The arithmetic behind a sovereignty narrative On 31 July 2026, the three states of the Alliance of Sahel States – Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger – together carried 7,727.38 billion FCFA in outstanding public securities on the regional market. That number sits awkwardly beside a political message built on autonomy,Continue Reading
Monday 14 September 2026 has gone down as the day classrooms across Benin opened their doors again. From urban centres to the most remote localities, schools have resumed their usual rhythm, with learners and teachers reporting back for duty. The start of this academic year comes at a moment whenContinue Reading
The price of holding Niger’s pump prices still Keeping fuel affordable at the pump has a price, and Niger’s public accounts are now showing it. Fresh projections from the International Monetary Fund place the Société nationale des pétroles du Niger (SONIDEP) on course for a net loss of 28 billionContinue Reading
Presented as a flagship of economic sovereignty and homegrown industrialisation, the TEXFORCES-BF textile venture has drawn enthusiastic backing from Burkina Faso’s authorities. Strip away the ceremonial optimism, however, and the way the scheme is financed — together with the conditions surrounding its rollout — raises serious questions. Money pulled straightContinue Reading
Official speeches keep celebrating a clean break and economic self-rule, yet the figures tell a far less flattering story. At the close of 2024, Niger’s net international investment position sat deep in negative territory, exposing how heavily the national economy still leans on money, assets and claims held beyond itsContinue Reading
Benin’s school feeding drive has crossed a fresh threshold. With the 2026-2027 academic year under way, close to 1.9 million pupils now receive a hot meal on every day of class, compared with 1.4 million twelve months earlier. Roughly 500,000 extra children have joined the scheme in that single yearContinue Reading
Algerian prime minister Sifi Grine travelled to Bamako on Monday for an official visit that put him side by side with the man steering Mali, army general Assimi Goïta. The setting was the Koulouba palace, and the message was crafted to look like a turning point for two neighbouring SahelContinue Reading
Colonel Jean-Pierre Otoulou took the witness stand to defend the conduct of his investigation into the death of Cameroonian journalist Martinez Zogo. He insisted that he had gathered solid evidence, particularly regarding attempts by Bruno Bidjang—at the time an associate of businessman Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga, one of the main defendants—toContinue Reading
Since Captain Ibrahim Traoré assumed power, an official narrative has gradually taken hold: that of a Burkina Faso which has reclaimed command of its own future, curbed its reliance on foreign actors and chosen to bankroll its campaign against armed groups from its own treasury. Politically, the message lands well.Continue Reading
A dawn assault that shattered a Malian army camp On the morning of Thursday 10 September 2026, fighters of the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) stormed the military base at Dioura, a locality in the Tenenkou circle of central Mali. For hours on end the positionContinue Reading
In Niger, tax inspectors display tireless zeal when they descend on informal traders and corner shops. Send them after the country’s heavyweight corporations, however, and that same administration suddenly loses its footing. A newly documented stock of unpaid tax liabilities — 334 billion FCFA — shows just how lopsided theContinue Reading
As the 2026-2027 academic year opens in Benin, the Aspirants au Métier d’Enseignant — known simply as AME — are moving into a fresh stage of their professional journey. After a series of decisions designed to lift their earnings and their living standards, the authorities have now launched a step-by-stepContinue Reading