“Education is the only way to fight against early marriage,” declared President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré of Burkina Faso in his keynote address at the European Development Days (EDD2018), which were held on 5-6 June 2018 in Brussels. “Women and girls at the forefront of sustainable development: Protect, empower, invest” was the official topic of the 12th edition. Read on

On the occasion of Africa Day 2018, Jay Naidoo, a former minister in Nelson Mandela’s cabinet during South Africa’s first post-apartheid government, reflected on the state of the continent. “We are exhausted by the talk, talk and talk. Our lives are littered with the broken promises of leaders. Our current leaders are out of touch. We are the richest continent under the ground but we are the poorest in the world. It’s time for leadership and governance. It’s time the older generation moved out of the way,” he wrote. Read on

Why did Boko Haram emerge in the northeastern city of Maiduguri? How did the jihadist movement manage to control territories in northeastern Nigeria and beyond? And how does Boko Haram adjust its strategies to local and external events? This is a must read for anyone who wants to understand Boko Haram’s trajectory. Read on

This is a must read for anybody who would like to understand the issues at stake in Mali’s next presidential election, which are set for 29 July 2018. Joseph Brunet-Jailly, an economist and Mali expert, analyses the state of play in Malian politics. The prospects are far from encouraging. Mali is in a catastrophic situation: the Algiers Peace Agreement has become void, the opposition is divided and the forthcoming presidential election will probably change nothing. Read on