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

A reminder of today's wise words:

And we leave you with this photo of a woman from the Nzema ethnic group celebrating the Abissa, or Question, festival. It's one of our favourite shots this week.

Image source, EPA

A woman who was kidnapped by the Nigerian militants Boko Haram has been abandoned in hospital as a school and the government row over her medical bills, reports Reuters, external.

Naomi Adamu was one of more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram from their school in Chibok, northeast Nigeria, in April 2014.

She was set free this May and the government sponsored her to start a special catch-up course in September at the American University of Nigeria (AUN).

She needs surgery for a kidney condition but her mother is unable to pay.

Yakubu Nkeki of the Chibok parents' association told journalist Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani that Ms Adamu is suffering from shrapnel left in her body, incurred while she was in captivity.

Her parents say they can't afford to pay for the kidney surgery she needs.

Yet, they add, the government and the university are passing the buck on paying for their healthcare.

A spokeswoman for the ministry of women's affairs said the school fees paid by the government include medical bills.

But the AUN could not immediately be reached for comment, Nwaubani adds.

Ms Adamu wrote a diary about her time in captivity.

Read more: Chronicling a Boko Haram kidnapping

Didi Akinyelure
BBC Africa, Lagos

Image source, Getty Images

The Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed has denied any allegations of fraud following a report by a US based environmental agency.

The report claims that local and international laws were violated when she granted permits to Chinese firms to import Nigerian timber while she was the country's minister of environment.

Ms Mohammed says that the permits she signed for the export of rosewood logs to China were done following due process.

In a statement released by the United Nations, the deputy secretary general also welcomed efforts to shine more light on the issue of illegal rosewood logging and exportation.

Nigeria is a key exporter of wood to China but the country has faced issues of illegal wood exportation.

Following what they say was a two year investigation, the US based Environmental Investigation Agency released a report on the illegal importation of rosewood logs worth $300m (£220m) from Nigeria to China.

It claims that thousands of permits were retrospectively signed off by the Ministry of Environment, permitting Chinese importers to release 1.4 million logs that had been detained at the Chinese border for months.

The report also claims that $1m was subsequently paid to unidentified government officials for the release of the wood.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres was informed about the allegations and reiterated his full support and confidence in his deputy.

In just over 24 hours, we'll know the five nominees for this year's BBC African Footballer of the Year.

To get you in the mood, here's a fabulously cheesy promo video with #BBCAFOTY presenters Peter Okwoche and Mimi Fawaz:

Tune in on BBC World News TV at 18:00 GMT tomorrow, or listen on BBC World Service radio.

And look our for the Facebook Live reaction show, external with Stanley Kwenda at the same time. Stanley and guests will be debating the shortlist as the nominees are announced.

Use the hashtag #BBCAFOTY on social media.

A study by a security body has ranked Botswana as the country with the best police service in Africa.

The World Internal Security and Police Index (WISPI) report assessed resources given to the security services to perform their duties, This is Africa news site reports. , external

It found that nations with smaller populations performed better.

Botswana was 47th in the world in a league table topped by Singapore.

Botswana's government has pinned a tweet celebrating the achievement:

Rwanda came in second in Africa.

Nigeria was ranked last on the continent, and in the world, at position 127.

The study said corruption was one of the main problems undermining effective policing in Nigeria.

Image source, AFP

Somaliland's electoral commission has asked the government to block social media platforms from Monday next week to prevent the spread of "fake news and misinformation" during the election period.

The officials want Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp to be blocked.

The blockade will come into effect on 13 November and will remain in place for at least seven days until after the result on the presidential election is announced.

Three candidates are running to become leader of the self-declared republic.

For more on the election, here are five things you need to know.

Read:How African governments block social media

Mayeni Jones
BBC Focus on Africa

Image source, Shutterstock

Angolan opposition party Unita is demanding a parliamentary inquiry after it was revealed that an asset manager to their sovereign wealth fund was paid more than $41m, Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias reports, external.

The fund was mired in controversy from its outset in 2011 because then-Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos appointed his son, Jose Filomeno, to run it.

Yesterday he was in the news because the new President, Joao Lourenco, terminated a government contract with a company affiliated with to him.

In 2012, the then President Dos Santos awarded food-testing company Bromangol exclusive rights to run lab tests on food imports, reports Angolan news site Club K, external.

The Angolan state-run newspaper Jornal de Angola, external reports that Mr Lourenco decided to end the contract to encourage competition.

Bormangol had been criticised for its high fees and poor performance, reports Portuguese business newspaper Jornal de Negocios, external.

Jose Filomeno is not the only one of the former president's children who is in a powerful position.

But David Pilling writes in the Financial Times, external that earlier this year Mr Lourenco also abolished a government communications department which one of Mr Dos Santos' daughters was reportedly associated with.

Read the full Paradise Papers investigation on the BBC News website.

