The article titled “Freedom to Inform: A Democratic Bulwark under Pressure in West Africa?” explores how journalism in several West African countries is increasingly an act of resistance amid growing restrictions. Media outlets face rising authoritarianism, the frequent use of “fake news” laws, online disinformation and financial precarity. The digital space, as a new frontier for democracy, is especially under threat: unregulated platforms, shared data and interoperability raise major concerns for independent, reliable journalism. Journalists’ roles are being redefined: they must verify, connect, simplify and defend everybody’s right to information. The piece emphasises that protecting freedom to inform is essential to safeguard one of democracy’s pillars in the region.

Governance, Democracy, Disinformation

The article titled “Presidential election in Côte d’Ivoire: ‘Political practices have fundamentally not changed’?” published by Radio France Internationale (RFI) on 28 October 2025 questions the actual evolution of political practices in Côte d’Ivoire during the presidential election. It observes that despite proclaimed change and institutional reforms, power dynamics remain largely unchanged: concentration of power, personalization of leadership and use of state mechanisms for partisan ends. The text refers to the re-election or extended candidacy of the outgoing president, the sidelining of opposition forces and weak governance transparency mechanisms. It highlights the gap between democratic promises and political reality on the ground: enduring political dynasties, economic dependence of actors and clientelist governance persist. In consequence, the article suggests that the claimed change remains superficial and democratic development in Côte d’Ivoire is still hindered by inherited practices.

Politics, Governance, Democracy, Election

The paper examines whether greater accessibility to electronic money boosts financial inclusion in WAEMU countries over 2010–2022. Using annual data and Method-of-Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) to tackle heterogeneity and endogeneity—plus IV-2SLS robustness checks—the authors find that both geographic and demographic penetration of e-money service points significantly increase financial inclusion. Two mechanisms drive the results: (1) expanding formal financial services (payments, transfers, savings) to rural and peri-urban areas by cutting transaction and travel costs; and (2) a catalytic effect that is stronger where initial inclusion is higher, deepening usage among already banked populations. Additional positive correlates include schooling, trade openness, mobile subscriptions, and internet access. Despite progress, WAEMU’s inclusion rate lags developing-country averages, implying a need to scale digital infrastructure, security/trust measures, and human-capital investments.

Governance, Démographie, Inclusion

This study maps Senegal’s cattle and small ruminant trade network using 2020 sanitary certificates (LPS). Applying temporal network theory, it identifies areas most vulnerable to disease transmission, such as Foot and Mouth Disease. The findings show that livestock mobility—driven by climate, markets, and religious events (Tabaski, Grand Magal)—shapes the dynamics of disease spread. Static models tend to overestimate transmission speed, while temporal analysis highlights key “sentinel nodes” for early warning systems. Strengthening cross-border coordination and improving regular data collection are crucial for effective surveillance and control of transboundary animal diseases in West Africa.

Pastoralism, Livestock, Justice, Conflict, Threat, Trade, Researh, Knowlege production, Information, EMPLOYMENT

This paper investigates how the digital divide shapes access to essential services—drinking water, health, and education—in West Africa using Afrobarometer Round 9 data. The authors build a multidimensional digital divide index integrating access to equipment, internet use, and information isolation. Three main findings emerge: (1) formal education is by far the strongest determinant of digital inclusion, ahead of wealth or geography; (2) the digital divide is strongly associated with lower access to basic services, even after accounting for territorial heterogeneity; and (3) rural–urban differences are less significant than expected, suggesting that marginalization transcends geography. The study concludes that without inclusive and educational policies, ongoing digitalization efforts could inadvertently deepen social and territorial inequalities across the region.

Politics, Inequality, Natural ressources, Religious education, Education, Discrimination, Soicial sciences, Knowlege production, Information, Equality

This Action Against Hunger report assesses biomass production in northern Côte d’Ivoire (Bagoué, Bounkani, Folon, Poro, and Tchologo regions) during the 2025 season. Findings show a marked improvement compared to 2024, with production levels equal to or above the 25-year average. Departments such as Ferkessédougou and Minignan nearly reached historical maxima, while M’Bengué and Ouangolodougou remained below average. The report highlights the strain on pastoral resources due to cross-border transhumance and inflows of herders from Burkina Faso and Mali. The authors recommend maintaining monitoring systems for pastoral zones, strengthening awareness among host and transhumant communities, and guiding herders toward areas with higher biomass potential to ensure sustainable management of grazing resources.

Pastoralism, Natural ressources, Justice, Education, Gold, Poverty, Vulnerability, Soicial sciences, Knowlege production, water

This paper investigates urban households’ willingness to pay (WTP) for flood insurance in Burkina Faso, emphasizing the role of information and trust in insurance demand. Using data from a field survey conducted in September 2022 with 593 respondents, the authors find that 71.3% of individuals are willing to pay for insurance, though most have a WTP lower than the expected loss. Being well-informed about flood risks increases WTP, but the relationship is not linear. Conversely, reliance on family networks and risk aversion reduce WTP, while trust in government and private insurance raises it. The study highlights the need to strengthen communication policies and institutional trust to promote climate-risk insurance as an effective adaptation mechanism in urban areas.

Power, State, Natural ressources, Education, Family, Gold, Medias, Knowlege production, Information, water

This article assesses the strategic planning of education in Côte d’Ivoire, highlighting key strengths and weaknesses. The authors used document analysis and a survey of 301 strategic and operational stakeholders active between December 2022 and April 2023. They found that the prioritisation of education (with 92% of actions financed publicly) and the diversity of educational partners are major strengths. However, the participation rate of operational actors remains low (19%), as decision-making is not sufficiently translated into operational action and there is a strong siloing between the strategic and operational levels. This lack of connectivity limits stakeholder engagement and undermines the effective implementation of plans. The study concludes that enhancing operational involvement, dismantling silos, and strengthening trust and communication among actors are key to improving strategic education planning.

Governance, Education

The article examines how leadership exercised by primary-level school principals (DES) in Côte d’Ivoire contributes to improving student achievement. Faced with many children struggling to master expected competencies, the authors analyse principals’ professional practices, linking them to pedagogical, administrative and organisational management. They show that principals assume multiple responsibilities: mobilising teachers, monitoring learning, involving the school community. However, some challenges remain: gaps in principals’ training, heavy administrative burdens, weak institutional support, which limit the actual impact of these actions. The article concludes by recommending strengthening the role of principals through targeted training, improved working conditions and systemic support to make leadership genuinely tied to student success.

Governance, Education