Why cybersecurity is now a strategic imperative for business growth, trust and resilience
Cyber incidents now quickly become a leadership problem. Cyber incidents have impacts on operations, the balance sheet and the trust that keeps customers and partners leaning in.
Yet too many organizations still treat cybersecurity as a technical function or a compliance hurdle. That misalignment is becoming harder to defend as geopolitics, regulation, supply-chain interdependence, cybercrime and emerging technologies increase the complexity of the cyber landscape.
Congo Basin Countries Forge Strategic Path to Carbon Markets with Roadmaps to Monetize Forest Wealth
WASHINGTON, February 23, 2026 – Six countries of the Congo Basin—Cameroon, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Republic of Congo—are working to take bold steps to unlock results-based payments and climate finance. The newly launched Strategic Roadmaps for Carbon Market and Climate Finance in the Forest Sector for the Congo Basin Countries developed with support from the World Bank, serve as blueprints to transform the region’s vast forest wealth into a powerful engine for climate-resilient growth and sustainable development and green jobs.
These roadmaps provide country-specific blueprints to help High Forest, Low Deforestation (HFLD) Congo Basin countries to engage credibly and effectively in global carbon markets, mobilize results-based finance, and transform their forest assets into engines for climate-resilient growth. Tailored to each country’s readiness and institutional landscape, the roadmaps build on the foundational data from Congo Basin Forest Ecosystem Accounts to create a comprehensive framework aligning nature and climate goals with national development priorities. As part of the World Bank’s broader Analytical and Advisory Services (ASA) for the Congo Basin, these roadmaps aim to shift the region’s development narrative—from one of forest loss or degradation to forest-led growth.
Reset agenda not a mere political slogan – Bampoe-Addo
Nana Oye Bampoe-Addo, Deputy Chief of Staff, has described the ‘reset agenda’ as more than a political slogan, but a deliberate call to rebuild trust in governance, reform institutions and reset place of women in Leadership.
She emphasised that the reset agenda was inherently a ‘gender agenda’ and reflected President John Dramani Mahama’s firm confidence in the capacity of women to lead.
Mahama signs 24-Hour Economy Authority Bill into Law
President John Dramani Mahama has signed the 24-Hour Economy Authority Bill into law, paving the way for the full implementation of the government’s flagship economic policy.
The bill was approved on February 6 after several days of debate in Parliament, following its presentation to the House at the close of 2025.
The newly enacted law establishes a 24-Hour Economy Authority to serve as the central coordinating body for the nationwide rollout of the policy.
Updated VNR Preparation Guidance Available
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has updated its handbook for the preparation of voluntary national reviews (VNRs). Together with the UN Secretary-General’s voluntary common reporting guidelines for VNRs, the guidance will support the countries presenting their VNRs at the 2026 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
The handbook provides step-by-step guidance on the process of preparing and presenting a VNR. It also acknowledges that the steps outlined in the handbook are not exhaustive, and many other sources of information may also assist countries in the VNR preparation and reporting process.
UNEP, Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance Announce Collaboration
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) have announced a collaboration to advance the environmental dimensions of responsible mining. The partnership will focus on enhancing transparency in the mining sector and improving its environmental performance.
“[D]igital transformation and decarbonization efforts drive an unprecedented demand for minerals and metals,” a UNEP press release notes. This growing demand puts increasing pressure on the extractive industries to minimize their environmental impacts, including deforestation, land degradation, and pollution. There are also calls for better transparency regarding the extractive sector’s performance and the traceability of minerals and metals.
36 Countries to Present VNRs at HLPF 2026
Thirty-six countries will present their voluntary national reviews (VNRs) to the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in July 2026. All the countries on the list have presented their VNRs at least once before. The majority are third-time presenters. Egypt and Switzerland will present their fourth VNRs. Togo and Uruguay – their fifth.
Twelve countries – Albania, Algeria, Burundi, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Mozambique, Moldova, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Somalia, and Tonga – will carry out their VNRs for the second time.
Microsoft pledges $50 billion to tackle AI inequality as it warns of a ‘growing divide’
Microsoft says it is on track to invest $50 billion by the end of the decade to help bring artificial intelligence to lower-income countries, as concerns mount over the technology’s potential to deepen inequality.
The announcement was made Wednesday at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, where leading tech executives, government officials and AI researchers are debating how to use AI to solve real-world problems.
No more foreign funds for cocoa: No mineral will be exported without processing – President Mahama
The government has decided to stop foreign funding for cocoa purchases and instead use domestic funds to buy the crop.
President John Dramani Mahama, who reiterated the Cabinet decision taken last Wednesday, explained that the move was aimed at boosting local processing and economic growth.
Speaking at the Accra Reset Summit, a high-level side event at the 39th AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last Saturday, President Mahama revealed that the nation had sufficient capacity to process 400,000 tonnes of cocoa beans locally, but current arrangements compelled the shipment of the beans abroad due to collateralisation.
Kenya joins countries adopting Mahama’s global south Reset agenda
President William Ruto has called for urgent and uncompromising action to end preventable maternal deaths, saying the loss of women during childbirth reflects weaknesses in health systems and protection for the most vulnerable.
Ruto said no woman should die while giving life.
“It is unacceptable that women should continue to die while giving birth. Protecting the lives of women and children is a responsibility we must uphold without compromise,” he said.