The West African Trends Newsletter

All Content

Economic Management & Governance

Commentary

Extractives and Sustainable Development

The extractives industry is a major sector in the economies of West Africa. It makes a significant contribution to GDP and constitutes a large portion of exports. However, the sector’s impact on...

Extractives

Climate & Agriculture

Commentary

The Future of Traditional Cereals

For centuries, the traditional cereals of millet and sorghum were the key suppliers of calories in West Africa. However, over the past few decades, these cereals have been steadily losing […]

Agriculture Export Competitiveness Value Chains

Economic Management & Governance

Commentary

Insuring the Poor: Trends and Prospects

Risk mitigation is a priority for the poor as, more than any other group, they are vulnerable and lack resources to make them resilient in the face of disaster. Their […]

Financial Inclusion

Climate & Agriculture

Commentary

Bushmeat and the Future of Protein in West Africa

Malnutrition is a major concern in Africa. The lack of protein in particular is of special concern because access is limited and starchy diets predominate. For generations, the lack of […]

Gender Equality

Commentary

The West African Woman: Trends in Employment, Entrepreneurship, and Political Leadership

Stemming from narrow beliefs that limit the role of women to the domestic sphere, women in West Africa have traditionally been marginalized in economic and political spheres. The consequence of this marginalization...

Financial Inclusion

Private Sector Development

Commentary

Making Business Work for Development

In this issue we explore the evolving role of business in development. Our emphasis is on “evolving role’: because traditionally Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been the way business has […]

SMEs

Economic Management & Governance

Commentary

The Changing Marketplace: The Rise of Supermarkets in West Africa

Marketplaces have always been a central part of everyday life in West African society. The traditional marketplace has been a center for selling goods, communing, and entertainment. However, because of globalization and...

Diversification

Economic Management & Governance

Commentary

The Future of Slums: Rethinking Their Place in West Africa’s Cities

An overwhelming majority of people in West Africa’s cities lives in slums. As more people leave the rural areas and flock to cities, slums are increasingly becoming the defining characteristic […]

Human Well-Being Infrastructure

Regional Integration

Commentary

Building Bigger, Better Gateways: The Future of West Africa’s Ports and Harbors

Ports are key to economies of the region as they facilitate trade, provide good jobs and attract industries. The huge growth in trade throughout West Africa, and projected future growth […]

Infrastructure Regional Public Goods

Climate & Agriculture

Commentary

The Hidden Potential of Cassava: The Future of West Africa’s Most Undervalued Crop

Can this “poor man’s crop” be a key to food security in Africa, and the regions industrial transformer? Are women taking advantage of cassava’s untapped potential? Or do perceptions that […]

Agriculture Productivity Enhancement Value Chains

Economic Management & Governance

Commentary

A New Gold Rush: The Boom in World Prices Has Fueled a Gold Rush Across West Africa; but There Are Worrying Trends

“All that glitters is not gold” may be a tired old saying but for citizens and communities across West Africa this holds a meaning that is as literal as it can get....

Extractives Human Well-Being

Economic Management & Governance

Commentary

Beyond Big Dreams

How will new national visions and long-term plans improve the lives of the poor and vulnerable in Africa? National long-term planning appears to have come full circle in many countries […]

Governance Leadership

Economic Management & Governance Regional Integration

Commentary

West African Trends Newsletter Special Issue: Reflections from 2011

The African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) has been part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Searchlight Programme since 2011, and has produced monthly editions of the West Africa Trends newsletter since January 2011. […]

Diversification Regional Public Goods

Economic Management & Governance

Commentary

West African Trends Newsletter: Banking the Unbanked

In West Africa, over 80% of the population are outside the scope of formal banking. This unbanked population, mostly small farmers, traders and small entrepreneurs in the informal sector have limited access...

Human Well-Being Macroeconomics

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