The vast semi-arid Sahel region in Africa stretches from the north of my beautiful country, Senegal, all the way east to northern Ethiopia, like a headband across to the top of the continent. Much that is written on the Sahel focuses on its climatic limitations and other challenges. In this edition of IFC Insights, a story by writers Olivier Monnier and Abdoul Maiga focuses instead on the agribusiness investment opportunities within its borders.

My region, West Africa, is full of such surprises ― just ask Maiga, who upon moving to Dakar discovered a local baby food company founded by a young women entrepreneur. His seven-month-daughter approved, and he was so intrigued by the company that he delved into the story of this entrepreneur and her local manufacturing and sales operation.

The second focus in this week’s edition is on education technology. This includes a fascinating look by IFC economist Iain Bain on how education technology will transform vocational training ― preparing potentially millions of people for jobs, including in high-tech fields such as software engineering. And writer Brian Beary reports on a fast-emerging learning revolution inside universities that are expanding their online offerings from Latin America to Africa and beyond.

Enjoy the stories! Merci, Thank you, Jërëjëf!

― Moussoukoro Diop