Benin, despite being underdeveloped has been a stable democracy until democratic institutions were weakened in 2016, the country ranks 158 out of 188 countries on the Human Development Index scale for 2021.1http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/BEN Political freedom and judicial independence have faced major setbacks after Patrice Talon came to power in 2016.2https://freedomhouse.org/country/benin/freedom-world/2021 Opposition […]

Renamed in 1984 to Burkina Faso (“land of the upright/honest people”), the country gained independence from France in 1960. It is completely landlocked, surrounded by Mali and Niger to the North and Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire to the south. President Blaise Compaoré ruled the country from 1987 and was ousted […]

The former Portuguese colony of Cape Verde (or Cabo Verde) comprises nine main islands off the west coast of Africa. Poor in natural resources, the Cape Verde islands have nevertheless won a reputation for achieving political and economic stability. According to the most recent census data (2010),1https://ine.cv/en/quadros/rgph-2010-cabo-verde-em-numeros/ the majority of […]

A presidential democratic republic, Côte d’Ivoire (or Ivory Coast) is located in West Africa, on the Gulf of Guinea. The country declared independence from France in 1960 and was considered a stable and prosperous nation for three subsequent decades. In recent times, the country has been through a troubled period, […]

Surrounded by Senegal, apart from a short strip of Atlantic coastline at its western end, Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa. As of July 2021, Gambia’s population encompasses about 2.2 million people, while according to 2013 data, 95.7% of this population identifies as Muslim, with 4.2% identifying as […]

Ghana is a West-African parliamentary democracy with a multi-party political system that is largely dominated by two parties — the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Ghana gained independence from Britain in 1957.1https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ghana/#government According to the latest census data (collected in 2010), approximately 71% of the […]

Guinea is a former French colony in Western Africa, today it is a multi-party presidential republic following years of one-party control and military coups. It is ruled by President Alpha Condé, contentiously re-elected for a third mandate in 2020. An estimated 85% of the country’s 12.5 million population is estimated to […]

Guinea-Bissau is a former Portuguese colony in West Africa which has a multi-party presidential republic.1https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/guinea-bissau/ The population is estimated to be 1.9 million as of 2020.2https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/guinea-bissau/ The country has been experiencing political instability in the last decade,3https://freedomhouse.org/country/guinea-bissau/freedom-world/2021; https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/guinea-bissau/ but civil liberties have gradually improved since the military coup in 2012.4https://freedomhouse.org/country/guinea-bissau/freedom-world/2021 […]

Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is located on the West African coast, most of the country is covered by dense tropical forests. Liberia was the only colony founded by the United States of America, and the Liberian flag is influenced by this inheritance. A military coup in 1980 led […]

The Republic of Mali is a large landlocked state in west Africa with a population of approximately 22.4 million.1Institut National de la Statistique, accessed January 2025 https://www.instat-mali.org/laravel-filemanager/files/shares/rgph/rapport-resultats-globaux-rgph5_rgph.pdf  According to the latest estimations, 94.8% of the population are Muslim (nearly all Sunni), 2.4% Christian and 2% Animistic. 0.45% of the population declare […]

Mauritania bridges the Arab Maghreb and western sub-Saharan Africa. Mauritanian society is rigidly caste-based. The Beidane, who are of Arab-Berber origin, are politically and socially dominant, while the Haratine remain the most economically and politically marginalized group1https://www.upr-info.org/sites/default/files/document/mauritania/session_23_-_november_2015/unpo_upr23_mrt_e_main.pdf. Many Haratine in Mauritania are enslaved, and those who are free face discrimination […]

Niger, is a landlocked country found in West Africa, which became independent from France in 1960. It is a unitary semi presidential republic. It provides minimal government services, and is often debilitated by droughts. Niger has now ranked 189 out of 189 countries for the third time consecutively in the […]

Located on the west coast of Africa, the Federal Republic of Nigeria is characterized by its diverse ethnic groups. According to last available estimates (2015), approximately half of the population are Muslims, about 48% are Christians, and approximately 2% do not belong to a religious group. Many individuals are reported […]

A constitutionally secular state, Senegal gained independence from France in 1960. French remains the official language. The population of 16 million is estimated to be 96% Muslim, located mostly in the North of the country. The majority of Muslims are Sunni but belong to different Sufi brotherhoods, some of which […]

Predominantly Sunni Muslim (77%), with an influential Christian minority (22%), Sierra Leone’s religious practices tend to be syncretic and mixed with traditional belief.1https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/sierra-leone/ Constitution and government The Constitution2https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Sierra_Leone_2008 and other laws and policies protect freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly and association. Article 24(1) […]

Bordering Ghana and Benin, Togo is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa. Of its 8 million population, the majority are estimated to be Christian (43%), with a large proportion following traditional animist religions (35%), and a further 14% Sunni Muslims. Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion among […]