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:

Click here and scroll to the bottom to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this picture of two girls playing football on a beach in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. It is one of our best photos from this week.

Image source, AFP

A new song by Canada-based Somali artist Oomaar has taken the internet by storm.

Unlike most Somali songs, which are traditionally poetic, Barbar is a humour-filled fusion of other genres and calls on people to dance.

Part of the lyrics that have found particular appeal narrate how the protagonist is struck with a love bug which seizes him with uncontrollable fever until it knocks him down.

People have now started the Barbar challenge which involves acting out the lyrics and ends with them throwing themselves on the floor.

The artist is however advising his enthusiastic fans to ensure that they are somewhere safe when dancing along so that they don't hurt themselves.

Here's one of the popular videos:

The US embassy in Djibouti has also been joining in:

The National Bank of Kenya has confirmed that hackers stole 29 million shillings ($282,000; £203,000) in an attack on Wednesday.

In its statement shared on Twitter, the bank assured its customers that their accounts were not affected by the theft.

Patience Atuhaire
BBC Africa, Kampala

Uganda hit the headlines in 2016 when its only radiotherapy machine broke, leaving thousands of cancer patients without the treatment they urgently needed.

The official launch of the new machine today is potentially life-saving, even if it remains the only one for a country of more than 40 million people.

Monica Kyotazala has lived with a life-threatening disease for 12 years.

In 2006, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, and her body shows the physical ravages of the condition.

Painfully thin and with a faltering voice, she explains how she went without adequate medical treatment for close to two years, after Uganda's only radiotherapy machine broke down.

After the machine failed, doctors prescribed two doses of chemotherapy for Ms Kyotazala.

"I didn't have the money," she says, beginning to cry. "I spent a month without getting the treatment. My children were trying to raise the money. So I survived on just morphine, for the pain. I had to go back home and wait."

For Ms Kyotazala, and patients like her, the wait is finally over.

Read the full piece here

Tulanana Bohela
BBC Africa, Dar es Salaam

Tanzania's President John Magufuli has placed a stop on all registration of new ships "until further notice", following the recent seizure of two vessels flying the country's flag which were carrying illegal cargo.

Drugs and explosives were found on the ships which were intercepted at the end of last year and early this year, in the Dominican Republic and Greece respectively.

The Tanzanian government has since revoked both two ships' licences.

In a statement today (below in Kiswahili), Tanzania's State House confirmed it would "conduct an investigation into the ships which have been captured, which now number five, and all 470 that have been registered and are flying the Tanzanian flag.

It adds: "We cannot let the name of country be dragged through the mud by people serving their own interests."

Image source, .

Sixteen people are to be prosecuted in connection with the massacre of 14 young men in Senegal's troubled region of Casamance, news agency AFP reports quoting a source.

The suspects are facing murder charges over the attacks which reportedly took place on 6 January.

They are also facing charges for associating with a criminal group and for the possession of weapons.

The victims' friends and relatives said they were looking for firewood when they were attacked.

Media reports however say the group was potentially involved in the illegal logging trade in a region with plentiful rosewood and teak, both highly prized in China.

Casamance has seen a long-running conflict between the government and the MFDC rebel group, which wants independence.

The Senegalese military had said the attack may be connected to the recent release from custody of two MFDC members.

Once home to a thriving tourist industry, Casamance is separated from the Senegalese capital, Dakar, by The Gambia.

It is home to numerous ethnic groups, including many Christians, while northern areas are dominated by three, largely Muslim communities.

Violence has largely waned since a 2014 ceasefire agreed between the government and rebels.

Read: Senegal country profile

BBC World Service

More than 20,000 primary school teachers in Nigeria's Kaduna state, who failed the exams they set for their pupils, could be allowed to keep their jobs.

The authorities in Kaduna state had said they would be sacked and replacements recruited, prompting teachers to go on strike earlier this month.

But union leaders have told the BBC they've now called off their action after the state governor said the teachers who didn't pass the competency test would be allowed to apply for the posts.

