1. Cameroon minister hopeful Olembe can host Afcon finalpublished at 10:13 Greenwich Mean Time 29 January 2022

    Cameroon's Sports Ministry is hopeful the Olembe Stadium can host matches again at the Africa Cup of Nations after Monday's fatal crush.

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  2. Why the world's biggest rolex is not what you thinkpublished at 00:38 Greenwich Mean Time 29 January 2022

    Guinness World Records has officially recognised the world's biggest rolex - but it's not a watch.

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  3. The teenagers who became Nigerian sci-fi sensationspublished at 00:02 Greenwich Mean Time 29 January 2022

    The group of friends from Kaduna borrowed smartphones from family members and made tripods out of wood.

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  4. Scroll down for this week's storiespublished at 18:08 Greenwich Mean Time 28 January 2022

    We'll be back on Monday morning

    That's all for now from the BBC Africa Live team until Monday morning, when we'll be back at bbc.com/africalive.

    There will be an automated news feed until then, with the all scores from the Africa Cup of Nations. You can also get the latest news from our website or listen to the Africa Today podcast.

    Here's a reminder of Friday's wise words:

    Quote Message

    No matter how small the fire is, you can’t put it in your pocket."

    Sent by Raymond Chuks to BBC Pidgin service in Nigeria

    Click here to send us your African proverbs.

    And we leave you with this photograph of horse festival in northern Cameroon - one of our favourite shots from the past week:

    A man on a  horse at horse festival in Garoua, Cameroon - Saturday 22 January 2022Image source, AFP
  5. The agonies behind Ami Faku's ravishing songspublished at 18:02 Greenwich Mean Time 28 January 2022

    DJ Edu
    Presenter of This Is Africa on BBC World Service

    Ami FakuImage source, Ami Faku
    Image caption,

    Ami Faku stunned judges on The Voice South Africa

    Ami Faku is an award-winning artist, and her ravishing, other-worldly vocals are sought after by South Africa’s top producers.

    She has a starring role in several songs that are massive hits at the moment, including the club favourite Asibe Happy, produced by Amapiano titans Kabza da Small and DJ Maphorisa, and Phakade Lami by Nomfundo Moh and also featuring Sha Sha.

    But Faku is not an artist who has breezed in with ease and confidence, and she still puts herself through the mangle with every song she does.

    “Phakade Lami was crazy. I did that verse three times. I was sceptical because the chorus was just perfect and I didn’t want to ruin the song.

    “But I went, I recorded it one time - it was terrible, second time - terrible. I spoke to Nomfundo’s manager and told him 'don’t put me on the song'.

    “Then one time, 3am, 4am, which is my best time to get ideas, I got the right perfect melody."

    Faku realised she had a magical voice when she saw the reaction she got from the congregation at the church where her father was a pastor.

    She did not enjoy singing there, though, because she felt she had no choice. But she says she is grateful now because that soulful, “church” feel is a big part of the musician she is today.

    “My family aren’t really strict people they have always been supportive. I was the one who has always been negative regarding my talent. They’ve always said, ‘No man, you can do this, do it, do it’, but I was like, ‘No it’s not going to work out.’”

    Luckily for her many fans, the desire to make music - coupled with all the positive feedback - did allow Faku to conquer her fear enough to enter The Voice South Africa.

    She stunned the judges with her cover of Ordinary People, and though she did not win, was signed to the label associated with the TV show.

    “It was great, I gained my confidence through these talent shows. I got to observe and see what’s required.

    “I’m not someone who is good with people so it was quite scary to watch all these confident people who looked like they were already winners.

    “I got to learn from their mistakes. I noticed that people were not really themselves, they were easily adapting to what seemed cool at the time. So I just continued to be myself, because for me being myself has always gotten me far.”

    It has indeed. One of Faku’s songs Uwrongo - which she did with Prince Kaybee, Shimza and Black Motion - made it on to former US President Barack Obama’s playlist of favourite songs from 2020.

