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Senegal’s Sonko jokes about facing Sadio Mané in 2029 political race The future of Senegalese politics took an unexpected turn at Bambali over the weekend as National Assembly President Ousmane Sonko engaged in a lighthearted exchange with football legend Sadio Mané during the launch of a major agro-industrial project. Sonko’s playful jab at Mané sets the stage for 2029 Addressing a crowd in Bambali, Sonko jokingly dared Sadio Mané to consider a political run in the 2029 election, drawing parallels to Liberia’s former footballer-turned-president George Weah. With a grin, Sonko declared, “Football is your domain, politics is mine,” adding that he would even be willing to take on Mané in his own backyard. The unlikely exchange, met with laughter from the audience, was part of a broader s...

Match report: PSG's late winner seals fifth consecutive loss for Marseille The Paris Saint-Germain side maintained their recent winning momentum with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Olympique de Marseille at the Vélodrome on Sunday evening. Despite lacking their usual flair, the reigning European champions extended their unbeaten run to three matches across all competitions, while Marseille slumped to a fifth defeat in six outings. Marseille's spirited display falls short against superior PSG While PSG showed flashes of quality, particularly in the second half, they struggled to impose their usual dominance. Marseille, who entered the match in 17th position, delivered a spirited performance that kept their more fancied opponents at bay for much of the contest. The home side's efforts were ...

He might well long for the days when he was nothing more than the man in charge of presidential security, working in the shadows, untroubled and unexposed. In Niamey today, the mood inside the presidential palace has turned suffocating. A little over three years after the July 2023 coup, general Abdourahamane Tiani is confronting a bitter truth: taking power by force was an enormous mistake, and his own life is now on the line. Far removed from the lofty speeches about national sovereignty, the head of the military junta is trapped by the very army he commands. A mutiny that destroyed any sense of safety Everything changed for general Tiani during the night of 28 to 29 August 2026. Mutinous soldiers from several garrisons attacked the air base and moved dangerously close to the presidenti...

Paris Saint-Germain bound: Mbappé's career pivot at 18 At just 18 years old, Kylian Mbappé faced a defining career choice: remain in Monaco or join Real Madrid’s elite squad. But the breakthrough moment came not from Madrid’s €180 million bid—it came from Paris. Mbappé’s decision to reject football royalty and embrace PSG reshaped both his future and the club’s trajectory, all hinging on a single factor: the arrival of Neymar. Monaco’s meteoric rise and Mbappé’s moment of destiny During the 2016/2017 season, Mbappé lit up Ligue 1 with AS Monaco. The club lifted its first league title in 17 years, while the teenager—already a Champions League knockout stage hero—helped end PSG’s domestic dominance. That campaign wasn’t just a personal triumph; it was the first domino in a series of decis...

Ivory Coast mourns economist Abdoulaye Koné at 91: a legacy etched in national finance Ivory Coast’s economic history darkened on Saturday, September 19, 2026, with the passing of Abdoulaye Koné, a 91-year-old titan of finance who shaped the nation’s fiscal policies for decades. The former Minister of Economy and Finance left behind a career spanning generations, deeply embedded in the administrative and monetary foundations of both Ivory Coast and West Africa. The president, Alassane Ouattara, released an official statement honoring Koné as a pillar of public service and financial stability, whose influence extended far beyond national borders into the corridors of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). Abdoulaye Koné, former Ivory Coast Minister of Economy and Finance ...

Bénin claims AirBadminton triple men's gold with dominant 3-0 win over Mauritius The Bénin AirBadminton team secured the African continental title in the men’s triples event on Saturday, September 19, 2026, in Entebbe, Uganda. The squad, featuring Oswald Fano-Dosh, Carlos Kpanou, Julien Totin and Preferet Adomahou, delivered a commanding 3-0 performance against Mauritius in the championship final, conclusively ending the match in their favor. Mauritius swept aside in final without winning a single game Mauritius had earned its spot in the final by defeating Egypt 3-2 in the semifinals. However, the Mauritian team failed to secure a single game against the Bénin squad, finishing with the silver medal as confirmed by Radio One Mauritius. The scoreboard reflected the Bénin side’s dominance ...

