Shingai Nyoka
BBC News, Harare

Image source, Reuters

Zimbabwe has produced a record amount of tobacco this year, with 263,000 tonnes sold so far this season.

The agriculture ministry said that 85% of the production came from small-scale farmers, many of whom were settled on land controversially seized more than two decades ago from white farmers under a policy to address colonial era land grabs.

For the government this is a vindication of the controversial land seizures.

Zimbabwe is Africa’s largest producer of tobacco and exports to China, the Middle East and Europe.

Good rains and better financing helped farmers to achieve the record output.

According to the tobacco marketing authority, the output is expected to rise further as farmers continue with deliveries to the market.

Tobacco is a vital source of foreign currency and has raked in close to $800m (£630m) this year.

But it comes at a heavy price to the environment as many farmers use wood to cure the tobacco which can lead to deforestation.

Tobacco - when smoked - can increase the risk of serious health conditions, including several types of cancer. Despite the health risks revenue from cigarette sales globally is rising driven by demand in parts of Asia and Africa.

Image source, Getty Images

Namibia has put 40 crocodiles up for sale to reduce conflicts between humans and wildlife in the north-eastern regions of Kavango and Zambezi, local media report.

Those interested in buying the reptiles are expected to submit their tender offers at the ministry of environment by 17 July.

Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said majority of the country’s wildlife “exists outside national parks”, which had made the regions “continue to experience concerning crocodile attacks on people and their livestock”.

Buyers must prove that they have a suitable habitat for the animals and will incur the cost of capturing them.

Those seeking to import them must have a permit from the respective country.

The South African Weather Service has issued a warning saying that the heavy rains and winds that have left a trail of destruction are set to continue.

Rivers and canals have burst their banks in and around the city of Cape Town, the Citizen newspaper reports, external.

The flooding has knocked out electricity supply in some areas.

“Roadways have also been affected by temporary storm-water overflows, uprooted trees and mud on the road surface,” City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management spokesperson Charlotte Powell is quoted by the Citizen as saying.

South African broadcasters are showing pictures of flooded residential areas:

Alfred Lasteck
BBC News, Dar es Salaam

Image source, Getty Images

Tanzanian authorities have arrested two church leaders for allegedly detaining dozens of sick people while promising to heal them through prayer and traditional herbs.

The more than 100 people were being kept in so-called traditional wards (mud-walled huts with brick beds) built around the church in Nyamhinza village, Misungwi district, in the north-western region of Mwanza – with no medical treatment or food being provided.

Some had been there for up to a month and they were required to find food for themselves until they fully recovered.

They were found after locals alerted the police that some people were dying after leaving hospitals, including a woman who had joined the church soon after giving birth to twins.

At the end of last week, the police took the sick people back to hospitals for treatment. They are now investigating possible deaths and whether there are bodies buried nearby.

Mwanza regional police commander, Wilbroad Mutafungwa, told journalists on Wednesday that initial investigations didn't show there were people buried there but they were still keeping a close watch.

He confirmed the arrests of the suspects, church leaders William Masum and his wife Kabula Lushika, saying they didn’t have permits to conduct worship and prayer activities, or to provide traditional healing services. They have not commented on the accusations.

"We are now doing a detailed investigation, including interrogating the suspects. Meanwhile I ask locals with classified information that will help the investigation to come forward and talk to the police,'' he said.

The church is said to have been in operation for more than five years.

Ahmed Ambali & Chris Ewokor
BBC Yoruba & BBC News, Nigeria

Image source, Getty Images

A survivor of Nigeria's boat accident in River Niger that has claimed 106 lives has told the BBC that many women died trying to save their children.

The boat capsized after part of the vessel collapsed, causing water to flood the boat, police said.

Figures provided by local rescuers indicate that 144 people survived the boat accident.

One village in the Patigi local government area of Kwara state, where the incident occurred, had the highest number of casualties. Locals there say 61 died, mostly women and children.

Mohammed Alhassan, a survivor, said the women would not leave their children and so they drowned together.

“My sister was with us on the boat,” he told the BBC. “She survived but her seven-year-old son died".

Aisha Mohammed, another woman who lost her three grown daughters in the accident said the girls were soon to be married.

Other survivors also described how many fathers hung on to some of their children while those they could not bring to shore died.

Some young men were however able to swim to safety after the boat broke in half.

Safety is one of the major concerns raised as many people did not have life jackets. Overloaded boats are common and travellers often don't take safety precautions.

Read more:

• Kwara boat accident: 100 dead and more missing in Nigeria

Azeezat Olaoluwa
BBC News, Lagos

Image source, Getty Images

Nigeria's new President Bola Tinubu has suspended indefinitely the head of the country's anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Abdulrasheed Bawa was asked to step aside in order to allow a "proper investigation into his conduct while in office".

Although it's common for the head of the anti-corruption agency to be removed once a new president gets into office, a government statement said the suspension followed “weighty” allegations of abuse of office levelled against him.

There have been a number of corruption allegations against the 43-year-old Mr Bawa since he was appointed the EFCC chairman in 2021, which he has denied.

In an interview with BBC Hausa last month, a former governor of the northern Zamfara state accused Mr Bawa of allegedly demanding a $2m (£1.58m) bribe from him. He denied the allegation.

Nigeria is ranked 150th out of 180 countries in Transparency International's perception of corruption index.

Tracy Bircham
BBC World Service News

Image source, AFP

Officials in Sudan say the governor of the West Darfur region has been killed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Only hours earlier, Khamis Abbakar had accused both the RSF and allied militias of committing genocide against people from the Masalit ethnic group.

Mr Abbakar, who was killed in El Geneina, had warned that the attacks had spread across the city and called for international intervention.

