Nigeria recently signed up for China’s “zero-tariff policy,” which, according to some analysts, could be strategic to Africa’s future and to the continent’s economic transformation. “The Zero-Tariff policy commenced in earnest on May 1, 2026, and it is instructive that the results so far have been impressive, with positive outcomes promising to change the fortunes of Africa for the better by facilitating open access for products into the Chinese market,” noted an article by Innocent Odoh on Leadership.ng, titled, “China’s Zero-Tariff Policy As New Dimension For Africa’s Prosperity.”

A 2025 panel discussion that included former British Prime Minister Liz Truss and Quincey Institute for Responsible Statecraft affiliate international relations scholar John Mearsheimer noted that the containment of China is being “notably analyzed” because of the Asian country’s unequaled “growth trajectory,” despite restraint efforts by the West.

The discussion was held on Global Impulse Media, an online digital content brand that focuses on global current events, technology developments and geopolitical shifts. The discussion exposed the fundamental hypocrisy of Western globalism.

During the panel discussion Chinese venture capitalist, political scientist and commentator Eric X. Li, gave substance to China as a global powerhouse. He challenged Mearsheimer’s claim, that, “We made China into a Godzilla, and it’s come back to haunt us.”

Li countered by explaining in the “beginning” that decades ago America and Western countries “were at the core of globalization” but that developing countries, including China were at the “periphery.” “… the division of labor was clear. The U.S. and western Europe were in charge of R&D (research and development) and finance and military. We were resigned to do cheap labor and sell natural resources, if we had them. China didn’t have them, but others had them,” Li said.

“China grew and moved up the value chain, meaning China left their designation of handling manufacturing and assembly,” he continued. According to Li, “Unfortunately the U.S. and certain Western countries thought, or perceived this as a threat. So, they didn’t want to do that anymore. So, globalization is in trouble.”

Former UK Prime Minister Truss claimed China’s development was enabled by allegedly being able to “cheat” the system. “We’ve moved into a multi polar world. What I think happened is the West actually enabled the rise of China by allowing China into the World Trade Organization (WTO), by allowing China to flout the rules of trade and cheat the system. And what I think we’re now seeing under President Trump is a push back,” she argued.

China joined the WTO in 2001. Li once again pushed back on Truss’ claim. “I’m not sure where that came from? When China signed up to the WTO it wasn’t told that it was signing up to the liberal international order. There was no such thing. It was made up in retrospect. It didn’t happen. This is the hubris of Western capitalism. Washington believed if you gave a country enough McDonald’s, it would automatically turn into a Western liberal democracy, let’s be honest, America and its Western cronies never cared about the liberal international order. When it came to trade it happily traded with Saudi Arabia, and for decades armed Arab Gulf monarchs without demanding they ever hold democratic elections. The democracy requirement was only retroactively applied to China when China became a peer competitor,” he countered.

As China grows stronger and its global position expands, the U.S. and its Western allies are threatened its growing influence in the Global South, including Africa.

The Chinese currency, the yuan, could soon be Africa’s most important currency. As China’s largest trading partner, it opens the possibility of making the yuan more important than the dollar on the continent.

Africa’s banks are signing up for China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), smoothing transactions and potentially avoiding sanctions.

“Africa is emerging as fertile ground for Beijing’s drive to make the yuan a major international currency and reduce reliance on the U.S. dollar, as an increasing number of financial institutions deepen their integration with China’s payment network,” South China Morning Post reported.

The outlet also reported that after talks in Beijing between Central Bank of Libya Governor Naji Issa and People’s Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng in July, the North African country’s banks were set to join CIPS.

“The move will facilitate direct yuan interbank payments for trade. According to the state-run Libyan News Agency, joining the network will streamline commercial transactions, accelerate cross-border transfers and boost trade flows. Libya also plans to tap into China’s capital market by issuing panda bonds—yuan-denominated debt sold by foreign entities in mainland China—which could help fund the country’s reconstruction following years of conflict,” explained the South China Morning Post.

China’s campaign to expand its global usage of its currency has gained another foothold in Africa after oil-rich Angola allowed commercial banks to use the Chinese currency to meet part of their mandatory foreign-currency reserve requirements.

