WAEMU Trade Rules Update: WAEMU aligned its preferential origin product list with HS 2022, helping customs apply rules of origin correctly, improve risk assessment and protect revenue collection. Border Security & Regional Cooperation: Nigeria’s federal government, border states and traditional rulers agreed to deploy early warning/early response mechanisms and boost intelligence sharing to curb cross-border crimes and irregular migration. Niger–Libya Talks: Niger’s PM met Libya’s PM in Tripoli to strengthen border control, fight cross-border organised crime and restart joint coordination on economic and infrastructure projects. Niger Fintech Push: A new focus on Niger’s digital finance challenge frames fintech as a development tool for payments, savings and small-business access in a landlocked, low-infrastructure economy. IsDB Funding Boost: The Islamic Development Bank approved US$2.8bn in development financing, including US$150m for Niger State’s solar energy project to expand clean power and reliability. Power Infrastructure Risk in Niger State: TCN warned that vandalism of transmission lines in Niger State is disrupting electricity supply and raising repair costs. Inflation Watch (Nigeria): Nigeria’s headline inflation rose to 15.93% in May, with food inflation climbing to 16.96%, keeping cost-of-living pressure high. Security Tensions in the Region: Mali’s latest jihadist offensive and Sahel-wide security concerns continue to shape regional risk, while Nigeria faces renewed debate over how to respond to insecurity.