Cabo Delgado is Mozambique’s northernmost province, bordering Tanzania. Since 2017, it has been gripped by a violent insurgency, when Islamist militants began attacking villages, towns, and government forces. The region is also home to major natural gas deposits, in which the French energy giant Total has invested heavily. But after a wave of attacks in 2021, Total suspended operations.

Foreign troops—including forces from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community—have since helped the Mozambican government regain some territory. Still, sporadic attacks continue, and the humanitarian crisis remains acute. In recent weeks, there has been a sharp uptick in violence, displacing about 60,000 people.

Joining me to discuss the ongoing crisis in Cabo Delgado, the role of mineral extraction in fueling the conflict, and what the Mozambican government and international community can do to curb the violence is Romao Xavier, Oxfam in Southern Africa's Country Representative for Mozambique. We begin by examining the latest surge in violence before taking a broader look at what drives this conflict—and what it might take to bring it under control.

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When people don’t trust their institutions, the social fabric of a society is weakened.

But that “trust deficit” can — and must — be closed.

In this episode of our Future of Africa series, we explore innovative and practical approaches to enhancing trust and cooperation between people and their institutions -- from grassroots communities to global multilateral forums. Featuring Samson Itodo, a renowned advocate for electoral integrity and youth participation in Nigeria; Joseph Asunka, CEO of Afrobarometer; Chernor Bah, Minister of Information and Civic Education from Sierra Leone; and Chimdi Neliaku, a member of the African Union’s Panel of the Future and Special Assistant to the Hon. Speaker, House of Representatives of Nigeria on Interparliamentary Affairs and Public Relations, this conversation showcases positive pathways to inclusive governance.

Drawing on inspiring personal journeys, Samson shares insights from mobilizing young voters in Nigeria’s democratic processes; Chernor brings decades of advocacy experience as a youth leader who successfully integrated young voices into high-level peace, reconciliation, and education campaigns—now working from within government to broaden civic engagement and transparency in Sierra Leone; Chimdi reflects on empowering African youth within AU initiatives, showing how the next generation positively shapes governance; and Joseph brings years of public opinion research to explain the drivers of this trust deficit. Together, they highlight how inclusive leadership and effective citizen-government dialogue foster stronger trust, accountability, and intergenerational cooperation.

Effective governance depends on mutual trust—between citizens, governments, institutions, and international organizations. This episode explains how that can be achieved.

• Samson Itodo represents dynamic young leadership in civil society – he has organized young voters and driven campaigns like “Not Too Young to Run,” giving him on-the-ground perspective on citizens’ democratic aspirations and frustrations.

• Joseph Asunka offers a data-centric perspective, drawing from Afrobarometer’s extensive public opinion research across Africa. His expertise in governance, accountability, and citizen engagement sheds light on the continent’s internal dynamics influencing its external relations.

• Chernor Bah brings unique insights from both grassroots advocacy and government leadership, having led global youth initiatives, co-founded the A World at School campaign, and now as Sierra Leone’s Minister of Information and Civic Education, actively broadening civic engagement and strengthening trust in government.

• Chimdi Neliaku represents the young communities and grassroots viewpoint – a young changemaker experienced with the Global Shapers Community and AU’s youth initiatives, advocating for the next generation to have a seat at the table.

A new study out of Kenya shows that one of the most impactful ways to reduce infant and child mortality is to provide cash—no strings attached—to pregnant women. A randomized controlled trial by economists from UC Berkeley and Oxford University found that unconditional cash transfers reduced infant mortality by 48% and under-5 child mortality by 45% in rural Kenya. These results suggest that this intervention is as impactful for improving child health as the provision of vaccines or antimalarial drugs.

I'm joined today by Dr. Miriam Laker-Oketta, Senior Research Advisor at GiveDirectly, the nonprofit that carried out the cash transfers on which this research is based. In our conversation, Dr. Laker-Oketta explains why well-timed cash transfers to women late in pregnancy can so dramatically improve health outcomes. She also discusses how this new study adds to the growing body of evidence on the impact of unconditional cash transfers for people living in poverty in the developing world—and why such interventions are logistically simple yet politically difficult to scale.

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