Le Ministre des Enseignements Maternel et Primaire, Monsieur Armand NATTA, a procédé le mardi 23 juin 2026, à Parakou, au lancement officiel des ateliers départementaux de vulgarisation de la Stratégie de Renforcement des Alternatives Éducatives (SRAE). C’était en présence de la Directrice de la Coopération suisse au Bénin, Mme Gabriella SPIRLI, du Préfet du département du Borgou, Monsieur Abdoul-Chakour Naro ASSOUMA, et de plusieurs acteurs du système éducatif.
Depuis 2017, le Gouvernement béninois, avec l’appui des partenaires dont entre autres la Coopération Suisse au Bénin, met en œuvre le PAEFE pour offrir une seconde chance aux enfants déscolarisés ou non scolarisés. Ainsi, à travers le Programme d’Appui à l’Éducation et à la Formation des Enfants Exclus du système éducatif formel (PAEFE), des centres BARKA ont été mis en place dans les départements du Borgou, de l’Alibori, de l’Atacora et la Donga afin d’offrir à des milliers d’enfants non scolarisés ou déscolarisés une seconde chance à l’éducation.
La mise en œuvre efficace du PAEFE appelle à une stratégie bien élaborée et adaptée consignée dans un document.
Pour le Ministre Armand Kuyema NATTA, l’atelier a pour objectif principal de faire connaître aux acteurs déconcentrés et décentralisés de l’éducation des départements du Borgou, de l’Alibori, de l’Atacora et de la Donga, l’essentiel à retenir du document de la stratégie de renforcement des alternatives éducatives (SRAE) 2026-2030, en vue de susciter l’engagement de tous les acteurs à prendre davantage en compte la problématique des enfants non scolarisés et déscolarisés précoces dans les activités opérationnelles.
« C’est une occasion unique de découverte et d’appropriation des contenus d’un document stratégique de référence qui va définir désormais l’approche d’intervention du MEMP dans le domaine des alternatives éducatives au Bénin », a-t-il ajouté.
Pour sa part, la Directrice de la Coopération Suisse au Bénin, Gabriella SPIRLI s’est réjouie des résultats obtenus sur le terrain grâce au PAEFE. Elle a appelé tous les acteurs à une bonne appropriation de la SRAE qui, au-delà du cadre technique, est un instrument de justice sociale qui garantit à chaque enfant son droit fondamental à l’éducation. La SRAE constitue également un levier stratégique pour l’atteinte de l’ODD4, en promouvant une éducation inclusive, équitable et de qualité, adaptée aux réalités locales et aux aspirations nationales.
Distribué par APO Group pour Gouvernement de la République du Bénin.
The Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) (https://IsDBInstitute.org/) successfully conducted a series of bilateral meetings with government institutions, multilateral organizations, financial regulators, academic institutions, development agencies, and industry leaders on the sidelines of the 2026 IsDB Group Annual Meetings in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The meetings reaffirmed IsDBI’s commitment to advancing Islamic economics and finance as a catalyst for sustainable development, innovation, financial inclusion, and economic transformation across Member Countries and beyond.
The engagements covered a wide spectrum of strategic themes, including Islamic finance ecosystem development, regulatory and legislative reform, capacity building, sukuk market development, Islamic social finance, digital transformation, fintech, sustainable finance, waqf innovation, and knowledge partnerships.
Among the key engagements were discussions with representatives from the Governments of Tajikistan, Libya, Maldives, Türkiye, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone on strengthening Islamic finance ecosystems through technical assistance, regulatory enhancement, and institutional capacity development.
The Institute also met with leading international organizations and standard-setting bodies, including the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB), AAOIFI, the Eurasian Development Bank, and the Islamic Microfinance Development Fund (FDMI). The meetings explored avenues for collaboration in research, standards development, capacity building, and strategic initiatives aimed at broadening the global reach and impact of Islamic finance.
Several meetings focused on innovation and emerging opportunities, including discussions with Rosatom State Corporation on sustainable financing solutions and sukuk structures, Islamic Money Australia on digital Islamic banking models, and INCEIF University on Islamic social finance data, waqf tokenization, and applied research collaboration.
The Institute also explored partnerships with organizations from Brazil, Palestine, Somalia, Senegal, Djibouti, and the private sector to advance knowledge dissemination, capacity-building programs, blended Islamic finance solutions, cash waqf digitalization initiatives, and investment-related research.
Commenting on the outcomes of the engagements, the Institute’s team, led by Acting Director General, Dr. Sami Al-Suwailem, noted that the meetings reflected the growing global interest in leveraging Islamic economics and finance to address contemporary development challenges and unlock new opportunities for inclusive and sustainable growth.
