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Economy

Regional integration

Sahara-Sahel

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One important step forwards towards a single currency was made on 21 December 2019 when Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara – who is also the current president of the UEMOA – and French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to reform the CFA franc, the common currency of the eight UEMOA member countries. Some 134 million people in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo use the CFA franc. Under the reform plan: the CFA franc will be renamed the “Eco”; France will withdraw from all governance bodies; and the Bank of France will no longer hold half of the foreign reserves. However, the Eco will continue to be pegged to the Euro and France will retain, for the time being, its role as its financial guarantor. Read on

17 Dec 2019

Regional organisations remain our first counterparts for conflict resolution in the region

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Cross-border co-operation

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In his UN Security Council briefing on 17 December 2019, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNOWAS, highlights that regional organisations remain “our first counterparts for conflict resolution in the region.” Discussions at the ECOWAS and G5 Sahel summits highlighted the “undeterred regional solidarity, and the commitment to bring this violence to an end. The Security Council’s support to the region cannot falter at this juncture,” he declared. Read on

13 Dec 2019

CILSS Day @COP25

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Agriculture & Fisheries

Climate & Climate change

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The UN Climate Summit (COP25) was held from 2-13 December 2019 in Madrid, bringing together some 29 000 representatives from nearly 200 nations. Many leaders expressed their disappointment with the meeting’s outcome. “The international community lost an important opportunity to show increased ambition on mitigation, adaptation & finance to tackle the climate crisis,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared. Key decisions on global carbon markets were deferred until next year’s COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. CILSS/AGRHYMET presented information about the climate challenges facing the Sahel and West Africa at the CILSS Day on 12 December 2019. Read on

22 Nov 2019

Sahel Alliance: Local solutions, governance and decentralisation

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Burkina Faso

Mali

Niger

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Cross-border co-operation

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At the initiative of Germany, UNDP and the Liptako-Gourma Authority, members of the Sahel Alliance gathered on 20-22 November 2019 in Niamey, Niger for a regional workshop on the theme, “Governance and decentralisation: Vectors of peace and stability in the Sahel.” Some 30 participants coming from various administrative levels (local, regional, national) from Sahelian countries as well as international development partners discussed current decentralisation trends, problems and perspectives. Local government representatives from the three countries of the Liptako-Gourma region (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger) issued a communiqué in which they urged members and partners of the Sahel Alliance to stronger involve them. Read on

14 Nov 2019

Doing business in West Africa is getting easier, notably in Togo

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Togo stands out from the crowd in the latest “Doing Business“ ranking. For the second year in a row, the country is among the ten economies that improved the most. Moving up from rank 156 (2018) to rank 97 (2020), Togo became the best-performing West African country. However, ten West African countries rank in the bottom 50, and only two African countries (Mauritius, rank 13 and Rwanda, rank 38), are among the top 50. Read on

08 Nov 2019

UEMOA, Switzerland deepen co-operation

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Climate & Climate change

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The UEMOA Commission and the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC) signed, on 8 November 2019 in Abidjan, a new co-operation agreement worth nearly EUR 1 million to complete phase 1 of the programme for local cross-border co-operation (PCTL). In addition, UEMOA Commission President Abdallah Boureima signed a new co-operation agreement with the R20 Green Fund for Women to better integrate the climate aspect within projects conducted by local actors. Read on

31 Oct 2019

Agendas 2063 & 2030: Is Africa on track?

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Demographic trends

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The African Governance Report, produced by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, is a rich source of information on the continent’s governance challenges. It analyses the progress that has been made in the implementation of Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the Global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Both agendas have overlapping goals, and the report analyses, sector by sector, Africa’s readiness for both agendas. Read on

10 Oct 2019

Towards peaceful cross-border transhumance

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Agriculture & Fisheries

Food security & Nutrition

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Livestock experts from across 17 countries of the ECOWAS-UEMOA-CILSS area gathered from 7-10 October 2019 in Accra at the 6th high-level meeting on the theme, “Peaceful transhumance and livestock mobility in the Sahel and West African coastal countries.” Civil society organisations approved a joint position statement with key recommendations on how to develop the livestock sector and pastoralism in the context of rising insecurity in the region. Read on

08 Oct 2019

UEMOA reflects on the free movement of people & goods

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Following the 25th anniversary celebration ceremony on 10 January, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) organised a second major event on 7-8 October in Ouagadougou to commemorate 25 years of integration among its eight member countries. Bringing together some 300 political leaders, intellectuals and civil society representatives, the scientific forum’s theme was “25 Years of UEMOA: Addressing together the challenges related to the free movement of people and goods within a secure community.” Read on

27 Sep 2019

Rethinking development in Africa

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