Tuesday, November 3
Inside the China-Togo economic machine: what’s driving the shift beyond the shelves
Analyses

Inside the China-Togo economic machine: what’s driving the shift beyond the shelves

EconomieTogoL’empreinte chinoise gagne du terrain économique au TogoNoël Tadégnon12/10/202612 octobre 2026De Pékin à Lomé, la coopération chinoise s’affiche dans le commerce et les infrastructures, entre opportunités économiques et défis industriels.https://p.dw.com/p/5OAJhÀ Lomé, la présence chinoise se remarque jusque dans les habitudes de consommation. Dans les China Mall, ces centres commerciaux proposant une multitude de produits importés, les petits prix attirent de nombreux clients. "Les China Mall au Togo sont des supermarchés chinois qui se multiplient dans les grands quartiers et figurent parmi les commerces les plus fréquentés. C'est une très bonne chose, car cela crée des emplois", se félicite cet habitant de Lomé. "Les China Mall nous permettent d'acheter des produits à moi...
Niger’s $203 million IMF deal: the untold mechanics behind a high-stakes economic bet
Actualités

Niger’s $203 million IMF deal: the untold mechanics behind a high-stakes economic bet

The announcement of a $203 million financing package between Niger and the International Monetary Fund did not emerge from a vacuum. It followed months of technical groundwork, a carefully choreographed mission to Niamey, and a set of calculated concessions on both sides. The staff-level agreement, reached after talks from September 28 to October 8, 2026, under the leadership of IMF mission chief Julia Bersch, signals far more than a simple cash injection. It marks a strategic pivot in Niamey's relationship with its international creditors — and reveals the underlying pressures shaping the country's economic trajectory. What really sits behind the $203 million figure On paper, the numbers appear straightforward: roughly $203 million, equivalent to 150.02 million Special Drawing Rights, c...
Behind Benin’s quiet diplomatic win in Geneva: the deeper forces at play in Inès Hadonou-Toffoun’s UN election
Actualités

Behind Benin’s quiet diplomatic win in Geneva: the deeper forces at play in Inès Hadonou-Toffoun’s UN election

When Inès Hadonou-Toffoun was elected in Geneva to the Advisory Committee of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the announcement looked like a well-deserved individual honour for a seasoned jurist. But the roots of this outcome run deeper. Behind the ballot lies a deliberate, patient effort by Benin to anchor its legal expertise inside the machinery of multilateral human rights. Her three-year term, running from 2026 to 2029, places her among 18 international experts — and offers the country a rare platform to shape how global debates on fundamental freedoms are framed. A Geneva seat that reveals Benin's long-term strategy Benin has just crossed a new threshold in its representation within international human rights bodies. The Beninese jurist Inès Hadonou-Toffoun was elected in Ge...
Vêdoko interchange funding: the layered logic behind Japan’s latest commitment to Cotonou
Actualités

Vêdoko interchange funding: the layered logic behind Japan’s latest commitment to Cotonou

Behind the headline figure of 10.8 billion FCFA that Benin and Japan signed off on Friday, 9 October 2026, lies a more complex story about how large urban infrastructure projects actually get financed and delivered. The new grant agreement, dedicated to phase two of the Vêdoko interchange in Cotonou, lifts the total announced financing to 26.228 billion FCFA. Yet the deeper insight is not the amount itself, but what this second injection of Japanese capital reveals about the sequencing, the risk management and the political economy of a construction site that was already underway long before this signature. Why a second funding tranche was needed before the first phase was finished The Vêdoko interchange project was officially launched on 28 October 2025, in a ceremony attended by Japan'...
Senegal’s school reopening after the floods: the untold dynamics behind the delay
Actualités

Senegal’s school reopening after the floods: the untold dynamics behind the delay

SociétéSénégalSénégal : les élèves retrouvent enfin le chemin de l'écoleSaikou Seydi12/10/202612 octobre 2026La rentrée scolaire, initialement prévue le 8 octobre, a été reportée à ce lundi 12 octobre en raison des fortes pluies et de l'état de certains établissements scolaires. https://p.dw.com/p/5O9QZMasque bien ajusté sur le visage, gants de protection aux mains, El Hadji Mamadou Niang s'active au milieu des volontaires. Ancien élève de l'école élémentaire Hamo 4 de Guédiawaye, il est revenu là où tout a commencé pour contribuer à la remise en état de l'établissement et permettre aux plus jeunes d'étudier dans de meilleures conditions. "Nous sommes redevables à tout ce que l'école a fait pour nous. D'abord, nous sommes de la cité, nous sommes partis de la communauté mais aussi nous gér...
Burkina Faso’s flour export ban: examining the rationale and its wider implications
Actualités

Burkina Faso’s flour export ban: examining the rationale and its wider implications

