Issoufou awarded Ibrahim Prize for Achievement

Issoufou awarded Ibrahim Prize for Achievement

Mahamadou Issoufou, the outgoing president of Niger, is the recipient of the 2020 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. The US$5 million prize, paid over 10 years through the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, is awarded to leaders who demonstrate a commitment to human development and democratic principles. Successful candidates are always…

Ghana’s Akufo Addo elected as new ECOWAS chair

Ghana’s Akufo Addo elected as new ECOWAS chair

President Nana Akufo Addo of Ghana has been elected the new head of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and will replace outgoing chief Mahamadou Issoufou, his Nigerien counterpart. “I am fully aware of the challenges which confront West Africa,” said Akufo Addo in his acceptance speech,…

France responds after deadly attack at Nigerien wildlife park

France responds after deadly attack at Nigerien wildlife park

Leaders in Niger and France said they were in close contact following the deaths of eight people attacked at the Kouré Giraffe Reserve on Sunday, seven of them working with the aid organizations ACTED and IMPACT Initiatives. President Mahamadou Issoufou said he had spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron by…

Mali opposition rejects ECOWAS national unity proposal

The Malian opposition continued to demand the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta on Tuesday, rejecting a national unity plan and related measures proposed following an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) summit meeting on Mali. The Mouvement du 5 Juin – Rassemblement des Forces Patriotiques, led by Mahmoud…

Niger’s Issoufou returns home after 70 fighters die at Inates

Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou, attending the Aswan Forum on African peace and security, has instead returned from Egypt to Niamey to deal with one of the worst extremist attacks on the nation’s military in modern history. Some 71 Nigerien fighters were killed at a military camp near Inates on Tuesday,…

Laureen Fagan

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

Macron’s Sahel trip spotlights security, migration investments

President Emmanuel Macron of France has announced €400 million (USD$474 million) in financial aid to Niger during his weekend press conference with President Mahamadou Issoufou in Niamey. Macron said the funding, planned through 2021, will support development in Niger and security in the Sahel. His remarks alongside Issoufou, who Macron praised…

Laureen Fagan

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

Niger heating up in run up to elections

It was announced yesterday that nine military officers in Niger have been arrested on suspicion of planning a coup in the country. “Nine officers identified as responsible for the attempted coup have been arrested and will be presented before a military court,” Niger’s interior minister Hassoumi Massaoudou said. On December…