OIC Secretary General Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has called for greater cooperation between the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) in advancing economic integration in West Africa. In a message to the 14th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the West African Economic and Monetary Union, held recently in Bamako, Mali, Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu expressed the need for the two regional bodies to activate cooperation in the area of promoting cross-border initiatives and integrative projects for the socio-economic well-being of the various communities in West Africa. While congratulating the leaders of the eight-member Union on their efforts at promoting the objectives of the Union, the Secretary-General premised OIC partnership with UEMOA on the eminent role, which the Ten-Year Programme of Action accords to cooperation with regional organizations for increased intra-OIC trade and investment. In this regard, he invited the Summit to endorse the ratification of the existing legal framework for the establishment of a Trade Preferential Scheme in OIC countries (TPS-OIC), according to a press release of the OIC issued here yesterday.
