Nearly 25 million Nigerians – including some 6 million children under five – are at high risk of facing severe food insecurity between June and August 2023 unless urgent measures are taken. According to the October 2022 Cadre Harmonisé, this represents a significant increase from the 17 million people already threatened. The main drivers include ongoing armed conflicts (notably in the northeast), climate change, inflation and rising food prices. Extensive floods in the 2022 rainy season damaged more than 676,000 ha of farmland, further undermining food access. In the states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY), and in the north-west region (Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto), displaced and returning populations are particularly vulnerable. The article calls for immediate support to prevent a dramatic worsening of hunger.

Climate change, Conflict, Enfant, Food insecurity

The article highlights the situation of women journalists in Guinea-Bissau and the specific risks they face in their profession. Conducted by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) in December 2022, the study shows that women represent only about 20 % of media personnel in the country and frequently encounter sexual harassment, online threats, professional discrimination and organizational violence. They are often excluded from leadership positions, receive less training and protection, and confront entrenched cultural norms. The report warns of the lack of safety mechanisms tailored to their needs—both physical and digital—and calls on media organisations, unions and public authorities to adopt gender-sensitive protective measures, strengthen capacities and implement policies that explicitly address the safety of women journalists.

Politics, Governance, Gender, Women, Medias, Violence

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 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 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

This article offers a systematic and reflexive review of 656 publications (1958–March 2022) on intra-West African migration, sourced from Scopus using PRISMA and Mayring’s qualitative content analysis. It documents a sharp rise in output since the 2000s, with research clustered on Ghana and Nigeria, followed by Senegal, Mali, and Burkina Faso. Dominant topics are work/labour, social/family relations, and ethnicity/identity, while environment and climate change have recently gained traction. Studies focus more on outcomes than drivers of migration and tend to privilege urban destinations (the “urban trap”). Women and youth remain underrepresented, and translocal approaches are still uncommon. In terms of knowledge production, authors’ affiliations are predominantly in the US and Europe, reflecting postcolonial hierarchies; the authors call for decolonizing research agendas and strengthening West Africa-based scholarship.

Migration, Gender, Climate change, Environment, Youth, Women

Cross-sectional study in Dakar (December 2021) among 301 adults (20–69 years) assessed ultra-processed food (UPF) intake using NOVA and quantified contributions to NCD-related critical nutrients. UPFs provided 17.4% of total energy, 43% of free sugars, 26.9% of total fat, 24.4% of sodium and 24% of potassium. Individuals in the highest UPF tercile consumed more total energy (~1,996 kcal), total fat, free sugars, potassium and protein than those in the lowest tercile. Greater UPF share was positively associated with exceeding recommended total fat intake (OR = 2.58; p = 0.002) and negatively associated with non-recommended intakes of potassium (OR = 0.01; p < 0.001) and protein (OR = 0.43; p = 0.009). Authors conclude UPFs substantially shape diet quality in urban Senegal and may be a major determinant of NCD incidence and prevalence.

Governance, Food security, Health, Santé publique

This paper assesses Senegal’s mpox epidemiological surveillance from 14 July to 10 November 2024. Using a retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical design, it includes all cases sampled during the period. One hundred suspected cases were reported (~6 per million), all sampled, with zero confirmations. Alternative viral diagnoses were identified in 32% (mostly varicella-zoster) and 4 co-infections were recorded (12.5%). The median time from symptom onset to result availability was 7 days; the median consultation-to-result interval was 2 days, with longer delays in remote areas. Of 48 preparedness activities, 56.25% were completed and 10.42% were ongoing. System strengths included adaptation to the IDSR kit, multi-level staff training, surveillance procedures, focal points, a diversified reference-laboratory network, and electronic case notification (DHIS2/4S). The authors call for strengthened logistics and laboratory/response capacity in border and hard-to-reach regions to reduce delays and sustain readiness.

Governance, Health, Santé publique