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In our series of letters from African journalists, media and communications trainer Joseph Warungu writes about what he will be looking out for in 2019. After consistently losing out in football bets last year, I have little confidence in predicting anything for 2019 beyond the fact that the sun will rise and set in Africa. But this much I know without a shadow of doubt: Africa in the coming year will be focused on the beast, the ballot and Big Brother. The African version of the famous reality TV show, which started 16 years ago in South Africa, will be launched in Sierra Leone in 2019. And it is promising to be big. Already 2,000 application forms for Big Brother Sierra Leone have been sold. With a top prize of about $12,000 (£9,400) and the chance to be really famous, it is already the talk of the town, following the success of Big Sister last year, the country's first-ever reality TV show.

Humans usually mark the passage of time by their own growth. As children, it’s physical growth, like the markings etched into the wall of your childhood home indicating your height from one year to another. As adults, our growth is less guaranteed but just as important. We go into each new year hoping to grow in a way that betters our physical and mental states of being, our relationships, our careers, and the lives of the people around us. We just want to improve. What follows is a list of ideas to help you get better and feel better as long as the number of days in a year. Your future, your health, your work life and your contributions to your fellow humans are all covered. But some of the most impactful ones are the small, simple things you can add or cut from your daily life. Growth can be subtle in that way: You might not notice it, but you can improve every day. Living a Healthy Life (1-61) Stretch daily. Try yoga. Or try the more intense hot yoga. Or the quirkier goat

There’s something inspiring about the start of a new year. It represents a fresh beginning, and the perfect occasion to renew yourself with motivation and the promise to eat better, exercise more and spend less time sitting around watching TV. But there is a right way to set healthy resolutions, and a wrong way. Think of the journey, not the destination, and plot your course with a series of tangible end points in mind, like the following five—all completely within your control and trackable. 1. I will schedule an appointment with my primary care physician. This is the easiest of the five, and yet it is so often overlooked, especially by men. An annual checkup is your chance to measure your progress from year to year. Your doctor will test your blood and urine to look for any abnormalities that have sprung up, and offer you some suggestions on ways you can better take care of your body in the coming year. Best advice: Be open and honest with your doctor. If there’s something y