Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s president, is seeking approval from lawmakers to borrow nearly $6bn from the Export-Import Bank of China for railway projects, as his government seeks to revive a recession-hit economy through spending on big infrastructure projects. – Financial Times
East Africa
Ms Lagarde said the east African nation, ruled by former bush rebel Yoweri Museveni for the past 31 years, is at a crossroads. “The policies that Uganda chooses today will determine whether you are on a road to overcome poverty and provide opportunities to all Ugandans,” she said. – Financial Times
Somalia's al Shabaab gunmen shot and killed a senior national intelligence officer in front of his own house in the capital Mogadishu on Thursday, police and militants said, in the latest such incident by the group. - Reuters
Kenya's opposition alliance is expected to announce that veteran politician Raila Odinga will be its presidential candidate on Thursday, party sources said, as busloads of cheering, whistling supporters in orange T-shirts began converging on the capital. - Reuters
South Africa
When Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa’s deputy president, delivered a speech that included a stinging attack on “the politics of patronage” in the African National Congress, it was widely interpreted as the unofficial launch of his bid for the party’s leadership. – Financial Times