Sahel Security: Jihadist violence is deepening across Africa’s Sahel, with attacks spreading beyond rural strongholds and fear rising from Mali to Lake Chad, as groups like IS, Boko Haram and JNIM expand their reach. Border Policing: Nigeria’s Kebbi Police chief ordered tighter coordinated border patrols, including riverine operations and “handshake patrol” tactics with local communities to curb arms smuggling and cross-border crime. Customs Tech Training: West African customs administrations, including Benin, completed a GEOINT training cycle, building a first cohort of master trainers to use satellite imagery and GIS tools for smarter border monitoring. Education & Health Skills: Nigeria’s UNIBEN got NUC approval for six new programmes (including Speech Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy) to boost healthcare manpower, while Edo stakeholders validated a draft policy on technology-facilitated GBV. Clean Mobility Investment: Kenya-based Spiro raised an extra $55m to expand its battery-swapping network across multiple countries, including Benin. Water & Climate Research: Scientists are mapping Africa’s underground water to guide safer groundwater extraction as heat drives more extreme swings in surface water availability.