Thomas Naadi
BBC Africa, Accra

Image source, JOY FM

Repair works are ongoing at Ghana's parliament after a severe rainstorm ripped off part of the building's roof on Tuesday evening.

It brought proceedings to an abrupt end as the chamber was left exposed to rain, which interfered with the installed electronic gadgets. 

Staff tried to save some of the exposed areas by using buckets to collect the dripping water:

Image source, JOY FM

The building in the capital, Accra, was renovated two years ago:  

Richard Hamilton
BBC World Service Africa editor

Image source, AFP

A few weeks ago Moroccan military planes landed in South Sudan's capital, Juba, equipped with much-needed medical supplies. Today King Mohammed is expected to open mobile health clinics run by Moroccans. 

The trip caps a charm offensive by the king in which he has visited several African nations in order to cement relations with them and gather their support for rejoining the African Union (AU). 

But the interchange with South Sudan is also an example of a poorer African country reaching out to a richer one for support, trade and investment. 

Interest in the north African kingdom's economy - the fifth largest on the continent and worth more than one $100bn (£80bn) - has grown in recent years. 

For Morocco, readmission to the AU smooths its access to fast-growing African economies to the south and helps reduce its reliance on increasingly stagnant European markets to the north.

Since the year 2000, King Mohammed has paid 46 visits to 25 African countries, and has signed nearly 1,000 trade agreements. 

Morocco is investing heavily in African infrastructure. In December, for example, he travelled to Nigeria where he signed a deal for a huge gas pipeline project aimed at linking Nigeria with Europe.

Morocco has also been at the forefront of alternative energy - with solar power projects on its soil as well as plans to reform agriculture on the continent. The latest global summit on the environment - COP22 - was held in Marrakech in December. 

Thousands of Africans go to Morocco to study and are offered scholarships. In fact although the authorities in Rabat would not appreciate the comparison, there are similarities between what the Moroccan monarch is doing now and the actions of the former Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi who won friends and influenced people via a massive programme of investment across Africa.

A Nigerian woman who gave birth to quadruplets is the focus of two UK newspaper stories today after it was revealed that she has racked up a UK hospital bill of $630,000 (£500,000). 

The woman, named Priscilla, was on her way home from the US when she went into premature labour and gave birth on a plane that landed at London's Heathrow airport.

One of the babies did not survive the birth, but Priscilla and the other babies were taken to an intensive care unit in London. A second baby later died.

It is not clear from the reports in The Sun and The Daily Mail when she gave birth, but she and her babies are still in hospital.

As the woman is not a British resident, she must pay for the care that she and her babies are now receiving. 

Their emergency treatment has been provided free of charge but non-UK residents have to pay for subsequent care. 

It is estimated that some $364m (£289m) was charged to all overseas patients in 2015/16 but only half that amount was recovered, the Press Association reports.

Her case will feature on a BBC Two documentary Hospital later today in the UK.  

Image source, .

The ongoing internet shutdown in English-speaking regions of Cameroon, the North West and South West, has so far led to massive economic losses to small businesses and entrepreneurs, according to a report, external by freedom of expression campaign group Internet Sans Frontieres. 

It estimates that blocking access to the internet for the past 15 days has cost businesses up to $723,000 (£570,000). 

Buea, the capital of the South West region, is known as "Silicon Mountain" because many small businesses have developed there thanks to the internet.

They have contributed greatly to the development of a digital economy and are the companies that have mostly been affected.

The Anglophone regions have experienced violent clashes in recent months following what residents see as a government plan to impose the use of French language in schools and courts. 

Internet Sans Frontieres together with other open-internet campaign groups, Access Now and The World Wide Foundation, are calling on President Paul Biya to re-establish the internet connection throughout Cameroon.

Several African governments have used internet shutdowns to deal with perceived dissent. 

Read more: How African governments block social media

Image source, .

Shingai Nyoka
BBC Africa, Harare

Image source, AFP

Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party has started fundraising for President Robert Mugabe's 93rd birthday celebrations later this month.

The birthday organisers say they want to 150 head of cattle to feed revellers.

