Cotton-to-clothing push: Benin is moving to keep more value from its raw cotton at home, with local fashion entrepreneurs in Parakou backing “Made in Benin” garments as the country discourages raw-material exports and targets finished products. Customs digitisation for trade: Nigeria Customs and Benin Customs have launched the Customs Declarations Exchange System (CDES) at the Seme-Krake border to track transit goods in real time, share risk alerts, and modernise joint border operations. Climate-smart agriculture: CSIR-SARI distributed 2,500 tree seedlings (mango, cashew and moringa) to 14 communities under the LOGMe II project, promoting agroforestry for climate adaptation and better farm incomes. Power sector dispute: Ossiomo Power Company in Edo challenged claims of 75% Chinese ownership, saying the crisis stems from a contractual fight and an alleged forced shutdown—an issue that keeps hitting SMEs and business operations. Maritime security cooperation: Nigeria’s Chief of Naval Staff urged stronger ECOWAS Standby Force readiness and wider regional maritime participation, citing logistics support to frontline states including Benin. Higher education disruption: UNIBEN lecturers extended an indefinite strike over unpaid salary shortfalls, adding pressure to the wider education and skills pipeline. Industry outlook: Analysts say AI could reshape Africa’s textile industrialisation—if electricity reliability and workforce training catch up.