China has stepped up initiatives to encourage the use of its currency in trade settlements, cross-border payments and reserve management, particularly across emerging markets where Chinese trade and investment have grown rapidly. Recently Beijing’s central bank authorized new Renminbi clearing arrangements on the continent through major banking partners, making it easier for businesses across the continent to settle transactions directly in yuan.

“The growing adoption of the Chinese currency is being driven not only by Beijing’s ambitions but also by efforts among some emerging economies to diversify payment and reserve currencies, reduce foreign exchange costs and deepen trade with China, noted africa.businessinsider.com.

Additionally, China’s zero-tariff concessional market access for African goods exported into its 1.4 billion population added a new dimension to China-Africa relations, which are predicated on the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

“According to the Chinese Envoy, in the first half of 2026, China—Africa trade reached a record high of $207 billion. From May to June alone, Chinese imports from Africa reached $29 billion, a 24% year-on-year increase. Estimates show that the zero-tariff policy has increased overall exports to China by roughly 6%, noted Nigeria’s Abuja based daily,” reported Leadership.ng.

Despite China’s economic growth didn’t begin with its admission to the WTO despite the claim by former Prime Minister Truss. It began in 1978 with Chinese paramount leader of the People’s Republic of China, Deng Xiaoping’s internal economic reforms. By the time China joined the WTO in 2001, their growth trajectory was already locked in. China’s success came from state directed industrial policy, massive infrastructure investment and human capital development.

This growth and expansion, particularly with inroads in Africa, has Western nations, particularly the U.S., concerned and trying to keep up.

The post America and its allies threatened by growing China-Africa economic ties appeared first on Final Call News.

Fidel was born on August 13, 1926, in Birán, Cuba. He became known worldwide for standing up to colonialism, racism, and U.S. control. He died on November 25, 2016, at 90, but his ideas still influence discussions in Cuba, Africa, and other developing countries.

The Cuban government named 2026 the “Year of the Centennial of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz.” From August 10 to 13, Havana hosted an international event titled “Fidel: Legacy and Future,” where experts and leaders discussed his legacy and future.

This commemoration happens during a tough time.  Cubans are dealing with long power outages, shortages of fuel, food, water, and medicine, less tourism, rising prices, and crumbling infrastructure. The U.S. has increased pressure on Cuba, while Cuban leaders acknowledge that domestic mistakes and bureaucracy have contributed to the crisis.

“It is very difficult to express the benefits that the triumph of the Cuban Revolution brought to the poorest,” Helen Cairo told The Final Call.  “In my large family, we were all able to study for free, and access to public health services was free. Life was bearable. My asthmatic son was treated for free.  At this moment, everything has gone overboard.”

Her story shows Cuba’s main struggle: people value the Revolution’s social gains but are frustrated by today’s problems. Many who once benefited from these programs now say they can’t  afford  basic  necessities.

From Moncada to revolution

As a young lawyer against the U.S.-supported dictator Fulgencio Batista, Fidel led the failed attack on Santiago de Cuba’s Moncada Barracks on July 26, 1953.  Many who took part were killed, tortured, or jailed.

During his trial, Fidel’s “History Will Absolve Me” speech criticized poverty, landlessness, and the denial of basic services. After being granted amnesty, he went to Mexico, then returned in December 1956 aboard the yacht Granma with 81 others, including his brother Raúl Castro and Dr. Ernesto “Che” Guevara.

After heavy losses, a small group reached the Sierra Maestra and launched a guerrilla campaign. Batista fled on January 1, 1959, and the Revolution succeeded.

The  new  government gave land to the people, launched a major literacy campaign, expanded education, established universal public health care, and took control of foreign-owned industries. For poor and working-class Cubans, this broke down barriers of race and class. UNESCO calls the 1961 literacy campaign a major educational milestone.

Wealthy Cubans, former Batista supporters and other opponents left. Political power was consolidated under a one-party socialist system, and critics accused Fidel’s government of restricting dissent, independent media and expression.

Ninety miles from the U.S.

The U.S. responded with economic pressure, isolation, secret operations, and assassination attempts. Cuban forces stopped a U.S.-backed invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961. The embargo, started in the early 1960s, has lasted through many U.S. presidents, limiting Cuba’s access to markets, banking, fuel, technology, and medicine.

