The growth of the video gaming market is an opportunity for African developers to create games for the African audience.

As prolonged drought batters East Africa and rising living costs bite across the continent, crops with added resistance to tough climactic conditions are growing more popular.

Here's a quick guide showing all the genetically modified (GM) crops that have been given the green light to date:

The Indians, part of a multinational crew for a Norwegian ship, say they desperately need government help.

Jonathan Paye-Layleh
BBC News, Monrovia

Liberia declared a public holiday on Friday so people can stay at home to be counted in a much-delayed census, yet none of the 71,000 counters hired for the job are out counting because of a dispute over their fees.

There was also a last-minute disagreement between top officials of the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services - it's head insists preparations are complete, but another senior official in charge of statistics disagrees, and warns that any attempt at premature counting will not be accurate or credible.

In their confusion, people in rural places have been phoning others in Monrovia to find out if the census will actually happen.

President George Weah - out of Liberia for weeks to attend officials events including watching his son, Timothy, play for the US side in the football World Cup in Qatar - is under heavy criticism for not staying at home himself for the census and setting an example to others.

Some lawmakers had suggested a postponement of the event to allow for more adequate preparation, but this wasn't considered.

The Liberian constitution calls for a census to be conducted every 10 years. The results are needed to define electoral constituencies for the 2023 general election.

Sadio Mane is included in Senegal's squad for the World Cup despite suffering an injury scare with Bayern Munich.

Shingai Nyoka
BBC News, Harare

Image source, Getty Images

A Commonwealth team will arrive in Zimbabwe over the weekend to assess the country’s suitability for readmission to the group.

Harare voluntarily withdrew from the body in 2003 after being suspended for breaching core values following human rights abuses under former leader Robert Mugabe.

The visit comes as Zimbabwe’s opposition says there is renewed crackdown on its supporters.

The week-long mission led by assistant secretary-general Luis Franceschi will assess the progress made on implementing political and economic reforms.

It’s the third visit since Zimbabwe applied for readmission in 2018 – part of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s re-engagement plan after years of isolation from the West.

But there are growing claims of political persecution here.

On Thursday, opposition MP Godfrey Sithole was freed on bail after five months in jail without trial for allegedly inciting violence.

His co-accused, fellow MP Job Sikhala, remains behind bars on charges that rights groups describe as malicious.

The Commonwealth team will meet members of government and the civil society and produce a report.

Members of the Commonwealth will then come up with a position on Zimbabwe’s suitability for readmission.

Image source, Getty Images

Nigeria's government is "closely monitoring" Twitter following its takeover by billionaire Elon Musk, the state-owned News Agency of Nigeria, external reports.

It quotes Information Minister Lai Mohammed as saying the government will not allow any social media platform to plunge the country into crisis.

In January, Twitter agreed to demands to register in Nigeria and pay local taxes in order to end a seven-month ban after the government had accused it of siding with secessionists.

The minister on Thursday raised concerns for "what will become of our agreement with Twitter in view of the change in its ownership".

He is quoted as saying:

The news agency adds that the minister said he and the government were engaging positively with the different social media platforms, including Facebook, Google (which owns YouTube) and Twitter.

Image source, AFP

The Ethiopian government says that its federal forces now control 70% of the northern region of Tigray, a claim that has been denied by an official from the war-torn region

Ethiopian Prime Minister’s national security adviser, Redwan Hussien tweeted that “70% of Tigray is under the Ethiopia National Defence Forces] and that aid was “flowing like no other times” including in areas he said were not under the control of the government’s forces.

The spokesman of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), Getachew Reda, has however denied the claim, the AFP news agency reports.

"He is plucking his facts out of thin air," Mr Getachew is quoted as saying.

Representatives of Tigray and the government in Addis Ababa have been meeting in Kenya this week to discuss the implementation of the peace deal signed last week in South Africa.

The two parties signed an agreement committing to end two years of fighting in Tigray.

Wycliffe Muia
BBC Monitoring

Image source, Getty Images

People in Botswana have expressed anger over a requirement not to be married so as to join the army.

An advertisement posted on Facebook by Botswana Defence Force (BDF) has announced 'very limited' vacancies of officer cadet posts that require potential candidates not to be married.

The army said applicants should also have "no dependents or legal obligation to support a child or children," the public poster, external read.

A section of public have urged the army to revise that requirement terming it discriminatory.

