The 7th CILSS Steering Committee meeting was opened on 16 March in Lomé. It provided an opportunity to take stock of current regional programmes implemented by CILSS and its development partners. Three major programmes were the focus of discussions. Read on

UEMOA Commission President Abdallah Boureima met a delegation from the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat (SWAC/OECD) in Ouagadougou on 12 March. They took stock of their co-operation since 2011, when UEMOA joined the Sahel and West Africa Club as Member, and discussed future work priorities. Read on

CILSS leaders gathered on 7 February in Niamey for the 18th ordinary session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government. Organised back-to-back with the G5 Sahel summit, six presidents (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal) as well the Prime Minister of Togo participated in the event. Discussions focused on how to advance reforms of the 45-year old institution and how to provide the institution with sustainable financing. Read on

Special Representative of the Secretary-General Mohammed Ibn Chambas, who is also the head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, delivered his briefing on the security situation in the Sahel and West Africa on 11 January to the UN Security Council. “The security situation remains a grave concern,” he said. Read on