Cuban officials call it a blockade because it also punishes foreign businesses and banks that work with Cuba.  Many United Nations member states have repeatedly called for it to end.

Yet sanctions alone do not explain the emergency. COVID-19, collapsed tourism, diminished allied support, an aging electrical system, weak production and a troubled currency reform deepened it. Current Cuba President Miguel Díaz-Canel says defending socialism requires correcting failures, increasing production and confronting bureaucracy, echoing Fidel’s view of revolution as a continuing process.

A friend of African liberation

Fidel’s influence goes beyond Cuba. While he was in charge, Cuba supported African independence movements and sent troops to Angola after apartheid South Africa invaded. Cuban, Angolan, and allied forces fought South Africa’s military at Cuito Cuanavale, which helped the fight for Namibian independence and the end of apartheid.

Cuba sent doctors, teachers, and technicians to Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. When Nelson Mandela visited Cuba in 1991, he thanked Fidel and the Cuban people for helping the African National Congress at a time when Western governments saw the movement as an enemy.

“We have come here today recognizing our great debt to the Cuban people,” said Nelson Mandela during a 1991 visit to Cuba. “What other country has such a history of selfless behavior as Cuba has shown for the people of Africa?

How many countries benefit from Cuban health care professionals and educators? How many of these volunteers are now in Africa? What country has ever needed help from Cuba and has not received it? How many countries threatened by imperialism or fighting for their freedom have been able to count on the support of Cuba?”

For Black Americans, Fidel’s boldness meant a lot. In September 1960, he met Malcolm X at Harlem’s Hotel Thereafter Manhattan hotels refused to host Cuba’s delegation. Their meeting connected the Cuban Revolution, the Black freedom movement, and global resistance to colonialism.

Fidel also met with the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, who visited Cuba and often spoke up for its independence and right to choose its own path.

“Please remember what I said to you in our last meeting, that there is no such thing as death for Fidel Castro, for you are an idea whose time has arrived; and that idea is deep in the souls of most of the Cuban people and now in the hearts of many throughout the world. This idea will continue to grow, and you will continue to grow with it from beyond the grave,” wrote Minister Farrakhan in a 2006 letter.

A legacy facing the future

Cuba made it through the Bay of Pigs, nuclear threats, sabotage, sanctions, and the tough “Special Period” after the Soviet Union fell. Now, families face blackouts and shortages, many young people are leaving, and hospitals and schools, once symbols of the Revolution, are struggling.

The challenge now is to use the Revolution’s values, putting people’s needs first, protecting independence, and listening to the public, to face problems Fidel never saw.

Fidel’s first 100 years don’t show a perfect society.  Instead, they show a small country standing up for the rights of poor people to have education, health care, dignity, and independence, even against the world’s strongest government.

Now, Cuba’s future depends on maintaining its social gains, addressing its problems, and withstanding economic pressure without giving up its independence. Fidel Castro‘s legacy goes on. Its meaning is still closely tied to the everyday lives of Cubans.

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In an assessment released on August 18, FAO and the UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) found that just 448 hectares (1,107 acres) of the besieged Palestinian region’s cropland remained accessible and undamaged as of June 24, 2026.

Although 4,091 hectares (10,109 acres)—about a quarter of Gaza’s total cropland—were technically accessible, the remaining 3,643 hectares (9,002 acres) were severely damaged to be cultivated without extensive rehabilitation.

Since October 2025, accessible and undamaged cropland has fallen from 601 hectares (1,482 acres) to 448 hectares (1,107 acres), a loss of 153 hectares (378 acres), or 25.5%. Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis recorded the largest reductions.

FAO attributed the deterioration primarily to Palestinians being prevented by occupying Israeli forces from reaching their fields, including amid the westward expansion of the so-called “Yellow Line,” which separates the declared ceasefire zone from areas under Israeli military control.

Rafah has been particularly affected, with 97.2% of its cropland and 98.4% of its greenhouse area inaccessible to Palestinian farmers. The most extensive physical damage is concentrated in North Gaza and Gaza governorates.

The assessment found that 224 hectares (553.5 acres), or 16.6 percent of greenhouse area, remained accessible and undamaged down from 226 hectares (558 acres), or 17.3 percent, in October 2025. Deir al-Balah recorded the largest decrease.

