ENVIRONMENT-COTE D’IVOIRE: Soya By Way of War

When the failed coup of September 2002 led to a prolonged period of isolation for northern Côte d'Ivoire, farmers in this rebel-held region counted the cost.

ENVIRONMENT-AFRICA: Game Parks Offering Protection in Name Only?

The sharp decline of Africa's abundant wildlife is now happening inside the continent's protected areas, a new analysis indicates. Africa's world renowned parks are destined to become isolated pockets of wilderness with few large animals left, as is the case in Europe, conclude the authors of an article in the current edition of the 'African Journal of Ecology'.

ENVIRONMENT: 21st Century May Belong to the Shrub

As atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to climb shrubs and other woody plants will likely dominate grasslands, altering pastoral lifestyles around the world, a U.S. study has found.

HEALTH-GHANA: Boreholes That Proved a Lifeline Have Come at a Cost

Ask people to list the causes of tooth discolouration and they may mention tobacco chewing, or one too many cups of coffee a day. Pose the question in Ghana's northern Nayorigo village, however, and someone might answer: desertification.

TRADE-SENEGAL: Finding Opportunities Through Cheap Chinese Goods

Allées du Centenaire, a neighbourhood in the heart of Senegal’s capital Dakar, may be lacking the trademark red lanterns but in the eyes of locals it is fast becoming the city’s unofficial Chinatown.

ECONOMY-WEST AFRICA: Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Efforts to resolve the long-running political crisis in Côte d'Ivoire appear to be yielding progress; however, certain traders in land-locked countries to the north are still hesitant to bank on the peace process, and resume use of Ivorian ports.

Q&A: “I Have Ideas for Things That Need To Be Done in All Social Sectors”

It's a long way from the north of France to West Africa - and from studying mathematics at the University of Lille to becoming a mayor in central Cameroon. But Marie-Hélène Ngoa has successfully undertaken both these journeys.

POLITICS-MALI: Worst Expectations Confounded

As former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson once remarked, "A week is a long time in politics." By this token, a political landscape can alter even more in a month, recent developments in Mali being a case in point.

Q&A: A Hope "To Link the Efforts of all the Actors" in Fighting Desertification

Desertification poses a severe threat in the West African state of Mauritania, and Mohamed Yahya Lafdal is on the front lines of fighting the scourge.

ENVIRONMENT-COTE D’IVOIRE: Acacias Come to the Service of Mangroves

Mangroves, it could be said, have perfected the art of multi-tasking. Found along tropical coastlines, these trees and shrubs may prevent soil erosion, while their roots create breeding places for various marine species. So, when a particular mangrove forest is shown to have been reduced by two thirds in less than 20 years, there is major cause for concern.

Q&A: Elections "Will Indicate Maturity in the Democratic Process"

Just hours remain before polling stations are scheduled to open in Sierra Leone for general elections that will see seven parties vie for the presidency, and control of the West African nation's parliament.

POLITICS-SIERRA LEONE: Women As An Antidote to Corruption?

Sierra Leone will hold general elections Saturday with a number of significant achievements in hand, not least maintaining peace for five years.

SIERRA LEONE: A Women&#39s Issue That Women Are Wary of Campaigning About

Female genital mutilation (FGM) can make sex painful, complicate childbirth, lead to urinary tract infections, enable the transmission of HIV - and induce a host of other ills. So, promising to fight this practice should be a winning strategy for someone hoping to be elected to parliament this Saturday in Sierra Leone - where about 90 percent of girls and women undergo FGM, according to rights watchdog Amnesty International.

Q&A: "In Sierra Leone They Just Cut You, And There&#39s Not Much Problem With That"

Certain comments resonate long after they are made, and Shirley Yeama Gbujama's reported threat to "sew up the mouths of those preaching against Bondo" is certainly one of them.

POLITICS-SIERRA LEONE: Making a Voting Right a Voting Reality

Having the right to vote is one thing; using it properly, or indeed at all, is quite another, as Sierra Leone has shown ahead of general elections this Saturday.

WEST AFRICA: Stock Farmers Migrate From Difficulties, To Difficulties

No more grass for livestock to graze on. No more water, either. More than 50 stock animals dead. For farmer Samba Diallo, staying in Burkina Faso was no longer an option.

DEVELOPMENT-BURKINA FASO: A Province Too Popular For Its Own Good

Kompienga, in eastern Burkina Faso, is the country's most verdant province - but for how long?

HEALTH: A New Weapon in the Fight Against Anaemia

A nutritional supplement known as Sprinkles, which is a simple powder that parents can easily add to their children's food, reduces childhood anaemia by more than half, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition.

Q&A: "What&#39s Important Is the Need, Not the Politics"

When conflicts and natural disasters flare up around the world, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) plays a critical role in delivering relief through a wide and complex array of U.N. agencies and non-governmental aid groups.

ENVIRONMENT-NIGERIA: Rich in Oil, Dependent on Firewood

It is a paradox of note: the fact that while Nigerians live in the world's sixth-largest oil producer, most of them still rely on wood for their fuel.

POLITICS-MALI: Bracing for “Zero to Six” in Parliamentary Elections

A fear has been voiced that the number of women in Mali's parliament could be more than halved during legislative elections that wrapped up Sunday.