First Independent Mena Newspaper
American and European navies are teaming up with their counterparts from eight West African countries to conduct joint training operations off the coast of Senegal this week that are mainly aimed at combating illegal fishing off the West African coast. As unreported and unregulated fishing has spread along West Africa’s coasts, scooping up an estimate […]
The Economic Commission for West African States (ECOWAS) leaders have agreed to establish a regional peacekeeping force to intervene in member states to help restore security and constitutional order in a region that has witnessed several coups in the past two years. West and Central Africa have made strides in the past decade to shed […]
Leaders from West African countries that are members of the Accra Initiative met with European partners in Accra on November 22 for talks on “homegrown” ways to prevent jihadist conflict in the Sahel threatening to “engulf” countries on the Gulf of Guinea. The Accra Initiative is a cooperative and collaborative security mechanism between seven West […]
The Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline will open a new energy-supply route for West Africa and Europe, Bloomberg pointed out, recalling that the two countries signed Thursday an agreement that inches a long-standing proposal for a gas pipeline between the two countries closer to reality. The agreement signing ceremony took place at a time European nations are […]
Morocco takes part in the Obangame Express 2021, conducted by the US Naval Forces Africa, the major multinational naval exercise in West Africa designed to improve regional tactical cooperation to counter common security threats. The announcement was made by the US Africa Command in a press release. The ongoing two-week OE-21 exercise, which started […]
The Security Council, expressing concern about security and humanitarian challenges in West Africa — as well as the potential of the COVID-19 pandemic to exacerbate existing fragilities —adopted a presidential statement calling for national, regional and international support for countries of the region. In a statement issued by Christoph Heusgen (Germany), Council President for July, […]
West Africa’s coastline has recorded a 50% increase in kidnapping of sailors last year, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) annual report revealed on Tuesday. According to the maritime watchdog, the number of sailors kidnapped off West Africa rose to 121 last year from 78 in 2018 in the Gulf of Guinea. It represents 90% of […]
Côte d’Ivoire’s President Alassane Ouattara has announced that West Africa’s monetary union has agreed with France to rename its CFA franc the Eco and cut some of the financial links with Paris. The CFA will undergo three major changes, according to Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara. The name will change to Eco in 2020; France, would […]
Der Mond Group, an Oil and Gas company headquartered in Abu Dhabi, has signed an agreement with Swiss consulting services company Iota Group to open a petroleum academy in Dakar, Senegal. The first oil and gas academy in Senegal is dedicated to train a wide range of professionals from West African countries in the fields […]
The Central People’s Bank of Morocco (BCP) has secured funds from Proparco and the African Development Bank, destined to upgrade its business financing in West Africa, mainly in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali and Senegal, where the bank is operating through its subsidiary Banque Atlantique. BCP has thus signed Thursday in Casablanca a funding agreement with […]