Insight

With less than a year left in his current term, Beninese President Patrice Talon invited the youth to an unprecedented public exchange at the Republic’s palace. The event, held on July 28, 2025, aimed to be participatory, friendly, and educational. However, behind this apparent openness, several blind spots remain, and some governance choices are hard […]

As the 2025 presidential election in Ivory Coast nears, candidacies are multiplying. Certain familiar faces from the Ivorian political landscape, but also newcomers or peripheral figures, are announcing their intention to run for the highest office one after another. At first glance, this phenomenon might seem like a simple opportunistic effect of democracy. But looking […]

The official announcement of Alassane Ouattara’s candidacy for the presidential election in October 2025 is garnering a range of reactions and raising many questions. This decision reveals, beyond the stated intentions, what some observers perceive as reflecting three major collective failures, namely that of his own camp, that of the opposition, and that of a […]

As Patrice Talon prepares to leave office at the end of his second term, the Beninese presidential movement is organizing to designate its candidate for the 2026 presidential election. Amid internal rivalries, mastered electoral strategies, and a tight schedule, the major parties of the presidential camp—the Union Progressiste le Renouveau and the Bloc Républicain—intend to […]

Despite the billions invested and the promises of a brightly lit Grand Nokoué, public lighting remains the Achilles heel of Patrice Talon’s urban report card. Repeated breakdowns, acts of vandalism, deployment delays and areas still plunged into darkness; the lighting policy, which was raised to a national priority, has proven its limitations. Let’s take a […]

Les résultats du Baccalauréat 2025 au Bénin, dévoilés le 9 juillet, affichent un taux de réussite national historique de 73,02 % – du jamais vu depuis l’indépendance. Ce chiffre record suscite une fierté nationale mais aussi des interrogations quant à ses causes. S’agit-il du fruit d’importantes réformes éducatives et d’une meilleure stabilité scolaire, ou d’un « taux politique » gonflé […]

Il faut que nous tirions tous notre chapeau au maître incontesté du Togo, Faure Gnassingbé. Il n’y a pas à dire, il est très fort. En effet, non seulement il vient de supprimer l’élection présidentielle dans son pays pour rester au pouvoir jusqu’à sa mort, mais en plus, il fait réprimer les manifestations et enfermer […]

Kinshasa and Washington are finalizing discussions around a strategic mining agreement aimed at attracting American investments in the critical minerals of the DRC, notably cobalt, lithium, and tantalum. The goal is to establish a regional value chain with extraction in the DRC, processing in Rwanda, and a transparent governance system to reduce dependency on China-dominated […]

On Thursday, May 29, 2025, Daniel Edah, former commissioner at ECOWAS and unsuccessful candidate in the 2016 presidential election, officially announced his candidacy for the presidential election of April 2026. In a speech full of humility and determination, he presents himself as the man of a collective project, that of a peaceful, industrialized, sovereign, and […]

Over 80 years old, Adrien Houngbédji seems to refuse to bow out and reignites the national debate with surprising positions, while blurring the lines between power and opposition in a Benin seeking democratic respite. The former President of Parliament challenges the choices of the power he long supported. Strategy or rupture? Founded in 1990 following […]

On May 3, 2025, Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové was sworn in as president of the Republic of Togo, marking a historic moment in the country’s political landscape. Following a constitutional reform adopted in May 2024, Togo transitioned to a parliamentary system that split executive power between two figures: a prime minister, who holds actual authority, […]

Since the announcement of his removal from the electoral roll, PDCI-RDA president Tidjane Thiam has been at the center of heated debate in Côte d’Ivoire. Yet despite the controversy, displays of public support have remained relatively modest. What explains this lack of mobilization? Rinaldo Depagne, Deputy Director for Africa at the International Crisis Group, shared […]

As Benin officially enters the electoral year leading up to the April 2026 presidential election, the political landscape remains surprisingly quiet. The National Autonomous Electoral Commission (Céna) released the electoral calendar weeks ago, yet candidacies have been slow to emerge. This unusual calm raises questions about the state of Benin’s democratic health and the consequences […]

The recent decision to remove Tidjane Thiam from Côte d’Ivoire’s electoral roll has sparked widespread outrage. At the heart of the controversy lies Article 48 of the Ivorian Nationality Code, which stipulates that any Ivorian who acquires another nationality after the age of 18 automatically loses Ivorian citizenship. This little-known provision is now at the […]

At a time when warfare is no longer confined to the battlefield but extends into the realm of information, the Beninese armed forces are facing a dual challenge: ensuring national security while mastering their narrative. It’s a slow but inevitable shift, shaped by new forms of conflict where firearms coexist with narrative weapons. Long perceived […]

In Senegal, the first major judicial repercussions linked to the management of Covid-19 funds are starting to bring down prominent figures. Five former ministers from the government of ex-president Macky Sall are now under judicial scrutiny, accused of serious mismanagement of resources mobilized for the health crisis response. It all began with a report published […]

As the war in Ukraine drags on and peace talks struggle to gain traction, a report from Bloomberg has reignited debate. According to the agency, Vladimir Putin is reportedly exploring the possibility of using frozen Russian assets in the United States to purchase Boeing aircraft. The idea, though unofficial, is raising questions about a possible […]

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance recently gave an interview to a British media outlet in which he questioned the security relationship between the United States and Europe. According to him, it is unhealthy for Europeans to remain dependent on Washington for their defense. This stance, unusual for a high-ranking American official, marks a significant shift […]