For the latest updates, go to bbc.com/africalive.

The lights went out across Nigeria when fuel shortages coincided with the collapse of the power grid.

Zimbabwe referee Precious Pazani is relishing a 'dream' Women's Six Nations landmark in the French city Grenoble on Sunday.

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

Zimbabwe's new opposition party, the Citizens' Coalition for Change, faces its first test at the polls with a series of votes across the country.

By-elections are being held in 28 parliamentary constituencies (about a 10th of the total), as well as contests for local council seats.

The party, led by Nelson Chamisa, has complained that some of its rallies have been violently disrupted by supporters of the ruling party, Zanu-PF.

It has also pointed to irregularities in voters' rolls.

The votes are being seen as a rehearsal for a general election in Zimbabwe next year.

The Citizens' Coalition for Change was created following splits within the long-standing opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change.

Read more: New party, same fears of dirty tricks

DJ Edu
Presenter of This Is Africa on BBC World Service

Image source, Tempoe

Tempoe is one of Nigeria's most successful music producers. He co-produced the biggest African hit of last year Love Nwantiti, which went viral on social media and charted internationally, reaching number one in several countries. But Tempoe says he stumbled into music production.

He was learning to play the drums and the keyboard, but he had a head full of ideas that he wanted to express. Being the youngest in the band, he wasn't given the freedom to do that, and felt frustrated.One day, he went out to buy software for computer games, and came across some for making music. He realised this would give him the creative freedom he craved.

When creating a song Tempoe doesn't have a formula.

On his latest hit Alcohol by JoeBoy, Tempoe made the beats, added the bass, and added different layers of percussion to create the overall vibe.But the biggest success to date is Love Nwantiti, which he co-produced with fellow producer and artist CKay, and which also featured JoeBoy and Ghana's Kuami Eugene.

CKay sent him the idea for him to add his creative touches.

But Tempoe doesn't see himself becoming an artist.

Tempoe speaks with passion and sensitivity about working with different artists.

You can hear my full interview with Tempoe this weekend on This Is Africa on BBC World Service radio, external and partner stations across Africa.

The BBC speaks to victims of sexual violence as rights groups say rape was used as a weapon of war.

Three women tell their stories and chilling accounts of physical and sexual abuse.

The first leg of the 2022 World Cup play-off between West African rivals Ghana and visitors Nigeria ends in a goalless draw.

A fourth-minute own goal is enough to give Egypt a 1-0 win over Senegal in Cairo in their World Cup play-off.

Mali score an own goal and play the whole of the second half with 10 men as Tunisia win the first leg over 2022 World Cup play-off 1-0.

That's all for now from the BBC Africa Live team. There will be an automated news feed here until we're back on Monday morning.

You can also keep up to date on the BBC News website, or by listening to the Africa Today podcast.

A reminder of our wise words of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this picture of cyclists in South Africa - our favourite from our gallery of the week's best photos.

Image source, AFP

Jonathan Paye-Layleh
BBC News, Monrovia

Liberia is to stop all night flights to its international and only-functioning airport outside the capital, Monrovia, from April for up to 10 months.

No flights will be able to land from midnight until 06:00.

This is to allow for work to be undertaken at Roberts International Airport to get it connected to a better electricity supply.

Bad lighting has recently caused a major airliner to divert and land in neighbouring Sierra Leone.

Meanwhile, Air France has announced it will stop flying to Liberia next month, citing economic and other reasons.

This leaves Brussel Airlines as the only Western airline flying to the West African nation.

Image source, Getty Images

People on social media have welcomed a ruling by a court in Sudan that sentenced a Muslim cleric to 15 years in prison for raping children in his care.

The 30-year-old, who ran a Quranic school in Umbro village, about 180 miles (290km) from El-Fasher in North Darfur, was also fined 10m Sudanese pounds ($23,000, £16,000).

He was found guilty on Wednesday of raping at least 10 children in his care and sexually abusing others.

In recent years, revelations about the extent of sexual and physical abuse against children in traditional Quranic schools has caused a major outcry in Sudan.

More on this topic:

• Going undercover in the schools that chain boys

Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba

Image source, Catholic Youth Online

Thousands of people descended on a small town in central South Sudan to witness the ordination of Christian Carlassare as bishop of Rumbek - a celebratory end to what has been a traumatic year for the Italian cleric.

He has overcome a shooting and subsequent operations since Pope Francis appointed him a year ago.

Within a few weeks of arriving in South Sudan last April, the 44-year-old cleric was shot four times in the leg by assailants who broke into his home in Rumbek.

Six people, including a senior member of the Catholic clergy, are on trial in connection with the shooting - in a case prosecutors are pursing although the church wants it dropped.

Friday’s mass in Rumbek was presided over by Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako, the retired archbishop of Khartoum - and also attended by many other clergy and the new bishop’s parents.

