Image source, AFP

"Systemic change" and "greater sovereignty" are among key promises Senegal's new president made to the nation at his inauguration on Monday.

More solidarity is also needed between African nations to tackle threats to security, the freshly minted leader said to an audience of hundreds of officials and several African heads of state in Diamniadio, near Dakar.

Several West African nations are ruled by military juntas which are trying to combat jihadist insurgencies.

Senegal faces numerous challenges including youth unemployment, a cost of living crisis and corruption.

Taking the oath of office, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye declared:

He also said that, under his leadership, Senegal would become a country of hope with a strengthened democracy.

Image source, AFP

Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Senegal's fifth president, has been sworn into office at a ceremony in the town of Diamniadio, near the capital Dakar.

Last month, 44-year-old Mr Faye won the delayed elections, securing 54% of the vote, ahead of his main challenger Amadou Ba.

On Friday, the country’s Constitutional Council confirmed Mr Faye as the winner.

Heads of state from around the continent attended the inauguration ceremony, including Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu, who is also chair of the regional bloc, Ecowas.

Image source, Getty Images

People are surviving by picking wild fruits and tubers after droughts destroyed crops in parts of central Mozambique.

Hunger has forced dozens of families from their homes in Sofala province and into neighbouring areas of Manica province, authorities say.

Because of its latitude and coastal location, much of Mozambique is vulnerable to the destructive El Niño weather phenomenon which has worsened with the climate crisis.

District official Candido Zeca, who is responsible for economic affairs in the badly-hit area of Chemba, admits not enough has been done to help people in need but says food aid and farming resources are on their way.

Image source, Getty Images

South African Speaker of Parliament Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has lost a court bid to stop her being arresting over allegations of corruption.

She is accused of soliciting bribes in return for awarding contracts while serving as defence minister from 2012 to 2021. She vehemently denies any wrongdoing.

Last week Ms Mapisa-Nqakula's lawyers filed an interdict to prevent her arrest, saying it would infringe on her dignity. She also sought an order compelling the state to disclose the evidence against her.

But on Tuesday the High Court in Pretoria ruled that the matter was not urgent and it could not speculate on an arrest that was yet to happen.

Last month, an elite police unit raided Ms Mapisa-Nqakula's home in Johannesburg, acting on behalf of investigating state prosecutors.

The 67-year-old veteran of the anti-apartheid struggle became Speaker in 2021.

Sudanese football club Al Hilal will play in the Tanzanian league after civil war disrupted the domestic game in the country.

Image source, AFP

Kenya's largest public referral hospital has announced that it will dispose hundreds of unclaimed bodies currently at its morgue if family members will not collect them.

"Interested members of the public are therefore requested to identify and collect the bodies within seven days, failure to which the hospital will seek authority from the courts to dispose of them," the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) said on Tuesday in a notice published in the privately owned The Star newspaper.

The 541 bodies include 475 babies and 66 adults.

The hospital published the names of the deceased, but the identities of a few of the bodies are unknown.

KNH and other public hospitals and morgues in Kenya frequently issue notices for relatives to collect unclaimed bodies.

Bodies that remain uncollected after the grace period are often buried in mass graves.

The bodies are usually of patients who die in hospital without the knowledge of their families.

Some families also opt to abandon bodies of their loved ones in mortuaries when they cannot afford to clear their hospital or mortuary bills.

Thomas Naadi
BBC News, Dakar

Image source, Reuters

Several African leaders have arrived in Senegal for the inauguration of President-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

Mr Faye won last month's delayed elections, securing 54% of the total votes ahead of his main challenger, ruling coalition candidate Amadou Ba.

On Friday, the country’s constitutional council confirmed him as the winner of the election.

Security has been beefed up around the presidential palace ahead of the swearing-in.

About 15 heads of state are expected to attend the event on Tuesday, including Nigerian President and chair of the heads of state of the West African regional bloc, Ecowas, Bola Tinubu.

African Union Commission Chair Moussa Faki and Ecowas commission President Omar Alieu Touray will also be present, local media report.

The lead-up to the election was marred by violent protests after President Macky Sall attempted to delay the vote.

Mr Faye himself was imprisoned and released just a few days before the election, following an amnesty by the government.

Many in Senegal see him as a symbol of hope, and expectations are high that he will bring about the desired change in this country.

Read more:

• Senegal vote offers hope to frustrated young Africans
• Senegal election result: Bassirou Diomaye Faye to become Africa's youngest elected president

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Image source, Eritrean ministry of information/X

A Russian delegation led by the country's deputy navy commander Vladimir Kasatonov has arrived at the Eritrean port city of Massawa for bilateral talks.

It was welcomed on Monday by senior Eritrean military officials led by army chief Philipos Woldeyohannes and Culture and Sports Commission Commissioner Zemede Tekle.

The visit is part of the events marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, local media report.

During their bilateral meeting, "issues of mutual interest" are set to be discussed, according to the Eritrean state television (ERi-TV).