The discussions generated a pipeline of follow-up initiatives, including technical assistance programs, joint research projects, capacity-building activities, policy advisory support, and collaborative knowledge-sharing platforms.
The 2026 IsDB Group Annual Meetings provided a valuable platform for strengthening existing partnerships, establishing new strategic relationships, and advancing the Institute’s mission of promoting innovative, impactful, and development-oriented Islamic economics and finance solutions worldwide.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI).
At a time when conflict and instability are driving new displacement across the region, Ethiopia is showing that refugee protection and inclusion can go hand in hand, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih said at the end of his first official visit to the country.
“Ethiopia is demonstrating what becomes possible when protection is matched with inclusion and opportunity – not only for refugees, but also for the communities that welcome them,” Salih said. “This leadership deserves greater international support, investment and responsibility-sharing.”
During the five-day mission, from 18 to 22 June, Salih marked World Refugee Day with refugees and host communities, and held high-level discussions with the Government of Ethiopia, the African Union, UN partners, donors and the private sector. While in Addis Ababa, he also presided over an important tripartite meeting with the governments of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on safe, voluntary and sustainable repatriation of refugees.
Ethiopia is one of Africa’s largest refugee-hosting countries, home to over 1.1 million refugees and asylum-seekers. Despite economic pressures, climate shocks and regional instability, the country continues to offer safety to people fleeing conflict, violence and persecution.
A key moment of the visit was the launch of the Makatet Roadmap, a national framework to include refugees in national systems and services. It aims to move beyond short-term aid by providing access to documentation, education, health care, jobs, and local services – benefiting refugees and host communities alike. The High Commissioner said the initiative was closely aligned with UNHCR’s “50 by 35” vision to reduce the number of refugees in protracted situations and dependent on humanitarian assistance by half over the next 10 years through greater inclusion, self-reliance and lasting solutions.
“The Makatet Roadmap is exactly the kind of practical, nationally-led approach the world needs more of,” Salih said. “It recognizes that refugees need more than safety; they need the chance to learn, work and rebuild their lives.”
The High Commissioner spent World Refugee Day in Ura settlement in Benishangul-Gumuz, near Sudan. He met some of the 45,000 families who have arrived from Sudan since the devastating conflict started in 2023. In Ura, newly arrived Sudanese refugees live alongside host communities and access shared services, including schools and health care, highlighting Ethiopia’s “solutions from the start” approach, which brings long-term development into emergency response as soon as refugees arrive.
Salih engaged with refugee entrepreneurs whose businesses are creating jobs, supporting families and contributing to the local economy in Ura and Addis Ababa. “The pathway is clear,” Salih said. “With the right policies and support, refugees can move from dependency to self-reliance, creating growth and opportunities for the entire community. This is Makatet in action, and a win for all.”
At Jewi camp – in Ethiopia’s Gambella region, which is home to nearly 450,000 South Sudanese refugees – the High Commissioner witnessed the impact of severe funding shortages. In recent months, thousands more from South Sudan have sought safety from renewed violence in their country, with contingencies for at least 100,000 new arrivals in Gambella this year.
“There is one doctor for 70,000 people in this camp. This is unacceptable and a moral failure,” said Salih. “Humanitarian assistance continues to save lives and needs sustained international support. We cannot afford to look away.”
UNHCR, with the Government and partners, is providing protection and life-saving assistance to those forced to flee. However, extreme funding shortfalls limit the scale and sustainability of the response.
During his visit, Salih also addressed African Union member states and underscored the inextricable link between peace and displacement and the need for stronger regional and international cooperation to address its root causes.
On his final day, Salih presided over a High-Level Ministerial Tripartite Meeting between the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Rwanda and UNHCR, where he reaffirmed UNHCR’s commitment to working with both governments to support voluntary and safe repatriation as part of the peace process. The parties signed a joint communiqué to strengthen support for voluntary returns when conditions allow and for the reintegration of refugees who choose to return.
“Displacement is only one chapter of a life. Refugees should not spend decades waiting in limbo,” Salih added. “What I’ve seen over the past week in Ethiopia shows that with investment, support and political will, durable solutions for refugees can move from aspiration to reality.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
La Banque Africaine d’Import-Export (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com), a lancé l’édition 2026 de son Rapport phare sur le commerce en Afrique (African Trade Report), intitulée « Tirer parti de la géopolitique pour développer le commerce et l’industrialisation de l’Afrique globale » (Leveraging Geopolitics for Trade and Industrialisation in Global Africa). Le rapport présente une analyse approfondie de l’évolution du commerce et de l’économie en Afrique et dans le monde, dans le contexte de l’environnement économique de 2025. Il présente également les options stratégiques dont dispose l’Afrique pour transformer les tensions géopolitiques actuelles et les perturbations associées des chaînes d’approvisionnement en facteurs de résilience, de croissance durable et de prospérité partagée sur le continent.
