Analysis

In Nkoemvone, southern Cameroon, a sprawling site of over three hundred hectares—only ten of which are developed—stretches across the landscape. A paved road cuts through it, passing dilapidated buildings and a sign identifying it as the “Nkoemvone multipurpose agricultural station,” under the authority of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The structures are heavily worn, yet the station remains partially active, primarily in agronomic research: multiplying and distributing cacao seedlings has become its main activity. Founded in 1944, this place stands as one of the major remnants of colonial modernity. The “Nkoemvone Cacao Experimental Station” embodies what historian Hélène Blais calls the “garden-object” within the French colonial empire—particularly during the 20th ce...

The Sahel-Saharan belt has officially become the global jihad's center of gravity. Stretching from western Mali to the far reaches of the Lake Chad basin, millions of Sahelian residents now endure life under Al-Qaida or Islamic State-linked groups. Cultivation is forbidden, social codes are brutally enforced, and the dread of the next attack is ever-present. Yet the most alarming aspect of this slide into chaos is not the militants' power—it is the undeniable reality that no genuine security strategy exists to halt the conflagration across the Sahel.The reign of reaction and piecemeal responsesConfronted with a cross-border menace that slips through the Sahel's permeable frontiers with astonishing ease, government reactions stay woefully disjointed, unclear, and reactive. Instead of implem...

Gabon’s economic landscape remains heavily skewed toward a single sector, with its ambitions for regional trade growth stalling despite the vast potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Recent data reveals that only 8.9% of the country’s total exports are directed to African markets, a figure that highlights the challenges Libreville faces in diversifying its trade partnerships. By Fati Seyni — Analyst