The President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, left today for Cotonou, Benin, on a two-day working visit at the invitation of Beninese President, Patrice Talon.
This visit is a consecration of the excellent relations that link the two countries, relations based on mutual respect and friendship.
According to the press service of the Nigerian presidency, the talks between the two heads of state will focus on ways of strengthening economic, security, and infrastructure cooperation between the two countries, linked by history and territorial proximity.
Benin is seeking to pool its efforts with Niger but also to benefit from Niger’s experience in the fight against terrorism, especially as Benin has recently been confronted with an increase in the terrorist threat on its north-western borders with Burkina.
In the security field, a military cooperation agreement was signed on July 11, 2022, in Niamey between the two countries, in order to implement a common strategy that will consist of an exchange of intelligence, and aerial assistance to monitor the evolution of armed groups but also joint military operations.
During the meeting, the issue of the Niger-Benin Regional Compact Programme, the first of its kind, will also be discussed.
This protocol signed on December 14, 2022, in Washington during the US-Africa Economic Forum is intended for economic exchanges and mobility between the two countries.