Le rapport souligne la résilience continue de la croissance africaine malgré les difficultés importantes engendrées par l’intensification des tensions géopolitiques et les mutations économiques qui en découlent. Illustrant cette résilience, le rapport souligne que, tandis que la croissance économique mondiale a ralenti à 3,4 % en 2025 et devrait encore se modérer à 3,1 % en 2026, la croissance réelle du PIB de l’Afrique est passée de 3,4 % en 2024 à 4,5 % en 2025. Cette performance dépasse non seulement la moyenne mondiale, mais témoigne également de l’amélioration des fondamentaux économiques du continent dans un ordre économique mondial de plus en plus fragmenté.
Le commerce des marchandises de l’Afrique a aussi enregistré de solides résultats, progressant de 6,1 % pour atteindre environ 1 500 milliards de dollars US, tandis que l’inflation agrégée est tombée de 21,6 % en 2024 à 13,1 % en 2025. Ces résultats reflètent les effets stabilisateurs d’une gestion macroéconomique prudente, des réformes politiques et institutionnelles en cours, ainsi que des interventions contracycliques des institutions de financement du développement opérant sur le continent.
Commentant les conclusions du Rapport sur le commerce en Afrique, Dr. Yemi Kale, Économiste en chef du Groupe et Directeur général en charge de la recherche et de la veille commerciale à Afreximbank, a déclaré :
« L’Afrique se trouve à un tournant décisif. Les tensions géopolitiques et la fragmentation économique redessinent les schémas du commerce mondial, mais elles offrent également au continent une occasion historique. En tirant stratégiquement parti de ces changements, l’Afrique peut bâtir un avenir économique plus résilient, plus compétitif et plus inclusif.
Il est impératif que le continent agisse avec détermination pour renforcer les chaînes de valeur régionales, développer ses capacités industrielles, élargir l’accès au financement du commerce et accélérer l’intégration continentale. Grâce à des politiques coordonnées, à des investissements stratégiques dans les infrastructures et à des institutions de financement du développement plus solides, l’Afrique peut construire un écosystème commercial plus résilient, plus inclusif et davantage créateur de valeur ajoutée. L’Afrique ne peut pas se permettre d’attendre ».
Le rapport met également en évidence le fait que les performances à l’exportation de l’Afrique demeurent contraintes par un déficit persistant de financement du commerce, estimé à environ 74 milliards de dollars US en 2025. Cette situation est aggravée par la faiblesse des liquidités en devises étrangères et par la diminution continue des relations de correspondance bancaire, deux facteurs qui limitent la capacité du continent à tirer pleinement parti de son potentiel commercial et industriel.
Parallèlement, l’évolution des routes maritimes et les perturbations prolongées des réseaux logistiques mondiaux continuent d’allonger les délais de livraison et d’accroître les coûts de transport et d’échange. Ces pressions sont particulièrement fortes pour les économies africaines qui demeurent fortement dépendantes des intrants importés et des marchés extérieurs, alors même que les chaînes d’approvisionnement mondiales se réorganisent progressivement autour de principes de résilience, de diversification et de création de nouveaux pôles de production.
Le rapport décrit également plusieurs priorités stratégiques, notamment la mise en œuvre accélérée de la zone de libre-échange continentale africaine (ZLECAf), l’expansion des infrastructures de paiement numérique par le biais du Système panafricain de paiement et de règlement (PAPSS) et la coordination des réformes de l’architecture financière mondiale. Il souligne en outre le rôle croissant des institutions financières africaines dans le renforcement de la résilience économique. Afreximbank, membre fondateur de l’Alliance des institutions financières multilatérales africaines, a décaissé 17,5 milliards de dollars US en 2024 et œuvre à doubler le financement du commerce intra-africain d’ici 2026. De son côté, le PAPSS contribue déjà à réduire les coûts de transaction et à diminuer la dépendance à l’égard des devises étrangères à travers le continent.
