BBC News Africa

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Egypt - the Arab world's most populous nation - has begun the process of vaccinating its more than 100 million citizens against the coronavirus. The country has recorded nearly 9,000 deaths from the disease.

The first recipients of a vaccine were a doctor and a nurse. They were given a Chinese-made injection.

Vaccines from Britain and Russia will be included in the inoculation programme as it unfolds.

Egypt’s health minister said the country was aiming to produce an injection locally, with a view to distributing it to the rest of Africa.

There have been warnings that the continent is in danger of being left behind, as richer parts of the world strike vaccine-supply deals and drive up prices.

Read more:

• Africa's long wait for the Covid-19 vaccine

AFPCopyright: AFP

At least six soldiers in Mali have been killed during two attacks close to the border with Burkina Faso.

The army said troops responded forcefully when simultaneous assaults were carried out on two bases in the early hours of Sunday morning at Boulkessy and Mondoro.

It described the attackers as "terrorists", saying 30 were killed.

The area has become a focus of jihadist activity. Three soldiers were killed by a bomb explosion there on Thursday.

Read more:

• How West Africa is under threat from Islamist militants

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now - there will be an automated feed until Monday morning.

Keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or checking the BBC News website.

A reminder of our wise words of the day:

Quote Message: Don’t eat it all in the evening, because tomorrow asks questions." from A Bulu proverb sent by Sylvie in Yaoundé, Cameroon

Don’t eat it all in the evening, because tomorrow asks questions."

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this shot, from our gallery of the week's best photos, showing members of Ethiopia's Orthodox Church holding crosses during the celebration of Timkat - the Ethiopian Epiphany marking the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan:

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

To ease you into the weekend, listen to BBC Focus on Africa’s satirical Resident Presidents.

President Olushambles turns to song as he tells President Kibarkingmad why he shies away from doing tough interviews:

Most domestic flights in Mozambique have been cancelled and shipping banned off the central coast, because of the approach of storm Eloise.

Rains and strong winds have already been affecting several coastal regions of Nampula, Zambézia and Sofala provinces since early on Friday morning, and are expected to worsen towards Inhambane in the south, according to the authorities.

Eloise could develop into a cyclone before moving ashore around Beira during the early morning hours of Saturday, according to Mozambique’s Institute of Meteorology (Inam).

Mozambique Airlines (LAM) has cancelled flights on routes between the capital, Maputo, and the provincial capitals of Beira, Quelimane and Nampula.

The commercial port of Beira has suspended operations until Sunday and the maritime administration of Zambézia province has banned the movement of boats along the coast as a precautionary measure.

The rainy season two years ago was one of the most severe in Mozambique - 714 people died, many of them in two of the biggest cyclones to have ever hit the country.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Former US diplomat for Africa, Jendayi Frazer, has some words of advice for President Joe Biden as he takes over the helm from Donald Trump.

Ms Frazer, who served under former Republican President George W Bush, described US diplomacy under ex-President Trump as "four years of drought".

She told BBC Focus on Africa:

Quote Message: They're going to have to re-establish personal engagement at the very highest level... policy is as much about people as it is about interests - so I think that's one area where there's a lot of repair needed in a our relations with African countries."

They're going to have to re-establish personal engagement at the very highest level... policy is as much about people as it is about interests - so I think that's one area where there's a lot of repair needed in a our relations with African countries."

Humility was also key, she said.

Quote Message: We have to face the world with a lot more humility. Some of these problems aren't new problems they were just exacerbated by the nature of the president who had an authoritarian streak."

We have to face the world with a lot more humility. Some of these problems aren't new problems they were just exacerbated by the nature of the president who had an authoritarian streak."

Listen to the full interview below:

Video content

This content is currently not available

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

A court in Switzerland has sentenced the billionaire Israeli businessman, Beny Steinmetz, to five years in prison for bribery in relation to acquiring mining rights to lucrative iron-ore deposits in Guinea.

Some of the money was said to have been transferred through Swiss banks.

It has been described as the mining sector's biggest-ever corruption case, and the BBC's correspondent in Switzerland says it shines a spotlight on the often murky struggle for control of Africa's natural resources.

Mr Steinmetz can appeal.