Benin’s CCI approves 6.6 billion FCFA budget for 2027, 2.1 billion earmarked for investment The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of Benin has finalized its 2027 budget during its second ordinary session in Cotonou on September 18, 2027. The total envelope amounts to 6.6 billion FCFA, with 2.1 billion explicitly allocated to investment initiatives. The Ministry of Interior Trade and Economic Formalization has emphasized the need for transparent execution of the 2.1 billion FCFA investment fund. Additionally, there is a directive to reduce operational costs in favor of boosting investment capacity. Minister Alimatou Shadiya Assouman called for improved collection of Chamber contributions in collaboration with the General Directorate of Taxes to ensure financial stability. Key perfor...

Ousmane Sonko, President of Senegal’s National Assembly, joined Sadio Mané in Bambali, Sédhiou region, for the official launch of the SM10 Agro project, a $11.7 billion FCFA agro-industrial park. The ceremony featured key government officials, including the Minister of Trade, Serigne Guèye Diop, emphasizing the national significance of the venture. The landmark event, held in Mané’s hometown, marked the groundbreaking of a facility set to revolutionize local agricultural processing, with a sharp focus on mango production. The project promises an annual processing capacity of 8,500 tonnes and is expected to generate over 1,000 direct jobs immediately, scaling up to 2,500 positions in the long term. Economic transformation in Sédhiou through agro-industrial innovation The Bambali agro-ind...

Maliweb.net no longer simply reports on Mali's war. The portal has become a routine relay for the armed forces' official line, publishing military communiqués as straight news without independent verification — and in the process, flattening the human reality of the fighting into a single, flattering narrative. The 15 September 2026 fighting at Dioura and Mondoro The events of 15 September 2026 exposed the gap most clearly. Several converging accounts, including observations from the ground, pointed to deadly clashes in the Dioura and Mondoro areas in which more than 150 Malian soldiers were killed or taken prisoner. The version carried by the portal told a different story altogether. What Maliweb.net published — and what it dropped By reproducing statements from the Armed Forces General...

The Senegalese government is accelerating its oil palm ambitions. A landmark partnership with Indonesia could transform a stagnant sector that has struggled for over a decade. On September 11 in Dakar, officials unveiled plans to develop 60,000 hectares of oil palm plantations in central and southern Senegal—more than five times the current cultivated area.A joint technical working group has been formed to finalize key details, including timelines and financing. While specifics remain under wraps, the initiative signals a bold step toward reducing the country’s heavy reliance on imported palm oil. Senegal’s oil palm sector at a standstill Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) paints a stark picture: between 2015 and 2024, oil palm cultivation in Senegal never exceeded 12,0...

The Gabonese government has formally launched negotiations for a new sustainable fisheries partnership with the European Union. On September 18, 2026, the Council of Ministers met in Port-Gentil to greenlight talks, appoint a national negotiation team, and set a timeline for discussions aimed at finalizing a new Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) and its implementation protocol. New deal seeks balanced cooperation and Gabon’s resource sovereignty The government’s move follows the termination of the previous EU fisheries deal in June 2025, which had been in place since 2021. Under that agreement, up to 33 European vessels were permitted to fish for tuna in Gabonese waters in exchange for a €1.6 million annual payment from the EU, topped up by contributions from vessel oper...

Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has maintained Cameroon’s sovereign credit rating at « B-/B » with a stable outlook, a decision that, while appearing reassuring, places the country’s political transition in Yaoundé at the center of market concerns. Announced in mid-September, the ruling arrives at a pivotal moment when the long-taboo issue of presidential succession becomes a key factor in assessing the country’s risk profile. For investors and multilateral partners alike, the rating’s stability signals less a vote of confidence than a veiled warning. Rating holds steady but carries a sharp political warning By extending the « B-/B » rating, S&P acknowledges Cameroon’s adherence to the fiscal path agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) while highlighting the economy’s deep structural w...