The Italian is the first European to be ordained a bishop by an African cardinal in South Sudan.

In his sermon, Cardinal Wako said that the work of a bishop was often misunderstood.

“They think when someone becomes a bishop, he becomes a rich man,” he said, urging people to support Bishop Carlassare.

“Don’t take from him, encourage him to go on.”

Morocco score in the 75th minute to earn a 1-1 draw away in DR Congo in the first leg of their 2022 World Cup play-off tie.

Joice Etutu
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, Edwin Kinyanjui/Mount Kenya Trust

The authorities in Kenya are asking for public and private support to battle wildfires blazing on Mount Kenya.

The request comes after failed attempts to extinguish the fires, which ignited more than two weeks ago.

Image source, TropicAir Kenya Helicopters

Julius Kamau, head of the Kenya Forest Service, told the BBC that illicit activities like charcoal production and arson had been the possible causes for the blazes.

Firefighters and local volunteers have spent days fighting the fires on the eastern side of Mount Kenya.

Image source, Edwin Kinyanjui/Mount Kenya Trust

Mr Kamau says that the active flames have been contained to the moorlands, but they will need more help to put them out and avoid the risk of them spreading to forested areas.

He attributed extraordinary heat caused by climate change for creating the conditions that have fuelled the fires.

“We usually have rains by the middle of March, but we are nearing to the end of the month and there’s still no rain.

Image source, TropicAir Kenya Helicopters

“The extended drought makes it difficult to predict when the fires will end so we need as much help as possible.”

Standing at 5,199m (17,057ft), Mount Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second highest in Africa.

Tshegofatso Pule was found hanging from a tree, provoking outrage across South Africa.

John Bennett
BBC World Service Sport

On the streets of the Ghanaian city of Kumasi, the build-up to the national football team’s match against Nigeria in the first leg of Friday’s World Cup qualifier started very early.

Dozens of fans are wearing their Ghana jerseys or red, yellow and green colours - many cars and taxis are also decorated with Ghana flags.

Many Black Stars fans fell out of love with their national team because of the trials and tribulations they have been through on and off the pitch over the last eight years after their controversial group stage exit from the 2014 World Cup.

This week the authorities have been trying to urge the supporters to show full support for the players in this huge game - and it appears to have worked.

Despite the fact that there is some pessimism about Ghana’s chances against a very talented Nigeria team, the locals are out in force.

There was even a man with a microphone outside the ground when I arrived, geeing up those around him. As we drove past, I heard the words: “Cautious optimism but we will support the team” coming out of the speakers.

Ghana and Nigeria aren’t neighbours but it’s definitely got that local derby feel with the rivalry taking in sport, as well as culture and of course food, namely jollof rice.

There were plenty of Nigeria fans outside the ground to greet the team bus at their training session last night so the Super Eagles will have strong support too.

It’s going to be a very tense occasion but 11 years since they last played each other the atmosphere is set to be incredible.

Kick-off is at 19:30 GMT.

Other qualifiers being played are DR Congo v Morocco – this has already started. Cameroon v Algeria and Mali v Tunisia at 17:00 GMT, and Egypt v Senegal at 19:30 GMT.

For live updates on all the matches, check out BBC Africa Sport’s World Cup qualifier live page.

Pumza Fihlani
BBC News, Johannesburg

Image source, @KEBA99

The estranged boyfriend of a South African woman, whose murder galvanised protests against violence against women in the country, has been found guilty of arranging her killing.

Tshegofatso Pule was eight months pregnant, expecting her first child, when she was killed.

The 28-year-old was found hanging from a tree on the outskirts of Johannesburg in June 2020, with a gunshot wound to her chest.

The court heard that Ntuthuko Shoba, a foreign-exchange dealer, had hired someone to lure her to a meeting point.

That person was Muzikayise Malephane, who confessed to killing her and is serving a 20-year sentence.

He became a state witness and implicated Shoba as the mastermind.

In his testimony Malephane told the court that Shoba wanted Ms Pule killed to keep his wife from finding out about the pregnancy.

The court heard it was Shoba’s second attempt on Ms Pule’s life.

He is due to be sentenced in early May.

Lalla Sy
BBC News, Abidjan

Image source, Getty Images

Ivory Coast has become the latest African country to end the mandatory wearing of masks except in enclosed areas and during large gatherings, as new Covid infections drop.

Fully vaccinated travellers arriving in the country as well as those attending public events can now do so without presenting a negative PCR test.

According to the latest Covid update, there are an average of nine cases a day and a total of 796 active cases in the West African nation.

So far, 10 million vaccines have been administered - with more than four million people, out of a population of 23.7 million, being fully vaccinated.

It has one of the lowest case-fatality rates in West Africa.