🇧🇫Burkina FasoWest Africa
Bobo-Dioulasso celebrates Sahelian fraternity and community richness at the 22nd National Culture Week
via Lefaso.net8 min read
Bobo-Dioulasso hosted the 22nd National Culture Week, with the official opening ceremony for the Alliance of Sahel States Fraternity Week, the Communities Village, and the African Gastronomy Gallery held on Sunday, April 26, 2026. The event, presided over by the Prime Minister, represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, featured speeches, artistic performances, a ribbon-cutting, and stand visits. The Communities Village, a key part of the National Culture Week, serves as a hub for cultural exchange and discovery, showcasing the cultural diversity of Burkina Faso and the African continent. This year, it brought together 31 Burkinabè and 15 African communities, highlighting traditions, heritage, and identity. Laurent Kontogom, president of the special delegation of the commune of Bobo-Dioulasso, emphasized the symbolic importance of hosting the AES Fraternity Week, noting Bobo-Dioulasso's history of fostering fraternity and social cohesion. Mamou Daffé, the Malian Minister of Handicrafts, Culture, Hotel Industry, and Tourism, praised the vision of the heads of state of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, including Captain Ibrahim Traoré, General Abdourahamane Tiani, and General Assimi Goïta, for their commitment to Sahelian fraternity. Minister Traoré, speaking on behalf of the Burkinabè government, highlighted culture's role as a collective memory, identity foundation, and instrument of sovereignty, emphasizing shared values of hospi
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The first session of 2026 for the digital finance consultation framework is taking place in Ouagadougou on June 11, focusing on risks associated with the digitalization of financial products and services and approaches to reduce consumer vulnerability. Digital financial services have seen rapid growth in Burkina Faso, with electronic payment solutions, mobile wallets, and digital platforms for savings, credit, and insurance expanding access to financial services. According to BCEAO data, digital platforms processed nearly 1.9 billion transactions valued at 16,639 billion CFA francs in 2023. In 2024, the country had over 149,000 mobile money service points and more than 23 million registered accounts, highlighting digital finance's strategic role in financial inclusion. However, this growth also brings new challenges, including electronic fraud, identity theft, cyberattacks, personal data breaches, manipulation errors, and opaque commercial practices. Souleymane Nabollé, technical advisor representing the Minister of Economy and Finance and president of the consultation framework, emphasized that no financial system can thrive without user trust, making security, transparency, and consumer protection collective responsibilities for public and private actors. The consultation will feature two panels: one on effective and secure digitalization of financial products and services, examining regulatory frameworks, stakeholder responsibilities, successful digital transformation, and
Must ReadSeplat Energy's board of directors announced today that Tony Elumelu has been elected as the company's next chairman, succeeding Udoma Udo Udoma, the current board chairman, effective January 2027. The board also appointed Effiong Okon as Chief Executive Officer, effective August 1, 2026. These leadership changes were disclosed in a notice filed with Nigerian Exchange Limited NGX and signed by company secretary Edith Onwuchekwa. Elumelu is the founder and chairman of Heirs Holdings, a pan-African investment group with interests in energy, power, banking, insurance and financial services, technology, real estate, hospitality, and healthcare. He is also the originator of "Africapitalism," an economic philosophy advocating for Africa's potential through long-term investments in key sectors. Elumelu currently chairs Transcorp Group, Nigeria's largest listed conglomerate, which includes Transcorp Power and Transcorp Hotels Plc. He also chairs the pan-African financial services group United Bank for Africa UBA Group. Okon, the new Chief Executive Officer, brings over 35 years of international industry expertise, with a background in operational excellence and strategic implementation. He has been with Seplat since 2018, serving as Operations Director for four years and then as Director of New Energy. Most recently, he was the Managing Director of ANOH Gas Processing Company AGPC, where he led the project to first gas production in January 2026. Elumelu's experience in corporate gov
The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will feature 16 stadiums across the three nations. This historic edition, the first to include 48 teams, will utilize modern, high-capacity infrastructure. The tournament will be distributed among 16 venues: 11 in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada. The United States will host 78 matches, with the MetLife Stadium in the New York–New Jersey region hosting the final, with a capacity of 82,500. The largest stadium selected is AT&T Stadium, which can accommodate up to 94,000 spectators. Other US host stadiums include Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City 76,640 seats, Gillette Stadium in Boston 70,000 seats, Lumen Field in Seattle 69,000 seats, Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia 69,000 seats, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara 70,909 seats, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta 75,000 seats, SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles 70,240 seats, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami 67,518 seats, and NRG Stadium in Houston 72,220 seats. In Mexico, three stadiums will host 13 matches, including the opening match between Mexico and South Africa at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City 87,523 seats. Estadio Akron in Guadalajara 48,071 seats and Estadio BBVA in Monterrey 53,460 seats will also host games. Canada, the third co-host, will also receive 13 matches at Toronto Stadium 45,500 seats and BC Place in Vancouver 54,500 seats.