amazon to private contractors, profit margins have exploded. In the first 9 months of the crisis, billionaires' fortunes jumped by n ... Show More
22m 4s
Jun 2017
India's Cash Gamble: Has it Paid Off?
Has the shock decision to scrap almost all of India's cash been a success or a failure? Last November's withdrawal of 500 and 1,000 rupee notes caused chaos for millions of people and businesses, but now the dust has settled, is there any evidence it was effective in tackling cor ... Show More
26m 28s
Feb 2024
Why can't young people in South Africa find work?
South Africa has the most industrialised and diverse economy in Africa. Yet it faces a major youth unemployment crisis with around four in ten young people jobless. Young people are becoming disenchanted and disenfranchised, which could impact elections later this year. Polls sho ... Show More
11m 2s
Jul 2020
The Jobs Challenge
As the UK emerges from the coronavirus lockdown, millions of employees are still furloughed – either fully or part-time – with most of their salaries paid by the government. But how many of them really have jobs to go back to? Already companies including British Airways, Rolls Ro ... Show More
28m 10s