The state-run Herald newspaper quotes, external MP Never Khanye as saying donations are voluntary but that large-scale farmers in Matabeleland South, where the celebrations will be held, must donate a cow to show appreciation of the long-time leader:

A2 farmers are people who received large farms from the government following the takeover of white-owned farms in the country’s controversial land reform programme.

Zanu-PF says it expects 100,000 people to attend the celebrations.

They will be held in Matobos, just outside the second largest city of Bulawayo.  

Read more: Nine things you may not know about Robert Mugabe

The African Union has established a body to detect, manage and to better respond to public health emergencies like the Ebola virus.   

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC) will monitor health threats and manage responses. 

The body will collaborate with international health institutions to share information and improve surveillance of public health threats.  

The ACDC will set up several regional centres: 

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the head of the World Health Organization in Africa, told the BBC's Newsday programme this morning that the initiative would help the continent better respond to public health emergencies. 

But she warned that African countries would still have to invest in their health care system to ensure they were better prepared to stop communicable diseases from spreading.

Botswana’s government has launched a campaign to get people to register their drones:

It doesn’t cost much - about $25 (£20) - but the  Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB) warns failure to apply will results in a maximum fine of $4,800 (£3,700) and possible confiscation of the drone.

It says that drones are increasingly being used “for private and professional activities such as photography and videography, agricultural observations, climate studies and other uses, external".

But it says they pose a threat to privacy, security and the safety of citizens if unlicensed.

Uganda has denied accusations that it did not back Kenya's Foreign Minister Amina Mohammed in her bid to become chairperson of the African Union Commission. 

Ms Mohammed, who was seen as a front runner,  accused neighbouring countries in her concession speech, of being "deceptive" and called for an investigation. 

Kenyan media reports said that Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti did not vote for Ms Mohammed in the final round clearing the path for Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chad's foreign minister. 

Mr Mahamat secured a two-thirds majority, 36 votes, to be declared winner.  

Kenya's government reportedly spent $3m (£2m) in its campaign rallying support for Ms Mohammed. 

By tradition, the post rotates between Anglophone and Francophone countries. Outgoing head Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, from English-speaking South Africa, succeeded French-speaking Jean Ping in 2012.  

Uganda said in a statement that its support for Ms Mohammed was unequivocal before and during the election:

Image source, .

The January football transfer window closed several hours ago with several players changing clubs. 

Nigeria's striker Odion Ighalo missed Watford's match against Arsenal last night to seal a deal to Chinese Super League side Changchun Yatai for £20m. 

He becomes the latest English Premier League player to join the Chinese league. 

Ighalo, 27, joined the Hornets in 2014 from Italian side Udinese and helped Watford win promotion to the Premier League in the 2014-15 campaign.

He scored 15 top-flight goals in 2015-16, but has only one Premier League goal this season and has gone 15 games without scoring in all competitions.

Watford's 2-1 away win last night moves them to 13th in the Premier League, 11 points above the relegation zone.

During his time with the Hornets, Ighalo played 100 times in all competitions and scored 39 goals.

In the calendar year of 2015, he scored 30 goals in 38 games. He has netted six times since.

Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here.

Emmanuel Igunza
BBC Africa, Addis Ababa

The African Union has backed a plan to push for a collective withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which many countries on the continent believe unfairly targets them.

But the decision, taken by African leaders during a closed door session at the recent African Union Summit in Ethiopia, is not legally binding.

The continent has 34 signatories to the Rome Statute, the treaty which set up the court.

The debate on the ICC was hugely divisive on the question of whether this should be individual or collective withdrawal.

Burundi, South Africa and The Gambia have already announced plans to leave the court - although the new Gambian leader has said he will reverse that decision.

Several countries, led by Nigeria and Senegal, strongly supported the court and argued for African countries to remain as members of the court.

They argued it was not possible for a mass withdrawal, as countries had signed up individually, so it will be left to individual countries to implement the withdrawal plan.

And the resolution also called for African members of the ICC to hold a meeting with the UN Security Council to discuss reforms of the global court.   

It also pushed for the strengthening of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights to enable it deal with war crimes and cases of genocide.

African leaders say the court has strayed off course by targeting presidents like Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, accused of atrocities in Darfur and Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya for inciting post-election violence in 2007 – though his case was dropped in 2014.

Both men denied the allegations.

Image source, AFP

Today's African proverb:

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