In his most recent article published on the Ideas4Development blog, Laurent Bossard, director of the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat, takes a look at the paradox of Sahelian women. Despite the key socio-economic role they play in Sahelian communities, they remain marginalised and are sometimes deprived of their fundamental rights. Read on

On 16 February 2014, the heads of state of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger met in Nouakchott to create the G5 Sahel, a regional body designed to co-ordinate strategies and policies on defence, security, governance, infrastructure and resilience in the Sahel. The G5 Sahel officially launched its joint force at an extraordinary summit on 2 July 2017. There is still a significant budget shortfall to make the force fully operational. Mobilising the necessary troops that will make up the joint force battalions is yet another challenge. Read on

On 5 February, CILSS and the World Bank signed a new funding agreement worth USD 20 million for the Sahel Irrigation Initiative Regional Support Project (PARIIS). The project covers six Sahelian countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal) and aims to improve stakeholders’ capacity to develop and manage irrigation and increase irrigated areas in the Sahel by 2024. Read on

As of 1 January 2018, Mauritania is using a new series of polymer bills, and the currency was redenominated with 10 ouguiyas becoming one ouguiya. The former banknotes and coins will be progressively withdrawn and replaced until the end of June 2018. Many citizens expressed concern about losing purchasing power fearing a hidden devaluation. Read on