The extraordinary summit of the Economic and Monetary Union of West Africa (WAEMU) began Monday in Lome, the capital of Togo, attended by leaders of seven of the eight member nations of the sub-regional organization.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe urged his peers to continue efforts to accelerate the process of sub-regional integration.
Gnassingbe hailed the return of peace in Côte d’Ivoire, and urged heads of state of member nations of the organization to find a mechanism to manage crises in the sub-region.
The meeting is also being attended by presidents Boni Yayi of Benin, Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire, Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso, Amadou Toumani Toure of Mali , Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger, and Senegal’s Abdoulaye Wade.
Guinea Bissau’s leader, Malam Bacai Sanha, is not attending the summit
