Maritime Safety & Diplomacy: India escalated Gulf security after US strikes killed three Indian seafarers aboard the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello near Oman; New Delhi lodged strong protests and put maritime agencies on heightened alert around the Strait of Hormuz, while other attacks saw Indian crews evacuated safely. Regional Cybersecurity: Nigeria won the $10,000 grand prize at the 4th ECOWAS Regional Cybersecurity Hackathon 2026 in Accra, with teams from Guinea-Bissau and other member states building solutions against ransomware, phishing, fraud, extortion, and threats to critical infrastructure. Health Tech & Lab Capacity: A new $14.26m West African health systems strengthening grant (via WAHO) targets cross-border “One Health” laboratory work in Togo and boosts regional disease surveillance across Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and neighbors. Trade Rules for Tech-Enabled Customs: WAEMU aligned its approved originating products list with HS 2022 to improve origin determination, reduce misapplication under preferential trade, and strengthen customs risk assessment and revenue collection. Energy & Environment Investment Push: Guinea is set to host the SEEG energy and environment conference in Conakry (25–26 Nov 2026), spotlighting hydropower growth and clean-energy finance opportunities for the region.