
Spain has secured its place in the 2026 World Cup final after defeating France 2-0 in a semi-final match held on Tuesday at the Dallas stadium. The Spanish team demonstrated a strong performance and offensive efficiency. The first goal came in the 22nd minute from a penalty, converted by Mikel Oyarzabal after a foul on Lamine Yamal. Despite French attempts to equalize, Spain's defense held firm. In the second half, Pedro Porro extended Spain's lead to 2-0 in the 58th minute. France was unable to close the gap before the final whistle. Spain will now face the winner of the match between Argentina and England in the final, while France will play for third place on Saturday.
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The West African Economic and Monetary Union UEMOA has announced a call for applications for its excellence scholarship program. This initiative aims to select ten students from each member state to pursue higher education within the Union. The scholarships will support studies at the Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate, or postdoctoral specialization levels in human health, at accredited higher education institutions located within UEMOA territory. This program, titled "UEMOA Excellence Scholarship Program for Training and Research," is part of the UEMOA Commission's 2025-2030 strategic plan, "Impact 2030." The scholarships are not cumulative with other grants and cannot be deferred; online training is not eligible. Eligibility criteria vary by academic level. For Bachelor's level, applicants must be 21 years old maximum by December 31, 2026, hold a Baccalaureate obtained in 2026 with a minimum average of 14/20. Master's candidates must be 24 years old maximum by December 31, 2026, hold a Bac+3 degree Bachelor's with a minimum average of 14/20. Doctoral candidates must be 28 years old maximum by December 31, 2026, hold a Bac+5 degree Master's, Engineer, DESS with a minimum average of 14/20. For human health specialization, applicants must be 35 years old maximum by December 31, 2026, hold a Doctorate or PhD in medicine or pharmacy, and have a minimum average of 14/20. The application deadline is August 30, 2026, and interested candidates can apply online via the UEMOA website ht

The Bourse R茅gionale des Valeurs Mobili猫res BRVM experienced a significant rise, primarily fueled by the banking sector and the escalating price of cocoa. This economic uplift for the week of June 29 to July 3, 2026, follows a period of robust performance for the BRVM, with previous reports highlighting a record week and solid prospects for investors. The BRVM30 also showed progression in earlier weeks. This positive trend has been observed over several months, with the BRVM consistently remaining in the green. The market has also seen significant activities, including the successful continuity exercise of its activities through its IT backup site, the admission of three Burkina Faso bond issues totaling over 131 billion FCFA, and Senegal raising 416 billion FCFA in a record bond operation. Additionally, Africa50 and the BRVM have partnered to boost infrastructure financing in West Africa, and the 6th edition of the BRVM Awards was celebrated in Cotonou, where the International Bank for Industry and Commerce of Benin BIIC was admitted to the BRVM's listing.

The Cotton and Cashew Council CCA met with CL2D AFRICA and the Agricultural Consortium of Cooperative Societies of C么te d'Ivoire CACC-CI on Friday, July 10, 2026, in Abidjan-Plateau. This meeting established the foundation for a partnership aimed at strengthening the marketing of agricultural products and accelerating local processing within the sector. Gu茅 Simplice, Director of Information Systems, Studies, and Foresight for the Cotton and Cashew Council, expressed the council's commitment to supporting CACC-CI's objectives, particularly in product commercialization. Discussions focused on strategic areas including obtaining necessary approvals for the consortium's activities, possibilities for duty exemptions on productivity-enhancing materials and equipment, and technical support for producers with assistance from development partners, donors, and Ivorian financial institutions. The meeting also marked the official launch of the first phase of the consortium's certification process. This is a prerequisite for implementing an ambitious project to establish processing units across 19 production sites. The goal is to promote local processing of agricultural products, create jobs, and enhance the competitiveness of the Ivorian agricultural sector. This initiative aligns with C么te d'Ivoire's National Development Plan PND, which prioritizes structural economic transformation, industrialization, and strengthening agricultural value chains. It reflects the stakeholders' desire to