The president of Benin, his Excellency Patrice Talon has been appointed the head of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).
The president’s appointment was declared after a unanimous agreement by heads of respective member states during a joint ECOWAS and WAEMU summit in Accra on Friday, 25th March 2022.
Following his appointment, Talon will be taking over from Roch Christian Kaboré, former head of state of Burkina Faso who was overthrown in January 2022 by a military coup.
According to Benin’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aurelien Agbenonci, the president who is assuming the presidency of a sub-regional institution for the first time, is expected to resume office in one month, during a virtual summit.
“His mandate will be placed under the sign of a desire for reform and good governance, in a spirit of permanent consultation with the other heads of state. His intention is not to give lessons to anyone,” the minister stated.
He also added that in a bid to improve cohesion and also speed up initiatives, Benin had requested its minister of economy and finance to also head the ministerial council of the union.