• Read more here

MeddyCopyright: Meddy

People who are good with computers are sometimes characterised as “uncool” or “not good with the ladies” - bad stereotypes, I know, before anyone thinks of complaining!

Rwanda’s Meddy is living proof those things aren’t true, singing some of Africa’s most popular love songs over the last few years, including hits like 2017’s Slowly and last year’s Dusuma with Kenya’s Otile Brown.

But a decade ago, when he moved to the US for university, music wasn’t in the plan.

Quote Message: It was something I was doing because I loved it but I didn’t have any long-term goal. I was trying to do computer engineering."

It was something I was doing because I loved it but I didn’t have any long-term goal. I was trying to do computer engineering."

Despite some success in his late teens in Rwanda, Meddy didn’t see music as a viable career.

Quote Message: When I was growing up, even our own parents, they were not encouraging when it came to music. There was no hope in music. If you see your kid doing music it was more like, oh man, he is going to become like one of those guys."

When I was growing up, even our own parents, they were not encouraging when it came to music. There was no hope in music. If you see your kid doing music it was more like, oh man, he is going to become like one of those guys."

Fortunately, that’s no longer the case.

Quote Message: As the music was growing, the mindset was changing. Now they start to really value music, now they start see how it affects the youth, really made a positive impact. So people started to really embrace it.”

As the music was growing, the mindset was changing. Now they start to really value music, now they start see how it affects the youth, really made a positive impact. So people started to really embrace it.”

And it’s not just the success of artists like Meddy that helped alter that mindset.

The 31-year-old says the whole country has witnessed the healing power of music first-hand in the years following the 1994 genocide, when around 800,000 people were killed in just 100 days.

Quote Message: After the genocide everybody was just frustrated… there was a lot of insecurities, fear. People were just not as comfortable as they were supposed to be. But with the music and the entertainment growing, it kind of brought everybody together. I realised how much music can do. Music can literally cancel racism, can literally cancel hatred.”

After the genocide everybody was just frustrated… there was a lot of insecurities, fear. People were just not as comfortable as they were supposed to be. But with the music and the entertainment growing, it kind of brought everybody together. I realised how much music can do. Music can literally cancel racism, can literally cancel hatred.”

When Meddy released Ni Jyewe from his new base in the US in 2009, his first song in nearly two years, the “crazy feedback” helped persuade him that maybe there was a future in music after all.

It did mean the computer engineering had to take a back seat - but that turned out to be a very cool decision.

You can hear more from Meddy on This is Africa this Saturday, on BBC World Service radio and partner stations across Africa.

EFCCCopyright: EFCC

A 45-year-old Nigerian man has been sentenced to two years in prison for spending 2m naira ($5,250; £3,835) that had been erroneously transferred into his account, the country’s anti-corruption agency says.

The judge in the south-western city of Ilorin also ordered Adetunji Tunde Oluwasegun, who had pleaded guilty, to repay the sum to the woman whose money he had spent.

@OlfaHaamdiCopyright: @OlfaHaamdi

The newly appointed head of Tunisia’s state airline has been making waves because of her frank comments about the situation at TunisAir and her criticism of a union-organised sit-in.

Olfa Hamdi, a 35-year old businesswoman and engineer, said those participating were not TunisAir employees, were preventing others from working and were not helping the situation at the cash-strapped state carrier.

“When I took over TunisAir, I found planes that were grounded over $200 [£146], I found scared people, and people who couldn't take decisions, I found a painful situation… and you know, I’ve paid from my own pocket for catering to work and flights to take off," she said.

“I found men crying! I have been working for 10 days, 10 days… and then I’m met by the unions, who bring me people who are not the sons of TunisAir, for a sit-in in our operational centre, which carries a security risk.”

The secretary-general of the union hit back in a local radio broadcast, saying those at the sit-in were contracted to TunisAir and had worked more than six years there but had had no work since the coronavirus pandemic.

Ms Hamdi said she sympathised, but her comments underlie the fact that TunisAir is facing bankruptcy and its state of affairs has worsened since the global pandemic.

Her tirade was videoed and has caused a stir online, with many supporting her courage for speaking out, but others questioning the manner in which she did it.

At one point she told a man, who could be heard but not seen in the video, to “shut up”, when he tried to comment.

The mixed public reaction has also spurred debate about sexism, with some wondering if a man would have been met with the same criticism.