TLDR Two of West Africa’s biggest bancassurance groups — Sunu and NSIA — are redrawing the competitive map with diverging strategies. Sunu, with 16 insurance subsidiaries and 228.4 billion CFA in premiums, dominates the CIMA zone and focuses on mass-market retail NSIA, with 13 insurance subsidiaries and five banks, leans corporate. It pioneered securitization products,…
The 2nd ECOWAS Lassa Fever International Conference (#ELFIC 2025) concluded this Thursday 11 September 2025 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, after four days of high-level discussions, knowledge sharing, and strategic commitments. The gathering brought together more than 800 policymakers, scientists, health professionals, and development partners from across West Africa and beyond to confront one of the…
Hurricane Kiko, a powerful Category 4 storm, is swirling in the Pacific Ocean and heading west in a direction toward Hawaii. Forecasters warned that swells from the storm could reach the Hawaiian Islands by the end of the weekend and cause life-threatening surf and rip currents. As of 11 p.m. Eastern Time Friday, the…
West Africa is navigating one of its most turbulent democratic cycles in decades. Coups in Mali, Guinea, Niger, and Burkina Faso have challenged regional stability, while civiliangovernments elsewhere face rising discontent and shrinking legitimacy. Civil discontent in Togo threatens national stability, and in Côte d’Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara’s is potentially bidding for a fourth term,…
South Africa’s regulatory authorities should look to their counterparts in other countries and take action against the burgeoning rise in online betting and gambling, which is causing severe social ills. This is according to Rise Mzansi MP Makashule Gana, who noted the decision last week by India’s parliament to pass a bill banning various forms…
In Togo and much of west Africa, wild meat remains an important part of daily life, valued for its taste, cultural traditions, and as a source of income for those who sell it. It is often seen as a luxury food in urban centres, commanding higher prices than domesticated meat. This risks driving higher demand….
Nigeria has emerged as the leader in economic expansion and employment opportunities in Singapore’s deepening trade relationship with West Africa, which has seen an 85 percent rise to $7.47 billion from 2020 to 2024. A review of the growing collaboration between Singapore and West Africa shows Nigeria emerging as a key contributor. Analysis of data…
In West Africa, Lassa fever remains a persistent and recurring health threat, causing hundreds of lives each year and underscoring urgent need for sustained investment in research and vaccine manufacturing capacity. In the first five months of 2025 alone, Nigeria reported over 717 confirmed cases and 138 deaths, highlighting the escalating risk and the critical…
The far-right minister said he will approve 3,000 new homes in the controversial E1 area project, hailing it as ‘Zionism at its best’. Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has announced he will approve thousands of housing units in a highly controversial and long-delayed illegal settlement project in the occupied West Bank, saying the move…
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simão, presented this Thursday to the United Nations Security Council the latest report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), covering the period from 1 April to 31 July 2025….