"Why does being married deprive one's right to join army?" Moses Angel asked.

"BDF wants to find a partner for the recruit? Why is being married and having dependents an issue? Titoga Ding Ketlhabanetswe, wondered.

The army also requires female candidates not to be pregnant, external during recruitment.

Image source, Getty Images

The authorities in Nigeria say there has been an increase in snake bites as severe floods continue being experienced in parts of the country.

Snakes are jostling with humans for shelter in most cities experiencing floods, according to Nasir Sani Gwarzo of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

"After the increase in snake bites, what will follow is the outbreak of epidemics, such as cholera, typhoid fever and many other diseases," Dr Gwarzo told BBC Hausa.

He said the ministry had urged health facilities to stock sufficient antivenoms due to the increase in snake bites.

Nigeria is being hit by some of its worst flooding in over a decade. The authorities say that more than one million people have been displaced

More on Nigeria floods:

• 'Overwhelming' disaster leaves more than 600 people dead
• 'I have nowhere to go'

Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera has joined other African leaders in criticising wealthy nations for not wanting to pay for climate loss and damage.

Speaking to the BBC at the ongoing COP27 meeting in Egypt, President Chakwera said African countries had contributed little to pollute the climate and that wealthier countries should take on more responsibility.

"That's why we're saying if you're really serious about this [then] it's not about charity. This is paying for what you have deliberately used and benefitted you and you don't want to pay up," he said.

He also accused wealthy nations of not matching their promises with actions in the fight against climate change.

"Many came hesitantly, including myself, because of this. From COP1 all the way to COP27 what has happened? Why are we continuously going around the same issue over and over again? It's because somebody does not want to pay up," he said.

Andre Lombard
BBC News, Cairo

Image source, Getty Images

The World Health Organization has said that 99% of the planet’s population breaths air that threatens their health.

It’s a shocking statistic, and nowhere is that more apparent than the Egyptian capital, Cairo. With the eyes of the world on the country as it hosts COP27, Egyptians don’t have to look far for the devastating effects of pollution.

This greater area of this sprawling metropolis is home to 21 million people, one of the biggest cities in Africa. For years though, its residents have been breathing air that contains high levels of some of the most poisonous pollution particles.

The government admits two million people seek treatment nationwide for respiratory problems caused by bad air, with the World Bank saying there are around 2,600 premature deaths in Cairo alone annually because of it.

You certainly notice it as soon as you step out of your door.

In several neighbourhoods in the city, you can feel the soot at the back of your throat, and you feel conscious of the taste of the air. On several occasions, despite the heat, I found myself sneezing, a visceral reminder of the fumes around me.

The city's streets are a constant throng of congestion, with vehicles, some modern, others battered relics of the 70s and 80s, battling their way through the traffic. They are not the only cause of the problem though. Cairo is heavily industrialised and also sits in a valley, which can trap bad air. Sand and desert dust can also add to the air pollution.

Authorities here know there is a problem. An official from the Ministry of Environment tells me that tackling air pollution is one of their main priorities, and that they have introduced 116 air monitoring stations across the country.

One of the main factors of the issue used to be farmers burning rice straw at the end of their harvest, which would create an annual black cloud over the city. This has now been mainly stopped and recycling encouraged.

Someone looking upwards for a solution to the problem is 18-year-old Maha Abdalla Ahmed.

I meet her on the roof of a dilapidated block of apartments in a working class part of the Arab al-Maadi district. It’s a maze of crumbling buildings, with the sounds of traffic and crowing cockerels filling the air. I can taste the dust and pollution as we speak.

She and her friend are using these rice husks as a compost to place plants and foliage on the flat roofs of buildings across Cairo. She tells me that for every one square metre she plants, it removes 100 grammes of pollutants a year.

When I ask if she is worried for the future of the planet, a concerned look crosses her face. "Of course I am. We need to start applying the sustainable development goals so that we can have a sustainable and green planet. Everyone can make a difference."

There is no doubt that the lungs of the city are choking, but with schemes like Maha’s and governmental action, the residents of Cairo will be hoping it’s not too late to save their hometown’s environment.

Zelalem Tadesse
BBC Afaan Oromoo

Image source, Getty Images

Many civilians have been killed in an air strike in the Ethiopian western town of Mandi, about 500km (310 miles) west of the capital Addis Ababa, sources have told the BBC.

