• Pope Francis plans South Sudan visit

Pope Francis has said he hopes to visit South Sudan next year in a follow up to the ecumenical spiritual retreat he held with the country's top leaders in April.

Pope Francis kissed the feet of President Salva Kiir and rival Riek Machar at the Vatican as he urged them to pursue peace following the signing of the revitalised peace agreement in September 2018.

During his weekly blessing at the Vatican, the pope said he hoped to visit South Sudan next year as the two leaders are expected to form a unity government in February 2020.

• Zimbabwe releases new banknotes

Zimbabwe's central bank is due to begin circulating new banknotes on Monday, which it says will help to ease a severe cash shortage as the country suffers a deepening economic crisis.

The bank has played down fears that the move will fuel inflation - officially at 300 per cent - insisting that the new two- and five- dollar notes will not increase overall money supply.

Their introduction marks the final phase in the return of the Zimbabwe dollar after the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe banned the US of the US dollar in June.

• Tunisia's election winner picks leader for speaker

Tunisia's Ennahdha party which last month came top in legislative polls has put forward its leader long-serving leader Rached Ghannouchi as the next speaker of parliament.

Ennahdha won 52 out of 217 seats in October's parliamentary election and is crafting a coalition to lead the country as it insists a new prime minister should be selected from the party.

Tunisia's new parliament will hold its first session on Wednesday and Ennahdha has up to Friday to name a candidate for the premiership.

• Nigeria targets $1.5 billion more in oil royalties

Nigeria is on a collision cause with oil majors after President Muhammadu Buhari approved changes to revenue sharing contracts giving the state higher royalties on crude sold above $20.

The change, however, only enforces clauses overlooked since 1993 when the country was under military rule and gives a top rate of 10 per cent for crude selling at more than $150 a barrel.

Oil companies will also pay a flat tax of 10 per cent on off-shore fields and 7.5 per cent for inland fields in the changes that will earn the country an extra $1.5 billion annually by 2021.

Oil industry insiders warn that companies involved in off-shore production could review their investments, reducing the revenue boost Nigeria hopes to achieve.