IDEAS
Dive into bold opinions, original ideas, and in-depth debates on key societal, political, and cultural issues on BeNews. This section highlights voices that challenge the norm and spark meaningful dialogue.
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Africa: Treasury yield surpasses 5%, Eurobond refinancing becomes more challenging
Eight African states have raised nearly $13.9 billion in international markets in 2026, often to refinance Eurobonds. The Treasury yield surpassing 5% increases the base rate to which their risk premiums are added. -
DRC: referendum, new Constitution… Article 220 at the center of the standoff
Article 220 of the Congolese Constitution protects the number and duration of presidential terms from any revision. The referendum law opens a distinct institutional procedure, at the heart of the protests on September 15 and the debate surrounding 2028. -
Benin: AA- rating from Bloomfield and its implications for Treasury borrowing
Bloomfield has upgraded Benin's long-term sovereign rating to AA- on its local currency scale. This improvement primarily affects the Treasury's standing in CFA francs, while Moody’s continues to classify the country below the investment category on its international scale. -
South Africa’s reliance on imported fuels may have cost 76 billion rand
According to the Reserve Bank, the oil bill would have been 76 billion rand lower between 2021 and 2024 if refined products had accounted for 25% of imports. Meanwhile, CEF is preparing to restart SAPREF. -
DRC-USA: 50 projects submitted and 100,000 tons of copper for the American market
Kinshasa has submitted around fifty projects to the United States, while Gécamines plans to market 100,000 tons of copper from Tenke Fungurume to the American market in 2026. The next steps depend on financing and infrastructure capable of supporting these… -
Sudan: food insecurity reaches alarming levels
The WFP has received approximately $206 million this year compared to $645 million last year, while nearly 19.5 million people face acute food insecurity. The agency is already scaling back its assistance despite improved access in some areas. -
Kenya: Siaya could reach 5,000 MW compared to a capacity of 3,300
The Siaya nuclear project can now reach 5,000 MW, while Kenya has approximately 3,300 MW of installed electrical capacity. This scale difference necessitates investments in the grid, financing, and regulatory framework. -
Bangladesh absorbs 91% of cotton exported by Benin
In 2024, Bangladesh absorbed $480.6 million of the $525.7 million worth of cotton exported by Benin. In Glo-Djigbé, the challenge is to process more fiber locally and export more textiles and finished garments. -
Uganda: Oil delay pushes back expected revenues and growth
Commercial oil production is no longer expected before the end of the 2026-2027 fiscal year. This new delay pushes back anticipated revenues as the EACOP pipeline is 92.7% complete and debt servicing already weighs on public finances. -
Dangote IPO: why this operation could change the financing of African giants
The IPO of Dangote refinery aims to raise approximately 2.15 trillion naira. Beyond the amount, the operation tests the ability of African markets to locally finance large industrial assets. -
The United States applies a “Syria-style playbook” to Sudan, risking the independence of the OPCW
The United States is intensifying its pressure on Sudan, accused of using chemical weapons, turning a dispute that began in Washington into a major test for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), based in The Hague. On… -
Captain Agueh Worou, hero and martyr
Captain Agueh Worou Yliassou was one of those officers whose commitment commanded respect and whose example endures through time. A leader of men, a warrior at heart, and deeply committed to his profession as a soldier, he left a significant… -
Les Patronnes: Star chef Georgiana Viou honors the women who keep the Beninese markets alive.
The PK3 market in Cotonou will host a day mixing photography, fashion, conferences, and gastronomy on July 11th to celebrate the women who contribute to the economic vitality of Benin and to pay tribute to the Nana Benz. Conceived by… -
The constitutional referendum in Senegal rekindles tensions at the top of the state.
The adoption of the constitutional reform project by the National Assembly of Senegal on June 29 opens a new political chapter. Shortly after, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced that the text would be subject to a popular referendum, although he… -
Transparency or maintaining power? The ins and outs of the constitutional revision in Senegal.
