The Battle of Mbubi is a grotesque victory for Portuguese Angola and its ally, the Imbangala, a group of cannibals and mercenaries. In an attempt to conquer the Kingdom of Kongo, the Portuguese defeat the defenders of Mbubi with canon against sword. Portuguese forces sack the settlement, and enslave the Kongolese survivors. The Impangala cannibalise all prisoners, as well as the dead. The atrocity will so outrage the rest of the Kingdom of Kongo that anti-Portuguese riots break out. In retaliation, Kongolese forces will conquer sections of Portuguese Angola.

A slave ship bound for Africa, the Independence, is seized off Rio de Janeiro by the U.S. Navy ship Perry. Two days before (16 December 1847) the Perry captured another ship bound for Africa, the Ann D. Richardson. Both slave ships are confiscated as property of the U.S. government for violating the ban on transporting enslaved Africans.

Britain declares Egypt a protectorate. The move is to ensure the protection of the Suez Canal as World War I begins. (pic: British troops encamped at the Great Pyramid of Giza)

A bridge built as a gift by the U.S. to connect Niger’s capital Niamey with the opposite side of the Niger River is opened. Named the John F. Kennedy Bridge after the former U.S. President, the bridge has been constructed is in two sections on either side of a mid-river island: a flat section nearly flush with the water and an arched section allowing boats to pass beneath, The city of Niamey can now expand across the river.

The premier of the movie Out of Africa, the biography of Danish writer Karen Blixen in British Kenya. The film continues the Hollywood tradition of using Africa as merely a backdrop and Africans themselves as props in stories about white people's romantic adventures.  

In Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo) a rare demonstration in the capital Kinshasa, calling for the end of the regime of Mobutu Sese Seko, is brutally suppressed. Police kill at least eight demonstrators.

The first McDonald’s restaurant, a U.S. hamburger fast-food franchise, to open in Africa starts business in Casablanca, Morocco. The 200-seat outlet is also the first McDonald’s to open in the Arab world. One menu item is the McArabia, a hamburger wrapped in pita bread.

The start of the Tunisian Revolution, a popular uprising against government corruption, economic and social inequity and a lack of political freedom. After 338 deaths, the 28-day campaign will end with the ouster of autocratic ruler Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. The Tunisian example will inspire the Arab Spring revolts, which will topple dictatorial governments across the region in 2011.

Africa’s most successful air transport company, Ethiopian Airlines, makes a technical agreement with the government of Rwanda to assist the ailing RwandAir. In 2016, Ethiopian Airlines will acquire 49% ownership of RwandAir (pic), with government controlling 51%.

Among the world's top 3 olive oil producers, Tunisia expects production to jump 160% in 2017 over 2016, says the agriculture ministry. Of 280 million tons of olive oil made, 80% will be exported this year.

Angola’s Laúca hydroelectric power station is fully commissioned. Located on the Kwanza River, the dam can produce 2GW of electricity, and is currently Africa’s second biggest hydroelectric power facility, after the Cahora Bassa dam in Mozambique.