Benin, formerly known as Dahomey, has the reputation of being a stable democracy. It boasts a proliferation of political parties and a strong civil society, particularly the press. On the economic side, however, the picture is less bright; Benin is severely underdeveloped, and corruption is rife. Benin is a member […]

Re-named 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) is comprised of 9 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. Constitution and government The constitution provides for separation of […]

A presidential representative democratic republic, Ivory Coast or Côte d’Ivoire experienced a coup d’état in 1999, followed by two religiously-grounded civil wars (2002 to 2007, then 2010 to 2011) with the north of the country largely controlled by Muslim rebels, and the recognised government presiding over the predominantly Christian south. Constitution and government The […]

Surrounded by Senegal, apart from a short strip of Atlantic coastline at its western end, Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa. This country is found to be in flux, following the democratic transfer of power in December 2016/January 2017. Some of the ratings applied at present reflect the regime […]

The government of Ghana constitutionally guarantees freedom of expression and generally respects it in practice, but press restriction continues. However there are strong concerns that religiosity is effectively enforced in some schools and numerous cases of social discrimination based on religion or belief. Constitution and government The government constitutionally guaranteed […]

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. Religious freedom issues persist in the country for the majority Muslim population as well as for other religious and nonreligious groups. Guinea is a member state […]

Guinea-Bissau is a former Portuguese colony in West Africa which maintains a multi-party presidential republic after undergoing a recent military coup. Religious rights are mostly respected throughout the country, although some issues persist. Guinea-Bissau is a member state of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Constitution and government Religious freedom […]

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 country into a long phase of […]

The Republic of Mali is a landlocked sovereign state in western Africa with a constitutional democracy and a population of approximately 14.5 million. Mali began a political transition away from authoritarianism in the early 1990s and many of the country’s institutions gradually began to become more free and democratic. However, […]