Exiled leader Yahya Jammeh - who ruled the country for 22 years - is a key figure in the poll.

More than 30 people are killed after gunmen attack a bus travelling to a market.

Has the slow rollout of vaccines in southern Africa allowed coronavirus mutations to develop?

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for this week. We'll be back on Monday morning.

Until then there will be an automated service and you can find the latest updates on the BBC News website, or listen to our podcast Africa Today.

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 Wizkid and Burna Boy performing together on stage at London's O2 Arena - one of our favourites of the past week:

Image source, Getty Images

Haymanot Bejiga
BBC News Amharic

A top commander in Ethiopia’s army says no limits have been placed on where federal troops will take their fight in the ongoing civil war, only vowing that “we will not stop”.

“War is full of uncertainties and one cannot be certain about everything. However, we will not stop,” Lt-Gen Bacha Debele told the BBC.

“I cannot say we will pause once we reach Mekelle [the Tigray regional capital] or other places, rather we will recapture areas at the hands of Woyane [the TPLF]. We will follow and get rid of them. I cannot say we outlined to reach some specific areas at the moment.”

Lt-Gen Bacha rejected a TPLF rebel statement, in which it said it had made a strategic withdrawal from areas that had been captured by federal forces.

"They are ashamed to say that they have lost,” he said. “They want to please their masters who sent them,” he added, claiming the rebels were working for “big Westerners’’.

Lt-Gen Bacha also told the BBC that the presence on the frontline of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had fuelled morale in the army.

Asked on his position about efforts to bring peace to Ethiopia and end its year-long war, he told the BBC it was “not my business - my job is to fight. If I am told that negotiations have begun and to stop fighting, then I will stop.”

Moseph Ekine
BBC News Pidgin

Image source, Twitter/ Perrie

The hashtag #JusticeForSylvester has been trending on Twitter in Nigeria after the death of a 12-year-old boy in Lagos called Sylvester Oromoni.

In an interview with BBC Pidgin, his father said that Sylvester was beaten up after refusing to join a so-called “cult group”, echoing claims made by the boy’s cousin on Twitter.

The school, Dowen College, in the Lekki area of Lagos, had said that Sylvester died as a result of injuries sustained while playing football, but his father told the BBC he disputes that account.

The cousin’s Twitter feed alleged that five boys had accosted Sylvester, locking him in his hostel and giving him a chemical to drink – none of which has been so far corroborated by the police, who say they’re still investigating.

In a statement quoted by Nigerian news sites, the school said their “preliminary investigation showed there was no fighting, bullying or any form of attack on the boy”.

BBC Pidgin say the hashtag has also triggered a response from Lagos state government, which has now ordered the immediate closure of the school while the investigation is ongoing.

Farah Yussuf
BBC Monitoring

Gambian voters will go to the polls on Saturday for a high-stakes presidential election - the first since the departure of former ruler Yahya Jammeh, who seized power in a 1994 coup.

Mr Jammeh was defeated in 2016 by current President Adama Barrow, who is seeking re-election.

Campaigns formally began on 9 November and ended on Thursday, with the six candidates in the race for the top seat pledging to work for a peaceful vote.

The election is seen as a litmus test for the West African nation’s democratic transition.

Over 900,000 Gambians are eligible to vote in Saturday’s election using marbles.

President Barrow last week received a long-delayed government report on alleged abuses under Mr Jammeh’s 22-year rule.

He has promised to ensure justice for victims of human rights abuses.

The report sets the scene for a showdown between President Barrow and ex-President Jammeh, who have already abandoned a controversial pre-election deal their parties announced in September.

Mr Jammeh fled into exile in Equatorial Guinea following his shock defeat.

Read more:

Why Gambians won't stop voting with marbles

DJ Edu
Presenter of This Is Africa on BBC World Service

Image source, 22 Jumptr

If there is a lesson to be learned from Nigerian rapper Zlatan, it is that you should never give up on your dreams, even if it takes a while to achieve them.

From humble beginnings, he grew up in Ilorin, in Kwara state, where his parents were both pastors. "I used to play drums in the church, so I kind of understood rhythm," he tells me.

After graduating from secondary school he failed the entrance exam to take him on to further study, but he set to work and passed the following year.

The only trouble was that there was a deadline looming and school fees had to be paid in just a few days - or else he'd be refused admission.

Although the fees were less than £200 ($265), Zlatan remembers that this was a huge amount for his family to find in such a short space of time. "There was nothing at home" he recalls. "My Dad was not working."

