The article highlights that the quality of education in West Africa is largely dependent on teachers’ skills and commitment, yet significant gaps remain in both initial and ongoing training tailored to local contexts. It points out that while corporal punishment has been banned in some countries such as Benin, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, this legal change has often not been paired with effective pedagogical tools and disciplinary strategies for teachers. Current training schemes frequently fail to align with classroom realities and student needs. The piece calls for comprehensive reform: modernization of teacher training curricula, stronger practical training, responsiveness to social and pedagogical changes, and an improvement in teachers’ working conditions. It urges policymakers, trainers and education systems to act so that teacher training becomes a real lever for transformative education.

Governance, Education, Réforme

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

This OECD publication examines the financing of social protection in Senegal, focusing on social assistance, contributory schemes and the informal sector’s contribution. It finds that public social protection spending is very low and that fewer than one in four Senegalese benefit from a protection programme. The report explores three main funding sources: general taxation (broadening tax base, health-harmful product taxes), social contributions (narrow base and governance issues) and mobilising the informal workforce (via formalisation and contribution). It offers recommendations to expand fiscal space, improve data systems, establish more effective governance (including through the future Universal Social Protection Fund — CAPSU) and combat social contribution evasion.

Governance, Politique publique, Protection, Funding

The article argues that digital transformation in West Africa holds enormous potential for social change but also risks worsening inequality if not grounded locally. It states that the digital shift must be built on local priorities: connecting rural areas, tailoring training programs, supporting youth digital entrepreneurship, and mobilising governments, businesses, universities and civil society. With a large share of future labour market entrants coming from sub-Saharan Africa by 2030, the region faces urgent challenges: reliable internet, digital skills and access remain highly unequal, particularly in rural zones. The piece cites examples such as Benin, Senegal and Nigeria to highlight existing initiatives. It stresses the need for inclusive digital governance, appropriate infrastructure and ethical frameworks, so that technology becomes a tool for empowerment rather than exclusion.

Governance, Transition, Numérique, Inclusion

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

The Pastoral Surveillance Bulletin No. 33 (June–July 2025), published by Action Against Hunger (ACF), reports a gradual improvement in pastoral conditions with the onset of the rainy season across the Sahel. Vegetation growth and water replenishment have enhanced forage and watering availability. Livestock body condition is assessed as fair, with some reported animal diseases but no major outbreaks. Cattle movements remain limited, though some returns and forced displacements continue due to insecurity. Cereal and livestock prices have slightly increased, resulting in unfavorable terms of trade for herders. The report also highlights the persistent vulnerability of displaced households and the need for stronger support to the pastoral sector.

State, Livestock, Natural ressources, Security, Conflict, Education, Gold, Human security, Vulnerability, water

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 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