    “It was crazy man, I really did not expect that at all, but I was happy because my dream has always been for people to connect with my music regardless of the language. Ever since I’ve just been challenging myself to do better.”

    You can hear DJ Edu’s conversation with Ami Faku on This is Africa this Saturday on BBC World Service radio and partner stations across Africa

  6. New Burkina Faso leader in first speech since couppublished at 18:02 Greenwich Mean Time 28 January 2022

    West African leaders suspend the country from the regional bloc and call for the ousted leader to be freed.

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  7. Tanzania parents to face arrest over school absenteespublished at 17:46 Greenwich Mean Time 28 January 2022

    Aboubakar Famau
    BBC News, Dodoma

    Students at a school in Dodoma in Tanzania - Friday 28 January 2022
    Image caption,

    These students were among the few to turn up to the school in Dodoma this year

    Parents of children who fail to go to school next week in Tanzania’s capital, Dodoma, will be arrested.

    That is an order from Anthony Mtaka, the regional commissioner for Dodoma and its surrounding area.

    He made the emotional announcement during a visit to a local school on Friday, two weeks after the start of the academic year.

    At that school only 67 of the 165 form one pupils had shown up.

    It is believed that some parents allow their children to do petty jobs or allow them to become domestic workers.

    An audience at the school in Dodoma visited by Anthony Mtaka - Friday 28 January 2022
    Image caption,

    Anthony Mtaka gave an emotional address to this audience at a school in Dodoma

    The governor said he would not stand for it.

    “I can’t build classes, put desks in classrooms, and you fail to take your child to school. I will make a thorough search from 04:00 from door to door, arresting those parents,” Mr Mtaka warned.

  8. Tunisian police thwart terror attack on touristspublished at 17:37 Greenwich Mean Time 28 January 2022

    BBC World Service
    Newsroom

    Tunisia’s interior ministry says police have thwarted a planned terror attack targeting tourists.

    The authorities say a Syrian woman who had intended to carry it out using an explosive belt has been jailed.

    She is said to have received training from militants.

    Tunisia suffered two mass shootings in 2015. In the first, 22 people were killed when gunmen opened fire at the Bardo National Museum in the capital, Tunis.

    Three months later, 38 people died, 30 of them British, in a shooting at the tourist resort of Port El Kantaoui near Sousse.

  9. Alert issued after pet anaconda called Medusa escapespublished at 17:32 Greenwich Mean Time 28 January 2022

    A yellow anacondaImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Anaconda tends to like wet, cooler environments

    A two-metre (6ft) pet yellow anaconda called Medusa is on the loose in a South Africa town just north of the coastal city of Durban.

    The snake’s owner urged residents of Phoenix not to be afraid.

    “She’s a gentle giant, she just looks scary,” Preesen Nair told South Africa’s East Coast Radio, external.

    He said Hollywood had given non-venomous anacondas, usually found in the Amazon of South America, a bad name: “She is harmless and is not going to eat you like in the movies.”

    Mr Nair said Medusa had escaped on Wednesday evening between 18:00 and 21:00 as her tank was being cleaned out.

    Her enclosure has a dam set up with water for a cooler environment - and it takes a couple of days to clear out.

    The snake had been put in a lockable tub while the maintenance was being carried out, but she had broken the lock.

    Mr Nair, who has 15 snakes in total, said Medusa was unlikely to have gone far and might be chilling under a tree - somewhere quiet.

    “It’s a matter of finding her before the wrong person finds her and kills her,” he said.

    He urged anyone who came across her to get in touch.

  10. West African delegation to meet Burkina Faso coup leaderspublished at 17:13 Greenwich Mean Time 28 January 2022

    The West African regional body Ecowas says it may consider imposing sanctions against Burkina Faso but will first send two missions to the country to hold talks with coup leaders.

    Chiefs of defence staff will travel to capital, Ouagadougou on Saturday, followed by a ministerial-level mission a few days later.