Meanwhile, farmers who can still reach their land face severe shortages of seeds, fertilizer, irrigation equipment and fuel. Livestock owners are struggling to obtain feed, veterinary supplies and animal-health services, while available supplies are often poor in quality and prohibitively expensive.

“Without urgent action to restore safe access and provide farmers with the support they need, opportunities to restore local food production will continue to diminish,” said Rein Paulsen, director of FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience.

The agricultural crisis is unfolding alongside continued restrictions on humanitarian aid. Palestinian rights group Al Mezan recently reported that Israel continues to restrict aid entering the besieged territory, with only a fraction of the 600 trucks per day stipulated under the ceasefire agreement reaching Gaza.

Many of the trucks that do enter carry commercial goods rather than humanitarian supplies, while Israeli inspection procedures have delayed or blocked relief shipments.

Before Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, agriculture accounted for roughly 10% of the territory’s economy and supported the livelihoods of more than 560,000 people through farming, livestock and fishing.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor recently warned that Gaza’s aid network is nearing collapse as Israeli restrictions continue to disrupt deliveries of food and medicine, heightening the risk of famine.

The rights group said Gaza’s already severe food crisis could rapidly worsen, pushing vulnerable communities back towards famine.

Israel’s genocidal war has already killed more than 73,399 Palestinians and wounded over 174,310, while destroying around 90 percent of Gaza’s infrastructure, according to authorities.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health has recorded 1,266 Palestinians killed and 4,200 wounded since the so-called ceasefire took effect in Gaza on October 11, 2025. 

Gaza’s Government Media Office estimates that around 9,500 Palestinians have been reported missing since the war began on October 7, 2023, many of whom are believed to remain buried beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings. (PressTV.co.uk)

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The Zionist regime carried out eight airstrikes on Aug. 18 against the Abu al-Duhur military air base in eastern Idlib, around 70 kilometers (43.4 miles) from Turkiye, damaging its runway and storage facilities.

The strikes have heightened tensions between Ankara and Tel Aviv, with Turkish news outlets portraying the attack as a message aimed at preventing Ankara from establishing a stronger presence in Syria.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the strikes were intended to prevent a possible deployment of Turkish forces at the base, arguing that such a move would threaten the regime’s security.

Turkiye rejected the justification as “untenable,” saying Netanyahu was pursuing expansionist and destabilizing policies and using security arguments to legitimize attacks on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Turkish outlet Milli Gazete had previously warned that continued Israeli aggression against Syria could eventually bring the regime to Turkiye’s borders, while other outlets have described its growing presence as an emerging strategic challenge for Ankara.

Ankara is working with the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) regime on military, and security matters, making the possibility of Turkish forces operating from strategic Syrian facilities a major point of tension.

U.S. Ambassador to Turkiye and Syria, Thomas Joseph Barrack, described the Israeli strikes as an “unnecessary escalation” and called for mechanisms to prevent misunderstandings and accidental clashes between Turkiye, Israel and Syria.

Barrack said Turkiye had not been warned about the strikes beforehand, highlighting the danger of an Israeli attack on facilities linked to Turkish military plans and could trigger a direct confrontation.

The strikes have reinforced growing concerns in Turkiye that Israel’s military expansionism is no longer a distant regional issue but an increasingly direct security threat to Ankara.

(PressTV.co.uk)

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The ministry, in a statement released on Aug. 13, vehemently condemned the rhetoric of “criminal” Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the Golan Heights, occupied by the Tel Aviv regime for almost 60 years, will remain part of Israel “for eternity,” and his fierce opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

“Basically, the leader of the criminal gang and mafia ruling over the occupied Palestinian territories is not in a position to comment on the formation of an independent Palestinian state, because the Palestinian land belongs to the Palestinian people, and the racist illusions of the genocidal Zionist regime cannot change this reality,” the statement added.

It added that “the Golan Heights are an inseparable part of the territory of Syria, and the colonial ambitions of a usurping and occupying entity cannot change its legal and historical realities.”

The Iranian foreign ministry also condemned Colombia’s recent recognition of the Israeli regime’s sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, calling it a violation of the UN Charter and international law.

“Within this framework, the Colombian government’s recent decision to recognize the sovereignty of the Zionist regime over the occupied Golan Heights is completely rejected and condemned.

