That's all from the BBC Africa Live page this week. Keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or checking the BBC News website.  

A reminder of our African proverb of the day: 

Click here to send us your African proverbs

And we leave you with this photo of a group of taekwondo enthusiasts striking a pose in the Liberian capital Monrovia. Click here for the rest of the week's top shots from Africa.

Image source, EPA

That's the question our distinguished panel in the Nigerian capital Abuja will be discussing in this month's BBC Africa debate, which airs tonight at 19:00 GMT. 

In many African communities, fertility is highly prized and women without children are frowned upon. 

Infertility affects one in six couples of childbearing age worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. 

In Africa, the number of women unable to conceive after a first pregnancy can be as high as one in three.

Azeenarh Mohammed is in her thirties and says that friends, family and even strangers constantly question her decision not to have children: 

Image source, Getty Images

Two teenage girls allegedly caught kissing on a roof appeared in court in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh on Friday charged with homosexual acts, one of their lawyers told AFP news agency. 

The girls, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old, were charged with "licentious or unnatural acts with an individual of the same sex". 

The two girls were arrested last month after being reported by their families. They had allegedly been caught kissing and hugging on a rooftop. Detained for a week, they were released on bail. 

The girls face between six months and three years in prison if found guilty. 

"They denied what was in the police report, namely that they had a homosexual relationship, and said their relationship was friendly," lawyer Rachid al-Ghorfi told AFP. 

Mr Ghorfi said the court will issue a verdict on 9 December. 

They have been charged under Article 489 of Morocco's penal code, which criminalises what it calls "sexual deviancy" between two people of the same gender. 

Human rights groups have called for the article to be scrapped. 

"These two girls could go to prison for simply expressing affection for each other," said Sarah Leah Whitson of New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW). 

"Moroccan authorities should drop charges against them and stop prosecuting people for private consensual acts." 

Arrests for alleged homosexual acts are not uncommon, although HRW said this was the first such case involving two girls. 

Senegalese kora player Kadialy Kouyate is about to appear on Focus on Africa TV on the BBC World News channel at 17:30 GMT.

Born into the line of the Kouyate "griots" - or storytellers - in southern Senegal, Mr Kouyate has been teaching the kora at Soas University of London for the last decade.

The kora is a 21-string lute-bridge-harp used extensively in West Africa.  

A group of international pilots part in taking part in a vintage plane rally have landed in Kenya - but without 72-year-old British pilot Maurice Kirk, according to organisers. 

"For the second time in two flights, Maurice is a no show. We have launched (again) an overdue aircraft process (now Kenyan rather than Ethiopian)," a Facebook post reads.  

Organisers say they are trying to track him and suspect that he has made his way to the capital Nairobi instead of the planed airbase in Lokichogio. 

They flew in from Ethiopia on Thursday where they had been detained for two days for crossing "illegally" into the country.   

The aviators are travelling the length of Africa using biplanes built between the 1920s and 1940s.

Participants from 13 different countries are attempting to cover 13,000 km (8,000 miles) 

The planes took off for Cape Town, South Africa from the Greek island of Crete on 12 November.   

See earlier posts for more details

"Trust Nigerians not to waste time", says the Naijabang website, publishing the image of the newly established Donald Trump Business Centre in the town of Onitsha, south-east Nigeria.

Note: There is some disagreement over where this photo was taken, with some saying it was in Nairobi, Kenya.

South Africa thumped Egypt on Friday to reach the women's Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals, alongside Cameroon.

Banyana Banyana's 5-0 victory made them runners-up to Group A winners Cameroon, who beat Zimbabwe 2-0. 

Andisiwe Mgcoyi hit the opener - South Africa's first goal of the finals - with Nothhando Vilakazi, Refiloe Jane, Jermaine Seoposenwe and Linda Motlhalo also on target in an impressive win.

Cameroon's victory came courtesy of a brace by Michelle Henriette Akaba.

The Indomitable Lionesses - hosts of the tournament - went into the game assured of their place in the last four and were comfortable against Zimbabwe as they kept up a 100% winning record. The BBC reporter at the game in Limbe, Cameroon, said that the last goal, from 18-year-old Linda Motlhalo, was a special one: 

A leading administrator of the women's game in South Africa has posted a screengrab of the goal celebration:

Image source, ktn

Kenya's top political TV show hosted by former CNN journalist Jeff Koinange has been dropped after a male guest made a rape remark about a female guest.

Mr Koinange apologised Thursday night for the 17 November incident, saying it was the show's last episode on KTN.

He was hosting Miguna Miguna and Esther Passaris, aspirants for the Nairobi governor seat, when the off-air personal attack was made.

Mr Miguna said "Esther is so beautiful everybody wants to rape her".

"You are chasing men all over, nobody wants you," he continued. "You think you're beautiful, you are not. Esther is just colour. Without colour you are nothing."

Ms Passaris, a politician and businesswoman, then accused him of being a racist.

Read the full story here

Image source, Getty Images

Newport County have signed Ivory Coast international defender Abdoulaye Meite.

The 36-year old has joined the South Wales club on non-contract terms and he is eligible to play against Blackpool on Saturday.

Capped 48 times by his country, Meite has previously played in England for Bolton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion and Doncaster Rovers.

Meite, who started in the 2004 UEFA Cup final, is a free agent after being released by Seinajoen Jalkapallokerho.

Image source, AFP

Malawi is to hold public consultations to assess whether to reform colonial-era laws that ban homosexuality, the government said today, AFP news agency reports. 

The southern African nation was the focus of controversy in 2010 when it jailed a gay couple for gross indecency after they held the country's first same-sex public "wedding".

Late President Bingu wa Mutharika said the pair had committed a crime against Malawi's culture, religion and laws but later pardoned them on "humanitarian grounds" after a meeting with UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon. 