Alors que les tensions géopolitiques continuent de remodeler les chaînes d’approvisionnement mondiales et les flux commerciaux, la capacité de l’Afrique à tirer parti de ces évolutions dépendra de son aptitude à renforcer ses écosystèmes industriels, à développer le commerce intra-africain et à maintenir un soutien financier coordonné. En définitive, la combinaison de cadres politiques adaptatifs, d’un positionnement commercial stratégique et d’investissements directs robustes sera essentielle pour promouvoir une industrialisation résiliente, inclusive et durable au sein de l’Afrique globale. L’urgence est désormais d’agir avec ambition et détermination. Cela nécessitera d’accélérer la mise en œuvre de la ZLECAf, d’élargir le financement du commerce intra-africain, de renforcer les infrastructures de transport et de logistique, et d’approfondir les systèmes de paiement numérique grâce au Système panafricain de paiement et de règlement (PAPSS).
À propos d’Afreximbank :
La Banque Africaine d’Import-Export (Afreximbank) est une institution financière multilatérale panafricaine dédiée au financement et à la promotion du commerce intra et extra-africain. Depuis 30 ans, Afreximbank déploie des structures innovantes pour fournir des solutions de financement qui facilitent la transformation de la structure du commerce africain et accélèrent l’industrialisation et le commerce intrarégional, soutenant ainsi l’expansion économique en Afrique. Fervente défenseur de l’Accord sur la Zone de Libre-Échange Continentale Africaine (ZLECAf), Afreximbank a lancé les le Système panafricain de paiement et de règlement (PAPSS) qui a été adopté par l’Union africaine (UA) comme la plateforme de paiement et de règlement devant appuyer la mise en œuvre de la ZLECAf. En collaboration avec le Secrétariat de la ZLECAf et l’UA, la Banque a mis en place un Fonds d’ajustement de 10 milliards de dollars US pour aider les pays à participer de manière effective à la ZLECAf. À la fin de décembre 2025, le total des actifs et des garanties de la Banque s’élevait à environ 48,5 milliards de dollars US et les fonds de ses actionnaires s’établissaient à 8,4 milliards de dollars US. Afreximbank est notée AAA par China Chengxin International Credit Rating Co., Ltd (CCXI), A par GCR, A- par Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) et Baa2 par Moody’s. Moody’s (Baa2) et S&P Global Ratings (BBB+). La Banque a son siège social au Caire, en Égypte.
Son Excellence Évariste Ndayishimiye, Président de la République du Burundi et Président en exercice de l’Union africaine, a regagné le Burundi ce mardi au terme d’une visite d’État de deux jours en République démocratique du Congo, marquée par des avancées significatives en matière de paix et de sécurité dans la région des Grands Lacs, de coopération bilatérale, d’intégration économique régionale et de coordination face aux défis sanitaires, renforçant ainsi le partenariat stratégique entre les deux pays.
Au cours de leurs entretiens, les deux Chefs d’État ont réaffirmé leur volonté commune de renforcer la coopération dans plusieurs secteurs d’intérêt commun. Ils ont convenu de relancer les mécanismes bilatéraux de coopération et ont procédé à une évaluation approfondie de la situation sécuritaire dans l’Est de la République démocratique du Congo.
Le Président Evariste Ndayishimiye a réitéré son soutien aux efforts diplomatiques régionaux et internationaux visant à instaurer une paix durable et à garantir la stabilité dans la région des Grands Lacs. Il a souligné que le Burundi demeure convaincu qu’une solution durable aux crises qui affectent l’Est de la République démocratique du Congo passe par une approche globale et intégrée, capable de mettre fin au cycle récurrent des violences tout en favorisant le développement socio-économique des populations concernées.
En sa qualité de Président en exercice de l’Union africaine, le Chef de l’État burundais Son Excellence Evariste Ndayishimiye a réaffirmé son engagement à soutenir toutes les initiatives destinées à rétablir une paix durable en République démocratique du Congo. Il a également exprimé sa détermination à renforcer la médiation africaine, notamment à travers un mécanisme de suivi des différents processus de paix déjà engagés.
Dans le domaine de l’intégration économique régionale, les deux Chefs d’État sont convenus d’accélérer le développement des infrastructures transfrontalières, de renforcer les corridors commerciaux et la connectivité régionale, ainsi que de promouvoir les échanges économiques afin de stimuler la croissance et l’intégration des économies de la région.
S’agissant de la coopération sanitaire, Son Excellence le Président de la République a pris part à une réunion de la plateforme nationale de riposte contre la maladie à virus Ebola, mise en place par le Président de la République démocratique du Congo. Cette réunion s’est tenue quelques jours après la réunion virtuelle de haut niveau des Chefs d’État et de Gouvernement de l’Union Africaine et de leurs partenaires consacrée à cette même problématique. Elle a permis d’évaluer les efforts de riposte et de renforcer la coordination face aux défis sanitaires et humanitaires.