Zlatan's father had an old broken down Mercedes Benz that sat outside their house.

"The only thing my Dad knows how to do well is to pray. He prayed, and a couple of days before the fees were due, this person - we don't know if this person was a ghost, a Ninja or a human being - he just came from nowhere and said he wanted to buy the car without testing or starting it. He wanted to pay a deposit."

The money went straight to paying Zlatan's school fees.

While studying for a diploma in business administration, a friend put him forward for the 2014 edition of the "One Mic Campus Tour" music competition, which he won. The prize was a brand-new car.

From then on everything changed.

People wanted to know more about Zlatan and his music. His parents too became more supportive of his musical ambitions.

He began following established artist Olamide on social media, messaging him regularly in order to create some familiarity: "I just said some crazy words to gain his attention." One day Olamide called him, and made his first breakthrough record "My Body" with him, along with a video.

Zlatan built on this success, with further collaborations with Chinko Ekun and Lil Kesh on the single "Able God". Then came the hit song "Zanku" which was accompanied by the popular Zanku dance.

"There were all kinds of dances going around at the time. The Ghanaians had Azonto, and I said to myself that if I ever get recognized by people, I want to invent my own dance."

Further collaborations with big stars such as Davido and Burna Boy only added to his reputation, and in January 2020 Zlatan launched his own record label - Zanku Records. He says it's a dream come true to be able to promote other artists, and his new album "Rosan" (The Journey) has just been released.

His journey continues.

You can hear DJ Edu’s conversation with Zlatan this weekend on This Is Africa on BBC World Service radio and partner stations across Africa, and online here: bbcworldservice.com/thisisafrica, external

Grace Kuria
BBC News, Nairobi

Forty percent of female parliamentarians in Africa have experienced sexual harassment at work and 23% have endured physical violence, according to a report by two international oversight bodies.

Most parliaments don’t have a mechanism to enable women to safely speak out, and the vast majority of sexism, harassment and violence disclosed reportedly took place on the premises of parliament itself, it says.

Male MPs are the biggest perpetrators against women MPs, the report says, especially those from rival parties. Women parliamentarians living with disabilities, as well as those under 40, unmarried, or from minority groups reportedly face a higher incidence of violence.

The numbers were similarly stark for junior female staff, the report by the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the African Parliamentary Union (APU) found, with 18% saying they'd received requests for sexual favours from parliamentary colleagues.

These findings are the result of a survey of 224 women working across 50 African countries and one sub-regional parliamentary assembly.

New policies to combat sexism are being urged by the IPU and APU, including:

• Safe spaces where victims can get advice
• Fair and independent mechanisms for processing complaints confidentially
• Training all parliamentary workers to identify and eliminate gender-based discrimination and violence.

A Kenyan man has agreed to hold talks with his father who had moved to court to demand 20% of his salary as monthly upkeep.

Washington Chepkombe, 48, was sued last month by his father who accused him of abandoning the family after landing a job in the capital, Nairobi.

In Kenya, young professionals are often expected to support their families financially.

In court papers, the father, Gideon Kisira Cherowo, 73, said he sold his land and used most of his resources to pay for his son's education up to university level, expecting help from him in return.

But the second-born son had not visited home for the last 17 years and the family had asked for his help in vain since 2008.

He said his son is employed at the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and has a good salary.

On Friday, the father told the BBC that a family meeting has been scheduled for Monday for talks after the local Daily Nation newspaper ran a story about the case.

Mr Cherowo said they wish to deal with the matter as a family and will no longer give media interviews.

Image source, Getty Images

The European Club Association expresses its "deep concerns" ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations after the emergence of the a new coronavirus variant.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has been honoured with the status of a traditional chief in Ivory Coast.

He was given a symbolic key to the autonomous district of Abidjan and robed in Ivorian traditional clothes by local leaders during the ceremony on Thursday.

The key to the city is an honour bestowed upon esteemed residents and visitors.

The South African leader was also given the name of Chief Dwasaho – meaning the great warrior – as well as an honorary citizenship of the city.

“I am truly humbled by this honour, it is impressive in many ways, because it is a demonstration of the rituals of our African people and ancestors,” Mr Ramaphosa said.

The presidency shared a video of the event:

The South African president was later bestowed with an Ivory Coast's distinguished state title by President Allasane Ouattara during a state banquet.

The South African leader is on a state visit to the country.

Image source, AFP

South Africa's Stellenbosch University has adopted a new language policy which approves the use of three languages for teaching and communication at the institution - English, Xhosa and Afrikaans.