The RSF has not commented on the allegation.

There has been similar violence in the cities of Nyala and Zalingei.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said he's appalled by the escalating ethnic and sexual dimension of the violence against civilians in Darfur.

The region has seen periods of conflict since the early 2000s when millions were displaced and hundreds of thousands killed after Arab militias were deployed to fight non-Arab rebels.

Our proverb of the day:

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Rayan Bashir says she is struggling after being left in hotels for weeks since arriving from Sudan.

A woman who died along with two other Britons would be "missed beyond words", her family says.

Fatma Samoura is to step down after seven years as Fifa's secretary general to spend more time with her family.

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

You can also follow the latest at BBCAfrica.com and listen to the new BBC Focus on Africa podcast for more on big topics in the news.

A reminder of Wednesday's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this photo taken earlier on Wednesday of people waiting for a gas truck to arrive to exchange their empty canisters in Wad Madani, which lies on the west bank of Sudan's Blue Nile River, about 135km (85 miles) south-east of the capital, Khartoum, and where many have sought refuge since a civil war erupted in April.

Image source, AFP

Jose Tembe
BBC News, Maputo

The governor of the jihadist-hit northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado has visited fishermen who have returned to the coastal village of Pangane.

Most people have fled this area, which has witnessed some of the worst attacks since the Islamist insurgency erupted in 2017.

But the group of young fisherman have decided to move back because since a regional force deployed around two years ago to Cabo Delgado to help the Mozambican army regain control of the towns, the violence has reduced.

Cabo Delgado Governor Valige Tauabo made the trip to Pangane to show his appreciation for their return - though it is not officially sanctioned by the authorities given that the militants are known to still operate at a low level.

He gave them fishing equipment and supplies to help them re-establish themselves.

Jihadists were reported to be moving through the area on Sunday.

Risto Pyykkö
BBC World Service newsroom

At least 78 migrants are known to have drowned when their boat capsized off the southern coast of Greece, with many more possibly missing.

Officials have been quoted as saying the vessel may have been carrying up to 400 people.

More than 100 have been rescued, but the operation has been hampered by strong winds.

The Greek coast guard said the boat had been spotted by a surveillance plane from the EU's Frontex agency on Tuesday afternoon, but that the passengers refused any help.

Authorities said the vessel appears to have been on its way from Libya to Italy.

Favour Nunoo
BBC News, Accra

Image source, Getty Images

Four men have been arrested in north-eastern Ghana for their alleged involvement in a viral video in which a woman was stripped naked and sexually assaulted as a crowd looked on.

The woman, believed to be from the Fulani community, was eventually able to free herself and run off.

The incident happened in the market of Zebilla, a town in Upper East Region where there have been long-standing tensions between semi-nomadic Fulani herders and local people.

The communities often quarrel over grazing rights for cattle and access to water. The tensions recently resulted in the killing of a young man from the town who was allegedly killed in a fight by Fulanis.

Local reports suggest the assault on the woman may have been in revenge for that killing.

Police described the incident as “inhumane and degrading” and said arrangements were being made to offer the woman psycho-social support.

The suspects in custody were also helping with inquiries to make further arrests, the police added.

Ukraine is behind Russia when it comes to diplomatic relations with Africa. But it’s certainly on a charm offensive.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, Reuters

More than a dozen companies, mainly from Saudi Arabia, are bidding for two million tonnes of carbon credits at an auction in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

Demand for carbon offsets is growing fast as companies seek to reach their target of net-zero emissions.

The organisers of the auction say almost three-quarters of the carbon credits are being generated by projects in Africa, including supplying efficient cooking stoves in Kenya and Rwanda.

Large companies looking to offset their own carbon emissions - including the airline Saudia - will be bidding in Nairobi.

Within the next decade, the global market for these voluntary carbon credits is expected to be worth tens of billions of dollars.

But critics have in the past questioned the quality of some so-called green projects set up in Africa.

There is also some concern that with an option to buy carbon credits, companies including airlines are not under enough pressure to cut their own emissions.

Nigerians in capital, Abuja, tell the BBC they welcome President Bola Tinubu's new student loan bill, but are questioning how it will work in practice.

The new policy, which the president signed into law on Monday, offers financial support for poorer students in higher education by enabling them to easily get interest-free loans from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund to cover tuition fees.

However, students could face two years imprisonment or a 500,000 naira ($1,000; £790) fine if they default on repayments once eligible to do so.

“I think it’s a very good idea and it’s going to help students," one young woman tells the BBC, adding that people should not just "collect loan and relax", referencing the strict rules regarding repayment or jail time.

One student says the policy is good as fees have increased exponentially.

However his "biggest worry is how the policy will be driven to a logical conclusion", because Nigeria struggles to execute good policies, he says.

Beneficiaries of the loan are expected to start repayment as soon as they gain employment, following the completion of their studies and mandatory national service.

The South African Football Association promises 'harsh' punishments after a pitch invasion and shots were fired in violence at a third-tier play-off match in Pietermaritzburg.

Youssef Taha
BBC World Service newsroom

Image source, AFP

The authorities in Egypt have executed a man who had been convicted of killing a fellow university student last year after she rejected his marriage proposal.

Video footage of Mohammad Adel stabbing Nayra Ashraf and slitting her throat last June outside Mansoura University, where they both studied, went viral.

It caused nationwide panic as the case reopened the debate about violence against women.

Adel faced an expedited trial and was convicted of premeditated murder.

Image source, AFP

Executions in Egypt usually happen within four years after conviction but in Adel's case the public prosecution called for the death penalty to be expedited.

Ms Ashraf's father said though the execution of his daughter's killer would not bring her back, justice had been served.