Author: Contribution

By Mamadou Ismaïla KONATÉ Former Minister of Justice of Mali. Five years after the coup d’état of August 18, 2020, Mali is sinking into unprecedented chaos. Rampant poverty, risk of famine, depleted public finances, territories handed over to jihadist groups, stifled freedoms, instrumentalized justice: the observation is relentless. In an open letter, Mamadou Ismaïla Konaté, former Minister of Justice, calls for the resignation of President Assimi Goïta and paves the way for a truly democratic, ethical transition under the control of the Malian people. This initiative, subject to the signature of all citizens for thirty days, sounds the alarm: silence…

By Prof. Amath Ndiaye – Economist, FASEG-UCAD Zimbabwe, the ninth largest gold producer in Africa with nearly 47 tons per year, demonstrates a simple but essential economic truth: mining wealth does not guarantee the value of a currency. In 2008, Zimbabwe experienced one of the worst hyperinflations in contemporary history, wiping out household savings and ruining businesses. Zimbabwean banknotes worth billions of dollars had no real value, forcing the population to resort to the US dollar, which became the country’s de facto currency. Faced with this uncontrolled dollarization, the government attempted to restore its monetary sovereignty. In 2022, it introduced…

By Mamadou Ismaïla KONATÉLawyer at the Court – Bars of Mali and ParisFormer Minister of Justice This text complements and updates the previous analysis dedicated to CMA-CGM’s decision. It takes into account the position announced on November 6, 2025 by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, which suspended its transport services to and from Mali. This development confirms the seriousness of the country’s logistical and economic challenges and highlights the urgent need for a coordinated response between public and private actors to ensure the continuity of trade. I. A double alert for a landlocked country On November 4, 2025, CMA-CGM announced the…

By Mamadou Ismaïla KONATÉLawyer at the Court – Bars of Mali and ParisFormer Minister of Justice. Following an announcement of temporary suspension of its road services to Mali, the CMA-CGM group, a global giant in maritime transport, ultimately chose the path of dialogue and continuity. Between security imperatives, fuel shortages, and contractual requirements, the episode highlights the logistical fragility of a landlocked country and the shared responsibility between public and private actors to keep trade alive. A lesson both legal and strategic on the dependence of African states on their supply corridors. I. An announcement that raised doubts On November…

By Pr Amath Ndiaye – Economist, FASEG-UCAD France has neither oil, nor gas, nor gold, nor uranium, nor lithium, nor cocoa, nor iron. Yet, it guarantees the CFA franc. This apparent paradox raises questions: how can a country without natural resources support the currency of African countries that are rich in them? The answer lies not in mines, but in trust and economic solidity. GOLD NO LONGER BACKS CURRENCIES SINCE 1971 Until 1971, the Bretton Woods system linked the value of currencies to the US dollar, which was itself convertible into gold. But since President Richard Nixon’s decision to end…

By Mr. Raphael NKOLWOUDOU AFANE, PhD in Law, Legal Ops Officer and Amateur Musician (Les RELAXES du Barreau de Paris) In October 2025, the agreement between Universal Music Group (UMG), the largest music major, and UDIO, a generative AI platform specializing in music creation, is much more than a simple technological partnership. It represents a paradigm shift from the conflictual model that prevailed until then between rights holders and AI developers. While recent years have seen a proliferation of lawsuits for alleged infringement (notably cases against Stability AI, Anthropic, or complaints filed by UMG itself against Anthropic), this agreement inaugurates…

By Mandaw Kanji, PCA of the IFAGE Institute Because claims represent more than 80% of an insurance company’s commitments, they constitute the core of its operations. Their rigorous management is a major imperative for any insurance company concerned with operating in accordance with regulations. From the occurrence of a claim to its closure, including its handling, assessment, settlement, and any recourse, all these different steps must be rigorously taken care of by the claims services. The procedures manual implemented should define their objectives, management rules, and risks involved. For all these reasons, precautions should be taken in: – the opening…

