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From some 30 million inhabitants in 1900 West African population has risen to 306 million in 2010. Within one century this under-populated region which used to display landscapes often unscarred by human action has turned into a highly anthropized, densely populated region. The three major factors of this evolution have been high rural density (from a maximum of 25 inhabitants/km2 in 1892 to over 100 inhabitants/km2 nowadays), rapid urbanization (from 10 % of urban people in 1950 to 50 % predicted for 2020) and a dramatic degradation of vegetation in savannah, forest and mangrove areas. The population will continue to grow and is expected to reach between 550 to 700 million inhabitants in 2050, depending respectively on low or high hypotheses. It is worthwhile speculating about the evolution of land settlement and landscapes and the already strained relationships between humans, resources and the environment in population enclaves which in addition will be subjected to high climatic variability. To prevent a generalization of conflicts and their fatal consequences on sustainable development (education, accommodation, health), it is advisable to accurately appraise the challenges Western Africa will have to face 50 years from now and also to become aware that none of these challenges can be met without taking into consideration the interrelations existing between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Africa is the continent which is the least equipped to fight the COVID-19 epidemic. However, Africa, which represents 17 % of the world's population, is estimated to have only 5 % of global cases (source: WHO on 2020/08/04). In this work, the authors try to identify and understand the reasons for these epidemiological data., Method: Some follow-up indicators have been carried out, mainly through WHO reports. These data were compared with the literature and the field expertise of the association "Biologie sans frontières" in Africa., Results: The following points mark the particularity of COVID-19 in Africa: (1) insufficient diagnostic capacity (linked to gross national product), (2) a younger population limiting the population at risk and the number of deaths, (3) a favourable climate (hot and humid) which is decreasing viral transmission, (4) some socio-cultural factors that can reduce cases reporting., Conclusion: Today, this health crisis is omnipresent while the number of deaths remains limited in Africa. Simultaneously, actions concerning African public health priorities (malaria, diarrhoea, AIDS…) are interrupted or slowed down., (Copyright © 2020 Académie Nationale de Pharmacie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)