Author: Aïcha Abdou

Can a single agro-industrial project transform an entire region? That is the question hanging over Bambali, the village in Sédhiou where Ousmane Sonko, president of the National Assembly, joined football star Sadio Mané to launch the SM10 Agro initiative. The event drew a crowd of officials, including Trade Minister Serigne Guèye Diop, and marked the official start of a massive agricultural processing complex. Sonko accepted Mané’s invitation and traveled to the village, where he was welcomed by the promoter himself. The presence of such high-profile figures underscores the stakes: can…

Senegal is weighing a high-stakes question: can a single partnership undo a decade of stagnation in its palm oil sector? With a 60,000-hectare plan and Indonesian expertise on the table, Dakar is betting that the answer is yes—but the obstacles are as vast as the ambition. A low-key meeting in Dakar on 11 September could prove to be the turning point for a sector that has been stuck in neutral for ten years. Senegal’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Livestock (MASAE) presented an ambitious proposal to Indonesia’s ambassador: 60,000…

Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has reaffirmed Cameroon‘s sovereign credit rating at “B-/B” with a stable outlook—a verdict that, beneath its reassuring surface, thrusts the political transition in Yaoundé to the forefront of market concerns. The decision, made public in mid-September, arrives at a pivotal moment when the long-taboo presidential succession is becoming a central variable in assessing country risk. For investors and multilateral partners alike, the rating’s reaffirmation serves less as a stamp of approval than as a cautionary signal. A rating renewed, but a barely veiled warning By extending…

The standoff that almost derailed Senegal’s budget revision For days, the fate of Senegal’s 2026 revised finance bill hung in the balance. A deadline set by the Prime Minister’s office came and went. Accusations flew. And the President of the National Assembly, Ousmane Sonko, publicly declared he had received no notification of the text. The question on everyone’s mind: would the government miss its own budget timetable, or would the bill finally arrive? On Friday, September 18, 2026, the National Assembly announced it had received the draft revised finance bill…

Libreville’s top prosecutor job: can Alain-Georges Moukoko turn green justice credentials into real results? Libreville, Friday 18 September 2026 – The general prosecutor’s office in Libreville is changing hands at a moment when Gabon’s judiciary is under pressure to prove it can be faster, tougher and more credible. On 16 September 2026, in Port-Gentil, the Superior Council of the Judiciary appointed Alain-Georges Moukoko as general prosecutor at the Libreville Judicial Court of Appeal. He takes over from Eddy Narcisse Minang as part of a sweeping reshuffle decided at the highest…