By Hella Ben YoussefConsultant in public policy, migration policy, gender, and female leadershipVice-President of the International Socialist Women for the North-South Mediterranean region. On October 31, 2025, the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution no. 2797, which recognizes that the autonomy plan presented by Morocco constitutes the most realistic and credible basis for a lasting political solution to the Western Sahara conflict. A text that rekindles hope, but also redefines regional balances. In Rabat, the official reaction was measured and responsible. King Mohammed VI spoke of a “fraternal dialogue” with Algeria, opening the door to a possible warming of relations.…

By Dr. Mohamed H’Midouche, Executive Vice President of the African Diplomatic Academy & Honorary Consul of Cape Verde in Morocco. On Wednesday, October 22, 2025, in Rabat, Morocco proudly celebrated its U-20 world champions, who achieved a historic feat at the 2025 World Cup in Chile. Upon their return to the country, the young Lions of the Atlas were welcomed with exceptional popular jubilation: thousands of Moroccans from all regions gathered along Mohammed V Avenue in the capital to greet their heroes. The highlight was the royal reception at the Rabat Palace, hosted by His Majesty King Mohammed VI and…

By Prof. Amath Ndiaye – Economist, FASEG-UCAD I am saddened by the incompetence of the Malian junta in the face of the advance of jihadist groups. The country is literally cut in two, and Bamako is suffocating as supply routes are closing. Today we can see the price of a serious strategic mistake: that of self-proclaimed revolutionary leaders, more concerned about their political survival than the future of Mali. By rejecting the forces of Barkhane and those of the UN, they claimed to be restoring national sovereignty; in reality, they were seeking to consolidate fragile power. Operation Barkhane, launched in…

By Pape Demba Thiam, former World Bank executive. Contrary to popular belief, more ideological than operational schools, the market economy is absolutely not incompatible with strategic planning, which is at the core of state interventions. Etymologically, a true economist cannot simply measure, report, or passively describe what is happening in their environment, to then just pull out universal recipes from a formatted toolbox and use them like a robotic bureaucrat. A true economist must be ambitious, ingenious, and enterprising, as they seek to identify risks and constraints, to intervene and transform their environment, including by creating appropriate and effective concepts,…

By Christian Kazumba, expert in sub-Saharan private sector development. On average, public debt in Africa represents between 60 and 65% of GDP. While this percentage has doubled over the past fifteen years, it is significantly lower than the European Union average, as well as what is observed in France, Italy, Spain, Japan, or the United States. Furthermore, this ratio remains lower than the 70% limit imposed by the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) on all its member countries. A quick and certainly too hasty analysis of these few figures could lead us to conclude that the continent’s debt…

By: Mr. Raphael Nkolwoudou Afane, Doctor of Law, Legal Ops Officer. Cameroon, often referred to as “Africa in miniature”, presents a striking paradox: exceptional human, cultural, and natural wealth, but a governance system that seems stuck in the quicksand of inefficiency and corruption. The potholed roads of Douala, power outages and uncollected garbage in Yaoundé, Kafkaesque administrative delays, opaque public tenders, and clientelist appointments are not just anecdotes: they are symptoms of a state struggling to reinvent itself. Following the recent presidential elections, the country once again finds itself facing its old demons: electoral disputes, weakened institutions, a struggling economy,…

By Pr Amath Ndiaye, FASEG-UCAD. The announcement of a 5% GDP growth rate for 2026 may seem encouraging, especially in an uncertain global context and budgetary austerity. However, in reality, this figure, although commendable on a macroeconomic level, is largely insufficient to address Senegal’s most pressing challenge: youth employment. growth too weak to absorb the youth According to recent data from ANSD, Senegal’s active population stands at nearly 11.7 million people, with 4.9 million employed. The employment-growth elasticity, which measures the ability of growth to generate jobs, is estimated at 0.6. In other words, each percentage point of GDP growth…

By Dr El Hadji Amadou Niang,Doctor in international law, former senior official of the Organization of African Unity and the United Nations Secretariat,former Ambassador of Senegal, International Executive Consultant. Africa, the cradle of humanity, finds itself today at the dawn of a truly historic turning point. In a world shaken by economic storms, social fractures, climate emergencies, technological leaps, and profound geopolitical upheavals, our continent is moving forward — propelled by the ancestral wisdom of its peoples, the power of their memories, and the promise of a destiny to shape.As old models collapse and global balances are redrawn, Africa faces…

