The latest news from West Africa, summarised in English country by country — Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger… — from the local press. 933 articles published.
Updated around the clock from 400+ African and international news outlets in 54 countries. Every article names its source. Our method
The AES foreign ministers have included the free movement of people and goods among the interests to defend in talks with ECOWAS. Meeting on 16 October in Ouagadougou, they also set common priorities ahead of consultations scheduled for 17 and 18 October in Dakar, according to Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Source: Mali Actu
Tujereng won the Gambia’s West Coast Region Zonal Super Cup by beating Lamin 5-4 on penalties after a goalless draw. Despite an expulsion, the winners received 50,000 dalasis against Lamin’s 40,000, Gambiana reports.
Source: Gambiana
Nigerian actor Jide Kosoko says he has lived with diabetes since being diagnosed in 1996 and has looked after his health for three decades. Aged 72, he also spoke about more than six decades of work in theatre and film, according to an interview broadcast by African A-List on 17 October.
Source: Beninwebtv
A lorry carrying bricks hit a bridge in Zogbodomey, southern Benin, after a front tyre burst. The accident on 18 October 2026 killed one person and seriously injured five, who were taken to hospital, and disrupted traffic, Sèdohoun radio reports.
Source: 24haubenin
Senegalese Prime Minister Ahmadou Alhaminou Mohamed Lo arrived in Abidjan for a 24-hour working visit and was welcomed by his Ivorian counterpart Robert Beugré Mambé. The two delegations are due to hold a working session and meetings, according to the Senegalese prime minister’s office.
Source: Seneweb
Ivorian Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé and Senegalese Prime Minister Ahmadou Al Aminou Lô have begun a 48-hour working visit to Abidjan focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation. Trade between the two countries reached 285.72 billion CFA francs in 2025, according to a note sent by the AIP.
Source: Aip
Flooding has forced the CEG des Tohouès secondary school in Ouinhi, in Benin’s Zou Department, to close for about two weeks, affecting 346 pupils. Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils are staying at home, while Year 10 pupils were accommodated at a primary school in Dokodji, according to headteacher Hermann Tossou, quoted by Libre Express.
Source: 24haubenin
Benin’s draft budget for 2027 stands at 4,757.029 billion CFA francs, up 14.7% from the 2026 amended Finance Act. Government spokesperson Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji attributed the increase to reforms and a broader tax base, without the creation of new taxes, according to 24haubenin.
Source: 24haubenin
Bissau-Guinean stylist and entrepreneur Cristina Martins Grant, known as Queen Titíne, won the 2026 Lusophony Award in the fashion and styling category. She received the distinction at the 10th edition of the gala in Lisbon for her work blending African and Western aesthetics, reports O Democrata.
Source: O Democrata
Nigeria’s Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, met Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara at the latter’s private residence in Port Harcourt. The meeting brought together political leaders from the Rainbow Coalition, according to Lere Olayinka, an aide to Wike.
Source: Daily Post
Nigerian senator Diket Plang says the opposition coalition is too late for the 2027 general elections and predicts an APC victory in Plateau State. He also backs President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term, Vanguard reports.
Source: Vanguard
Police detained a man in Saint-Louis and seized 3.185 kg of Indian hemp divided into four blocks after a chase in the Médina Cheikh neighbourhood. The motorbike, phone and drugs were sealed, and the suspect was then brought before the public prosecutor, according to Senegal’s National Police.
Source: Seneweb
The Nigeria Customs Service and the African Export-Import Bank are studying a regional programme to modernise borders and facilitate trade with Benin and Cameroon. The discussions cover infrastructure, digital systems and harmonising procedures, according to Abdullahi Maiwada, deputy spokesman for Nigeria’s customs service.
Source: Businessday
Former Nigerian vice-president Atiku Abubakar accused President Bola Tinubu of abandoning retired police officers after a former assistant commissioner was found begging in Abuja. He called for higher salaries and a response to the bill on police officers leaving the service, according to a statement from his campaign team.
Source: Pmnewsnigeria
The opening match between Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health and the Sierra Leone Ports Authority has been postponed in the inter-ministerial football championship. The fixture, scheduled for 18 October 2026, is now awaiting a new date, which the National Sports Authority has not yet announced, reports Sierraloaded.
Source: Sierraloaded
The documentary The Eyes of Ghana will be released in North American cinemas on 28 October 2026. It traces the work of Chris Hesse, Kwame Nkrumah’s former personal cameraman, who is trying to preserve more than 1,000 films about African independence, according to Tuko.
Source: Tuko
Former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh has urged his compatriots to reject tribalism and regional divisions, which he considers harmful to the country’s unity and development. His recorded message was played at a rally organised by the No to Alliance movement at the Buffer Zone, Kerr Fatou reports.
Source: Kerr Fatou
Three people died and five others suffered minor injuries when a bus hit a stationary trailer in Jobele, in Nigeria’s Oyo State. Both vehicles caught fire after the collision, caused by the bus driver losing control, according to Maroof Akinwande, the state’s fire service chief.
Source: Daily Post
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