Benin's president concludes his first foreign tour with a visit to Ivory Coast
Moves to revive ECOWAS and the single currency issue
Written by Ziad Abdel Fattah:
Beninese President Romuald Wadani concluded his first regional tour since taking office with an official visit to Ivory Coast on Thursday, in 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.
Closed meeting with the Ivorian president
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.
The talks also touched on developments in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMO) projects, as well as the anticipated single currency for West African countries, which aims to replace the West African franc, despite its current setbacks.
No official statement was issued after the meeting, but the tour in general is considered a remarkable shift in Benin’s foreign policy direction, especially in light of what is seen regionally as a departure from the previous approach of former President Patrice Talon, who was criticized for being too close to France.
Wadani’s visit to Niamey is of particular importance, as it is expected to contribute to accelerating efforts to reopen the border between Benin and Niger, which has remained closed for several years, potentially opening a new chapter in bilateral relations between the two countries.
