Topics | West Africa Gateway | Portail de l'Afrique de l'Ouest

09 Jan 2017

Ghana: a smooth transfer of power

Country:

Topics:

Body:

Opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo won Ghana’s presidential election on 9 December 2016 with 53.85% of the vote against incumbent President John Dramani Mahama who won 44.40% of the vote. The voter turnout was 68.62%. It was Akufo-Addo’s third time running for president in Ghana. “Ghana is open for business again,” was one of the newly elected president’s key messages. Indeed, President Akufo-Addo won the election with his promise of “Change: an Agenda for Jobs - Creating Prosperity & Equal Opportunity for All.” Read on

09 Jan 2017

ECOWAS upholds Gambia election results

Country:

Topics:

Members:

Body:

The 50th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government was held in Abuja on 17 December 2016 to take stock of West Africa’s regional integration process. The security situation and the worrying political situation in The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau topped the agenda. ECOWAS leaders agreed to uphold the 1 December 2016 Gambian election results and to guarantee the safety and protection of the President-elect Adama Barrow who is supposed to be sworn in on 19 January 2017. Read on

21 Nov 2016

Mali: Low voter turnout and protests

Country:

Topics:

Body:

Millions of Malians cast their ballots on 20 November 2016 to elect some 12 000 councillors across in the long-delayed municipal elections, which have been pushed back four times over the last two years. Only 640 of Mali’s 703 communes were able to hold elections, and they were marked by low voter turnout, protests and some incidents of violence. Read on

31 Oct 2016

Using the media for regional integration

Topics:

Members:

Body:

The ECOWAS Commission is about to launch a television channel and a radio station in every country in the region that will broadcast programs promoting regional integration. These programs will focus on subjects that the Commission believes are powerful engines for regional development, in particular, on science, technology and innovation. Read on

18 Oct 2016

UEMOA creates a human rights network

Topics:

Members:

Body:

On 6 October in Abidjan, the representatives of national human rights institutions of UEMOA member countries decided organise themselves into a network. The move will create a framework for discussion and exchange on all issues linked to the promotion and protection of human rights within the UEMOA region. The network will look at themes such as: the respect for human rights, access to justice, education and issues related to migration and refugees. Read on

06 Oct 2016

Preserving religious tolerance in Burkina Faso

Country:

Burkina Faso

Topics:

Culture & Society

Democracy & Peace

Body:

This recent report from the International Crisis Group, which is part of a series on the theme of religion, state and society, explores Burkina Faso’s model of religious coexistence. It shows that religious tolerance in the country remains strong despite the recent emergence of some tensions in a regional context characterised by shifts in religious behavior and the rise of violence in the name of religion. The report makes recommendations for Burkina Faso’s political and religious authorities, in order to preserve this model of peaceful coexistence. Read on

06 Oct 2016

The changing character of African armed forces

Topics:

Members:

Body:

A symposium organised from 5-6 October by the Strategic Research Institute of the Military Academy (IRSEM) in Paris, addressed the many challenges that African armies face. Contrary to popular belief, "their budgets are very small, their sizes have been reduced and the people are not invested in the armed forces," said Sonia Le Gouriellec, the co-organizer of the symposium. About 85% of African countries have been affected by coups, and almost every African country has experienced military rule. Read on

06 Oct 2016

France supports G5 Sahel armed forces

Country:

Topics:

Members:

Body:

According to a source from the French Ministry of the Interior, France plans to increase its support to Senegal and the G5 Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Mali, Niger and Chad) to help them deal with security challenges. About EUR 42 million of financial assistance is planned for the 2017-22 period, half of which will be used to acquire new equipment. Read on

05 Oct 2016

Signs of better governance in West Africa

Country:

Topics:

SWAC:

Body:

According to the 2016 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), governance in Africa has overall slightly improved over the past decade but the security situation has clearly become worse: two out of three Africans live in a country where safety and the rule of law deteriorated over the past ten years. This is particularly the case in Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria and Chad. Overall, the ECOWAS area is the second best-performing African region, after southern Africa, having recorded the largest increase in its average score (52.4) for overall governance. Read on

29 Sep 2016

ECOWAS Commission President at the OECD

Topics:

Democracy & Peace

Development co-operation

Regional integration

Members:

ECOWAS

SWAC:

SWAC

Body:

On the sidelines of the OECD Africa Forum on 29 September 2016, the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat (SWAC/OECD) and the OECD Development Centre had a working session with the ECOWAS Commission President Alain Marcel de Souza. The session provided an opportunity to present key priorities of OECD’s work with Africa and to listen to the expectations of the ECOWAS Commission, beyond its SWAC membership. Read on

Search form

Democracy & Peace

Ghana: a smooth transfer of power

ECOWAS upholds Gambia election results

Mali: Low voter turnout and protests

Using the media for regional integration

UEMOA creates a human rights network

Preserving religious tolerance in Burkina Faso

The changing character of African armed forces

France supports G5 Sahel armed forces

Signs of better governance in West Africa

ECOWAS Commission President at the OECD

Pages