BBC Africa has launched a weekly COVID-19 TV special called The Breakdown and the Africa Coronavirus Minute to provide audiences across Africa and globally with a 360 degree view of the Coronavirus pandemic as it moves through the continent.

The Coronavirus Minute offers audiences short bite sized audio content twice a day with the latest updates on COVID-19. This is in addition to the COVID-19 video bulletins which are available across all 12 language services for Africa.

Through the use of numbers the The Breakdown will explain what governments in Africa and around the world are doing, the true cost of the lockdown and the science and health information audiences need to know. BBC's Africa health, business and fact-finding experts will answer audience questions and concerns, while exposing the myths surrounding the pandemic.

The Breakdown explores acts of kindness within communities and makes sense of our changing world, highlighting extra ordinary efforts people are making to cope and survive during this crisis.

Nisha Kapur, Head of TV Commissioning, Africa, says: “With the amount of information and disinformation around COVID-19 audiences can turn to The Breakdown for factual, accurate and engaging content on what is actually happening and what they can do. The Breakdown brings the best of BBC Africa all in one place.”

Presented by Sharon Machira each week, The Breakdown will feature the following regular segments:

Health Diary - a personal health diary from someone who is suffering, quarantined or recovered

What’s In The Numbers? - Showcasing the Coronavirus through the use of numbers from what your government and others around the world are doing, the cost of lockdown, ventilators, impact on your country’s economy and much more

Myth Buster - Looking at the top three misleading/fake news items of the week associated with the virus

Quarantine Tips - Showcasing creative ways people across the continent are doing to cope while in quarantine

Ask The Expert - Your Corona related questions answered by a BBC expert
Mary Lusiba, Head of Africa Business Development, says: “At a critical time such as this, audiences seek out trusted and reliable news and information.

BBC Africa is making every effort to offer audiences unrivalled news and information on the impact, implications and solutions around the Corona pandemic in Africa across radio, TV and online through our vast partner network.”

During this pandemic BBC Africa is hosting a number of Facebook Live specials in English, Swahili and Somali. The English sessions with Anne Soy take place three days a week at 10.30am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays they allow audiences to share their concerns and pose questions to various business and health experts from the continent.

Topics discussed have included:

How has the virus affected Africa

Financing healthcare in Africa

Lockdowns & Curfews

BBC Somali special with four doctors at 14:00 GMT every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday

BBC Swahili special every Friday at 08:30am GMT.

In addition audiences can follow up to the minute news & features on the Africa live page and view the number of cases via the Africa live tracker.

The Breakdown Episode 1: https://www.facebook.com/BBCnewsafrica/videos/597204597820312/

The Breakdown Episode 2: https://www.facebook.com/BBCnewsafrica/videos/686308702141506/

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For further information or to arrange an interview with Sharon Machira or Anne Soy please contact BBC World Service Group Communications:

Marina.Forsythe@bbc.co.uk

Mobile/WhatsApp: +44 7720 671 372

Notes to Editors

BBC World Service’s BBC Africa hub brings together the production of multilingual content about the continent on radio, on TV and online on bbcafrica.com. It delivers content in Afaan Oromo, Amharic, English, French, Igbo, Hausa, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Kiswahili Pidgin, Somali, Tigrinya and Yoruba. BBC Africa ensures a pan-African approach to the output, offering its audiences opportunities to join the global conversation. BBC Africa has teams based in London and across much of sub-Saharan Africa. Follow BBC Africa on Twitter, Facebook Instagram and YouTube.

BBC World Service delivers news content around the world in English and 41 other language services, on radio, TV and digital, reaching a weekly audience of 279m.

The Breakdown: partners and transmission times

Ethiopia

Fana TV - Saturday 6.30am

Ghana

Citi TV - Friday, midday; Saturday, 9pm (R); Monday, 6pm

Joy TV - Friday, 2.30pm; Sunday 4.30pm (R)
Kenya

KTN News - Sunday, 6am

Malawi

Times TV - Friday, 3.30pm

Nigeria

Silverbird TV - Saturday, 6am; Sunday, 7.30am (R)

Silverbird News 24 - Saturday, 6am; Sunday, 9.30am (R)

Wazobia TV - Thursday, 4pm; Tuesday, 4pm (R)

TVC News - Wednesday, 11.30am

ABS Television - Friday, 6pm

NTA Network - Thursday, 9.05pm; Friday, 8.30am (R)

Uganda

NBS TV - Saturday, 5.30pm
Sierra Leone

AYV - Sunday, 2pm

South Africa

Soweto TV - Saturday, 7pm

Cape Town TV - Tuesday, 2pm

Seychelles

SBC TV - Tuesday, 3.10pm
Zambia

ZNBC TV - Friday, 7.30pm
Zimbabwe

ZBC TV - Friday, 4.10pm

All times are GMT