On June 29, the National Assembly of Senegal, presided over by Ousmane Sonko, took a decisive step by adopting the constitutional revision bill. While this text, which will be submitted to a referendum, was presented as a pillar of transparency… -
In Benin, a birthday like no other
On June 20, 2026, Romuald Wadagni reaches the symbolic milestone of fifty years. In itself, the event is a private matter. However, when it involves a recently installed head of state at the top of the Republic, even a birthday… -
World Cup 2026: why Senegalese players were checked on an American tarmac
Images of players from the Senegal national team undergoing security checks on the tarmac of an American airport sparked numerous reactions on social media. Some users presented it as an embarrassment inflicted on the Lions of Teranga upon their arrival… -
“Benin, watch out!”
The festivals and celebrations marking the inauguration of the new President of Benin were beautiful and colorful. The Beninese even indulged in the supreme luxury (which the Ivorians have never experienced) of having at these ceremonies 2 former Presidents of… -
Benin is embarking on a new diplomatic phase with the first trips of Romuald Wadagni.
The new Beninese president, Romuald Wadagni, is about to make his first official trips abroad, a diplomatic sequence that is already raising many questions about the directions of his foreign policy. According to some sources, the Beninese head of state… -
“History will judge less what Wadagni has managed than what he has dared to build.”
In an interview focused on Benin’s economic prospects, Professor Théophile Thomas Azomahou calls on the country to take a new step in its development. For the economist, the macroeconomic achievements must now translate into jobs, energy sovereignty, industrial transformation, and… -
Cowpea, between agroecological transition and gender justice
Overlooked and sometimes regarded as a “poor man’s grain” according to cereal-breeding specialists, cowpea (bean), a grain legume, contributes to food security in Africa and around the world. Its uses remain just as diverse, serving both human food and livestock… -
Growing insecurity at West African borders and the need for a regional wake-up call.
The increasing number of terrorist attacks at the borders of the neighboring countries of the Alliance of Sahel States confirms a worrying deterioration of the security situation in West Africa. Guinea and Benin are now among the areas directly affected… -
Constitutional Court: the appeal to invalidate Sodjinou’s seat was declared inadmissible.
The Constitutional Court this Thursday looked into the challenge to the election of deputy Michel Sodjinou, elected in the 19ᵉ electoral district. The hearing was opened at 10:00, under the presidency of Dorothé Sossa.At the outset of the proceedings, the… -
Is Mali moving toward a memory law? The urgency of criminalizing colonial and post-colonial crimes.
At a time when Algeria is legislating on its colonial past, Mali faces an imperative of sovereignty: enshrining in law the recognition and condemnation of historic French violence. An approach less concerned with looking back than with rebuilding a calmer, more… -
Niger seeks justice over Orano’s environmental crimes
In Niger, tensions over the Orano case have taken on a new dimension following the call from the Front Révolutionnaire pour la souveraineté de l’Afrique, an organization demanding the creation of a special tribunal to try the French company and,… -
In Benin, a failed coup d’état — but one that raises many questions
Sunday, April 7, 2025, Benin woke up shocked by an attempted coup that was quickly foiled. A group of soldiers briefly occupied the national television to announce the fall of President Talon, before being neutralized by loyalist forces. Although calm… -
Benin: Seïdou Alassane’s lessons in political virtue for the LD party’s defecting MPs
During a nationwide tour carried out with ministers and parliamentarians, Alassane Seidou denounced the lack of morality of certain political actors. He called for more virtue, reminding people that politics is not a playground for adventurers, but a space reserved… -
AU-EU Summit: when the question of reparations for historical crimes is forgotten
In Luanda for the 7th Summit of European and African leaders, the question of reparations for the worst crimes committed against Africa over more than four centuries of slavery and colonization was not raised at all; whereas the African Union… -
In Luanda, the AU-EU summit was dominated by Ukraine at the expense of the African agenda
The African Union – European Union summit, held on 24 and 25 November 2025 in Luanda, was supposed to revive the partnership between the two blocs. Presented as a key moment to put African priorities back at the center, the… -
Hell behind the screen: cyberviolence is turning into digital weapons in Benin
In Benin, cyberviolence is exploding on social networks and turning smartphones into emotional battlefields. Behind every hateful message are victims, often women, sinking into fear, shame, or silence. While the Centre national d’investigations numériques (CNIN) tries to contain the scourge,…
