Citizens of the 16 Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) can now look forward to obtaining ECOWAS passports rather than the present laissez-passer, which is only valid for travel within the community.
Finance ministers from ECOWAS and the largely French-speaking Union monetaire ouest africaine (UEMOA) also agreed on Saturday, in Bamako, Mali, to create a monetary zone by 2004, AFP reported. Nigeria and Ghana, two of the eight countries outside the franc zone, have agreed to create an alternative monetary zone, which would eventually merge with UMOEA by 2004.
The final communique states that the objective of creating a federation of West African States remains and that transport ministers had decided to finalise, before May, plans to create a single subregional airline, Eco-air, AFP reported.
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