On Monday July 6, 2026, Kassoum Traoré, Director General of the Autonomous Port (PAA), welcomed a delegation from the Council of the Entente to his offices. This was headed by Idi Ali, Deputy Executive Secretary, who is currently acting Executive Secretary of the sub-regional organization. 

During this exchange, the head of delegation presented the missions and actions of the Council of the Entente, an institution created on May 29, 1959 and bringing together Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Niger and Togo, with Mali and Guinea as observer states. Idi Ali recalled that this organization has been working for more than six decades to promote peace, stability and economic, political and cultural integration between its member states.

This meeting comes as the PAA continues a dynamic of modernization of its infrastructures, driven by its new Director General who recently increased international exchanges, notably during the Macao Forum in June 2026. The rapprochement with the Council of the Entente is part of this logic of reinforced regional cooperation. 

Note that the common desire through this meeting is to consolidate synergies between one of the largest logistics hubs in West Africa and a historic organization of sub-regional cooperation.