Residents said the strike happened around lunchtime on Wednesday in the town where Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) militias have been in control for days after a fight with government security forces.

A resident anonymously told the BBC that the government was targeting the militias but majority of those who were killed and wounded were civilians.

He said an OLA vehicle parked by the roadside with some of its members inside was hit by a drone causing bombs that the fighters had to explode, killing civilians around the area.

His friend and a gospel preacher Tariku Wanna, a father of one daughter, was among those who died. He said they had lunch together at the area before he left him to go somewhere.

"After five minutes the drone bombed them. When I returned to that place I found his body lying down on the ground. I saw many scattered bodies but didn’t count, but the majority of them were civilians," he said.

The BBC tried to reach Tariku’s wife but she was in a state of complete shock and disbelief.

Another resident of the town, who spoke to the BBC anonymously for the sake of his own safety, put the number of civilians killed in the air strike to at least 20.

He said around seven to eight people died instantly while another 13 were admitted to hospital and died there from their injuries.

The OLA’s spokesperson Oda Tarbi put the number of civilians killed at 30, but didn’t mention the number of their soldiers who were killed.

The BBC couldn’t verify the number of casualties from the hospital sources.

Politicians have condemned the attack with the Oromo Liberation Party calling it "barbaric" asking the government not to target civilians.

The Ethiopian government has not commented on the matter. The BBC reached out to the Oromia region’s security official but he declined to comment.

Read more:

• Ethiopia violence in Oromia: 'Villages full of dead bodies'

Image source, AFP

Humanitarian aid will start reaching people who face hunger and disease in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray by the end of the week, according to the national security adviser to the prime minister of Ethiopia.

Millions of people in the region are in urgent need of food, medicine, and other basic supplies.

Redwan Hussien is quoted as saying by the US State Department that "aid would flow unhindered" as was agreed in the peace talks.

The final round of talks between representatives of Tigray and the government in Addis Ababa are expected to end on Friday in Kenya.

Both parties have been meeting to discuss the implementation of the peace deal signed last week in South Africa.

Ethiopia's government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front have committed to ending two years of fighting.

The deal calls for aid deliveries to restart in Tigray and for essential services to be restored. Millions of people there urgently need food and medicine.

Our proverb of the day:

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Click here to send us your African proverbs.

A selection of the best photos from across Africa and beyond this week.

Jailed British-Egyptian pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel Fattah started refusing water on Sunday.

That's all for now from the BBC Africa Live team until Friday morning Nairobi time.

There will be an automated news feed until then. You can also get the latest news from our website and listen to the Africa Today podcast.

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

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this picture of some delegates attending the COP27 climate conference in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh.

Image source, Getty Images

Thomas Naadi
BBC News, Accra

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Ghana’s parliament has set up an eight-member committee to investigate allegations of conflict of interest and incompetence against Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta.

Speaker Alban Bagbin ruled that the committee will also provide Mr Atta and his lawyers an opportunity to respond to the allegations.

The minority in Ghana’s parliament had moved a motion of censure to have the finance minister removed from office.

The vote was to take place on Wednesday but was cancelled.

The committee is expected to present a report to parliament in seven days for a decision to be taken.

Ghana is facing its worst cost of living crisis with a depreciating currency and inflation at a record 40.4%.

Image source, Getty Images

Top American rapper 50 Cent has announced that he is making a TV series about the life of notorious jailed Nigerian fraudster and Instagram influencer Hushpuppi.

It has sparked a debate online with some supporting the idea, but others opposing it, saying it makes Nigerians look bad.

Posting on his Instagram page, 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, said he had to do it: "For my scammers I gotta do this one, Hushpuppy series coming soon !"

The rapper has a history of producing TV shows, including the drama series Power, which first starting airing in 2014.

Hushpuppi, whose real name is Ramon Abbas, is currently serving 11 years in a US jail for his role in an international fraud syndicate.

He was also famous on Instagram where he used to flaunt his vast wealth to his 2.8 million followers, until he was arrested in Dubai in 2020, and his account shut down.

On Twitter some people are showing real excitement: "Can't wait to see what 50 will give us on this!" one person said., external

Another said , external50 Cent should "beat Nollywood to it".

However, others have expressed discomfort, external, with one tweeter saying: "Why not look around you and do a series on something that speaks positively about us Nigerians, as there's so many around you and all over the world".

Read more about Hushpuppi here.