The food landscape in West Africa has been undergoing a major transformation since the early 2000s. Population growth, rapid urbanization, changing lifestyles, and rising incomes have driven significant shifts in food consumption patterns across both rural and urban areas. These dynamics were the focus of the report, "Diet Transformation and Changing Food Environments in the Sahel and West...

• Seven Chinese firms plan industrial zone, manganese plant in Gabon• Project supports 2029 ban on raw manganese exports• Move aligns with strategy to boost local value addition, jobs A delegation of seven Chinese companies recently met with Gabonese authorities to explore industrial opportunities. The firms expressed an intent to establish an industrial zone, including a plant dedicated...

• Five- and seven-year bonds issued at 6.45% and 6.60%• Move part of Togo’s strategy to diversify financing amid high public debt• Listing expected to improve liquidity and attract regional investors Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM), West Africa's regional stock exchange, announced on Monday that it will list two bonds issued by Togo on Friday, October 3, 2025. The...

• National Drug Catalogue and AVGroupHub platform to be operational by 2025• Regulation aims to modernize healthcare, secure access, and combat illegal distribution• Part of Guinea-Bissau’s 2025 National Digital Health Strategy Guinea-Bissau last week enacted a national pharmaceutical traceability mandate, a regulatory system that requires the tracking and authentication of every...

• Pilot includes 12 institutions; part of 2030 digital strategy for “zero paper.”• UXP platform enables secure, real-time data sharing between government agencies.• Move aims to cut duplication, reduce costs, and improve transparency. Côte d'Ivoire's Minister of Digital Transition and Digitalization, Ibrahim Kalil Konaté, launched a public administration interoperability platform on...

• Nigeria’s 2025/26 grain imports projected at 10.1M tons, up 10%• Wheat imports reach 6.7M tons; rice 3.2M; corn 260,000• Stable currency, lower global prices boost affordability, ease inflation Nigeria's grain imports are projected to reach nearly 10.1 million tons during the 2025/2026 marketing year, marking a 9.78% increase from the previous year’s 9.2 million tons, according to...

• 6,000 km pipeline to carry 30 bcm annually, linking West Africa to Europe• EIB and Islamic Development Bank among financiers of $25B project• New structure aims to centralize governance and financing for construction The $25 billion Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) project has reached a new milestone with the creation of a dedicated Project Company, local media reported on...

• MoU with CDCB to support projects under Benin’s Government Action Program.• Africa accounted for 47% of Proparco’s global portfolio in 2024.• New office aims to improve coordination with local businesses and authorities. Proparco, the private sector financing arm of French Development Agency AFD, announced on Monday the opening of a new office in Cotonou, Benin. The move is part of...

• Government unveils Teachers’ Council, digital learning, and AI integration plans• Focus on inclusion, digital skills, and aligning education with labor market needs• Policy aims to reduce youth unemployment and strengthen knowledge economy Tanzania hosted the 5th International Quality Education Conference (IQEC2025) from September 24 to 26 at the Julius Nyerere International Convention...

• Copper ~880k t/y anchors flows; cobalt smaller, lithium & others emerging.• Lobito, TAZARA, Nacala/Beira now link Zambia to 3 oceans.• DP World dry-port, 90%+ warehouse use; hub role real despite road-plan caveats. Zambia’s geography has long been framed as a disadvantage, its land-locked status forcing exports and imports to pass through congested ports in neighbouring countries. In...