    At a virtual summit lasting around three hours, the Ecowas leaders also called for Burkina's Faso's deposed President Roch Kaboré and other detained leaders to be released.

  11. Eritreans barred from Tour du Rwanda over vaccinespublished at 16:06 Greenwich Mean Time 28 January 2022

    BBC Tigrinya

    An Eritrean cyclist in Rwanda in 2017Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Eritrean cyclists have performed well during the Tour du Rwanda over the years

    Eritrea’s national cycling team will not take part in the Tour du Rwanda, due to start next month, as it cannot meet the Covid-19 vaccine requirements.

    The organisers of the Tour du Rwanda told the BBC that only cyclists who were vaccinated could participate.

    Eritrea is the only country on the African continent that has not yet started vaccinating its citizens against coronavirus.

    Throughout the pandemic, Rwanda has had strict rules, including various lockdowns.

    This week, the government said that people must be fully vaccinated to access public spaces and events.

    The announcement made by Tour du Rwanda in a tweet is a blow to the Eritrean team, which is one of Africa's most successful.

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    The Tour du Rwanda has been growing in popularity. It was recognised by the International Cycling Union (UCI) in 2009 and the following year Eritrea’s Olympian Daniel Teklehaimanot took the yellow jersey.

    After the race was upgraded to a higher classification in 2019, it attracted more world-renowned cyclists with Eritreans Merhawi Kudus and Natnael Tesfatsion taking yellow jerseys in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

  12. Guinea's Moriba returns to Spain with Valenciapublished at 15:56 Greenwich Mean Time 28 January 2022

    Guinea midfielder Ilaix Moriba joins Spanish side Valencia on loan from German club RB Leipzig.

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  13. Ghana's leader makes appeal for democracy after coupspublished at 15:54 Greenwich Mean Time 28 January 2022

    Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo, who currently chairs the West African bloc Ecowas, says a peaceful resolution must be found to the situation in Burkina Faso, where soldiers seized power earlier this week.

    Ecowas has already condemned the coup - the third in the region since last year - and West African leaders have held a virtual meeting to discuss it.

    Mr Akufo-Addo said:

    Quote Message

    The resurgence of coup d'etats in our region is in direct violation of our democratic tenets.

    Quote Message

    It represents a threat to peace, security and stability in West-Africa. This situation hinders a much-needed economic and social development of the region.

    Quote Message

    I've convened this meeting with a hope, to address the urgent situation in Burkina Faso and find solutions to restore constitutional order to Burkina Faso and stabilise the region at large.

    Quote Message

    We should not renege in our collectives duties and obligations to ensure a peaceful democratic, just, stable and prosperous community.

    Quote Message

    I urge you to examine critically this rising phenomena in our region so we take the necessary decisions that meet the aspirations and expectations of our peoples. The rest of the world is looking up to us to be firm in this matter."

  14. Tanzanian leader flies to Mozambique's jihadist zonepublished at 14:57 Greenwich Mean Time 28 January 2022

    Jose Tembe
    BBC News, Mozambique

    Tanzania President Samia Sululu Hassan and President Filipe Nyusi walking down a red carpetImage source, Mozambique presidency

    Tanzania President Samia Sululu Hassan has visited northern Mozambique - where her troops are part of a regional force fighting jihadists.

    Her Mozambican counterpart Filipe Nyusi was in Cabo Delgado province to welcome her.

    Tanzania President Samia Sululu Hassan (L) and President Filipe Nyusi (R) walking under umbrellasImage source, Mozambique presidency
    Image caption,

    The rain did not dampen the occasion

    After visiting the troops, President Samia, who took office last year after the death of her predecessor John Magufuli, held a meeting with Mr Nyusi.

    At a press conference afterwards, she said that as a new president she had wanted to meet Mr Nyusi herself to re-affirm the co-operation between the neighbours, which dates back to the struggle for Mozambique’s independence from Portugal.

