Question 1

What is ECOWAS?

Accepted Answer

A 15-member West African bloc founded in 1975 for economic integration, free movement and, increasingly, regional security. It runs a parliament, a court of justice and a development bank.

Question 2

What is the African Union?

Accepted Answer

A 55-member continental body founded in 2002, successor to the OAU. It sets continental policy through the Assembly and Commission, and coordinates trade, peace and security missions.

Question 3

Why are there 54 countries?

Accepted Answer

Colonial borders fixed at the 1884–85 Berlin Conference were largely retained at independence to avoid conflict. Later separations — Eritrea in 1993, South Sudan in 2011 — brought the recognised total to 54.

Question 4

How does the CFA franc work?

Accepted Answer

Two separate currencies used by 14 countries, pegged to the euro and backed by convertibility arrangements with France. Monetary policy is set by BCEAO in West Africa and BEAC in Central Africa.

Question 5

What is the Great Rift Valley?

Accepted Answer

A continental-scale system of faults running roughly 6,000km from the Red Sea to Mozambique, where the African plate is slowly splitting — producing the Rift lakes, volcanoes and major fossil sites.

Question 6

What is the AfCFTA?

Accepted Answer

The African Continental Free Trade Area, operational since 2021, aims to remove tariffs on 90% of goods across member states, creating a single market of around 1.4 billion people.

Question 7

What is the Sahel?

Accepted Answer

A semi-arid belt roughly 1,000km wide stretching from Senegal to Sudan, between the Sahara and the savanna. It is defined by rainfall, not politics — though its politics dominate coverage.

Question 8

How many languages are spoken in Africa?

Accepted Answer

Between 1,500 and 2,000 living languages across four major families, with Swahili, Hausa, Yoruba, Amharic and Arabic among the most widely spoken.

What is ECOWAS?Institutions

What is the African Union?Institutions

Why are there 54 countries?History

How does the CFA franc work?Economy

What is the Great Rift Valley?Geography

What is the AfCFTA?Trade

What is the Sahel?Geography

How many languages are spoken in Africa?Culture