And constitutes a clear violation of the fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law concerning respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states,” the statement also read.

It noted that such an action also conflicts with the recognized principle of international law prohibiting recognition of the effects of unlawful acts and entails international responsibility of the Colombian government.

While emphasizing the legal, moral and humanitarian obligation of all governments, particularly Muslim countries, to help Palestinians achieve their right to self-determination and freedom from the Zionist regime‘s occupation, apartheid and colonialism.

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recalled the responsibility of the UN Security Council to stop the occupation and relentless aggression of the Zionist regime against occupied Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and other countries in the region.

The statement went on to note that the Palestinian issue remains the most important humanitarian and moral subject of the contemporary world, which began in 1948 with the creation of a fabricated entity in the historic land of Palestine and, through its cancerous expansion, has made the entire West Asia region and the world insecure.

“There is no doubt that the comprehensive support of the United States and certain Western countries, including Britain, France, Germany and Canada, for the genocidal Zionist regime has been the main factor behind its impunity and has led to the continuation and intensification of its expansionism and crimes in the region,” the statement pointed out. 

The Islamic Republic of Iran, while reiterating its principled position in support of the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people to liberate their land from occupation, strongly condemns any attempt to marginalize the Palestinian issue, the Iranian foreign ministry concluded. (RT.com)

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In an open letter to the PM run by the media on Aug. 7, leaders of 10 British trade unions, representing more than 2.3 million workers, urged Burnham to stop rendering support to the illegal U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, and instead focus on the nation’s cost of living crisis.

“[T]he U.S. and Israel’s devastating, illegal war on Iran is deepening the cost-of-living crisis faced by our members and the British public,” the open letter to Burnham stated, pointing out in continuation that the disruption caused by the war is worsening the cost of living crisis in the UK.    

“Disruption to the world’s food and energy supplies is hurting communities here in Britain and having a catastrophic impact in the global south,” it said.

British trade union leaders said they were encouraged by the new Labor government’s focus on the cost of living crisis, but voiced deep concern over any authorization granted to the U.S. to use its bases against Iran.

“We are encouraged by the new government’s focus on the cost of living and the measures it is taking to make life more affordable. However, we are deeply concerned that the same government has authorized U.S. air strikes to be conducted from bases on British territories as part of the war against Iran,” the representative of the large group of British laborers said in the letter to the UK Labor Party prime minister.

They called on Burnham to put pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump to bring the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran to a quick end.

Burnham, right after he took office last month, allowed the use of RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and the Indian Ocean territory of Diego Garcia to assist the U.S. in the illegal war of aggression against Iran.

On July 21, Burnham approved the continued use of British military bases by the United States for military aggression against Iran, maintaining a policy established under his predecessor, Keir Starmer.

Burnham’s approval of ongoing contribution to American aggression against the Islamic Republic came after another hostile decision by the British government to designate the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) under Britain’s so-called “State Threats legislation.”

Late last month, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned the UK against contributing support to the aggressors waging war against the Islamic Republic.

Iran’s top diplomat issued the warning in a direct telephone call to his British counterpart Ed Miliband on July 31. (PressTV.co.uk)

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The choice of capital city Nairobi was not incidental.

This marked the first time a France-Africa summit was co-hosted and held in an Anglophone (English-speaking) African nation rather than a traditionally Francophone (French-speaking) country on the continent. The summit came amid France’s diminishing ties with its former African colonies but as Kenya is seeking increased trade.

In advance of the summit, Macron told Paris-based magazine “The Africa Report” that colonialism could no longer be blamed for all of Africa’s challenges. “We must not exonerate from all responsibility the seven decades that followed independence,” he said. He called on African leaders to improve governance.

This condescending remark was not the only controversial thing the French president stated.

According to Ghana’s online news portal, Modernghana.com, Macron made another declaration that sparked debate. “Standing alongside Kenyan President William Ruto at a press conference on the eve of the Africa Forward Summit, French President Emmanuel Macron looked into the lenses of the world’s media and made a declaration that would ignite a continent,” reported Modernghana.com.

According to the outlet, Macron claimed, “We are the true Pan-Africanists.” The French president, with his country’s history of colonialism and the post-colonial blemish of Africa’s last colonial currency, the CFA Franc, added, “We believe that Africa is a continent, and that this continent has an enormous amount to build.”

