African leaders have reached an important milestone in creating a united African market with the launch of the operational phase of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on 7 July 2019 in Niamey, Niger. The 54-nation trade bloc will unite 1.3 billion people and create a USD 3.4 trillion economic bloc. It is the largest trade bloc to be created since the the World Trade Organization was founded in 1995. It is set to become the biggest integrated market worldwide uniting some 2.5 billion people by 2050. Read on

According to 2018 data from 30 member countries of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), official development assistance (ODA) has fallen by 2.7% since 2017. However, ODA remains a crucial pillar of development finance, particularly in the Sahel and West Africa. In 2017, the 17 Sahel and West African countries received a total of USD 13.9 billion in ODA, representing 9.5% of all ODA given. Read on

The 73rd session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) convened leaders from across the globe for two weeks of debate in New York. “Making the UN relevant to all people: Global leadership and shared responsibilities for peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies,” was the official theme of the summit. The general debate opened on 25 September, following the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit. World leaders discussed a large number of urgent issues such as financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, climate action and international peacekeeping. What's in it for West Africa? Read on

Some 2.7 million Sierra Leoneans cast their ballots in the 2018 general elections on 7 March to choose a new president, a new parliament and new local council representatives. Sixteen candidates competed for the presidency, including Foreign Minister Samura Kamara who was the candidate of the ruling All People’s Congress (42% of votes) and the main opposition candidate Julius Maada Bio (43% of votes). Read on