This edition of West Africa Insight will look ahead to key issues and events set to play out in 2019. In February two of the region’s countries will hold presidential elections. Voters will cast their ballots on 16 February in Nigeria. Ahead of the poll Matthew Page provides a comprehensive preview of important, yet overlooked, issues that are likely to define the process in his article ‘Nigeria’s 2019 Election: What Are We Missing?. In Senegal, where election day is scheduled for 24 February, Ousmane Diallo in his article ‘Sall clears path for second term in Senegal’ casts a look over the opposition candidates looking to challenge incumbent president Macky Sall. In both elections social media is likely to be playing an important role. Reflecting on Nigeria, but with application to the region, Emmanuel Akinwotu explores the growing phenomenon of misinformation and disinformation and efforts underway to tackle it in his article titled ‘Whose Truth? Disinformation and misinformation online in Nigeria‘. Finally, Kamissa Camara, the recently appointed Foreign Minister of Mali, outlines some of her hopes and expectations in the areas of security, development and regional collaboration for the country in 2019 in the conversation titled ’Building and sustaining partnerships Mali’s foreign policy ambitions’.