À cette occasion, un contrat le Président Évariste Ndayishimiye a renouvelé son appel en faveur d’une réponse fondée sur la science, la solidarité et la coopération internationale, plutôt que sur la peur ou l’isolement. Il a rappelé que le risque de propagation internationale de la maladie demeure très faible et a exhorté les États à éviter les restrictions de voyage et de commerce, estimant qu’elles sont contre-productives, fragilisent les économies locales, découragent la transparence et compromettent l’efficacité de la lutte contre l’épidémie.
Les deux Chefs d’État ont également échangé sur plusieurs priorités continentales liées à l’Union africaine. Ils ont réaffirmé leur attachement au principe des « solutions africaines aux problèmes africains », dans un esprit de souveraineté, de solidarité et d’intégration continentale.
Parallèlement aux activités présidentielles, Son Excellence Angeline Ndayishimiye, Première Dame de la République du Burundi, qui accompagnait le Chef de l’État durant cette visite, a effectué une séance de travail au siège de la Fondation Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi. Les échanges entre les deux Premières Dames ont porté sur les nouvelles orientations stratégiques de leurs fondations respectives ainsi que sur le développement de partenariats axés notamment sur l’éducation, l’autonomisation et l’inclusion sociale.
Cette rencontre a également été marquée par la remise d’outils de travail à des personnes vivant avec un handicap, illustrant l’engagement des deux Premières Dames en faveur de l’inclusion et de la promotion des groupes vulnérables.
Cette visite d’État s’est achevée dans un esprit de confiance mutuelle et d’engagement commun en faveur d’une région des Grands Lacs pacifique, stable, intégrée et prospère, où les peuples vivent en sécurité, dans la dignité et le développement partagé.
Distribué par APO Group pour Présidence de la République du Burundi.
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Joan Silk, Professor, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University
Baboons are one of the most widespread of Africa’s primate groups. They range across sub-Saharan Africa and into the Arabian Peninsula.
Baboons’ ability to spread across such a vast geographic area is based on their great ecological adaptability and dietary flexibility. This enables them to flourish in a wide variety of habitats, including deserts, swamps, open grasslands, woodlands and tropical forests.
I am an evolutionary anthropologist. I rely on methods and theory from the field of behavioural ecology, which focuses on how ecological conditions and evolutionary forces shape the behaviour of organisms to enhance their chances of surviving and reproducing successfully. I am particularly interested in how studies of other species, particularly closely related ones like baboons, help us understand our own human origins.
Studies of non-human primates give us insight about how evolution may have shaped the behaviour of our ancestors and how it influences our own behaviour.
Over the last 40 years, I have been involved in long-term studies of three baboon species: chacma baboons, olive baboons, and yellow baboons. In these species, groups are composed of multiple adult males, multiple adult females, and immature animals. Males leave their birth groups near the time of sexual maturity to prevent inbreeding and may live in several different groups over the course of their lives. But females remain in their birth groups, and groups consist of multiple matrilines – sets of females connected through their maternal ancestors.
We have learned that females’ connections to their relatives shape their everyday lives and have long lasting effects on their survival and lifetime reproductive success (the number of surviving offspring they produce over the course of their lives).
Maternal training rules
Maternal kinship structures the lives of female baboons. Like other mammalian females, pregnant baboon mothers nourish their developing foetuses and buffer them from external stressors. After birth, mothers nurse their infants, carry them from place to place, and keep them warm and safe. After they are weaned at about 18 months, juveniles no longer depend on their mothers for food or transportation, but they maintain close ties to their mothers, spending much of their time near them and seeking their protection and reassurance when they are in danger.
Females sometimes intervene in support of their juvenile offspring, especially their daughters, when they are involved in conflicts. With their mothers’ help, young females can defeat all of the females that their mothers can defeat, and this leads to the formation of dominance hierarchies in which females acquire dominance rank positions just below their mothers.
As females mature and begin to reproduce themselves, they remain closely connected to their mothers and sisters. Adult females spend much more time grooming their mothers, daughters and sisters than they spend grooming others.
Close kin maintain close social bonds as long as they live together, while relationships among unrelated females tend to fluctuate in strength from year to year.
For behavioural ecologists like me, it is not only important to describe patterns of behaviour but to try to understand why evolution has favoured them. Grooming and support are forms of cooperation. When a female grooms another female, she painstakingly parts her partner’s fur and removes parasites from the skin. This is beneficial to the recipient because these parasites can cause irritation and diseases.
