The Economic Community of Central African States has so far followed the Chadian transition from the side lines, but that is set to change this year and is likely to flare up old tensions between Congo and Gabon.
The current managing director of Tradex, a veteran of state oil company SNH who is close to its director Adolphe Moudiki, is a rising star of the state oil sector set up by President Paul Biya.
The fate of the G5 Sahel is more uncertain than ever. Niger's head of state Mohamed Bazoum, who is about to take over the presidency, has made no secret of his scepticism about the usefulness of the organisation.
Opposition leader Ousmane Sonko's party is planning a series of overseas trips for the coming months. These will include the United States, Europe, Africa and various states in Latin America.
Several senior officers of the Nigerien Armed Forces (FAN) have expressed their disagreement with the award of a $18m contract to US contractor Amentum. Their concern is with the proposed model, which does not meet all the FAN's operational needs.
When they gather for the coming EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 23 January, the bloc's 27 foreign ministers will discuss the Ethiopian peace deal signed in November. This could lead to the unfreezing of hundreds of millions of euros pledged in aid to Addis Ababa.
The rumour of the resignation of Henri Rabarijohn, Governor of the Central Bank of Madagascar, had been circulating for weeks, and was eventually announced by some Malagasy media, however he remains in his job.
December was a hard month for South Africa in terms of power cuts. Eskom had to juggle between stage 4 and stage 6 load shedding, meaning good business for providers of batteries, power generations and solar panels.
The Tunisian minister of internal affairs Taoufik Charfeddine is locked in a tug-of-war with one of the main unions representing his staff. This battle over his vision of how it should be run has him pitted against the movement's figurehead, Lassâad Kchaou.
In a bid to improve its image, the Swiss raw materials giant Glencore has teamed up with Morocco's Managem to produce 1,200 tonnes of recycled cobalt.
