Other documents that may interest you :

• Academic analysis and Think Tank / Governance,

  Freedom to Inform: A Democratic Safeguard Under Pressure in West Africa? 17/11/2025

  Summary :

  The article examines the severe decline in press freedom across West Africa, highlighted by the 2025 RSF Press Freedom Index. Eleven of the region’s s...

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  Country : Burkina Faso , Gambia , Mali , Mauritania , Niger , Nigeria , Senegal , Benin , Ivory Coste , Togo , Guinea , Ghana , Liberia , Guinea-Bissau , Sierra Leone , Cape Verde

  Organizations : WATHI
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Academic analysis and Think Tank / Governance,
Freedom to Inform: A Democratic Safeguard Under Pressure in West Africa? 17/11/2025
Summary :
The article examines the severe decline in press freedom across West Africa, highlighted by the 2025 RSF Press Freedom Index. Eleven of the region’s sixteen countries fell in the ranking, with dramatic drops in Guinea (-31 positions), Burkina Faso (-19), and Guinea-Bissau (-18). This regression reflects a shrinking civic space driven by military regimes, media suspensions, arrests of journalists, and state propaganda. Even countries without constitutional breakdowns, such as Senegal and Benin, face major challenges—economic collapse of the media sector in Senegal and restrictive digital legislation in Benin. In this context, organizations like the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) have become essential, providing training, protection, and visibility to journalists through initiatives such as WAMECA 2025. The article also warns about the surge of disinformation campaigns targeting the region and stresses the importance of public digital infrastructures to maintain a democratic, open, and reliable information space.
Keywords :
State, Democracy, Liberté de presse, Disinformation
Organizations :
WATHI
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• Academic analysis and Think Tank / Governance,

  Freedom to Inform: A Democratic Bulwark under Pressure in West Africa? 10/11/2025

  Summary :

  The article titled “Freedom to Inform: A Democratic Bulwark under Pressure in West Africa?” explores how journalism in several West African countries ...

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  Country : Burkina Faso , Senegal , Ivory Coste , Guinea

  Organizations : WATHI
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Academic analysis and Think Tank / Governance,
Freedom to Inform: A Democratic Bulwark under Pressure in West Africa? 10/11/2025
Summary :
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.
Keywords :
Governance, Democracy, Disinformation
Organizations :
WATHI
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• Academic analysis and Think Tank / Governance,

  Substantive Democracy Tested by Gerontocracy: What Challenges for Intergenerational Dialogue? 18/07/2025

  Summary :

  In his opinion piece published on July 15, 2025, on WATHI, Jean‑Marc Segoun examines the tensions between substantive democracy and gerontocracy, emph...

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  Country : Mali

  Organizations : WATHI
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Academic analysis and Think Tank / Governance,
Substantive Democracy Tested by Gerontocracy: What Challenges for Intergenerational Dialogue? 18/07/2025
Summary :
In his opinion piece published on July 15, 2025, on WATHI, Jean‑Marc Segoun examines the tensions between substantive democracy and gerontocracy, emphasizing the need for intergenerational dialogue. He positions substantive democracy as a political project focused on innovation, human dignity, and long‑term social justice, where dialogue between elders and youth is crucial. In Africa, gerontocratic regimes often sideline young people from power, reinforcing inequality and stifling knowledge transfer. Segoun advocates for social innovation as a renewal engine—not just novelty, but reinventing practices that combine ancestral wisdom and youthful aspirations. He suggests creating institutional frameworks to foster tolerance, intergenerational ethics, and rites of passage, revitalizing governance and addressing authoritarian regime challenges.
Keywords :
Governance, Democracy, Dialogue, Gerontocracy
Organizations :
WATHI
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• Podcast / Governance,

  There will be no ECOWAS of the people with authoritarian states and gagged citizens 26/08/2025

  Summary :

  The article “There will be no ECOWAS of the people with authoritarian states and gagged citizens,” by Pape Abdou Ndour, published on August 24, 2025 b...

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  Country : Burkina Faso , Mali , Niger

  Organizations : WATHI
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Podcast / Governance,
There will be no ECOWAS of the people with authoritarian states and gagged citizens 26/08/2025
Summary :
The article “There will be no ECOWAS of the people with authoritarian states and gagged citizens,” by Pape Abdou Ndour, published on August 24, 2025 by WATHI – Think Tank citoyen, emphasizes that ECOWAS––founded in 1975––has fostered a sense of belonging among diverse West African populations and contributed significantly to regional peace and security. Yet, this anniversary coincides with troubling developments: the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, the normalization of violence, growing impunity, erosion of fundamental freedoms, and increasing militarization. The author argues that without adherence to democracy, rule of law, and citizens’ rights, there can be no “ECOWAS of the people.” The rising trend of sovereignty-driven resistance to integration is depicted as a serious threat to regional peace and development.
Keywords :
Politics, Governance, Democracy, Liberté, Regional integration
Organizations :
WATHI
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