But the female who provides grooming gives up opportunities to forage or rest, and this may be costly.
The benefits of social bonds
Natural selection is expected to favour behaviours that increase the relative fitness of individuals, the number of surviving offspring that they produce over the course of their life time. Behaviours like grooming seem puzzling because they are costly to the actor, but beneficial to the recipient.
However, according to the theory of kin selection, altruistic interactions like grooming can evolve among genetic relatives because they share some fraction of their genes. For example, offspring acquire half of their genes from each of their parents. This may be the reason that baboons and other primates form such close ties to their kin.
It’s also important to understand how females benefit from social bonds. Several lines of evidence suggest that social bonds help females cope with stress. Glucocorticoids (like cortisol in humans) are released into the bloodstream to help animals mobilise energy to respond to acute threats, like predator attacks. But chronic activation of the stress response can be harmful.
Researchers can track glucocorticoid levels in wild primates by collecting faeces from known individuals and measuring the concentrations of metabolites (small molecules produced, used, or broken down during metabolism). Results from several studies suggest that close social bonds help females cope with stressful events in their groups and the disruption of close social bonds creates stress for females.
Females’ coping ability may have long-term consequences because sustained exposure to glucocorticoids decreases females’ life spans.
The quality of females’ social bonds may have long-term consequences too. Data from long-term studies of baboons in the Amboseli Basin, which lies along the border of Kenya and Tanzania, and in the Moremi Reserve of the Okavango Delta of Botswana, show that females that have strong and stable social connections live substantially longer than females who were more socially isolated.
It has taken decades of research by dozens of researchers at many different sites to construct this rich picture of the lives of female baboons. But there are still many questions to answer. Why are some females more sociable than others? What are the mechanisms that link social bonds and longevity? As we have learned more about the form and consequences of social bonds among baboons and other primates, we have come to appreciate the parallels between the benefit of social connections for baboons and for ourselves.
– Female baboons keep family bonds strong: research reveals the benefits – https://theconversation.com/female-baboons-keep-family-bonds-strong-research-reveals-the-benefits-284860
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Luisa F. Escobar Alvarado, Post Doctoral researcher, Università di Torino
Few places in Africa have been as isolated and understudied as eastern Angola, particularly the highlands of the Moxico provinces, a region rich in biodiversity, culture and history. The country’s political past helps explain this isolation. Having achieved independence from Portugal in 1975 after 11 years of war, Angola descended into a civil war that lasted 27 years, one of the longest conflicts in Africa.
Since peace was established in 2002, development has concentrated in the capital Luanda, on the west coast. The east of the country has remained deeply marginalised, with limited access to basic services such as healthcare and education. Infrastructure is scarce and portions of the territory still have manylandmines.
In these areas the state’s limited presence, likely a legacy of political exclusion and geographic isolation, has allowed communities a good deal of autonomy over land and resources. This has contributed to ecological preservation but hindered social and economic development.
Isolation has also shaped something less visible: the role of fire in human survival and the woodland ecosystem.
As a team of ecologists, social scientists and political scientists from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Turin, supported by the Okavango Wilderness Project, we have been researching ties between forests and local communities in this region. Fire is one of the main tools communities use to manage the landscape – clearing fields, improving visibility, stimulating fruit growth, and aiding hunting.
In a recent paper we set out our findings about how civil war had shaped fire regimes (patterns of fire in an ecosystem) in eastern Angola. We combined analysis of satellite data on burned areas and in-depth interviews with 42 elders who lived through the conflict and still live in the area now.
An elder lost a leg to a landmine. Injuries and deaths remain common, decades after the war.Lorenza Fontana, CC BY
We found something that surprised us and that runs counter to what researchers have documented elsewhere. During the war, fire activity was lower than before or after it. In most conflict zones, war has tended to be associated with higher fire activity. This is important since how “normal” fire activity is defined determines how fire is managed.
Wartime in Angola’s highlands
Our fieldwork took place in three villages in the Moxico highlands. Dry forests and miombo woodlands grow in the high parts. Lower down there are grasslands and rivers – the headwaters of the Okavango Delta, whose waters sustain ecosystems and communities across southern Africa. This remote area is sparsely populated and the main activities are subsistence farming and honey collection.
Villagers burn fields to clear and fertilise the land. Firebreaks around the field stop the fire from spreading into the forest.Lucia Escobar Alvarado, CC BY
Local people have traditionally used fire to clear their fields and the bush for easier hunting. They use controlled burns in savannas and woodlands to reduce the risk of larger fires reaching homes, and to help keep snakes away from villages. The villagers also use smoke in harvesting honey and firewood for cooking.
