The African Tribune

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...

Parliament confirms receipt of the 2026 revised finance bill amid political pressure The National Assembly of Senegal has officially confirmed receiving the Revised Finance Bill (LFR) for 2026. In a statement released on Friday, September 18, 2026, the parliament disclosed that the bill was transmitted to its General Secretariat in the afternoon, accompanied by a presidential letter and the decree authorizing its presentation to lawmakers. The announcement follows days of uncertainty surrounding the budgetary timeline set by the Prime Minister’s Office. Prime Minister Ahmadou Al Aminou Lô had instructed Finance Minister Cheikh Diba on September 10 during a Council of Ministers meeting to ensure the bill’s submission by September 15. However, this deadline was missed, sparking controversy...

Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Senegal's president, has yet to clarify when the country's long-awaited local elections will take place, despite the January 2027 deadline looming. The delay is fueling speculation about his political strategy and its potential consequences for Senegal's democratic stability. The unanswered question: when will Senegal vote? Months after the initial announcement, the Senegalese government has not provided a definitive date for the local elections. President Faye's silence has sparked debates about whether this hesitation is a deliberate tactic or a sign of deeper political uncertainty. Local elections: a postponed mandate Originally slated for early 2027, the local elections are now caught in a cycle of postponements. This delay has raised concerns among civil socie...

Cotonou hosted the second edition of the regional shareholding forum on 17 and 18 September 2026, and the message delivered over those two days was blunt: West African economies will keep leaning on outside capital unless the region's own savings are finally put to work. The gathering, co-organised by UCA SGI and Dimensions GROUP, drew institutional players, company executives and market specialists from across the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). Its theme framed the whole discussion: shareholding and financial sovereignty, mobilising savings to accelerate economic transformation. Why Cotonou placed domestic savings at the heart of the agenda Development financing remains the region's biggest bottleneck. Faced with heavy gaps in funding and a persistent reliance on capit...