Benin: President begins tour of 3 West African countries to promote regional integration
Following a series of previous visits...
Written by Ziad Abdel Fattah:
Benin's President Romuald Wadani began a friendly visit on Tuesday to Mali, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, all located in West Africa, as part of a tour aimed at strengthening ties within the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).
The visits are part of a broader effort with countries that share the West African franc.
According to a statement issued by the Beninese presidency, these visits are part of a broader effort to strengthen relations with member states that share Benin's currency (the West African CFA franc) and a common banking institution, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO).
President Wadani is scheduled to meet with the highest levels of authority in these countries in Dakar, Bamako and Bissau to discuss a number of strategic issues.
The most prominent issues include: prospects for economic and trade cooperation, strengthening solidarity among the peoples of West Africa, and regional security issues that remain a major concern in the Sahel and Sahel region.
The visit follows a series of preliminary visits in early June to Niger, Burkina Faso, Togo and Ivory Coast.
The Beninese Presidency affirms that the successive meetings reinforce the priority that the Head of State gives to dialogue with partner countries and to deepening integration in the West African space.
The initiative comes at a time when several countries in the region are undergoing political transitions or facing cross-border security challenges.
By increasing bilateral exchanges, Cotonou demonstrates its commitment to maintaining open channels of dialogue and promoting a coordinated approach to addressing common issues.
President of Benin expands his foreign tours in West Africa
Days earlier, Benin’s President Romuald Wadani concluded his first regional tour since taking office with an official visit to Ivory Coast, a move that reflects a clear trend towards strengthening “neighborhood diplomacy” as a priority in his foreign policy.
The tour came less than two weeks after he was sworn in on May 24, and included a number of West African countries, including Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso and Togo, before concluding in the Ivorian capital, Abidjan.
In Abidjan, Wadani held a closed meeting with Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara that lasted about an hour, during which the two sides discussed the most prominent regional challenges, foremost among them the future of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in light of the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and their formation of the Sahel Alliance.