There had been controversy surrounding the use of Afrikaans at the university after the South African Human Rights Commission announced the launch of a probe, external into allegations some students had been stopped from speaking Afrikaans at "welcome" events and "informal settings" at Stellenbosch.

The university just outside Cape Town had previously denied any language ban to South Africa's News24., external

After protests in 2015, the university management had decided to drop Afrikaans in teaching.

A viral video about the challenges and racism faced by black students, sparked the demonstrations six years ago.

It detailed how some struggled with lessons in Afrikaans, one of the main languages spoken by the country's white minority.

But a 2016 policy on the institution's website , externaladopted a bilingual approach, stating: "Afrikaans and English are the languages of teaching and learning" for undergraduate modules.

On Thursday in response to the outcome of the university's year-long review of its language policy, a spokesperson quoted in SABC news, external said the changes would be implemented in January.

"Through this policy, the university recommits itself to multilingualism by using the three official languages of the Western Cape, namely Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa," Dr Leslie van Rooi said.

"Further the university, through its policy would like to enhance access and success as well as the idea of social cohesion even further on our campuses," he continued.

Anne Soy
BBC News, Wajir

Millions of livestock have died in northern Kenya as the worst drought in a decade threatens survival in the region.

Rangers are also reporting alarming numbers of deaths among wildlife.

Drought conditions in the region as well as much of Somalia and southern Ethiopia are predicted to persist until at least mid next year, putting lives at risk.

Carcasses of cattle, goats and even giraffes litter the road in South Wajir. Water pans and vegetation is dry. The area is one of the areas most affected by the drought.

Local officials say up to 70% of cattle and 60% of goats have died of starvation, thirst or diseases due to lowered immunity levels. That’s millions of livestock, the livelihood of pastoralists, wiped out within months.

Neighbouring Somalia has declared a humanitarian emergency.

Experts says droughts and floods are occurring in greater frequency, suggesting that climate change could already be taking a toll on the region.

Three consecutive seasons of poor rains have left 26 million people struggling to get food. That number is likely to rise, as forecasts suggest similar conditions could occur during the long-rains season between March and May next year.

Jose Tembe
BBC News, Maputo

Four people have been charged with lynching and burning to death an elderly man in Mozambique who was accused of being a sorcerer.

The 73-year-old man was killed in Zavala in southern Inhambane province.

The incident happened after a traditional doctor accused the man of being behind the killings of two young men.

One of the heads of the Association of Traditional Doctors of Mozambique, in the district of Zavala, has also been indicted for the crime of exposing an elderly person to danger.

It was reported that the public beat up the elderly man after the traditional doctor linked him to sorcery.

Vumani Mkhize
BBC Africa Business

Image source, AFP

A South African court has dismissed an urgent application to halt a seismic survey by multinational oil giant Shell in an area called the Wild Coast.

Four environmental groups petitioned the court to stop exploration off the east coast of the country claiming it would damage marine life.

However, Shell says seismic surveys are harmless.

The survey, which Shell is now free to conduct, will last five months and a vessel will use a pressurised air gun on the seabed in search of oil and gas.

Locals have vowed to continue their fight against Shell, and a second group of activists have launched another court case against the company.

The disgraced former head of world athletics governing body Lamine Diack dies in Senegal aged 88.

A Kenyan father has sued his adult son demanding 20% of his salary to go towards his monthly upkeep.

Gideon Kisira Cherowo, 73, says he sold his land and most of his assets to pay for his son's education up to university level.

He says the son - now aged 48 - does not support him.

The father who has four sons says only one is employed at the Kenya Airports Authority.

Mr Cherowo's family lives in a mud house in his village in western Kenya.

The Daily Nation newspaper tweeted a photo of the man:

He alleges that his son has not come home for the last 17 years and the family has asked for his help in vain.

Mr Cherowo told the court that he could not afford the services of a lawyer and brought his youngest son as a witness.

The son told the court that his eldest brother had abandoned the family after landing a job in the capital Nairobi.

The country's Covid-19 taskforce admonished the paper by saying it was a "poor choice of words."

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Ethiopia's education ministry has announced a temporary closure of all secondary schools to allow students to help in harvesting crops for Ethiopians on the war front, state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) has reported.

Education Minister Berhanu Nega said the schools would be closed for a week.

The ministry shared the news on Twitter:

On Monday, the government said more than 1.2 million students were out of school due to the ongoing conflict in the north.

The fighting has also destroyed hundreds of schools.

The government announced a six-month state of emergency in November to contain a Tigrayan rebel advancement towards the capital, Addis Ababa.