The ruler of the Ottoman Empire province of Algiers, Omar Agha, signs a treaty with the British following the British-Dutch naval bombardment of Algiers. Agha promises to stop the enslavement of Europeans by Barbary Coast slavers. He also frees 1,083 of an eventual 3,000 Europeans enslaved in Algiers, and he returns £80,000 ransom money that he received to free earlier slaves. British casualties are high, with 16% of the invading force killed or wounded. This is the only time during a century of British combat missions to end the slave trade when a large number of British casualties occur.

Demand for West African palm nut oil surges in Europe as manufacturers find it makes better soap lather than animal fat and candles made from it burn with less smoke than the animal fat wax that has been used. Palm oil is still made by hand (pic: women in British Nigeria use wooden mortar with a dug-out tree as a trough) from semi-wild trees. A desperate push is on to find a reliable supply of consistent quality. Britain will try palm oil plantations without success. Belgian Congo will succeed, but by relying on forced labour.

A census on Seychelles records 22,691 residents, showing that 3,454 people added to the population since the 1901 census. The islands’ main exports are copra, vanilla and cinnamon. (pic: Mahé in 1911)

‍

The American football season at Storer College in the U.S. state of Virginia begins with the future first president of Nigeria, Nnamdi “Zik” Azikiwe, age 22, proving a star member of the team. One of the first African liberation leaders to be educated in the U.S., he studies at one of the most important black colleges in the U.S., where formerly enslaved Africans and their descendants earned degrees in a country that offered black students limited opportunities for higher education.

‍

The national liberation movement African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) unilaterally declares Guinea-Bissau’s independence, despite Portugal’s ongoing colonial occupation of the country. The U.N. General Assembly by a vote of 93–7 recognises Guinea-Bissau’s independence, and condemns Portuguese rule as colonial aggression. Formal independence will come on 10 September 1974. PAIGC’s founder Amilcar Cabral was assassinated eight months ago, on 20 January 1973.

Having been overthrown by his nephew Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, whose own dictatorship will continue to rule Equatorial Guinea in 2023, Macias Nguema (pic) faces a military tribunal on charges of genocide and mass murder. During his dictatorship, he killed one-fifth of the nation’s population. He is also accused of embezzlement of public funds, and of having murdered the governor of the Central Bank and transferred all the bank’s assets to his home village.

Addressing the U.N., South Africa liberation leader Nelson Mandela calls for the end of sanctions against South Africa aimed at dismantling the apartheid system. The apartheid system is now ending, reports one of its most famous victims.

September 24 is declared Heritage Day, a public holiday in South Africa. The holiday celebrates the cultural diversity of the country.

Kgalema Motlanthe is elected as the Third President of South Africa by the National Assembly, to fill the position after the resignation of Thabo Mbeki. He will be a caretaker president for eight months until Jacob Zuma is elected in the general elections of 2009. Motlanthe’s brief administration will be remembered for its inaction on the crises of AIDS and Zimbabwe.

Presenting himself to the world as South Africa’s new president, President Jacob Zuma attends the G-20 Economic Summit in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in the U.S. (pic: with German Chancellor Angela Merkel)

Nigeria's Nobel Prize Winner, author and playwright Wole Soyinka takes a teaching post at University of Johannesburg. He hopes to write play with students.

Ghana, Mozambique and Nigeria are among the fastest growing markets in the world for Airbnb, an Internet booking service that connects private residences with travelers looking for an alternative to a hotel. (pic: a listing in Mozambique)

All of Africa's capital cities' populations have grown enormously since their countries achieved independence. However, in terms of physical size, the biggest grower is Maseru, Lesotho. Occupying only 20km² in 1966, Maseru's size today is 138km², representing nearly 700% growth.

Hundreds of South African actors celebrate South Africa’s Heritage Day by shooting a film in Cape Town featuring a mass dance of Master KG's global hit Jerusalema. By now, the song’s video has been seen 150 million times on social media.

Ethiopia begins an initiative, the BRIDGES Programme, to create 600,000 jobs for young people (80% who will be female) as well as 15,000 micro, small, and medium enterprises, within five years. 300,000 unemployed young people will be trained at Ethiopia's seven industrial parks.