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How do West African traders manage to overcome the uncertainties of doing business across the region? How do informal ties shape relationships between border actors in West Africa? How do these actors operate across borders? In this article published by the Brookings Institution, Olivier Walther, Associate Professor at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), presents some of the findings of a paper on “Business, Brokers and Borders” that shows how a formal approach to networks can help map the social and spatial organisation of trade and provide insights into its functioning. Read on
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In this opinion piece, published in the Nigerian publication This Day, Simon Kolawole calls for the development of agro-industries saying: “Let us break this whole agric logic into pieces. If we really want to diversify from oil and create proper value, agriculture must give birth to industry. If agriculture currently employs some 5 million Nigerians, agro-allied industry can employ 15 million in the value chain. So why do we spend so much time discussing farming and not industry?” Read on
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In this op-ed, Muhammadu Buhari, the President of Nigeria, responds to concerns about Africa's capacity grow economically, by presenting the project he is currently implementing in his country. He said it is time for African countries to lay the foundation for a development that transforms people’s lives and frees them from their dependence on raw materials. The country faces a threatening recession, so its path towards inclusive growth is still long. However, Nigeria’s challenges are not the most important factor, but it is the fact that Nigeria now knows its weaknesses and knows the direction it should it take to make the country’s emergence a reality. Read on
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The region is not only a transit point for global drug traffickers, but it is also a booming consumer market and a production area. The anti-narcotics measures that have been implemented in the region so far seem ill adapted to the problem. In this article, Adeolu Ogunrombi, Regional Director of the West Africa Drug Policy Network, says that discussions about reforming the region’s drug policies must start and should be spearheaded by courageous leaders. Read on
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The Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN) Project works to support the sharing of data to make information about agriculture and nutrition available, accessible and usable. The Land Portal and partners launched a survey of people working with open data in the agriculture and nutrition space. The data from this survey will provide inputs for a training needs assessment report that will inform the development of new training materials and courses. The deadline to participate in the survey is 5 September. Read on
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What is it like to live in Lagos? The Guardian invites us on a journey to discover the evolution of West Africa’s biggest megacity. Almost 20 years ago, the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas teamed up with Nigerian counterpart Kunlé Adeyemi to rethink Lagos. Within the context of dictatorship, their project was never published. Two decades later, they talk about the past, present and future of this amazing city. Read on
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The decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union has created shockwaves at the international level, with widespread discussion of the consequences for the rest of the world. This article presents different analyses of the implications of Brexit for Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa, which has significant economic ties with the UK. Read on
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Olivier Ray, head of the crises and conflicts unit at AFD, offers some courses of action in response to Boko Haram violence in this article in the Ideas for Development blog. Development aid institutions must adapt their modes of action to the challenges of the regions where they operate, as they may well impact the fragility in which terrorist movements take root. However, they are neither an alternative to military struggle against terrorism, nor an ideological response. Read on
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In an article posted on the new OECD blog on development, "Development Matters", UN-Habitat Executive Director Joan Clos explains why the challenges of the 21st century require a new concept of urbanisation in Africa. If African cities do not facilitate intra-city movement and do not improve their connections with rural areas, their urbanisation will not support the economic opportunities urbanisation has created elsewhere. Read on
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Eradicating poverty and ensuring food security depends on the health of the ecosystems that underpin human health, well-being, livelihoods, jobs and sustainable growth. Nigerian Minister of Environment Amina J Mohammed makes the case for an ecosystem-based adaptation approach to agriculture in an opinion article in Al Jazeera. Read on

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