Emmanuel Igunza
BBC Africa, on a plane in Addis Ababa

Dozens of flights from Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa have been delayed after air traffic controllers went on strike. It’s not clear yet why the workers have downed their tools.

I am aboard KQ flight 401 to Nairobi, which has now been delayed by more than an hour and the pilot had just announced its not clear when we will take off.

Industrial strikes are very rare in Ethiopia - which is one of the continent’s fast growing economy.

But poverty levels in the country remain high and salaries and wages of public servants comparatively low compared to other countries.

Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Monday met the business community in the country and pledged to institute reforms that would make the country’s economy more robust.

He said he would institute austerity measures that would cut down on expenses on foreign travels which he said cost the country millions of dollars.

He also spoke about the country’s biting foreign currency shortage and the fight against corruption.

But he assured investors that Africa’s second most populous country was open to business.

Mr Abiy took over the reins of power at the start of this month after the abrupt resignation of his predecessor Hailemariam Desalegn who quit after nearly three years of anti government protests.

Image source, SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENCY

Law enforcement authorities in South Africa seized assets worth $15m (£10m) on Monday during a raid on properties belonging to the controversial Gupta brothers, TimesLive reports. , external

They included 65 cars‚ 46 properties‚ a helicopter‚ two aircraft‚ cash in several bank accounts and earth-moving equipment and the Gupta family’s compound in Johannesburg suburb of Saxonwold.

Tax officials and an asset forfeiture unit joined the police in the operation which, TimesLive reports, will continue today.

The seizure is part of the state capture investigation which alleges that the brothers had undue influence over former President Jacob Zuma. Both parties have however denied any wrongdoing.

Investigators are aiming to recover $20m from various associates and companies involved in a scandal known as the Estina dairy farm, where a shell company is alleged to have laundered money.

The Gupta brothers have kept a low profile since before the forced retirement of President Zuma.

• Read: How the Guptas' brand turned toxic in South Africa

Our African proverb of the day:

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

Welcome to BBC Africa Live where we will bring you the latest news from around the continent.

That's all from the BBC Africa Live page today. Please do join us again at 09:00 GMT tomorrow.

In the meantime, 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 today's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs

And we leave you this picture of somewhat worse-for-wear sign for the Angolan city Lubango:

Zambian-born Black Panther actor Patrick Shumba Mutukwa has expressed embarrassment after a video of him posing naked spread on social media.

"Recently there was an unsavory video released of Shumba Mutukwa to the Zambian public from his 20s," his publicist Larrissa Long said in a statement published by the Lusaka Times.

However, she said stories that he starred in gay porn were inaccurate.

"He is not now, nor was he ever a gay porn actor," Ms Long told BBC Africa Live.

The images have caused a huge storm in Zambia. Some have accused the actor of being "evil” and “satanic”,while others branded his critics as "hypocrites" who wanted to act “holier” than others, reports the BBC's Kennedy Gondwe from the capital, Lusaka.

Ms Long told us he made the naked video for his former girlfriend.

"There was no one in the video with him. He is embarrassed by the actions of his youth but certainly has nothing to apologize for, as what he did was not illegal or harmful to anyone," Ms Long said.

"He was a young man that made a choice not all may agree with," she added.

In a statement, Shumba said that "we all make mistakes but know I will continue to bring pride to Zambia".

After the images were widely circulated, he published a poem on his Facebook page mentioning regret.

Ishaq Khalid
BBC Africa, Abuja

Stones and tear gas canisters littered some streets in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, following clashes between the security forces and protesters demanding the release of pro-Iranian Shia leader Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky.

Members of the Muslim community threw stones at the police while the security forces fired teargas and arrested many of the protesters.

Some protesters were also allegedly hit by live bullets from the police. It is not clear which side started the violence. The police have yet to comment.

Members of the Shia community in Nigeria often take to the streets to demand the release of Sheikh Zakzaky, the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN). They say his detention without formal charge since 2015 is illegal.

Image source, AFP

• Shias are minority in Nigeria but their numbers are increasing
• The IMN, formed in the 1980s, is the main Shia group led by Sheikh Zakzaky
• They operate their own schools and hospitals in some northern states
• They have a history of clashes with the security forces
• The IMN is backed by Shia-dominated Iran and its members often go there to study.

The Baladi dog breed is so prolific in Egypt that they are often found as strays while people prefer to buy more expensive pooches.

But things are changing as their character, faithfulness and street-smarts have been giving them a fan following.

Produced by Sara Abou Bakr.

Kenyan boxer Brian Agina has gone missing at the end of the Commonwealth Games in Australia.