Within hours, his comments went viral. “For millions of Africans who know their history who know what France spent three centuries doing on the African continent the claim was not simply debatable. It was breathtaking in its audacity.

And what followed both in the streets of Nairobi and on social media platforms across Africa and its diaspora was one of the most pointed, passionate, and historically grounded conversations about France’s relationship with Africa that the continent has had in a generation,” noted Modernghana.com.

Togolese human rights activist Farida Bemba Nabourema responded in a scathing open letter to Macron titled, “You Are Not A Panafricanist and Can Never Be!”

In it, she took Macron to task recounting France’s colonialist past. She recounted France’s horrific history that began on the continent of Africa. “Pan-Africanism was not born in Paris. It was not theorized in the corridors of sciences or the salons of the Fifth Republic.

It was born in the holds of slave ships, in the plantation fields of Saint-Domingue in the exile of men and women whom your republic and its predecessors hunted, poisoned, shot, disappeared and buried in unmarked graves precisely because they had the temerity to believe that African and African-descended people deserved to govern themselves,” she wrote.

“Pan-Africanism is, at its most fundamental, the political philosophy that said no to everything France spent three centuries saying yes to: slavery, colonialism and neocolonialism.

It is the intellectual and organizational tradition built in direct and irreconcilable opposition to the project your nation prosecuted across this continent with a consistency and a brutality that your current rhetorical repositioning cannot retroactively launder.”

Nabourema’s response was not the first time Macron has been confronted with response by Africans on France’s colonial history and its impact.

In October of 2021 Macron hosted a summit in Montpellier, France. No heads of state were invited, but reportedly thousands of young Africans, including artists, athletes, and businesspeople attended. According to Theelephant.com, an online outlet that provides analysis on the continent, the purpose of the 2021 gathering was, “To demonstrate a ‘new’ France-Africa relationship, built on listening to youth.”

At the summit Kenyan radio personality and social activist Adelle Onyango addressed the audience in which Macron was a part of. “We as Africans feel the pain of colonization every single day. The lack of a clear and strong acknowledgement of the continent’s pain on this destructive past results in skepticism.

What we end up with is skepticism of what exactly does France stand for. … In fact, the air of denial that France chooses to sit in is uncomfortable, not only for Africa but also for France, and it does no good for either one of us. How can you trust the source of your pain when the source doesn’t acknowledge it?” she said, reported Theelephant.com.

Macron’s real quest is in reinventing the colonial narrative. His goal is to stay connected by any means necessary, to a continent that is awakening to its history of being subjected to the Global North, including French imperialism.

Additionally, there are media reports that point out that France’s new African initiative, may have more to do with its current economic situation. France may not currently be collapsing economically, but as the world’s seventh largest economy, it faces a severe fiscal and political strain, driven by mounting public debt, high government spending, and a persistent budget deficit.

John Ryan is an economist and a Network Research Fellow at CESifo, Munich. He noted, in an article published on the website of the London School of Economics website (LSE), that France’s debt metrics are abysmal and he writes in part that France’s “External debt stands at approximately $7.7 trillion, equivalent to around 248 percent of GDP, while total debt across the economy is close to 319 percent of GDP.”

In Dr. Ndongo Sylla’s book, “Africa’s Last Colonial Currency: The CFA Franc Story,” co-authored by journalist Fanny Pigeaud, they argue that the CFA Franc continues to act as a neocolonial tool that extracts wealth from Africa’s Francophone countries.

They outline how this monetary arrangement hinders economic sovereignty, perpetuates underdevelopment, and subordinates African nation-states to European financial policies and French geopolitical interests.

The question Africa has to ask is: Does the continent with its significant mineral wealth want to continue to tie itself to a former colonial master during a time of its severe fiscal and political crises? Follow Jehron Muhammad @africawatchfcn on X

The post The ongoing attempts by French president to keep colonial hooks in Africa appeared first on Final Call News.

The four countries together represent over two-thirds of the world’s global cocoa production. At the recent Cocoa Value Addition Summit 2026, in Abuja, Nigeria, they declared that establishing this new agreement has the potential to coordinate policies, promote local cocoa processing, bring production standards into harmony, and strengthen the continent of  Africa’s bargaining power in the global cocoa industry.

