Forty-five people have been arrested in west Africa over the past three months in operations targeting drugs trafficking and the financing of terrorism, said global police body Interpol on Thursday.

Thursday closed down -538 (-4.58%), and March ICE London cocoa #7 (CAH25) closed down -367 (-3.99%). Cocoa prices Thursday dropped to 1-1/2 week lows and settled sharply lower as recent rain in West Africa has boosted soil moisture levels,

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said that almost 50 millions people are currently suffering from

Designate for Communications Digital Technology, and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George has pledged to position Ghana as the leading hub for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Africa by 2028.

Earlier this month, soldiers swooped by helicopter into a vast mining complex in western Mali and made away with three tonnes of gold -- all done on the orders of the military government.

East African countries have plenty to offer Western miners in the coming years, notably the relative absence of strongarm tactics seen in parts of West Africa. That, along with East Africa’s deposits of critical minerals needed for the global energy transition, will make it an increasingly attractive option.

That is why the International Trade Centre (ITC), with the support of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), has set up a SheTrades West Africa project to change mindsets, and therefore opportunities. This project is active in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and also incorporates the shea and cassava value chains.

Pretoria’s foreign policy focus on multilateralism, development and reforming global governance will be seriously tested by geopolitical division.

Three countries under military rule have officially left West African regional bloc Ecowas, after more than a year of diplomatic tensions. The withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger is a huge blow to Ecowas, which at 50 years old is considered Africa's most important regional group.

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso were to officially quit the West African bloc Ecowas Wednesday, severing ties after years of strained relations that have reshaped trade routes in the Sahel.

The imminent withdrawal of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso from ECOWAS marks a historic shift in West African economics, forcing a dramatic reorganisation of traditional trade routes and potentially increasing costs for millions.