This week on satirical series Resident Presidents, Olushambles and Kibarkingmad take on obesity.

They blame the growing health problem in Africa on "supermarketisation".

They suggest that famine could be a possible solution to deal with obesity, and possibly long walks to Europe across the Sahara desert.

Listen:

BBC World Service

Seven thousand Chadians have filed a human rights complaint against their government for failing to pay reparations for torture they suffered under the rule of former President Hissene Habre.

The complaint was filed at the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.

In 2015, a special court ordered 20 convicted perpetrators and the Chadian government to pay $125 (£95) to people who had been tortured or otherwise abused.

In 2016, another court sentenced Mr Habre to life in prison for crimes against humanity.

Image source, AFP

Profile: Chad's Hissene Habre

Senegal's city of Saint-Louis was founded in the 17th Century by French colonists and was the capital of the West African nation for 85 years.

It is a Unesco World Heritage Site, but its very existence in now under threat.

Because of coastal erosion and the absence of dykes, the city is increasingly prone to flooding.

The BBC's Marie Keyworth explains:

Image source, Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed M'khaitir

Prosecutors in Mauritania have appealed against a court decision to reduce the death sentence of a blogger, convicted of blasphemy, to a two-year jail term, the AFP news agency reports.

They said in a statement that they wanted "a sound and rigorous application of the law".

Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed M'khaitir was convicted of blasphemy in 2014 but this was later downgraded to the lesser crime of "unbelieving".

He was expected to be released but AFP reports that his whereabouts are unknown.

He was accused of insulting Muslim Prophet Muhammad, although he said it was meant to criticise the use of religion to justify discrimination.

People angered by the court's decision launched a campaign on social media for Friday to be observed as a "day of anger", AFP reports.

Authorities responded by beefing up security in the capital Nouakchott after Friday weekly prayers.

Capital punishment in the majority Muslim nation is usually reserved for murder and acts of terrorism but the country hasn't executed anyone since 1987.

For a week every November, Senegal effectively closes down so followers of the Muslim Mouride brotherhood can pay tribute to their founder Amadou Bamba.

Thousands of them travel to the central city of Touba where he is buried in a mosque.

They believe that following Bamba is a shortcut to success.

Nigerian music titans Wizkid and Davido are up against each other this weekend for an MTV European Music Award.

The ceremony is happening in London, UK, on Sunday.

So we had a quick look to see who would win, if it was just up to YouTube views.

Davido's If has been watched a whopping 49 million times:

Wizkid comes in just short of that with 47 million views on his collabo with Drake.

Just to put that in perspective, one of Drake's other songs, Hotline Bling, external, has 1.3 billion views.

Among the other contestants for the top spot is Angolan singer C4 Pedro. He flew to London yesterday ahead of the ceremony and popped into the BBC headquarters.

He told us that if he wins he will be the first Portuguese-speaking star to get this award.

Listen to the whole interview on Focus on Africa radio tomorrrow.

Bidhaan Dahir
BBC Somali service

A haven of peace in the Horn of Africa, the self-declared republic of Somaliland is set to hold presidential elections on Monday.

Here are five things you need to know about the poll:

1) Eye-dentifying fraud

Somaliland will be the first in the world to use an iris-based biometric voting system, according to its election spokesman Saed Ali Muse.

It will help combat fraud, and ensure that Somaliland will host one of the most transparent elections ever in Africa.

Somaliland has about 704,000 registered voters out of a population of about 3.5 million.

Image source, Dr Michael Walls

2) Finnish connection

Of the three candidates, two - Abdirahman Mohamed Irro and Faisal Ali Warabe - have Finnish nationality. They settled there after the civil war of the 1990s, which led to Somaliland declaring independence from Somalia.

The third candidate is Muse Bihi Abdi, a former military officer who trained in Russia in the late 1970s.

The three are vying to succeed Ahmed Silanyo, who is stepping down after one, albeit extended, term. He was due to leave power in 2015 at the end of his five-year term, but Somaliland's parliament extended it by a further two years so that he could see the nation through a severe drought.

3) Dalai Lama row

Somaliland is almost 100% Muslim, but the Dalai Lama and Buddhism came up in the election campaign, when Faisal Ali Warabe said "that Waddani Party supporters with their orange colour resemble Buddhist monks and their leader [Abdirahman Mohamed Irro] looks like the Dalai Lama".

His comments generated a massive backlash on social media, with some people accusing him of making a blasphemous statement.

Waddani Party supporters responded defiantly, rallying in cities and towns in orange-coloured clothes and orange-painted bodies.

4) Live TV debate

For the first time, candidates took part in live television debates. The first one was organised by a youth group, Inspire, which said the debate elicited more than two million reactions on Twitter alone.

One of the most contentious issues is the signing of an agreement allowing the United Arab Emirates to build a military base in the port city of Berbera.

