Julius Maada Bio

Guinea, Sierra Leone
Game over for billionaire Beny Steinmetz's BSGR African venture

Beny Steinmetz Global Resources, named after the Franco-Israeli tycoon who founded it, was quietly wound up in late 2025. Whilst the group, which had faced a string of legal setbacks, had already withdrawn from Guinea, the fate of its operations in neighbouring Sierra Leone remains uncertain.

The New Guard
Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Togo, DRC

Every Wednesday, Africa Intelligence spotlights a new generation of movers and shakers in business and politics.

CameroonAbdoulaye Mouchili, the new face of KPMG in Central Africa

Sierra LeoneDavid Sengeh, Julius Maada Bio's right-hand man aiming for the presidency

Togo, DRCManuel Ntumba, the data governance expert

Ghana
Accra nurtures its relations with Alliance of Sahel states

John Mahama chose to invite the Alliance of the Sahel States to the high-level consultative conference on regional cooperation and security, rather than Ivory Coast and Benin.

West Africa
ECOWAS military chiefs heading to Freetown to debate future of standby force

The leaders of the region's armed forces will meet in the Sierra Leone capital in the coming weeks to launch the regional anti-terrorist force. The contingents made available to ECOWAS by each army will also be announced.

Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast
Ouattara finally entrusts monitoring the Bissau crisis to his VP

The president has entrusted his vice president with overseeing the crisis in Guinea-Bissau, triggered by the 26 November coup.

Guinea-Bissau
A curious coup

More than 24 hours after the putsch that overthrew Umaro Sissoco Embaló, confusion reigns in the capital. While the opposition has claimed that the former president orchestrated the coup, foreign partners remain in a state of uncertainty.

West Africa
ECOWAS standby force and the issue of funding

Under pressure from Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, the sub-regional organisation is expected to present a funding project for a military standby force in the coming weeks. However, few are in favour of it seeing the light of day.

West Africa
Appointment of Julius Maada Bio raises concerns within ECOWAS

Involved in various peace and mediation processes in Sierra Leone, the regional organisation has given a cautious welcome to the appointment of the country's president as its chair.

Sierra Leone
Freetown hires new PR firm in Washington

The Sierra Leone government recently hired the services of US public relations firm Weintraub Communications.

Sierra Leone
Freetown's $500m Millennium Challenge Corp grant hangs on US Congress approval

The US development agency MCC approved half a billion dollars in aid to Sierra Leone in late June, but disbursement is still subject to the approval of Congress, some of whose members are proving wary.

Palace Intrigues
Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Paul Biya, Patrice Talon, Andry Rajoelina

Intrigues big and small... Every Thursday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.

GabonTurkey's BGN cosies up to General Oligui

CameroonPaul Biya refuses to replace head of presidential guard

BeninPatrice Talon on voicemail only at ECOWAS summit

MadagascarRajoelina to be sworn in without a French minister present