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

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

The Republic of Benin celebrated its 56th year of Independence on 1 August. The national celebrations offered an opportunity for the newly elected president, Patrice Talon, who has been in power since 6 April 2016, to reaffirm his electoral commitments: institutional reform, economic recovery and an new dynamic overall to boost democracy in the country. President Talon is notably planning to organise a referendum to decide on the introduction of a single presidential mandate in the Constitution. Read on

Nigerian Minister of Health Isaac Adewole declared on 27 June a "nutrition emergency" in Borno State, where a large portion of the population is facing problems with access to food, water and health services due to the conflict in the north-east of the country. Information from recent rapid assessments raises the possibility that a famine could be occurring in the worst affected and less accessible pockets of the state. Read on