Cocoa is a seed from the Theobroma Cacao Tree and is the primary or essential raw material in the making of chocolate. According to confectioneryproduction.com, the world’s demand for chocolate has developed into a $150 billion industry

“with African countries supplying over 70% of the cocoa for it—yet its farming communities reportedly gain no more than between 5-10% of that overall value, due to the longstanding supply chain system that has seen the majority of profits returned to largely European-based processing facilities and corporations.”

“Value added” is simply the addition given to raw material by processing it before selling it abroad. In Walter Rodney’s book, “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa,” he explains how Europeans and Americans have a history of undervaluing Africa’s substantial mineral wealth by exporting raw material and processing it abroad.

This is the ultimate form of exploitation, and the primary hallmark of the capitalist imperialist economic system, Dr. Rodney points out. Throughout the book, one of Dr. Rodney’s main arguments is that through this exploitation, Africa developed Europe at the same rate that Europe underdeveloped Africa.

Perhaps this agreement between Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana and Ivory Coast will be a step toward the West African nation breaking off this European and American exploitation.

According to Nigeria’s Punch Newspaper, in speaking in advance of the July 14, Cocoa Value Addition Summit, Senator John Owan Enoh, who is the Minister of State for Industry in Nigeria, said African cocoa-producing countries were determined to change a century-old trade model that has left producing nations with little economic value despite supplying most of the world’s cocoa.

“For a hundred years, Africa has sent its cocoa to the world in sacks and received it back in wrappers, paying at both ends of the transaction,” said Senator Enoh, the outlet reported.

“The distance between a bean and a brand is measured in jobs and in dignity, and on July 14, in Abuja, four nations begin closing that distance together. We do not gather to lament the market. We gather to redesign our place in it,” the senator who is also a cocoa farmer said.

During the summit sponsored by the Nigerian government, the country’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, unveiled a “far-reaching” plan designed to enhance the country and wider regions of cocoa production to retain a greater share of its overall commercial value, noted confectioneryproduction.com.

The president was represented at the summit by his Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari. The theme of the summit was “From Bean to Brand: The Bean in My Hand, The Brand in Our Future.” 

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security noted that Kyari pointed out that “Nigeria is shifting from exporting raw cocoa to processing it domestically, to create jobs, attract investments and earn more foreign exchange from (the) cocoa sub-sector.”

He added that “Seven of every ten cocoa pods on this earth ripen under the African sun. They are grown by African hands-on African soil with African knowledge passed down through generations, and yet of a global chocolate economy now valued at well over $130 billion and by some recent estimates approaching $165 billion,’’ reported Agriculture.gov.ng.

“We will grind our beans at home, we will press our butter at home, we will make our chocolate at home, brand it at home and sell it to the world on our own terms.’’ 

During the summit, participants received updates on the construction of what is expected to become Nigeria’s largest cocoa processing facility, a 70,000-metric-ton processing plant being developed by Sunbeth Global Concepts in Sagamu, Ogun State, which is scheduled for commissioning in 2027.

In addition, the Ghanaian news site Pulse reported that the country is set to join Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Cameroon in a landmark agreement aimed at transforming Africa’s cocoa industry by increasing local processing, strengthening the continent’s bargaining power and reducing its dependence on exporting raw cocoa beans.

According to Brandspur Brand News, “Nigeria will also sign a separate Cocoa Value Addition Accord with cocoa-producing state governments, farmers’ associations, processors, researchers and development finance institutions.

The agreement is expected to drive investment across the cocoa value chain, expand domestic processing capacity and improve earnings for cocoa farmers through coordinated implementation.”

Later this year on October 7-8, Nigeria will host the Africa Cocoa and Coffee Conference. It will convene an unprecedented assembly of cocoa and coffee stakeholders across the full value chains—farmers, cooperatives, processors, roasters, exporters, researchers, policymakers, development finance institutions, and multilateral organizations—to drive concrete action on the most urgent challenges and opportunities facing Africa’s cocoa and coffee sectors.

The conference is presented by the Cocoa and Coffee Farmers Alliance Association of Africa (COCEFAAA) in partnership with the Federal Ministry of  Agriculture and the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria.

