Laurent Bossard, Director of the SWAC Secretariat, and the economist Jean-Marie Cour were invited to the programme “Eco d’ici Eco d’ailleurs” on RFI, a French public radio channel, where they discussed the issue of rural migration in Africa. They lamented the often-false perception of this phenomenon, which shows how difficult it is for observers and development actors to change the paradigm when it comes to how the continent’s transformations are analysed. Read on

Prices are a key determinant of access to food in West Africa as households rely on markets for two-thirds of their food supply. Food prices in sub-Saharan Africa are 30 to 40% more expensive than in the rest of the world at comparable levels of GDP per capita. They vary greatly across countries – from -28% in Mauritania to +14% in Ghana compared to the West African average. Read on

Members of the commissions of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) met on 8 September at the 16th Meeting of the Joint Technical Secretariat, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, to take stock of their partnerships and discuss future policies. Read on

Aïd-El-Kébir, the Muslim sacrifice feast also known as “Tabaski,” was celebrated on 1 September across West Africa, 69 days after the end of Ramadan. It is one of the most important religious days on the Muslim calendar and represents a busy and expensive time for families. Read on