Image source, AFP

Authorities in Somalia say they have freed 32 children from a school run by Islamist militant group al-Shabab, news agency Reuters reports.

Information Minister Abdirahman Omar Osman said that the children are safe and are being looked after by the government.

He added:

Al-Shabab spokesman, Abdiasis Abu Musab, confirmed the raid in the country's Middle Shabelle region but added adding that four children and a teacher were killed in the operation.

He added that the government troops had "kidnapped" the rest of the pupils, Reuters reports. The government has however denied the claims.

The campaign group Human rights Watch said in a recent report that the militants were recruiting children as young as eight years old.

Read: Who are Somalia's al-Shabab?

The hospital at the centre of rape claims made against staff by new mothers has issued a statement calling the allegations "damning and untrue".

Kenyatta National Hospital's CEO Lily Koros dismissed the personal accounts of alleged assault which women have shared on social media, saying that no formal reports were made and adding that the site has 24-hour CCTV and round-the-clock security.

Image source, .

Earlier, Kenya's health ministry announced it would be investigating the claims made.

Following Zambia's cholera outbreak in September last year, the government has moved to clear street markets in a bid to curb the spread of the disease.

But many street traders say their livelihoods have been affected and have been protesting at the authorities' actions:

Watch more from Africa Business Report.

Ishaq Khalid
BBC Africa, Abuja

The Nigerian military says 95 former Boko Haram fighters are to be re-integrated into society following a 16-week de-radicalisation programme. They are the first set of confirmed former fighters to complete the programme. The men are among more than 254 former Boko Haram militants admitted to a specialist centre in the north-eastern State of Gombe under the Operation Safe Corridor programme.

Surrendered and repentant Boko Haram fighters undergo de-radicalisation, rehabilitation and re-integration at the government-funded facility.

The next step for former fighters, who also receive vocational training in things like farming and soap-making, is to being handed over to their state governments before being reunited with their families.

Apart from the ex-combatants being de-radicalised, the Nigerian military says so for it has also facilitated the rehabilitation of 750 suspects including men women and children who have been cleared of links to the militant group.

It says some United Nations agencies were part of the programme.

Since the Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009, thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

Across Africa, thousands of fishermen head out to sea every day to earn a living.

As their catches normally get to market via intermediaries, the fishermen themselves get very little money.

But a new app could change this.

The BBC's Jason Boswell reports from Lamberts Bay, on South Africa's west coast.

A school principal in Nigeria's north-central state of Nasarawa has been suspended after a video of him caning students was shared on social media.

The state's Commissioner of Education, Tijjani Ahmed, said that the head teacher and some of his colleagues had been suspended for one month and that an investigation had been launched, Punch news site reports. , external

In the video, the teacher is seen caning several students with hard strokes.

Mr Ahmed said that corporal punishment is banned in the state, adding that teachers caught punishing pupils physically would be disciplined.

He said that "minor punishment" should be used to discipline students.

Image source, AFP

Ghana's Aviation Minister Cecelia Dapaah has warned British Airways (BA) it could face sanctions, after reports of bed bugs on some of the airline's flights into the country.

A British newspaper reported this week, external that a BA flight to Accra was grounded at London's Heathrow Airport for four hours, after the insects were found crawling on the seats.

British Airways, which has a monopoly on direct flights between the UK and Ghana, has issued a statement saying such incidents were extremely rare, and a specialist team had taken immediate steps to resolve the issue.

It told the BBC that Ghana remained an important destination for the company.

Image source, AFP

Ex-footballer George Weah has been elected to the highest office in Liberia. His official swearing-in is due to take place on Monday.

Known as "King George" to his supporters, how did he go from footballing glory to president?

Video producer: Elaine Okyere

Stephanie Hegarty
BBC Africa, Lagos

The Nigerian government has filed a lawsuit against investment bank JP Morgan in the UK for more than $875m (£630m), for what it says was negligence in the handling of funds during an oil deal in 2011.

