Senegal’s President Bassirou Faye, after suddenly removing his political patron Ousmane Sonko, has just appointed Mr. Al Aminou Lo as new Prime Minister. Amid IMF negotiations and desire to see more reforms, a hidden $7B debt discovery and efforts to stabilise the economy, Faye must also balance populist calls for economic nationalisation. 

Veteran Africa analyst, Publisher Africa Briefing Magazine,  Jon Offei-Ansah says this is a vital test for African democracies, where voters are calling for more economic sovereignty and there is need to go beyond protest politics to demonstrating capacity to lead in the more challenging economic context.  

Then we pivot to Nigeria where  Q1 2026 GDP growth cools to 3.89% as lower oil output and electricity supply weakened growth, not helped by a nation possibly more  focused on preparations for primaries and political campaigns.