The Franco-Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo has won the Polar Music international prize, alongside British founder of Island Records Chris Blackwell and Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. The Swedish jury praised Kidjo as one of the best international singer-songwriters. Nicknamed "the African diva," she has already won five Grammys. The Polar Music prizes, worth 600,000 Swedish crowns (around 53,600 euros), will be awarded to the winners at a ceremony in Stockholm on May 23rd.

Côte d'Ivoire has introduced a new driving license system based on the French model, whereby drivers start with 12 points that are reduced with each traffic offence. The country aims to reduce road deaths by 50% by 2025 through measures such as using more than 200 cameras along dangerous routes and sending tickets by SMS to drivers. The new legislation will also allow drivers to attend training courses costing 100,000 CFA francs ($171), which could help them to recover some of their lost points.