Category: Top Stories

The question that echoed through Bambali: who really owns the political pitch? At the groundbreaking ceremony for the SM10 Agro agro-industrial project in Bambali, National Assembly President Ousmane Sonko turned a lighthearted moment into a pointed political tease aimed at football star Sadio Mané. Speaking on Saturday, Sonko suggested that if Mané ever entered politics in 2029, he would find Sonko standing in his way. The remark, delivered with a smile, raised a strategic dilemma: can a global sports icon translate local hero status into electoral power, or does the…

The question hanging over the Vélodrome: can Marseille stop the rot after a fifth straight defeat? Marseille’s 2-1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday at the Vélodrome was more than just another defeat. It was a fifth consecutive loss in all competitions, leaving the club in 17th place in Ligue 1 and searching for answers. The question now is whether Bruno Genesio’s side can recover from this downward spiral, or if the season is already slipping away. PSG’s narrow win: a sign of strength or vulnerability? Paris Saint-Germain left Marseille…

Does General Abdourahamane Tiani ever miss the years when he was simply the man in charge of presidential security — invisible, unburdened and safe? That question now hangs heavy over Niamey’s presidential palace, where the mood has become stifling. A little over three years after the July 2023 coup, the general has been forced to face a truth he never expected: seizing power by force was a colossal miscalculation, and his own life is now the price on the table. Far from the grand speeches about national sovereignty, the head…

Kylian Mbappé is now in his third season at Real Madrid, wearing the iconic number 10. But his love story with Los Blancos could have begun nine years earlier, had PSG not intervened. Neymar’s move to Paris played a key role in Mbappé’s decision to join the French club instead of Real Madrid. That revelation came from his former teammate Thiago Silva last season. Things moved quickly for Kylian Mbappé. The 2016/2017 season was his first full campaign with AS Monaco. On the Rock, the young man from Bondy reached…

When a figure who helped shape a nation’s financial foundations passes away, the question that lingers is not only who he was, but who will carry forward what he built. Abdoulaye Koné, former Minister of Economy and Finance, died on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at the age of 91, leaving behind a legacy that raises a crucial dilemma for Côte d’Ivoire: how does a country preserve the institutional memory of a generation that no longer exists? A life devoted to the Ivorian state Born in Tingréla, in the north of…

A question worth asking after Benin’s 3-0 demolition of Mauritius When Benin’s men’s triples team stepped onto the sand at Aero Beach in Entebbe, Uganda, on Saturday, September 19, 2026, they carried more than just their rackets. They carried the weight of a nation’s sporting ambitions. By the time they walked off, they had answered one question emphatically: could Benin convert its rising AirBadminton momentum into continental gold? The answer came in the form of a 3-0 sweep over Mauritius in the final, a result that handed the Beninese delegation…

Benin Is Benin’s CCI really putting investment first with its 6.6 billion FCFA 2027 budget? The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Benin has approved a 6.6 billion FCFA budget for 2027, with 2.1 billion earmarked for investment. But the key question remains: will this allocation translate into tangible gains for small businesses, job creation, and formalization across all 77 communes? Key figure in this article Shadiya Alimatou Assouman Geraud Antonio See all articles September 20, 2026 at 04:51•Updated September 20, 2026 ECONOMY↓Read offline 🎧 Listen to the articleIs Benin’s…

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…

In Mali, the real question is no longer whether the line between factual reporting and wartime communication has blurred — it is whether anyone still has room to say so. Maliweb.net, once a showcase for the diversity of the country’s online press, now occupies a very different position: it works as a central relay for the official line, even when that line contradicts what happened in the field. The stakes are blunt, and they concern every reader: what becomes of public debate when the pages people turn to for news…

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…

Aimé Martial Massamba, Gabon’s Minister of Fisheries, Maritime Affairs, and Blue Economy, has been tasked with spearheading preparations for a fresh fisheries partnership with the European Union. During a cabinet meeting held on Friday, September 18, 2026, at the presidential palace in Port-Gentil, the Council of Ministers gave the green light to launch negotiations for a new Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) and its implementing protocol. The Council also approved the formal notification of Gabon’s stance to the European Union and the creation of a national negotiating team, along with…

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…