Faisal Ali Warabe and Muse Bihi Abdi support the deal, saying it would help Somaliland, which is not recognised by any state, gain international recognition.

But Abdirahman Mohamed Irro opposes it, saying there was no proper agreement - and he accuses his two rivals of taking kickbacks from the UAE, an allegation which they strongly deny.

5) Global funding, if not recognition

Observers from 24 countries will be monitoring the election, despite Somaliland's lack of international recognition.

The observer mission, headed by Michael Walls of University College of London, is being funded by the UK government.

Other nations which have contributed towards funding the estimated $20m cost of the election include the US, Denmark, Norway, and the European. No African state chipped in.

Image source, Getty Images

The final round of matches to compete for the remaining three slots for Africa ahead of next year's football World Cup in Russia, will kick off later today.

Egypt and Nigeria have already qualified, while Tunisia and Senegal are almost there.

Senegal could be the first to qualify if they win away against South Africa to guarantee top spot in Group D.

The match in Polokwane is a replay of last year's 2-1 win for South Africa at the same venue.

Football's world governing body, Fifa, ordered a repeat of the game after it found the result was manipulated by Ghanaian referee Joseph Lamptey, who has since been handed a life ban.

It means Senegal and South Africa play each other twice in the space of four days with a return encounter next Tuesday in Dakar.

Senegal need one point from the two games and South Africa coach Stuart Baxter admits that he and his side are underdogs to qualify for Russia.

Here's a list of other matches to look out for:

Friday:

Group D - South Africa v Senegal - 1700GMT

Group B - Algeria v Nigeria - 1930GMT

Saturday:

Group B: Zambia v Cameroon - 1300GMT

Group C - Gabon v Mali - 1430GMT

Group A - Tunisia v Libya - 1730GMT

Group A - DR Congo v Guinea - 1730GMT

Group C - Ivory Coast v Morocco - 1730GMT -

Sunday:

Group E - Congo v Uganda - 1430GMT

Group E - Ghana v Egypt - 1530GMT

Tuesday:

Group D - Senegal v South Africa - 1930GMT

Group D - Burkina Faso v Cape Verde - 1930GMT

Image source, Getty Images

A Kenyan woman has appeared in court for contravening the law banning the use of plastic bags, privately-owned Standard newspaper reports. , external

Nancy Wangari Robert, a trader at a market in Nyeri, central Kenya, is facing charges of being in possession of 17 plastic bags.

She was released on bail of two million Kenya shillings ($10,000; £7,600)

Her brother Evanson Kinyanjui acted as guarantor by depositing a land title deed for a piece of land valued at $77,000.

She will appear again in court on 15 November.

The plastic ban came into effect on 28 August. It bans the use, manufacture and importation of all plastic bags.

Those found guilty face fines of up to $38,000 or prison sentences of up to four years.

A Kenyan man who has puzzled many for days after he gave witness accounts to two fatal accidents, in two different parts of the country, has been arrested for impersonating a police officer, local media report.

A journalist shared a picture of Dennis Muigai's two appearances on local TV.

Mr Muigai gave an interview to Citizen TV after a fatal helicopter crash on 21 October.

At least five people died in the crash.

He told reporters that he was a "state pilot".

He was again the main witness during Monday's fatal crash in Murang'a, central Kenya, in which a governor died.

Three other occupants, including the governor's bodyguard, sustained injuries.

He told another TV station, NTV, that he was riding in a police car when the accident happened and gave a detailed account of what he saw.

According to Nairobi News , externalhe said that the first thing he did after the crash was to secure the bodyguard's gun and the occupants' personal belongings.

Images of Mr Muigai donning sun glasses connected to an ear piece has also captured Kenyan's imaginations.

Many people are using the hashtag #WitnessChallenge, external on Twitter to copy his look.

Here's a selection of the tweets:

BBC World Service

A New York-based campaign group says Tanzanian workers in Oman and the United Arab Emirates are facing abuse, including unpaid salaries and excessive working hours.

One Tanzanian domestic worker told Human Rights Watch she had to work 21 hours a day and had been sexually abused.

The rights group said a major problem was the visa sponsorship system whereby workers are tied to their employers.

Gulf countries are increasingly turning to East Africa as a source of labour as Asian countries take more steps to protect domestic workers who migrate to the region.

BBC World Service

South Sudan's former army chief, General Paul Malong, has been released from house arrest.

He was sacked in May and held in the capital Juba to prevent him from launching a revolt.

Local media say he is not allowed to travel to his home area of Aweil in the north-west.

Last week troops surrounded his house in an attempt to disarm his bodyguards.

Read the background on the BBC News website.

Image source, Getty Images

Four people have been taken to court for booing the Zimbabwean first lady Grace Mugabe, reports the government-owned Herald newspaper, external.

They are facing the charge of undermining the authority of the president, the Herald says.

The court heard that they allegedly sang and made gestures at a rally for the governing Zanu-PF party last Saturday.