This article examines the economic outlook for Guinea‑Bissau within the framework of the global financial architecture reform spearheaded by the African Development Bank (AfDB). It projects GDP growth of 4.7 % for 2024 and 5.2 % for 2025, driven by major public investment, especially in infrastructure, and improved business climate. Inflation is expected to decline to 5.4 % in 2024 and 3.2 % in 2025, thanks to tighter monetary policy by the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) and a rebound in agricultural output. The report also highlights structural constraints tied to historical political instability and low long-term growth (~2.9 %) before the pandemic. Finally, it emphasizes the critical role of institutional reforms, capacity building and the country’s integration into multilateral finance mechanisms to ensure inclusive and sustainable growth.

Governance, Réforme, Politique publique, Funding

The article reviews the “National Cybersecurity Strategy 2021-2025” of Ivory Coast, adopted by the Ministry of Digital Economy, Telecommunications and Innovation in November 2021. It highlights that rapid digitalization across public and private sectors, and interconnected critical infrastructures, have significantly increased cyber-risk exposure. It states that Ivory Coast ranked 75th globally and 11th in Africa in the 2020 Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI), suffering from major gaps in its legal, technical, institutional, human and cooperative dimensions. The strategy’s objective is to secure the cyberspace to underpin the country’s digital transformation, through strengthening legal frameworks, protecting critical infrastructures, enhancing human capacities, streamlining institutional coordination, and fostering international cooperation. It also foresees establishing a national cybersecurity agency, creating cybersecurity focal points in each public entity, and implementing monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

Numérique, Cybersecurity, International cooperation

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.

State, Democracy, Liberté de presse, Disinformation

The article examines the effectiveness of defense and security forces in the Sahel and West Africa amid the rise of terrorist groups. Since the 1990s, structural weaknesses—poor equipment, limited training, and lack of modernization—have undermined national armies’ ability to confront asymmetric threats. Armed groups exploit these vulnerabilities, relying on insurgent and guerrilla tactics that outperform conventional military approaches. The document highlights varied national situations: the fragility of Mali and Burkina Faso, the relative preparedness of Niger, and Mauritania’s successful military reforms. It also emphasizes the shortcomings of foreign operations and the operational limitations of the G5 Sahel Joint Force. The article recommends strengthening military capacities, adopting counter-insurgency doctrines, enhancing cooperation with local communities, improving regional coordination, and investing in intelligence and surveillance.

Governance, Security, Terrorism, Coopération régionale

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.

Governance, Democracy, Disinformation

The article titled “Presidential election in Côte d’Ivoire: ‘Political practices have fundamentally not changed’?” published by Radio France Internationale (RFI) on 28 October 2025 questions the actual evolution of political practices in Côte d’Ivoire during the presidential election. It observes that despite proclaimed change and institutional reforms, power dynamics remain largely unchanged: concentration of power, personalization of leadership and use of state mechanisms for partisan ends. The text refers to the re-election or extended candidacy of the outgoing president, the sidelining of opposition forces and weak governance transparency mechanisms. It highlights the gap between democratic promises and political reality on the ground: enduring political dynasties, economic dependence of actors and clientelist governance persist. In consequence, the article suggests that the claimed change remains superficial and democratic development in Côte d’Ivoire is still hindered by inherited practices.

Politics, Governance, Democracy, Election

This article assesses the strategic planning of education in Côte d’Ivoire, highlighting key strengths and weaknesses. The authors used document analysis and a survey of 301 strategic and operational stakeholders active between December 2022 and April 2023. They found that the prioritisation of education (with 92% of actions financed publicly) and the diversity of educational partners are major strengths. However, the participation rate of operational actors remains low (19%), as decision-making is not sufficiently translated into operational action and there is a strong siloing between the strategic and operational levels. This lack of connectivity limits stakeholder engagement and undermines the effective implementation of plans. The study concludes that enhancing operational involvement, dismantling silos, and strengthening trust and communication among actors are key to improving strategic education planning.

Governance, Education

The article examines how leadership exercised by primary-level school principals (DES) in Côte d’Ivoire contributes to improving student achievement. Faced with many children struggling to master expected competencies, the authors analyse principals’ professional practices, linking them to pedagogical, administrative and organisational management. They show that principals assume multiple responsibilities: mobilising teachers, monitoring learning, involving the school community. However, some challenges remain: gaps in principals’ training, heavy administrative burdens, weak institutional support, which limit the actual impact of these actions. The article concludes by recommending strengthening the role of principals through targeted training, improved working conditions and systemic support to make leadership genuinely tied to student success.

Governance, Education

The article explores how in Africa the law is increasingly used as a “pimping” tool for gerontocratic regimes, undermining substantive democracy. It argues that although the post-independence era held promise for law as social regulation, it became captured by privatized state institutions and used to eliminate opposition rather than secure alternation. Cases in Benin, Senegal and Cape Verde are discussed as (relatively) positive exceptions, while in countries such as Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Chad, candidacies are constrained and civil rights subverted. Law becomes flexible, adapting to the interests of those in power and thereby reinforcing hybrid and gerontocratic systems. The author calls for a reinvention of citizenship, a law in service of life rather than exclusion, and a stronger role for civil society to reposition politics beyond mere elections.

Governance, Democracy, Election, Inclusion, Gerontocracy