In this interview, Dr. Ndongo Mané Kébé, a lecturer and researcher in economics at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, emphasizes the importance of economic governance focused on investment and increasing national resources. He advocates for better mobilization of internal resources to reduce reliance on external funding. Dr. Kébé stresses the need for fiscal reforms to broaden the tax base and improve transparency in public financial management. He also highlights the crucial role of the state in creating an environment conducive to private investment, particularly by strengthening infrastructure and ensuring macroeconomic stability. Finally, he calls for long-term strategic planning to ensure inclusive and sustainable growth.

Governance, Economic Development, Development

This monitoring bulletin, published in April 2025 by Action Against Hunger (ACF), evaluates micro-enterprises supported in the moughataa of Bassikounou, Mauritania, under a project for the socioeconomic inclusion of Malian refugees and host communities. The report highlights slight improvements in profitability, particularly in agriculture and crafts, but also reveals entrepreneurs' heavy reliance on external aid, limited access to formal financing, and persistent economic fragility. Key challenges include high costs and scarcity of raw materials, limited use of management tools, and underdeveloped local financial mechanisms. The bulletin recommends strengthening personalized support, structuring community financing systems, and building local partnerships. It also suggests innovative strategies such as resilience funds and collective input purchasing to improve sustainability and autonomy.

Power, Agriculture, Economic Development, Natural ressources, Education, Development, Gold, Aid, Private sector, Funding

The article “Changing youth work models in pastoralism: questioning the disruption of institutional compromises in Burkina Faso” analyzes structural transformations in youth labor within the Burkinabe pastoral sector. Drawing on empirical research (2019–2021), the authors show how institutional compromises regarding land tenure and mobility have eroded, leading to growing inequality, restricted mobility, disrupted livestock markets, and the marginalization of pastoral communities. Youth migration emerges both as a coping strategy and a transformative force, reshaping access to resources and social protection mechanisms. Amid rising insecurity and forced sedentarization, pastoralism faces a structural crisis. Yet, the authors highlight emerging forms of youth autonomy and reconfigured social roles. The paper advocates for a renewed political dialogue on development, citizenship, and inclusive institutional arrangements linking local and national governance in rural areas.

Power, Economic Development, Livestock, Natural ressources, Education, Youth, Development, Soicial sciences, Knowlege production, EMPLOYMENT

This multi-country study examines Education in Emergencies (EiE) across six Sahel countries facing security, humanitarian, and health crises. Based on document reviews and 209 field interviews, it highlights how displaced children face restricted access to quality education and a weakened educational system. EiE funding is inadequate, fragmented, and largely driven by humanitarian actors, with little institutional coordination. The study recommends leveraging best practices (multigrade teaching, e-learning), establishing national EiE coordination agencies, engaging local communities and diasporas through a Trust Fund, and scaling up the integrated territorial approach tested in Niger. Strengthening the capacity of both public and community actors is critical. The report calls for improved governance, structured financing mechanisms, and more systematic emergency education responses to ensure long-term educational resilience in crisis contexts.

Economic Development, Natural ressources, Education, Development, Gold, Soicial sciences, Researh, Knowlege production, Crisis, Funding

This article presents an overview of Africa’s migration trends as 2025 approaches. It highlights a sharp decline in irregular migration to Europe and the Arabian Peninsula due to stricter border control policies (notably in Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, and Mauritania). Meanwhile, informal intra-African migration is on the rise, driven mostly by economic reasons. West Africa, especially Mali, remains a key emigration zone due to political instability and high unemployment. Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, South Africa, and Kenya are leading destinations. The article also underscores increased risks faced by migrants (shipwrecks, trafficking, violence) and calls for regional policy innovation, stronger protection frameworks, and improved migration governance. It emphasizes the growing demographic pressure and highlights new responses, including regional free movement protocols, EU partnerships, and bilateral agreements aiming to link labor supply and demand across continents.

Migration, Natural ressources, Security, Justice, Education, Development, Gold, Human security, Researh, EMPLOYMENT

This article examines China's growing presence in the Sahel, focusing on Niger and Chad. Despite security challenges, including threats from Boko Haram and porous borders, China has increased its economic investments in these countries. Key sectors include energy, mining, and infrastructure, with significant projects in road construction, bridges, and thermal power plants. Since 2014, China has become Niger's leading supplier. However, China's involvement remains primarily economic, with limited engagement in security matters, unlike France and the United States, which maintain substantial military presence in the region. The article also highlights concerns about economic dependency and the need for Sahelian countries to diversify their partnerships.

Governance, Economic Development, Security, International cooperation

This report investigates youth agripreneurs in Benin, Ethiopia, and Senegal based on a survey of 634 individuals aged 15–35. It highlights the diversity of food-related enterprises, with most youth engaged in farming, processing, or retail. These are typically micro-businesses with modest turnover but significant employment potential. Half of the youth entered agribusiness by choice, and opportunity-driven entrepreneurs outperform those driven by necessity. Access to finance is the most common constraint, while public policy support—especially in training and market access—is widely sought. The study emphasizes the need for differentiated support policies and reaffirms agriculture as an attractive sector for youth. Although many gained skills through informal means, demand for practical training is high. Use of innovation and technology remains low, pointing to a gap between youth aspirations and structural support.

Agriculture, Economic Development, Religious education, Education, Youth, Development, Food security, Soicial sciences, Knowlege production, EMPLOYMENT

This April 2025 policy brief by the Gorée Institute, in collaboration with ETTG, explores the deep interconnections between development and security in the Sahel. Based on a workshop held in Gorée, African and European experts emphasized how geopolitical fragmentation, poverty, climate change, and social exclusion fuel instability. The brief criticizes the EU’s approach as being overly driven by its own priorities (energy, migration) and calls for a paradigm shift towards more balanced partnerships. It highlights the need to integrate gender, youth, and local cohesion dimensions, including traditional and religious authorities. The EU is urged to invest in public services, inclusive governance, and sustainable local dialogues rather than relying on militarized approaches. The brief advocates for gradual re-engagement, including with the AES, to address Sahelian challenges in a structural and coordinated manner.

Politics, Political party, State, Economic Development, Natural ressources, Security, Mediation, Development, Gold, Human security

In this note published by WATHI on May 8, 2024, based on a report by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the article titled “Escaping Poverty: Developing the Transport Network in Chad” highlights the critical importance of transport infrastructure for Chad’s socio-economic development. The country suffers from geographic isolation worsened by an underdeveloped, poorly maintained road network. According to the IsDB, this situation limits access to essential services, undermines competitiveness, and exacerbates poverty. Improving transport infrastructure—particularly rural roads—would enhance trade flows, strengthen national integration, and generate employment. The article urges greater engagement from technical and financial partners to support strategic infrastructure projects as part of a long-term poverty reduction agenda.

Governance, Development, Poverty