The £12 billion Trans-West African Coastal Highway aims to connect 12 countries, transforming regional trade, travel, and cultural exchange across West Africa.

Earlier this month, soldiers swooped by helicopter into a vast mining complex in western Mali and made away with three tonnes of gold -- all done on the orders of the military government.

The French president’s attitude towards Africa has been an ongoing headache for his diplomats on the continent, who find themselves running constant damage control.

Mr Salako noted that the awareness level of skin bleaching is high at over 76 per cent, with close to 40 per cent believing it makes one look beautiful and fashionable.

The junta-led West African countries of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali have created a joint force that will soon be deployed in the restive Sahel region against rising extremist violence, Niger’s ...