The level of rural employment diversification varies strongly within each country, which highlights the importance of territorial dimensions, in particular rural-urban linkages. The proximity to markets matters for the development of diversified rural economies. Read on

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan embarked on 26 February on a five-day Africa tour to visit four African countries - Algeria, Mauritania, Mali and Senegal - in a bid to extend Turkey’s influence on the African continent. It was president Erdogan’s first visit to Mali and Mauritania and his second African tour. Read on

As part of the VAM Gender & Markets Initiative, the WFP West Africa office published a new study on market conditions faced by women farmers and traders in two culturally similar yet administratively different areas: the Kano-Katsina region in northern Nigeria and the Maradi region in southern Niger. Read on

Food is particularly expensive for households in sub-Saharan Africa – relative to their incomes. Prices are 30-40% higher than in the rest of the world with comparable per capita GDP levels. In West Africa, markets provide at least two-thirds of household food supplies and households spend an average of 55% of their budgets on food. “Transforming the food economy is key to lowering prices,” explains Thomas Allen from the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat (SWAC/OECD) in an article published on the OECD Development Matters blog. Read on