Benin president Romuald Wadagni begins strategic tour to Senegal, Mali and Guinea-Bissau

The president of Benin, Romuald Wadagni, today commences a friendship and working visit that will take him successively to Senegal, Mali, and Guinea-Bissau. This official journey marks a new proactive phase in the good-neighbourly diplomacy and economic integration pursued by the Benin head of state within the West African region.

These trips form part of a broad presidential tour aimed at member states of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). By meeting his counterparts in Dakar, Bamako, and Bissau, Mr Wadagni seeks to reinforce ties with historic partners that share a common monetary destiny with Benin through the CFA franc and the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO).

At the heart of discussions with the highest authorities of these three states are several strategic topics:

• Economic and commercial cooperation: boosting bilateral trade flows and harmonising growth policies in response to global macroeconomic shocks.
• Inter-community solidarity: strengthening human and cultural bonds among sub-regional peoples for integration beyond the institutional framework.
• Regional security: exchanging views on cross-border security challenges, a crucial issue for stability across West Africa.

This series of visits follows a particularly active beginning of June on the diplomatic front, which already took the head of state to Niger, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire. By multiplying these face-to-face meetings with his peers, President Wadagni reaffirms the priority orientation of his foreign policy: making direct dialogue and the strengthening of community institutions the main lever for the prosperity and stability of Benin and its African partners.