The TV said the crew of the Russian warship that docked at Massawa port last Thursday for a five-day call toured historical sites in the city and played a friendly match against the Eritrean navy's football team.

Eritrea has given diplomatic support to Russia in its war in Ukraine, including voting against resolutions condemning the invasion.

Image source, Getty Images

Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi is due to be sworn in for a third consecutive six-year term as the country's leader.

He was re-elected in December with an astounding 89.6% of the vote, beating three other candidates

His swearing-in ceremony will be held on Tuesday at the new parliament buildings near the capital, Cairo, partly state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported, external.

Mr Sisi, 69, first became president in 2014, a year after he had led the military's overthrow of his Islamist predecessor Mohammed Morsi.

He is credited with implementing several mega infrastructure projects during his tenure, but has also been criticised for a difficult economy marked by crippling debt and extreme inflation.

The Egyptian pound has lost more than 50% of its value against the US dollar, creating a severe cost-of-living crisis.

Human rights groups have also accused Mr Sisi of cracking down on critics.

His new term of six years is supposed to be his last, according to the country's constitution.

Image source, Getty Images

Power has been restored in Tanzania after a massive nationwide blackout that affected several islands and most of the mainland on Monday.

The electricity outage struck shortly after 02:00 local time on Monday, privately owned newspaper Daily Citizen reported.

State-run power company Tanesco said the outage was caused by a technical fault at the Kidatu hydroelectric power plant in the east of the country.

Its water intake control equipment was affected.

The fault resulted in large volumes of water entering the systems, causing them to "suddenly shut down to protect themselves", and in turn impacting the national power grid, Tanesco added.

Energy Minister Doto Mashaka Biteko ordered power officials who were on their Easter break to return to work immediately in order to restore power supplies.

On Monday evening, Tanesco said it had restored power to most parts of the country, although several Tanzanians continued to complain of outages on social media.

Image source, AFP

Political parties in Mali have called for a presidential election “as soon as possible” following the expiry of the extended transition period last month.

The West African country has been ruled by a junta since August 2020 following a military coup that ousted former leader Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

In March 2022, the current junta leader Col Assimi Goita extended the transition period by 24 months to March this year but he is yet to provide a date for new elections.

In separate statements late on Sunday, more than 80 political parties and civil groups called on authorities to set up an institutional framework for the elections.

They threatened to use "all legal and legitimate avenues for the return of normal constitutional order in our country".

The junta is yet to comment on the statements.

Image source, DR Congo's Ministry of Planning/X

The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, has appointed a former minister as the country's first ever female prime minister.

Judith Suminwa Tuluka, a former planning minister, replaces Sama Lukonde who resigned in February.

"I know that the task is great and the challenges [are] immense, but with the support of the president and that of everyone, we will get there," Ms Tuluka said at a press conference on Monday after her appointment.

Her appointment follows a lengthy search for a majority coalition in the National Assembly - a key step before a prime minister could be named and a government formed.

The ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress party secured the majority position beating the other 44 parties.

Ms Tuluka is expected to name a new cabinet in the coming weeks.

The prime minister heads the government, which is also composed of ministers and deputy ministers.

Image source, Getty Images

A 12-year-old Ghanaian girl who was married off to a 63-year-old traditional priest is now under police protection along with her mother, the force said on Tuesday.

Videos and pictures of Saturday's customary wedding ceremony between the girl and the priest, Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, had gone viral on social media, angering many Ghanaians.

Some called on the police and government to take action, but community leaders said critics did not understand their customs.

"The Ghana Police Service is working with the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection and the Department of Social Welfare to provide her with the necessary support while the matter is being investigated," the police added in their post, which was shared on social media, external.

Child marriage is illegal in Ghana but still common, according to the global campaigning NGO Girls Not Brides. It says 19% of girls are married before the age of 18 years, and 5% are married before their 15th birthday.

Read more:

• Outrage as traditional Ghanaian priest, 63, marries 12-year-old girl

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South Africa's influential Gcaba family has denied speculation that one of its members was involved in the murder of popular rapper AKA.

AKA, real name Kiernan Forbes, and his close friend, Tibz Motsoane, were shot dead outside a restaurant in Durban in February last year.

Last Wednesday, prosecutors in the trial of the rapper’s suspected killers implicated Sydney Mfundo Gcaba, a member of the Gcaba family, in the rapper's killing.

A statement presented to court by the investigating officer alleged that one of Mr Gcaba's companies sent over 800,000 rand ($42,000; £33,000) to the bank account of Mziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni, one of the suspects being tried for the rapper's murder.

Reports that the payment was made a day after AKA's murder fuelled suspicion that Mr Gcaba might have paid the suspects for the murder.

The prosecutor also argued that there was no proof that Mr Gwabeni provided services in exchange for the money.

But in a statement issued on Sunday, the Gcaba family said that the payment was part of several transactions between Mr Gcaba and Mr Gwabeni, which were "purely for business purposes".

"These numerous transactions over a long period of time can be verified through bank records and were neither unique nor isolated," the family's statement said.