    Tanzania President Samia Sululu HassanImage source, Mozambique presidency

    “When you are new, you have to visit your neighbours - so I’ve come to say hello to my brother and to know the development problems, the peace and security problems and how we can work together," she said.

    “We have a long-standing relationship.”

    President Nyusi agreed co-operation was key, given jihadists pay little heed to frontiers: "The terrorist crosses our borders - he is here or there, so we... are interested in debating this issue with more dedication."

  15. Doctors among those begging for food in Tigraypublished at 14:39 Greenwich Mean Time 28 January 2022

    As the UN sounds the alarm over hunger in northern Ethiopia, a doctor describes what health workers face.

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  16. Burkina Faso suspended from Ecowas - sourcespublished at 14:20 Greenwich Mean Time 28 January 2022

    Will Ross
    Africa editor, BBC World Service

    Demonstrators gather in Ouagadougou to show support to the military hold a picture of Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba the leader of the mutinyImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    The coup has been generally welcomed in Burkina Faso, where jihadist violence had made the president unpopular

    The West African regional body Ecowas has suspended Burkina Faso's membership following this week's military coup, diplomatic sources say.

    The 15-member bloc held an online meeting to discuss how to respond to the ousting of President Roch Kaboré.

    On Thursday evening the military ruler, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, said Burkina Faso needed its international partners more than ever.

    Ecowas had already condemned the coup - the third in the region since last year.

    The bloc has imposed sanctions on Mali and Guinea in a bid to see a swift return to civilian leadership.

    You may be interested in:

  17. Former Tanzanian prime minister in hospitalpublished at 14:19 Greenwich Mean Time 28 January 2022

    Alfred Mushi
    BBC News, Dar es Salaam

    Edward Lowassa
    Image caption,

    Edward Lowassa ran for the presidency in 2015

    Former Tanzanian Prime Minister Edward Lowassa has been in hospital for five days, his son has told the BBC.

    The 68-year-old politician was admitted to Muhimbili National Hospital after falling ill.

    “He was operated in the abdomen but unfortunately it caused some complications but as we speak he is in stable condition and continuing to recover,” Frederick Lowassa, who is also a politician, said about his father.

    For years, Edward Lowassa was a senior figure in the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), serving as prime minister for three years under former President Jakaya Kikwete.

    He was forced to resign as PM after being implicated in an energy deal corruption scandal. He was never charged and denied any wrongdoing.

    Yet he still had presidential ambitions. When the CCM failed to pick him as its presidential candidate as the end of Mr Kikwete’s term in 2015, he left the party and stood as an opposition candidate.

    The opposition united for the first time to field him as a single presidential candidate, but he was defeated by John Magufuli.

    Mr Lowassa ended up making up with his rival, re-joining the CCM before Mr Magufuli was elected for a second term in 2020. The president died in office a few months later.

  18. New Burkina Faso leader vows return to 'normal'published at 13:59 Greenwich Mean Time 28 January 2022

    This is the leader's first TV broadcast since leading a coup that ousted the country's former president.

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  19. Wanted Eswatini pastor shot after resisting arrestpublished at 13:57 Greenwich Mean Time 28 January 2022

    A pastor in Eswatini is being treated in hospital after he was shot by the police while resisting arrest.

    Sikhumbuzo Shongwe was wanted in connection with the shooting and killing of a businessman earlier this week, local media reports.

    Pastor Shongwe is currently out on bail pending a court case in which he is accused of the attempting to murder his wife last August. He says he shot in self-defence.

    The celebrity couple's rocky marriage often made the headlines.

    Mr Shongwe is the son of a popular Bishop Nash Shongwe, who founded the Divine Healing Ministries Church.

  20. Fire service's African link-up reaches 30th yearpublished at 12:51 Greenwich Mean Time 28 January 2022

    The Avon Fire and Rescue partnership sees fire engines and equipment donated to The Gambia.

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