In this podcast, Pape Abdou Ndour highlights the commitment of sociologist Fatou Sow, a pioneer of African feminism, towards an inclusive democracy. He revisits a 2019 interview where she denounced the stigmatization of women in cases of early pregnancies, emphasizing the often-overlooked responsibility of men. The podcast also discusses the symposium held in Dakar in May 2025 by the Foundation for Innovation in Democracy, honoring Fatou Sow. This event brought together researchers and activists to discuss democracy from a female perspective, covering topics such as women's knowledge, technologies, and sexualities. The author emphasizes the importance of acknowledging gender discrimination and valuing women's knowledge to build substantive democracy in Africa

Governance, Gender, Democracy, Women's rights

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 report explores major geopolitical shifts in West Africa, notably the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger from ECOWAS and the formation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). It highlights the erosion of trust in regional institutions, the increasing presence of external powers (Russia, China, Turkey), and the risk of renewed proxy conflicts. The author advocates for a more inclusive and responsive diplomacy focused on grassroots realities. The report calls for a reimagining of regional integration—one that strengthens civil society, local peacebuilding, and democratic governance. It insists on restoring citizen trust, shifting from punitive approaches to constructive dialogue, and embracing leadership rooted in local needs and values. Ultimately, it offers a vision for sustainable peace based on justice, inclusion, and community empowerment.

Governance, Civil Society

This podcast-article warns against the growing spread of disinformation in West Africa, especially centered around Captain Ibrahim Traoré, Burkina Faso’s transitional leader. AI-generated deepfakes glorify him as a pan-African hero, widely circulating on social media and fueling polarization. The author highlights the decline of rational discourse, replaced by radical and binary narratives. He stresses the danger this manipulation poses to democracy, social cohesion, and youth mobilization. The piece also denounces repression in Burkina Faso and the departure of educated professionals from the Sahel. Drawing on Thomas Sankara’s legacy, the author calls for critical thinking and warns against youth being exploited by authoritarian figures using digital disinformation as a weapon.

Youth, Réseaux sociaux, Disinformation

Modou Ndiaye's article highlights statelessness in West Africa, particularly in Senegal, where over a million people are stateless and hundreds of thousands at risk. This issue stems from legal gaps, discriminatory nationality policies, border changes, lack of awareness about civil registration, and the absence of automatic nationality transmission. The consequences are severe: lack of access to education, healthcare, and formal employment. The author calls for legislative reforms, modernization of civil registration, awareness campaigns, and the establishment of procedures to determine stateless status, in line with international conventions ratified by Senegal.

Human Rights, Discrimination, Nationality, Statelessness

This article examines the inclusion of persons with disabilities (PwDs) in governmental policies implemented in West Africa during the Covid-19 pandemic. The authors analyzed 81 official documents to assess the alignment of these policies with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to disability. While some countries took measures such as distributing personal protective equipment and establishing accessible educational platforms, the study reveals that these initiatives are often inadequately implemented. PwDs continue to face significant barriers in accessing essential services, including education and healthcare. The authors emphasize the need for governments to adopt more inclusive policies and ensure their effective implementation to prevent PwDs from being left behind in development efforts.

Crisis, Politique publique, Disability, Inclusion

In 2024, Africa experienced unprecedented flooding across 27 countries, affecting over 11 million people, causing 2,500 deaths, and displacing 4 million. The most severely affected countries included Nigeria, Chad, Mali, Sudan, and South Sudan. These extreme events, intensified by climate change and El Niño, are becoming more frequent. The report emphasizes that governance is a key factor in vulnerability: the most affected countries are largely categorized as “not free,” with limited disaster response capacity. Poor infrastructure, weak institutional preparedness, and corruption have worsened the impact. The article calls for stronger climate resilience through improved governance, risk prevention policies, and early warning systems. It also links state fragility to environmental shocks and stresses the need for integrated solutions to address compounding humanitarian and climate-related crises.

Power, State, Governance, Natural ressources, Conflict, Education, Gold, Poverty, Threat, Civil Society

This Policy Brief explores Senegal’s role in mediating the crisis between ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), formed by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger after their withdrawal from ECOWAS. Drawing on its diplomatic tradition and neutrality, Senegal, under President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has been appointed as a facilitator. While Senegal officially promotes the AES’s return to ECOWAS, its emissary's statements suggest a more nuanced stance. The brief analyzes issues of regional integration, governance, security cooperation, and sovereignty. It highlights the need for realistic mediation, one that acknowledges the AES states’ security concerns while preserving ECOWAS’s democratic and economic frameworks. The document also emphasizes the regional consequences of the split, including economic fragmentation and weakened security cooperation, urging Senegal to play a strategic and balanced role.

Politics, Political party, Power, State, Natural ressources, Security, Justice, Conflict, Gold, Human security, Diplomacy, Crisis

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