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 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

The paper “Most Western African migrants remain local and travel short distances” by Irene Tafani, Ola Ali, Rafael Prieto-Curiel, and Massimo Riccaboni investigates migration distances of over 60,000 individuals from eight West African countries (Senegal, Guinea, Gambia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, and Chad) during 2021–2023. Using Random Forest and XGBoost machine-learning models on International Organization for Migration data, the study finds a bimodal distribution: most migrants move locally within 100 km, while a smaller share travels more than 3,000 km. Key determinants of migration distance include employment status, nationality, and motives for movement, with conflict-driven migration being especially long and unpredictable. The paper underscores that most mobility in West Africa is regional or short-distance and urges policy frameworks that integrate both local and long-range displacement dynamics.

Migration, Conflict, Poverty, Socio-economic integration

This narrative review explores how to integrate indigenous knowledge and modern technologies to process, preserve, and add value to West African indigenous crops (e.g., pearl millet, sorghum, fonio, yam, cowpea, leafy vegetables). Traditional methods—fermentation, sun-drying, roasting, soaking, ash/clay, and botanicals—extend shelf-life, enhance digestibility, and sustain cultural identity, yet are labor-intensive with variable hygiene and quality. Modern innovations—solar dryers, vacuum/modified-atmosphere packaging, defined starter cultures, mechanization, composite/fortified flours, cold chains, and digital tools—cut post-harvest losses, improve consistency, and open markets, but face barriers of cost, capacity, and access, particularly for women processors. The paper advocates hybrid approaches, decentralized processing hubs, and gender-responsive policies alongside training, finance, and market linkages. The ambition is year-round availability of nutrient-dense foods, stronger livelihoods, and more resilient, inclusive food systems across the region. Keywords: indigenous crops; post-harvest; preservation; value addition; nutrition security

Agriculture, Food security, Hygiène

This article adopts a state-centred lens to examine how governments engage with vigilante groups within hybrid security governance in West Africa. Drawing on Liberia, Ghana, and Burkina Faso, it shows that “ambivalence” is the norm. In Liberia, local co-operation with vigilantes supplements weak policing but triggers fears of partisan intimidation. In Ghana, the 2019 Vigilantism Act bans such groups, yet they persist through rebranding, informal party ties, and selective incorporation into state security. In Burkina Faso, the state formalized vigilantes via the Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland (VDP), boosting counter-insurgency reach while heightening risks to civilians and social cohesion. The core claim is that regime-survival logics no less than state capacityshape whether authorities tolerate, ban, co-opt, or sponsor vigilantism. Consequently, boundaries between formal and informal security provision blur, producing mixed outcomes for public safety and state legitimacy.

Governance, Security, Social cohesion, Institution

This paper investigates the relationship between stock market development and economic growth across five West African countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Mali) over the period 2005-2020, using panel data methods including fixed effects, random effects and system GMM estimators. The study assesses how market capitalization, trading volume, turnover ratio and number of listed companies affect GDP growth, controlling for macro-economic and institutional variables. Results indicate a positive and significant effect of market capitalization on growth (β ~0.043), a marginally significant effect of trading volume, and an insignificant role of turnover ratio. The number of listed companies per million population yields a positive effect. Interaction terms highlight that governance quality strengthens the growth impact of stock market development. Panel Granger causality tests reveal two-way causality between market capitalization and GDP growth in some countries. The author concludes that though modest, stock market development importantly contributes to growth, especially under strong institutions, and calls for policies enhancing market depth, governance and regional integration.

Governance, Economic Development, Development, Economic growth

This study by Evans Yeboah and Václav Adamec, published in the Journal of Social and Economic Development (Springer Nature, June 9 2025), examines the effects of investment and trade on economic performance across twelve ECOWAS member states from 1993 to 2022. Using PMG-ARDL and NARDL estimation techniques, the paper finds that gross capital formation and trade openness positively influence long-run GDP per capita growth, whereas population growth, labor participation, unemployment, merchandise trade, and FDI exert negative effects. External debt is statistically insignificant in the long term. In the short term, increases in FDI and merchandise trade enhance income growth. Nonlinear estimations show that both increases and decreases in FDI dampen growth, while trade expansion boosts economic performance. The authors recommend promoting trade liberalization, improving FDI quality, ensuring sustainable debt management, and implementing labor-market reforms and export diversification strategies.

Governance, Economic Development, Trade, Economic growth

This paper conducts a sub-national scale examination of the links between water scarcity and violent conflicts across the central Sahel and Lake Chad Basin (2000-2021). Employing the water footprint concept and the Falkenmark index, the authors develop five monthly water-scarcity metrics (runoff, soil moisture, potential evapotranspiration, water consumption, demographics). The findings reveal high levels of water scarcity — especially green water scarcity (soil moisture deficit) and low Falkenmark index values (population-driven water stress) — during the dry, pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons at all locations with recorded conflicts. This indicates an indirect relationship between green water scarcity, water-stress indices and violent conflicts. The study suggests that its methodology and results could help improve water-resources management and conflict-prevention efforts in the region and beyond.

Governance, Security, Conflict, water

The article “The Current Status of Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea” by Lamir Ado Mohammed and Dimitrios Dalaklis (World Maritime University) examines the current state of maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, focusing on Nigerian waters. Using a quantitative approach based on data from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), the study finds a significant decline in piracy and sea crimes. This progress is attributed to coordinated efforts among NIMASA, the Nigerian Navy, and G7++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea (FoGG) navies. The SPOMO Act has further deterred offenders. However, piracy appears to be shifting to other areas within the Gulf. The authors emphasize the need for an integrated approach including coastal community development, Blue Economy promotion, improved surveillance, and anti-corruption measures.

Bribery, Governance, Security, Piracy