By Shalom Ndiku, Director of Public Affairs, Food4Education By 2030, Africa will be home to the world’s largest youth workforce, a generation whose potential could define the next century of global growth. Yet across the continent, millions of children still arrive at school hungry. Hunger remains one of the most persistent barriers to learning, costing African countries an estimated 16.5% of GDP each year in lost productivity, according to the African Union. The truth is simple: we cannot unlock Africa’s human capital if our children cannot concentrate in class. School meals are not an act of charity, but a true…

Peter Doyle, American Economist, ex IMF Senior Staff When in Fall 2024, Ndongo Samba Sylla and I flagged the absurdity—given the longstanding CFA Franc-Euro peg—of IMF projected 12-month inflation in Senegal of -13 percent for end-2025 and +42 percent for end-2026, we noted that the IMF was clearly not paying attention to the numbers, not even its own. What else, we asked, would emerge? Little did we know. After a change in government in April 2024, forensic investigations recently confirmed that government borrowing from 2019 during multiple IMF programs exceeded levels the IMF had reported, including to the Senegalese public,…

Sovereign rating of a country is an evaluation of its ability to repay its public debt, assigned by rating agencies such as Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s, and Fitch Ratings, which dominate the global market. This rating, usually represented by letters, is as follows: • AAA for very low risk; • BBB for average solvency; • D for default. The evaluation is based on economic, budgetary, and political indicators. A high rating signals low risk for investors, while a low rating indicates higher risk and may lead to higher interest rates for the country’s borrowing. Each agency has its own rating…

By: Dr. Mohamed H’Midouche, former senior official of the African Development Bank – Author and CEO, Inter Africa Capital Group. Context Africa is at a decisive turning point in its energy history. Endowed with over 13,000 billion cubic meters of proven natural gas reserves (about 7% of the global total) and exceptional renewable potential, the continent has the necessary assets to reconcile energy security, industrialization, and low-carbon transition. However, behind the ambitious announcements of large gas and green hydrogen projects, the reality remains mixed: many projects on the continent are still at the planning stage, lacking confirmed technical and financial…

By Denis CHEMILLIER-GENDREAU and Géraldine MERMOUX, FINACTU Group As Côte d’Ivoire approaches a new major political deadline, with the presidential election on October 25th, many commentators praise the achievements of President OUATTARA and his various governments in terms of infrastructure (nearly 2,000 km of roads rehabilitated since 2011, nearly 40,000 km of rural tracks back in service, 2,000 km of new roads, and 442 bridges and interchanges), economic dynamism (around 7% average annual growth over the period 2011-2025), and the control of key economic aggregates (inflation, budget deficit, and trade deficit under control). We could not expect less from a…

As African trade intensifies, Central Africa emerges as a key link in global exchanges. At the heart of this dynamic, Cameroon stands out for the modernization of its ports, the growth of air freight, and the strengthening of maritime security. These issues were highlighted during Africa Day 2025 at Sciences Po Paris, where experts and economic actors emphasized that the country’s competitiveness will depend on its ability to combine innovation, local anchoring, and reliability. Cameroonian ports and airports at the heart of exchanges On October 4, PortSec, a company specializing in securing critical infrastructure, participated in the second edition of…

By Mamadou Faye, General Director of BNDE / National Bank for Economic Development of Senegal. The recent decision by Moody’s to downgrade Senegal’s sovereign rating is, in many ways, unjustified and disconnected from the reality of our economic fundamentals. Our country remains strong, reform-oriented, and firmly committed to maintaining its macroeconomic balances. But beyond the technical debate, this episode should lead us to a collective reflection on our dependence on external assessments and the need for a national awakening for endogenous financing of our development. We must, more than ever, believe in our institutions, in our companies, and in our…