Kenya's High Commissioner to Australia Isaiah Kabira is quoted in the Daily Nation newspaper as saying , externalthey were hoping the boxer would be found before they "press the panic button".

The newspaper adds that officials reported his disappearance from the athletes' village this morning and the rest of the Kenyan boxers have now flown out of Kenya.

At least 13 other athletes have gone missing from Cameroon, Uganda, Sierra Leone and Rwanda.

Read more: Commonwealth Games: It's not rare for athletes to go missing

An armed gang in Nigeria has killed a local policeman and abducted a German construction worker in an ambush in Kano, the biggest city in the north, police say.

The gang of five opened fire on their vehicle as they were travelling to a construction site, police added.

A "powerful" team of officers has been deployed to hunt down the gang, and rescue the German national, police said.

The motive for the abduction is unclear.

In some cases, criminals kidnap people for ransom while in other cases militant Islamists take them hostage.

In his 10 years as Botswana's president, Ian Khama was not afraid to speak out against other African leaders when he thought they had outstayed their welcome.

He has now just bowed out and has been reflecting on his time in office and the change in his life with BBC Focus on Africa's Veronque Edwards:

Image source, South African Police service Facebook

A South African man has been charged in court with child abuse after throwing his one-year-old daughter from the roof of a shack last week.

The charge was reduced from attempted murder, as a journalist with South Africa's eNCA news site tweets:

The 38-year-old was filmed throwing the infant from a rooftop during a protest against the demolition of informal settlements in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth.

A local newspaper tweeted a picture of a policeman catching her:

Police had been demolishing about 150 shacks in the Joe Slovo settlement, which they said had been built on illegally occupied land.

The man, whose house was the last one standing, had been helped to climb the roof by a woman reported to be the girl's mother.

He was on the roof for about five minutes before he threw her as other residents shouted "throw, throw, throw", Herald Live reported.

The news site has shared the distressing video, external.

The little girl was unharmed and she is now with her mother.

The court case has been remanded to 23 April.

The man, who has not yet been asked to plead, has been remanded in custody until then.

Democratic Allaince (DA) councillor Nqaba Bhanga welcomed the fact that the accused had been denied bail.

"We have a situation in South Africa where our children's rights are undermined and I think this community and that father should learn that the lives of our children are very important," he was quoted by Herald Live as saying, external.

Prominent anti-corruption journalist Rafael Marques de Morais is appearing in court today charged with insulting the attorney general and former president.

An Angolan news site has tweeted the first picture of him and his co-defendant Mariano Bras in court in the capital Luanda:

The charges stem from an article he published on his website Maka Angola in 2016 that questioned a property deal connected to the then-Attorney General João Maria de Sousa and suggested that he was benefiting from protection by ex-President Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

His case was meant to be heard in March but was delayed.

The case has angered human rights activists. International freedom of speech campaign group Pen, external says the case is an attempt to stifle free expression while the Washington Post has published an editorial, external urging the authorities to drop the charges immediately.

A former governor in northern Nigeria's Kaduna state says that only a thief - or a candidate backed by a thief - can be elected president in the oil-rich West African state.

Balarabe Musa, 81, made the comments during a meeting with Sahara Reporters publisher Omoyele Sowore, who hopes to contest next year's presidential election.

"Nobody can be a president of Nigeria unless he is a thief or is supported by thieves... The fact is clear - otherwise, who can spend billions [on campaigning]?," said Mr Musa, who was governor from 1979 until 1981.

People on Twitter have been agreeing with Musa:

Image source, Getty Images

US President Donald Trump will meet Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari at the White House on 30 April - an announcement has led to the Nigerian press commenting on its significance.

The White House statement says the two leaders will discuss promoting economic growth, fighting terrorism, and building on Nigeria’s role as a democratic leader in the region.

Vanguard newspaper reminds us, external that Mr Trump allegedly branded African nations “shithole" countries during an Oval Office meeting on immigration reform in January.

It doesn't go as far as to suggest Mr Buhari will take this up with Mr Trumps.

Meanwhile, the Premium Times says , externalthis meeting reaffirms Nigeria's strategic position in Africa - which was already illustrated when Mr Trump called Mr Buhari before any other African president following his inauguration as the US president.

This prominence, the newspaper says, was also shown when ex-secretary of state Rex Tillerson visited the country.

And This Day points out, external that Mr Tillerson had promised Nigeria help with securing the release of the 112 kidnapped schoolgirls who are still missing from Chibok, something Mr Buhari may want to Mr Trump to fulfill this promise.

