Guinean cycles across countries for university dream

A student from Guinea has had his life-long dream of studying at Al-Azhar University in Cairo come true.

Mamadou Safayou Barry did not have the funds to study at the ancient university, so set off on his bicycle to Egypt - a journey of well over 4,000km (2,500 miles).

He is said to have cycled for months through Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin and Niger and Chad.

While in Chad four months later, good Samaritans paid for him to fly the rest of the way to Cairo.

His determination prompted the university to offer him a place on its Islamic Studies course with a full scholarship.

Mr Barry said he was overjoyed to be studying at the prestigious university.