Fertiliser, oil, liquefied natural gas, cement… The Dangote conglomerate, a group owned by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is active in a range of industries.

Exporting its many products is key for the group – and now, plans for a new port could help with that.

Dangote reportedly submitted a construction proposal for a seaport located in Ogun state in southwestern Nigeria to the regional authorities in late June.

The project could be the biggest and deepest port in Nigeria. According to the proposal, the port would be constructed in the Olokola Free Trade Zone, a project initially abandoned by Dangote over unresolved issues with the previous local administration.

The port’s planned location is around 100 km away from key Dangote fertilizer and petrochemical plants in Lagos. Initially, these plants were supposed to also be located in the Free Trade Zone in Ogun state, but the stalled negotiations between the conglomerate and the state’s previous administration led to plants eventually being built near Lagos.

It is for now unclear whether the proposal for the new port has been accepted.

Nearly 250 imams and Islamic preachers joined a national awareness session against online hate speech Saturday and Sunday, following a surge in extremist violence in Burkina Faso. 

At the workshop hosted by Burkina Faso’s Federation of Islamic Associations (FAIB), attendees were handed a guide on public speaking for preachers which forbids the use of Islamic discourse to disturb stability, including insulting and violent rhetoric, RFI reported.  

”We encourage Muslim youth to use social media responsibly and are committed to strengthening the ongoing training of imams and preachers on digital issues and religious communication”, the federation said on Facebook following the workshop.

Failure to comply with the new code of conduct online may result in disciplinary or even criminal sanctions: including a ban of up to two years from preaching, RFI reported.

In October, a video emerged of a preacher urging his supporters to attack members of another Muslim congregation. The incident made FAIB sound the alarm on the ”emergence of dangerous deviations in religious discourse”, according to RFI.

The growing number of social media users in Africa is a “double-edged sword”, according to a UNDP report, due to its utility for violent actors to “market extremist ideas and spread terror to different audiences around the world”.

Social media platforms can facilitate radicalisation by promoting content with emotional appeal that taps into the grievances of users and reinforces their frustrations, according to the report. 

The proliferation of religious hate speech online is concerning amid a surge in violent extremism in Burkina Faso. Terrorism-related deaths in the Sahel region have soared past 6,000 for three consecutive years, making up more than half of all global fatalities, said UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed in January.

In this time, Burkina Faso has seen a 68% increase in terrorism fatalities, making it the leading country in the world for terrorism deaths, according to UN figures.

The atmosphere was calm and disciplined on Monday, July 14, 2025, in Lomé, as Togo’s security and defense forces, including paramilitary units and members of the operational reserve, cast their ballots in early voting ahead of the municipal elections. This special vote was organized to allow them to fulfill their civic duty while remaining available to ensure the security of the general election scheduled for July 17.

At the polling station, the voting process went smoothly in a strictly orderly environment.

“There hasn’t been a single incident. So far, everything is going well, and they are voting calmly,” said Poutouli Pisseyem, the polling station president. “They follow all our instructions,” he added.

This early vote marks the official kickoff of a highly anticipated municipal election, watched closely by both the political class and a public caught between hope and caution. On the ground, the campaign is in full swing. Political parties and independent candidates are making rounds to win over voters. Supporters of the ruling party, UNIR, are focused on consolidating progress.

“Go vote, vote for UNIR, because we need continuity in the work already being done,” said Geneviève Amégnaglo, a local UNIR delegate.

On the opposition side, some leaders insist on maintaining their presence despite boycott calls from parts of civil society.

“To improve living conditions, the opposition must take part and show what it’s capable of,” said opposition leader Jean-Pierre Fabre.

Still, the apparent calm masks underlying tensions. Civil society groups have called for days of mourning on July 14 and 15, while web activists from the M66 movement have announced protests for July 16 and 17, the day of the vote.

With just hours left before polls open for the general public, the streets are watching, uncertain. Togo’s democracy is facing another major test, under close watch.