Follow Jehron Muhammad @africawatchfcn on X

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In a July 28 social media post, CNN host Jake Tapper highlighted the DOD’s silence about the school attack, noting that “the White House and Pentagon have so far refused any accountability or transparency.”

Tapper then posted a timeline of accumulated evidence that the U.S. was responsible for the deadly strike, while also including a quote from Rachel VanLandingham, a retired official from the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG), who said “it’s atrocious that we haven’t had an acknowledgment, an explanation, and an apology yet” from the Pentagon.

Earlier this month, CNN reported that the investigation into the school bombing was essentially complete, and it found that U.S. military commanders “bypassed warnings” indicating that their database of strike targets inside Iran was badly out of date shortly before authorizing the attack on the building.

Two of CNN’s sources said senior commanders ignored the warnings out of “expediency,” as they did not want to significantly delay providing target lists during the outset of the war, which Trump illegally launched in February without authorization from the U.S. Congress.

A group of experts at the United Nations last week renewed calls for the U.S. to release the findings of its probe into the school bombing, noting that the U.S. has “obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law.”

“Five months following the school bombing in Minab, the U.S. and Israel have not made any findings public, raising valid questions regarding the impartiality, effectiveness and transparency of any investigation that may be underway,” they said. “Justice delayed is justice denied.”

Two weeks ago, a group of 25 Democratic U.S. senators sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pressing him to release the results of the Pentagon investigation and to submit to Congress a “prevention and remediation plan that identifies the specific corrective actions the Department will take to ensure this does not happen again.”

“The United States military has a legal and moral obligation to take all feasible precautions to prevent civilian harm,” the senators wrote. “When a U.S. strike kills civilians, the Department owes Congress, the American people, and the victims’ families a clear accounting of what happened and a credible plan to prevent future failures.”

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An investigation published by the Financial Times on July 22 estimated that Washington has collected more than $13 billion from Venezuelan oil exports since taking control of the country’s oil sales in January, following the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro Moros.

The report said the revenues were expected to provide a major boost to Venezuela’s economy, where oil accounts for roughly one-quarter of national output.

However, despite the sharp rise in oil income, Venezuela’s economic recovery has remained weak, raising questions over Washington’s control of the revenues and whether the funds have reached the Venezuelan economy.

The report highlighted that only one transfer of $300 million has been publicly recorded on a Venezuelan government website created to monitor the U.S.-controlled oil revenues.

It also highlighted conflicting statements from Washington regarding who controls the funds and how they are being managed.

A January executive order described the U.S. role as merely holding the money in a custodial capacity, yet Trump later boasted that Washington was “making a lot of money” from Venezuelan oil.

He cited oil revenues as one of the benefits of the U.S. aggression against Venezuela, saying, “48 minutes to win that war,” and claiming, “We brought millions of barrels of oil out,” after taking control of the country’s oil exports.

A senior State Department official, Michael Kozak told Congress in April that roughly $3 billion had been transferred to Venezuela. However, lawmakers later said they had received no further disclosures regarding the funds.

The lack of transparency has prompted lawmakers from Republican and Democratic party to demand answers, with Republican Representative Maria Elvira Salazar calling on the administration to publicly disclose how the funds are being used and ensure greater financial accountability.

Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro said “Trump’s invasion of Venezuela has been about oil, power and graft from the very beginning, with billions of dollars in Venezuelan oil revenue being controlled by the Trump administration without transparency or safeguards.”

The report said questions over the management of the revenues have become even more urgent following the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24.

The United Nations estimated that damage to buildings and infrastructure alone amounted to approximately $37 billion.

Despite the country’s extensive reconstruction needs, the report found no public evidence that the overwhelming majority of the oil revenues collected by Washington have reached Caracas.

Economist Francisco Rodríguez told the newspaper that Venezuela’s first-quarter growth of only 2.5 percent, the weakest rate in nearly five years, suggested that the United States was retaining control of the oil revenues.

Former opposition lawmaker and economist José Guerra raised similar concerns, saying that Venezuelan oil revenues should have been substantially higher and asking: “Where is the money? There is no transparency and the U.S. government does not inform us.”

The report added that the estimated $13 billion figure covers only oil exports and does not include revenues from Venezuelan mining exports, some of which U.S. officials have acknowledged are also being collected by the Trump administration. (Presstv.co.uk)

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