Legislation outlawing sodomy was suspended two years ago to await a government review in a country where many traditional Christian communities view homosexuality as sinful.

President Peter Mutharika's government will hold "public enquiries... in order to seek the views of Malawians on the issue," Janet Banda, solicitor general and secretary for justice, said in a statement. 

Image source, afp/getty

Scientists surveying biodiversity in ancient forests surrounding churches in Ethiopia say they have come across a species of ant that could become a dominant invasive species, Your Health Mag, external reports.

The Lepisiota canescens species was displaying signs of "supercolony" formation, researchers said.

Supercolonies are described as colonies that extend beyond a single nest and can cover thousands of miles.

Meanwhile other species of Lepisiota ant have already demonstrated their ability to invade new lands. One colony reportedly shut down the Australian port of Darwin for several days.

Magdalena Sorger, a post-doctoral researcher with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, said:

Senegalese footballer El Hadji Diouf has continued his barrage of criticism of former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard.

The two were teammates but did not get on.

In his autobiography, Gerrard said Diouf "did not care about football and about Liverpool".

Following Gerrard's announcement that he was quitting football, Diouf told French TV:

One of the main credit ratings agencies, Fitch, has revised its outlook on the South African economy from "stable" to "negative". 

The agency cited "political risks" and "infighting" within the governing African National Congress (ANC) as drivers of the weaker outlook. 

Credit rating agencies, in essence, rate a country on the strength of its economy.

More specifically, they score governments (or large companies) on how likely they are to pay back their debt.

A rating affects how much it costs governments to borrow money in the international financial markets. In theory, a high credit rating means a lower interest rate (and vice versa).

Read more: What are credit ratings agencies?

Image source, Joaninne Nanyange

Hundreds of you have been commenting on the BBC Africa Facebook page, external about the row over a law student in Uganda who says she was denied entry to her faculty because her knee-length skirt (pictured above) was deemed "too short" and "distracting for male students": 

Get involved in the debate on the BBC Africa Facebook page, external, or send us a message via Whatsapp on +44 7341070844.  

Idris Situma
BBC Swahili, Nairobi

Image source, Reuters

Kenya Olympic official Ben Ekumbo has offered to refund more than $10,000 (£8,000) intended for the national team's Rio 2016 preparations, which ended up in his personal account. 

Police charged Mr Ekumbo, vice-chairman of the National Olympics Council of Kenya (NOCK), with theft of the money as well as sports kits and shoes meant for Team Kenya during the Games.

Mr Ekumbo, who has been in custody for three days, appeared in court and denied two charges of theft.

The official told the court he did not know who put the cash in his account. 

But the prosecution said they had evidence that he stole the cash from the Ministry of Sports.

The court was also told that police are preparing additional charges of sexual assault against Mr Ekumbo, who also serves as the Kenya swimming federation president.

He has been denied bail and will remain in police custody until Monday.  

In September, Kenya’s Chef de mission Stephen Soi, Vice President Pius Ochieng, Secretary General Francis Paul and Treasurer Fridah Shiroya were charged with misappropriating over $250,000.

See the full gallery here

As our correspondent tweets, South Africa's President Jacob Zuma is to challenge a report by former anti-corruption tsar - and Forbes African of the Year - Thuli Madonsela, which found evidence of possible corruption at the top level of his government.

The report was published earlier this month after a previous delay while Mr Zuma tried to block its release.

He is accused of an improper relationship with wealthy businessmen.

Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas is quoted in the report as saying that businessman Ajay Gupta offered him 600m rand ($44.6m; £36.2m) last year, "to be deposited in an account of his choice", if he accepted the post of finance minister.

Mr Zuma and Mr Gupta deny wrongdoing. 

The president has been dogged by corruption allegations for more than a decade - which he denies - and is to be quizzed about his dealings by his party.

See earlier posts for more details

Image source, Getty Images

The parliament of Burkina Faso has given permission for members of the military to take on senior roles in public life, BBC Afrique reports.

It follows a ban on political activity imposed last year by the National Transition Council (NTC), the parliament set up after the overthrow of the Blaise Compaore regime.

Under the law, a member could not be appointed to the position of managing director of a national company or the president of an institution. 

The law obliged officers to resign from the army to engage in politics. 

The new amendment again opens the door to high administrative functions, including running a ministry. 

But it still prohibits officers from carrying out political activities.

Read more: What was behind the coup in Burkina Faso?

Chris Ewokor
BBC Africa, Abuja

Image source, afp/getty

Reports say security forces with heavy equipment have been deployed into the north-western Nigerian state of Zamfara. 

It follows weeks of abductions and killings by suspected armed cattle rustlers.

This heavy military deployment is the first since the Nigerian army promised to send about 1,000 troops to the area three months ago. 

Residents told the BBC they saw military tanks and armoured vehicles moving into forests where suspected armed bandits are thought to be hiding. 

The armed gangs are based in the forests, from where they raid nearby villages. 

Last July, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari sent a special military taskforce to combat cattle rustlers in Zamfara state. 

Hundreds of people have been killed in villages in and around Zamfara in the last three years. 

Residents of the affected areas have accused the local authorities of failing to defend them.

The non-governmental organisation Gift of the Givers says negotiations are continuing in a bid to free a South African and a Swede held hostage for five years in Mali by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), South Africa's News 24, external reported.

Traditional leaders were now negotiating for the release of Stephen McGown and Johan Gustafsson, abducted five years ago today.

"They say, in principle, the AQIM elders agree on an unconditional release but there is resistance and reluctance from the youth. Negotiations continue," Gift of the Givers said.

The NGO said its negotiator, Yehia Dicko, was in Mali and had been requested to go to a rendezvous on the Algerian border, but that contact with him had since been lost.