The article Learning Assessment in Sub-Saharan Africa by Pierre Varly, published by UNESCO-TALENT in 2020, analyzes the participation of African countries in international assessments of educational achievement. It highlights the low representation of sub-Saharan Africa in programs such as PISA and TIMSS, although some countries, such as Senegal and Zambia, take part in PISA-D (a version adapted for developing countries). The article highlights the major challenges of learning assessment, including the lack of institutional capacity and the low reliability of available data. It emphasizes the need to adapt these assessments to local realities to improve the quality of education systems in Africa.

Governance, Education, Politique publique

The study on traditional justice in the Sahel, carried out in two phases (2020 and 2022), analyzes the articulation between customary and state justice systems for better access to justice. It highlights the growing support of populations, including young people, for traditional justice, in the face of mistrust of formal justice, often perceived as inaccessible or inequitable. The study is based on a comparative and multidisciplinary approach, with a particular focus on the rights of women and children. The results show that customary systems, although legitimate in the eyes of the populations, have limitations, particularly in the protection of human rights. The study proposes a hybrid model integrating customary, religious, and formal justice to improve access to justice. Finally, it recommends the transcription of customary rules and awareness-raising on human rights to strengthen their complementarity with formal justice.

Gender, Natural ressources, Justice, Political Violence, Gold, Violence, Customs, Threat, Researh, Knowlege production

The World Food Programme (WFP) issued a statement titled "Humanitarian Emergency: Funding Shortfall Jeopardizes WFP Food Assistance for Millions in the Central Sahel and Nigeria" on March 7, 2025. The article emphasizes that, without urgent funding, WFP will be forced to suspend its essential food and nutrition assistance in critical regions such as the Central Sahel and Nigeria as early as April 2025. This comes as the lean season, a time when food insecurity is at its peak, approaches. This suspension will affect approximately 2 million people, including Sudanese refugees in Chad, Malian refugees in Mauritania, as well as internally displaced populations and vulnerable families in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. To maintain its assistance over the next six months, WFP urgently requires $620 million. Margot van der Velden, WFP Regional Director for West and Central Africa, expressed concern about the reduction in international aid, calling on the global community to step up its support to prevent a worsening of the food crisis in these regions.

Governance, Food security, Cooperation, Politique publique

The article “On the Unborn Fulani: Slavery, Jihad, and Human Rights in Central Mali,” written by Gilles Holder, analyzes the persistence of power relations and descent-based slavery in the hybrid conflict in central Mali since 2015. It highlights the link between 18th- and 19th-century Fulani jihads, the creation of Islamic states based on a slave economy, and contemporary dynamics of social and political revolt. The article emphasizes that the emancipation of slave descendants remains limited by secular logics of land and economic domination by former Fulani aristocracies. It also explores how current jihadist demands integrate social aspirations for emancipation. Finally, it questions the effectiveness of human rights instruments in addressing these deep-rooted inequalities.

Politics, Political party, State, Natural ressources, Justice, Jihad, Terrorism, Gold, Social, Threat

This article analyzes the security crisis in central Mali, considered the epicenter of the Sahel crisis. Historically marked by tensions over resources and intercommunity relations, this territory has seen these conflicts worsen with the retreat of the state and the establishment of jihadist groups, notably Amadou Koufa's Katiba Macina. The 2013 military intervention brought only a temporary respite, and since 2015, the jihadists have strengthened their control, capitalizing on the state's weakness and popular discontent. The debate over the advisability of dialogue between the Malian authorities and the jihadists is complex: while it could lead to a reduction in violence, it also risks legitimizing these groups and exacerbating intercommunity tensions. The article highlights the need to rebuild the state and social cohesion to prevent these groups from establishing themselves as a political and social alternative.

Security, Jihad, Dialogue

The article "Are Poverty Reduction Strategies and Agricultural Policies Engaging in West and Central Africa?" by Abdou Salam Fall and Thiendou Niang, published by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in June 2005, analyzes the links between poverty reduction strategies (PRSs) and agricultural policies in West and Central Africa. The study examines their coherence, implementation, and the effectiveness of their coordination. PRSs often include agriculture among their priorities, but without real integration with existing agricultural policies. Furthermore, civil society participation in decision-making processes remains limited, resulting in a lack of influence on strategic directions. The article also highlights that structural inequalities (land reform, market access, trade policies) are not sufficiently taken into account. Finally, it recommends better policy coordination, increased participation of local stakeholders, and improved resource management to ensure more effective results.

State, Economic Development, Inequality, Education, Development, Food security, Poverty, Soicial sciences, Researh, Knowlege production

The article "A Community-Based Edutainment Intervention for Gender-Based Violence, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and Maternal and Child Health in Rural Senegal: A Process Evaluation" analyzes a community-based edutainment intervention in Senegal to address gender-based violence (GBV), sexual and reproductive health (SRH), and maternal and child health (MCH). The intervention involves showing the television series C'est la Vie! through viewing clubs in rural villages, followed by thematic discussions and workshops. The study examines the program's adaptation, implementation, and participant response. Despite adjustments related to the rural context, the intervention achieved good participant engagement, although some topics, including sexuality and family planning, remain sensitive. The study concludes that this format is promising for community education but requires greater inclusion of men and further cultural adaptation.

Gender, Political Violence, Education, Rural Areas, Violence, Threat, Soicial sciences, Researh, Knowlege production, EMPLOYMENT

This article examines the effectiveness, attractiveness, and sustainability of social insurance mechanisms in rural Senegal, particularly through mutual health insurance schemes. Although Universal Health Coverage (CMU) relies on these mutual health insurance schemes to provide coverage to vulnerable populations, several obstacles hinder their success: difficulties in collecting contributions, delays in government payments, and heavy administrative burdens. The study aims to identify the determining factors of their operation and to explore the expansion of services to other risks (disability, death, retirement). A mixed survey was conducted, involving 1,565 participants. The results show that membership is based on financial and health motivations, but that the viability of mutual health insurance schemes requires better governance and diversified financing. Recommendations are made to improve their effectiveness and attractiveness.

Politics, Political party, Power, State, Natural ressources, Education, Gold, Social, Health, Knowlege production

The article entitled "Audit of the Report on the Situation of Public Finances: Management from 2019 to March 31, 2024," published by the Senegalese Court of Auditors in February 2025, highlighted significant irregularities in the management of public finances during this period. Public debt was significantly underestimated, actually reaching 18,558.91 billion CFA francs, or 99.67% of GDP. In addition, more than 2,500 billion CFA francs were contracted in the form of bank debt outside the official budgetary circuit and without parliamentary validation, revealing a worrying lack of transparency. The budget deficit was also manipulated: while the former government announced a deficit of 4.9% of GDP for 2023, the Court of Auditors estimates it at 12.3%, a discrepancy of more than 2,291 billion CFA francs. The report also denounces expenditures made outside the public treasury circuit, transfers of funds to non-regulatory accounts and dubious sales of public assets. These practices distort the reality of Senegal's public finances and highlight the need for greater budget transparency and strict control of public debt to avoid an uncontrolled end.

Governance, Funding, Public debt, Transparency