Ferdinand Omondi
BBC Africa, Nairobi

Image source, Getty Images

Kenya's electoral commission has suffered a huge blow following the resignation of three of its members - Consolata Nkatha, Margaret Mwachanya and Paul Kurgat

The resignations come after CEO Ezra Chiloba was suspended last week over alleged malpractice in procurement.

Commissioner Roselyn Akombe fled before last year’s repeat election, saying the commission was unable to hold free and fair elections

That leaves the commission without the quorum.

In Kenya’s charged political climate, it will not be straightforward to fill the posts.

Kenya’s Supreme Court nullified last year’s presidential election, citing irregularities. The main opposition coalition then boycotted the repeat elections demanding that the commission be disbanded. That did not happen and Uhuru Kenyatta swept to victory with virtually no opposition.

After the election, the opposition kept calling for electoral reforms, which the government strongly opposed.

These calls were toned down when President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga shook hands in a symbolic reconciliation last month.

But these resignations from the electoral commission are likely to raise the political temperature again, and revive the reform debate ahead of the 2022 elections.

Emmanuel Igunza
BBC Africa, Addis Ababa

Image source, AFP

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has promised to reform laws which he says have led to human rights abuses in the country.

He has also pledged to ensure that the next elections in 2020 will be free and fair and the playing field will be level for the opposition, which currently does not have a single lawmaker in the 500-member parliament. .

Mr Abiy was speaking at a rally in the capital, Addis Ababa, where he once again called for patience as his government embarks on reforms to heal the country after nearly three years of anti-government protests left hundreds of people dead.

Mr Abiy was sworn in as Ethiopia's new prime minister about two weeks ago, replacing Hailemariam Desalegn, who unexpectedly resigned.

He has already released dozens of imprisoned journalists and opposition politicians, shut down a notorious prison and also restored mobile internet in areas where it had been cut off for months.

But a state of emergency remains in place in the country, and many critics are calling for it to be lifted.

Read: Who is Abiy Ahmed?

Image source, Getty Images

Three commissioners from Kenya's election board have resigned, saying the the body is dysfunctional and its chairman, Wafula Chebukati, is incompetent.

"The institution has continued to be dysfunctional, with arbitrary decision-making, leaking of internal documents... and pursuing of personal interests," the three said in a statement.

Vice-chairwoman Consolata Nkatha is among those who resigned.

Mr Chebukati said he had learned of the resignations through the media, and would comment later.

Last year, Kenya's Supreme Court nullified the result of the president election, forcing the poll to be held again.

The Supreme court blamed the commission for the crisis, saying the first election was "neither transparent or verifiable".

Opposition leader Raila Odinga boycotted the repeat election, which saw President Uhuru Kenyatta being elected for a second term.

Alex Duval Smith
BBC Africa, Dakar

Image source, SPL

Some 3000 of the world's leading experts on malaria have begun arriving in Senegal.

They are attending a five-day conference focused on progress towards eradicating the disease.

It's been 20 years since the first conference of the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria, which was also held in Senegal.

At the time, the prospect of eradicating the disease, which comes from a mosquito-borne parasite, seemed distant.

Now the World Health Organization (WHO) believes its elimination is within reach in six African countries - Algeria, the Comoros, Madagascar, The Gambia, Zimbabwe and Senegal.

Senegal has done particularly well, recording a 40% drop in mortality in the past 10 years.

But the advances have exposed a new challenge. Malaria is found in 91 countries in the world, but the vast majority of deaths happen in just 18 of them. And mortality has increased in Nigeria, Ivory Coast, South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

The WHO says more than 400,000 people die from malaria every year. Most are African children.

Image source, AFP

Israel has freed 207 African migrants from prison after it missed a deadline to deport them, AFP news agency reports.

The government is still negotiating with a third country, believed to be Uganda, to take in the migrants who come from Eritrea and Sudan.

Uganda said on Friday that it would accept 500 of the migrants.

Israel's supreme court had given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government until Sunday to finalise a deal it was working on to deport some of the migrants.

Without a deal, the authorities must release those held at Saharonim prison, the court said.

A spokeswoman for the immigration authority told AFP that all detainees had been freed following an operation lasting several hours.

Mr Netanyahu backed away from a deal with the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, to resolve the fate of 37,000 migrants in the country.

Under the deal, some 16,250 African migrants who entered the country illegally, many of them seeking asylum, would have resettled in Western nations, which Mr Netanyahu had said included Germany, Italy and Canada.

For each migrant resettled overseas, Israel would have given "temporary residence" to a migrant in Israel.

Mr Netanyau said that he changed his mind after consulting residents of south Tel Aviv, where many of the migrants live.

In January, Israel said male migrants had to either return to Africa or face indefinite detention.