By Pr Amath Ndiaye, Economist, Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar. The statement by IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, expressing the Fund’s willingness to conclude a new program with Senegal, marks a new phase in the relationship between Dakar and the Bretton Woods institution. But this opening should not overshadow an imperative: stabilizing public finances without undermining the country’s social and political cohesion. An essential lever to be handled with caution The IMF is not a crisis exit strategy, but a stabilization lever. Its intervention aims to restore confidence, rebalance public accounts, and restore financial credibility to the country.Senegal, whose…

By Professor Amath Ndiaye, FASEG-UCAD. The BCEAO is preparing to take a historic step with the launch of the e-CFA, a fully digital version of the CFA franc. No more banknotes and coins: tomorrow, everyone will be able to use their currency directly via their phone, a card, or an application, securely. An official and secure currency Unlike cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, the e-CFA will not be a private currency. It is an official currency, guaranteed by the Central Bank of West African States. Its value is the same as that of the current CFA franc. Every citizen, even without a…

ST Digital group is set to inaugurate its very first data center in Ivory Coast on October 2nd. The infrastructure, located in the VITIB technology free zone in Grand-Bassam, aims to be a cornerstone of the country’s digital sovereignty strategy. A local response to a continental deficit With this Tier III data center, the pan-African group aims to help bridge the continent’s gap in data hosting. In 2024, Africa accounted for only 1% of the global data center capacity, generating approximately $3.5 billion in revenue, compared to a global market estimated at $386 billion. For comparison, North America holds over…

By Serge KOUAMELAN, Executive Director APBEF-CI. Sending money from a bank to a mobile wallet, or from one telecommunication operator to another, without complications? Thanks to interoperability, the BCEAO is transforming the daily lives of millions of UEMOA citizens. A financial world in UEMOA undergoing major changes We pay our bills, make purchases, and send money in just a few clicks. But until now, each system functioned as an isolated “island.” For example, it was impossible to directly send money from a bank to a mobile money account, or from one operator to another as easily. To remove these barriers,…

By George Pavel, Managing Director of Naga.com Middle East The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) entered 2025 with a clearer dynamic known as the “non-oil economy driving growth alongside hydrocarbon production dual engine”: non-oil growth ensuring the majority of progress, while hydrocarbons remained limited by previously decided OPEC+ quotas. This pattern is particularly visible in the United Arab Emirates where, in the first quarter, the overall GDP grew by 3.9% year-on-year, with a 5.3% increase in the non-oil sector, which now represents 77% of the economy. Saudi Arabia and Qatar also showed strong non-oil momentum. In the second half, the negative…

By Luc Gnacadja* As world leaders gather for the New York Climate Week starting on September 22, they will have to face an undeniable truth: even if all greenhouse gas emissions were to cease today, the planet would still be on a trajectory exceeding +2°C, due to the irreversible footprint of past emissions, as recently demonstrated by James Hansen and his colleagues[1]. Adapting to climate change is no longer an option: it has become a universal necessity, especially for developing countries. In this concerning context, financing for adaptation remains fragmented, insufficient, and misaligned with the needs of the most vulnerable.…

The Osaka 2025 World Expo represents a significant milestone in Côte d’Ivoire’s international strategy. At a time when world fairs serve as platforms for nations to express their identities, the West African country has framed its participation around the promotion of heritage and cultural diplomacy. This initiative forms part of a broader dynamic epitomised by 2024, a year marked by a series of events designed to strengthen Ivorian soft power and enhance the country’s visibility on the global stage. In Côte d’Ivoire, 2024 was most notably defined by the hosting of the Africa Cup of Nations, a major organisational and…

By Djeinaba Kane, specialist in public policy and international relations As many countries strengthen their engagement with their diasporas around the world, Mauritania finds itself at a decisive moment to deepen collaboration with its citizens living abroad. Following recent directives from President Ghazwani aimed at strengthening ties with Mauritanian communities overseas and enhancing their role as partners in national development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the organization of a forum for Mauritanians abroad, scheduled to take place in Nouakchott in November 2025. This forum represents a unique opportunity to amplify the voices of Mauritanians living abroad, showcase diaspora initiatives,…