The same deal is the subject of a case being heard in Italy in which executives from oil companies Shell and ENI have been charged with corruption.

It was a $1.3bn deal, a bounty that could have covered Nigeria’s entire health budget.

But at least $800m of that money went missing. And now the Nigerian government - under a different president - wants it back.

The claim was filed quietly in a British court in November.

In it, Nigeria says that JP Morgan was "grossly negligent" and didn’t follow due diligence when it transferred money to a company called Malabu, which was controlled by convicted money launderer Dan Etete.

It says that JP Morgan should have known or suspected that the money would be misappropriated.

But JP Morgan says the accusations are “unsubstantiated and without merit”.

Executives from the oil companies, ENI and Shell are facing charges of corruption over this oil deal, in an Italian court.

Both ENI and Shell have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Annual Timkat celebrations are under way in Ethiopia - the festival is an Orthodox Christian celebration of Epiphany.

Our colleague Kalkidan Yibeltal sent these photos from the city of Gondar in the country's north:

Image source, Kalkidan Yibeltal/BBC

Image source, Kalkidan Yibeltal/BBC

Image source, Kalkidan Yibeltal/BBC

Image source, Kalkidan Yibeltal/BBC

Image source, Kalkidan Yibeltal/BBC

Image source, Kalkidan Yibeltal/BBC

Kenya's Health Minister Cleopa Mailu has ordered an investigation into shocking claims that new mothers at the country's main referral hospital in the capital Nairobi have been sexually assaulted, local media report.

Mr Mailu tweeted that he was aware of "the alleged rape of mothers on their way to and from the newborn unit" as had been made on social media posts.

One Facebook user had posted on a page called Buyers Beware that new mothers who had undergone Caesarean sections were especially vulnerable.

The user said that new mothers were being targeted while on their way to breastfeed their newborn babies who are kept in a different floor:

The post has attracted comments from people who say they have been victims or know somebody who has been attacked.

The health minister ordered the hospital's management to beef up security at the facility and submit a report to him by Monday.

Aboubakar Famau
BBC Africa, Arusha

Tanzania has revoked the registration of two Tanzanian-flagged ships that were seized last week by the Greek authorities while heading to Libya.

The ships were reported to be fully loaded with materials used to make explosives.

Tanzania's Vice-President Samia Suluhu told reporters that the government had authorised both the American and Greece coastguards to seize and inspect the vessels which she says were carrying illegal materials.

Ms Suluhu added that the government was shocked by the news considering the country has been steadfast in its effort to combat drugs and illegal arms.

The two vessels were registered in Tanzania through the Zanzibar Maritime Authority which also has the mandate to register foreign ships.

She said that the government would form joint committee with officials from the Zanzibar island to review previous contracts of all Tanzanian flagged vessels.

The committee's findings will then advise the government.

The European Union and UN-imposed arms embargoes have prohibited the sale, supply or transfer of arms to Libya since 2011.

Security authorities in Sudan have arrested journalists covering opposition organised demonstrations against the rising food prices, news agency AFP reports.

The price of bread and other food items have soared in recent weeks after a shortage of wheat supplies led to the cost of flour going up.

Journalists working for news agencies AFP and Reuters were among three reporters being held by Sudanese authorities the two agencies have confirmed.

Abdelmoneim Abu Idris Ali, a 51-year-old reporter who has worked for AFP in Khartoum for nearly a decade, was arrested while covering the protests on Wednesday in the Sudanese capital's twin city of Omdurman.

AFP says that they have not been able to reach the reporter and that he was being detained by Sudan's intelligence and Security Service (NISS) along three other journalists.

It adds that authorities said the three journalists "are being investigated" but provided no further details. "

A Reuters spokesperson says that they are actively trying to get additional information about the arrests.

Similar protests were held in late 2016 after the government cut fuel subsidies.

The authorities cracked down on those protests to prevent a repeat of deadly unrest that followed an earlier round of subsidy cuts in 2013.

Image source, AFP