The family added that it was “concerned” that authorities have not asked Mr Gcaba to share his side of the story, but that he was ready to clear his name.

Read more:

• AKA: The murdered rapper from South Africa 'destined for greatness'

Writers Teju Cole and Noo Saro-Wiwa and Tate curator Osei Bonsu talk to Laurence Scott.

The exhibition A World in Common: Contemporary African Photography at Tate Modern has a mission statement - to confront reductive representations of African peoples and cultures. All the images are from an African perspective, and explore ideas about masks, spiritual worlds, royalty, family portraits and shared dreams.

The lives of African settlers in China are at the heart of the new book Black Ghosts by Noo Sara-Wiwa. Opportunities for Africans to live and work in China are precarious and tightly controlled, the book explores why many choose to live under such restrictions.

And Teju Cole’s new novel is entitled Tremor. His central character a teacher of photography considers the revaluation of contemporary and historical identity in both Africa and America.

Producer: Julian Siddle

You can find more episodes exploring Black History including episodes on Octavia Butler, the Black Atlantic, Sankofa and Afro-futurism and Zimbabwean writing on the Free Thinking programme website and available on BBC Sounds and as the Arts & Ideas podcast https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08t2qbp

A '70s London squat was home to the writer Dambudzo Marechera when he was writing his first novel The House of Hunger (1978), which was published in the Heinemann African Writers series and has now been issued as a Penguin Classic. Tinashe Mushakavanhu is researching his story and writings. Mufaro Makubika has adapted the coming of age story published by NoViolet Bulawayo in 2013 as a play, which is now touring England. Jocelyn Alexander is involved in creating an archive and oral history documenting Southern Africa's liberation armies and has researched experiences of political imprisonment over 50 years in Zimbabwe. Rana Mitter hosts the conversation.

Producer: Ruth Watts

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo, in a new adaptation by Mufaro Makubika is a Fifth Word and New Perspectives co-production directed by Monique Touko. It tours to Derby, Manchester, Newcastle, Peterborough, and Bristol The House of Hunger is available as a Penguin Classic You can find more discussions about African writing and history in a collection called Exploring Black History on the Free Thinking programme website https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08t2qbp They include Pettina Gappah on African Empire Stories https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000fgxm Louise Egbunike on Pan-Africanism and Nana Oforiatta Ayim on her African encyclopedia https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000c4mf A focus on Wole Soyinka's writing with novelist Ben Okri, academic Louisa Egbunike and playwright Oladipo Agboluaje https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000k35s An exploration of the politics and writing of Amílcar Lopes da Costa Cabral https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001ghhz

It’s illegal in around 30 countries in Africa to be in a same-sex relationship and recently there’s been political debate in places such as Uganda and Ghana around stricter laws. We’ve also reported on the BBC in the past few months about violence against LGBT people in Kenya and Egypt, for example. The proposed new law in Uganda is awaiting the president’s assent, and if approved, it may see people who identify as gay, lesbian or queer imprisoned for life. We’ve spent the past few weeks making contact with some of those who are affected.

Burkinabé filmmaker Idrissa Ouédraogo (21 January 1954 – 18 February 2018) was awarded the Grand Prix at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival for his film Tilaï. Much of Ouédraogo's work deals with the tensions between rural and city life and tradition and modernity in his native Burkina Faso. Matthew Sweet is joined by Boukary Sawadogo who teaches cinema studies at City College of New York and New Generation Thinker Sarah Jilani.

Boukary Sawadogo is the author of books including “West African Screen Media: Comedy, TV Series, and Transnationalization” and “African Film Studies: An Introduction”

Producer: Torquil MacLeod

The anti-colonial leader killed 50 years ago (20th January) was a poet, influenced by Marxism and led the nationalist movement of Guinea-Bissau and the Cape Verde Islands. António Tomás, José Lingna Nafafé and New Generation Thinker Alexandra Reza join Rana Mitter to explore his life, thinking and legacy.

José Lingna Nafafé is Senior Lecturer in Portuguese and Lusophone Studies at the University of Bristol. His work concentrates on the Black Atlantic abolitionist movement in the 17th Century and the Lusophone Atlantic African diaspora.

Alex Reza is a writer and lecturer in comparative literatures and cultures working in French, Portuguese and English at the University of Bristol. She is also a BBC Radio 3/AHRC New Generation Thinker.

António Tomás is the author of several publications in Portuguese and English, namely Amílcar Cabral, the Life of a Reluctant Nationalist (2021) and In the skin of the City: Spatial Transformation in Luanda (2022). He is currently an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Architecture, at the University of Johannesburg.

Producer: Ruth Watts

You might be interested in other Free Thinking discussions exploring Black History gathered into a collection on the programme website and all available to listen on BBC Sounds and to download as Arts and Ideas podcasts https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08t2qbp They include a conversation about the writing of Aimé Césaire and the Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000nmxf A discussion of Frantz Fanon https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000tdtn