The decision and its stated objectives In Burkina Faso, the government has imposed an immediate ban on the export of certain flours. According to a directive issued by the Minister of Commerce, the prohibition applies to millet, maize, and sorghum flours, along with their derivatives. Special export authorisations previously granted for these products have also been suspended. For the Burkinabè authorities, this measure is intended to ensure the availability of these staple goods on the domestic market. Such an objective may appear legitimate, particularly in a context where food security remains a major concern. Yet beneath this justification lies a broader question: to what extent can a government restrict economic activities in the name of protecting the national market? Economic freed...
Behind Benin’s aerial sovereignty drive: the deeper story of the Cana military aviation school review
Culture

Behind Benin’s aerial sovereignty drive: the deeper story of the Cana military aviation school review

The Cana military aviation school (EAM-Cana), nestled within the Cana air base, plays a pivotal role in sharpening the aeronautical skills of Benin's armed forces. It delivers training in piloting, aircraft maintenance, air traffic control, and technical support. Its classrooms, flight simulators, workshops, and innovation spaces are designed to equip military personnel for the air force's expanding needs. The institution also contributes to training the 100 drone pilots recruited by the general staff. Why the defence minister's visit matters On Friday, October 9, 2026, the minister delegate for national defence, Gildas Habib Bignon Agonkan, traveled to Cana for a working visit. This trip allowed him to assess the school's capabilities, engage with its leadership, and understand the requi...
Guinea-Bissau’s transition unravels: how the junta’s election pledge became a risky waiting game
Analyses

Guinea-Bissau’s transition unravels: how the junta’s election pledge became a risky waiting game

The roots of a crisis that reshaped Guinea-Bissau's political future The military takeover of November 2025 shattered Guinea-Bissau's fragile democratic routine, and with it, the promise that civilians would soon regain control. That pledge—to hold presidential and legislative elections on 6 December 2026—now looks increasingly fragile. Understanding why requires looking not just at the calendar, but at the sequence of events that allowed a contested vote to become a full-blown transition crisis. From disputed ballots to tanks on the streets It all began with the presidential election of November 2025. While the national electoral commission was still tallying results, both incumbent Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition challenger Fernando Dias da Costa declared victory. On 25 November, th...
Mali’s Russian military partnership: behind the scenes of a security crisis that refuses to end
Actualités

Mali’s Russian military partnership: behind the scenes of a security crisis that refuses to end

The reported drone strike by the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) on positions held by Africa Corps and the Malian army at Soumpi, in the Timbuktu region, on 10 October 2026 has once again forced an uncomfortable question to the surface. More than four years into a deepening security crisis, can Mali genuinely expect to restore stability by relying chiefly on its Russian military partners? Context: a strategic realignment with mixed results Since coming to power, Assimi Goïta has made the shift in military partnerships a centrepiece of his security doctrine. The withdrawal of French forces and the pivot towards Moscow were presented as evidence of a new sovereignty and a strengthened capacity to defend the national territory. Yet the persistence of attacks and the vulnerability of certain mi...
Tessit clashes expose the gap between Sahel juntas’ security claims and realities on the ground
Actualités

Tessit clashes expose the gap between Sahel juntas’ security claims and realities on the ground

The morning of 9 October 2026 brought a fresh round of bloodshed to the Tessit area, a stretch of land hugging the Burkina Faso border, where fighters from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) and the Islamic State in the Sahel (IS-S) turned their weapons on each other. The immediate question of who won matters less than the uncomfortable truth the fighting lays bare: armed organisations continue to contest territory across the Sahel, and the military governments that promised to end this war are struggling to make their promises stick.What really happened at Tessit and why the accounts don't add upAccounts circulating after the clashes paint two irreconcilable pictures. Sources aligned with JNIM insist the rival faction suffered heavy losses on multiple fronts. Those clos...
Benin’s fourth health cohort: the strategy behind 787 new recruits
Culture

Benin’s fourth health cohort: the strategy behind 787 new recruits

A strategic push to strengthen Benin's health workforce In an official statement released on October 7, 2026, Benin's Minister of Health, Benjamin Hounkpatin, announced the selection of 787 young health professionals for the fourth cohort of the "Bridging the Gaps" project. This marks a key step in the government's ongoing effort to reinforce human resources within the public health system. The recruits, chosen after a rigorous merit-based selection process, fall into four distinct skills categories. Their integration is expected to help alleviate the shortage of healthcare personnel in public facilities across the country. Funding and objectives of the initiative Backed by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the "Bridging the Gaps" program is designed to address critical staffing gaps in...
Why the €15 million German-Beninese deal is quietly setting up Berlin’s 2027 negotiations
Actualités

Why the €15 million German-Beninese deal is quietly setting up Berlin’s 2027 negotiations

The bilateral strategic consultations between Benin and Germany, held on Thursday, 8 October 2026 at the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Cooperation in Cotonou, concluded with a clear message: the €15 million package announced the following day is less a standalone gift than a calculated step toward the intergovernmental negotiations scheduled for Berlin in 2027. Co-chaired by Hugues O. Lokossou, Minister for the Mobilization of External Resources and Debt Management, and Dr Silvia Morgenroth, Head of the West Africa Division at Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the talks laid the technical and political groundwork for what both sides describe as a pivotal year ahead. What the additional €15 million actually finances In a joint communiqué issued ...