Customary authorities still govern the use of natural resources.
A controlled fire burns on the edge of a village.Luisa Escobar Alvarado, CC BY
Elders told us fire was used less during the war: people were constantly displaced, relying heavily on woodland products – honey, fruits, mushrooms and wild animals – for survival. A woman said:
During the war, we had to move constantly; you built a house, stayed a month or a year, then moved again.
During interviews, residents marked on maps where different war-related events took place.Lorenza Fontana, CC BY
Armed forces strictly regulated the use of fire for cooking or hunting, since it could reveal people’s location; therefore, it was often used at night, when aircraft were not around. Forest cover was needed for safety. Careless use could result in harsh punishment and even death. One respondent told us:
If you burned, that was a crime! You would get whipped!
Respondents said that during the war, forested areas expanded and got denser.
Many elder women are remarkably skilled at re-enacting memories of the war.Lorenza Fontana, CC BY
Our spatial analyses of burned areas confirmed that fire decreased by an average of 36% during the war compared with the average after the war (2003 to 2018), with sharper declines in some periods. There was a 46% drop between 1991 and 1992, possibly linked to renewed violence after Unita (one of the parties in the civil war) rejected the Bicesse Accords election results. After the war ended in 2002, burned area rose 60% above the wartime average.
Fire and conflict
The case of eastern Angola shows some interesting patterns which can bring a new perspective to the relationship between fire regimes and armed conflict.
Our study shows the opposite: a marked decrease in fire activity during the conflict, followed by a sharp postwar recovery.
Fire and war.Luisa Escobar Alvarado
This drastic increase was likely driven by returning populations, restored livelihood practices and expanded market connections, all likely exacerbated by natural fuel accumulated during years of suppressed burning.
We read it not as an anomaly but as a return to a peacetime baseline. We suggest that it was the wartime suppression of burning that was exceptional.
This distinction is important not only for academic debates on human-fire interactions but also for fire governance and policy in the region. Taking the low-burning years of the war period as the baseline fire regime can lead to management strategies that focus on suppression, like banning early controlled burning. These can in turn disrupt fire-dependent livelihoods, overlook longer-term historical patterns, and promote narratives that are not necessarily grounded in local ecological or socioeconomic realities.
Abandoned tanks and war remnants remain scattered across landscapes.Luisa Escobar Alvarado, CC BY
The effects of the war extended well beyond its end in 2002. Before the conflict, fire was managed collectively through long-standing community traditions. Wartime restrictions on burning, together with the disruption caused by the conflict, eroded these practices and the intergenerational knowledge that sustained them. As a result, fire use today is largely shaped by individual decisions rather than coordinated community management.
A woman demonstrates how to set an early dry-season fire in the savanna.Lorenza Fontana, CC BY
Managing fire in context
This case carries several implications: war can reshape fire regimes in ways current literature has overlooked, and fire itself is still too often framed as a danger or disaster, rather than a crucial tool for rural communities. Managing fire in this landscape calls for approaches that fit local realities, recognising fire as a socio-political process as much as an environmental one, and placing local livelihoods at the centre of governance.
The highlands of Moxico may represent an extreme case, but they are a reminder that war’s consequences for landscapes and livelihoods can be complex, unexpected and long-lasting – especially for marginalised groups.
Author’s note on photos: before we take pictures with people we always ask for their consent, and we ask if we can share those pictures in different places. We obtain oral consent since most of the people we work with don’t read or write.
– Angola’s long war changed the way farmers used fire – why it matters – https://theconversation.com/angolas-long-war-changed-the-way-farmers-used-fire-why-it-matters-285616
Nigeria’s mining sector is entering a new phase of growth as regulatory reforms, downstream investments and international partnerships strengthen investor confidence in one of Africa’s largest untapped mineral markets. The country’s solid minerals sector has secured approximately $3 billion in investments over the past three years, reflecting growing investor confidence as the West African nation seeks to bridge the financing gap hindering large-scale mining development.
The investment milestone comes as Nigeria deepens engagement with investors to unlock its estimated $750 billion in untapped mineral resources. The country is targeting an increase in mining’s contribution to GDP to 10%, creating lucrative investment opportunities for global mining industry players.
These developments come as African Mining Week (AMW) 2026 – Africa’s Most Influential Mining Conference, taking place in Cape Town from October 14-16 – prepares to showcase Nigeria’s expanding project pipeline and investment opportunities. Through dedicated country sessions, project showcases and executive networking, the event will connect international investors with Nigerian policymakers, mining companies and service providers driving the country’s mining transformation.
Nigeria’s expanding investment pipeline is a testament to its drive to strengthen partnerships. In June 2026, indigenous company Romulus Mining announced plans to increase investments across its gold and lithium portfolio from approximately $50 million to $150 million over the next three years, underscoring growing private sector confidence in the country’s mining outlook.
A partnership deal signed with Turkey in May 2026 is expected to support cooperation in geological exploration, mining technologies, digitalization and capacity building, while creating new opportunities for Turkish investment and technical expertise across Nigeria’s mining value chain.
Meanwhile, the advancement of several downstream projects – including a $600 million lithium processing facility in Nasarawa State and a $200 million lithium processing plant in Abuja – underscores Nigeria’s commitment to boosting mineral production and supporting industrialization.
Amid these developments, AMW 2026 provides a timely platform for investors seeking to capitalize on one of Africa’s most promising mining markets. The event will facilitate strategic partnerships that support exploration, mineral processing and long-term industry growth, reinforcing Nigeria’s ambition to develop a $1 billion economy by 2030 on the back of its mining industry.
Women must play a central role in National Dialogue process
Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, has called for women to play a central role in South Africa’s National Dialogue process.
Addressing the Women’s Sector National Dialogue Preparatory Summit on Wednesday, Letsike said the dialogue offered an opportunity to move beyond legal guarantees of equality and focus on whether institutions, the economy and society were delivering meaningful change in women’s daily lives.
“This year marks the 70th anniversary of the historic Women’s March of 1956 and 30 years since South Africans adopted the Constitution,” she said.
“Our generation has the responsibility to carry that work forward by ensuring that equality is not simply protected in law, but experienced in the daily lives of women and girls.”
Letsike said South Africa had no shortage of women’s voices in public life, but institutions had often failed to respond adequately to the challenges women consistently highlighted.
She pointed to continued high levels of unemployment and poverty among women, the vulnerability of female-headed households, the burden of unpaid care work and ongoing gender-based violence as evidence that gender equality remains unfinished business.
“These are not separate challenges. They are deeply connected,” she said.
The Deputy Minister argued that the National Dialogue should examine whether existing systems need to be redesigned to make gender mainstreaming a permanent feature of government and economic planning.
She raised questions about how public transport, childcare systems, digital transformation and local economic development could be structured around the realities faced by women, including entrepreneurs, informal traders, farm workers and women with disabilities. “These are not simply women’s questions. They are nation-building questions,” she said.
Letsike also urged participants to consider emerging challenges, including artificial intelligence, climate change, declining trust in democratic institutions and growing attacks on the rights of women and other marginalised groups.
She cited international examples, including Uruguay’s care economy reforms, Spain’s integrated approach to gender-based violence and Iceland’s accountability measures on equality, while stressing that South Africa would need solutions tailored to its own history and constitutional framework.
The Women’s Sector National Dialogue Preparatory Summit forms part of broader consultations feeding into South Africa’s National Dialogue process, which aims to reflect on the country’s democratic progress and future direction.
Letsike said women should participate in the process not merely as stakeholders seeking recognition but as partners in shaping the country’s future.
“The success of the National Dialogue will not ultimately be measured by the conversations we have, but by the institutions we strengthen, the opportunities we create, and the extent to which every woman, every young person and every person with a disability can experience the full promise of our constitutional democracy,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za
KZN correctional services commissioner in court on fraud, money laundering charges
KwaZulu-Natal Regional Commissioner of the Department of Correctional Services, Mnikelwa Nxele, has appeared in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrates’ Court on charges of fraud and money laundering following his arrest by the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC).
“His arrest emanates from a referral to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), [commonly known as the Hawks], after investigations were conducted on evidence that was provided by Angelo Agrizzi during the State Capture Commission involving BOSASA contracts, valued at approximately R20 million,” IDAC spokesperson Henry Mamothame explained.
According to the IDAC, Nxele allegedly received bribes of approximately R100 000 per month while he was the Chairperson of the Special Bid Adjudication Committee in KZN.
“It is alleged that fraudulent financial activities were conducted through Zogoba Trust, which he registered and used to conceal the movement of funds, as well as the assets accumulated through criminality,” Mamothame said.
“The money was allegedly utilised to purchase properties and for gambling in various casinos around the country. He is further accused of failing to make his financial disclosure with the Department of Public Service and Administration,” Mamothame said.
Nxele was granted bail of R50 000, and the case was postponed to 16 September 2026. – SAnews.gov.za
