Council of the Entente

(Conseil de l’Entente), a political and economic organization of five African states: the Ivory Coast, Upper Volta, Benin, Niger, and (since 1966) Togo. The Council of the Entente was founded in 1959. Its member states agreed to cooperate in the economic sphere, to introduce joint tariff legislation, and to coordinate their foreign policies. The member states are associate members of the European Economic Community and members of the Franc Zone and the Afro-Mauritian Common Organization. The council’s highest body is the Conference of Heads of State, which meets at least twice a year. The council has a permanent secretariat, several special commissions—for example, on justice, finances, transportation, and communications—and a mutual aid and loan guaranty fund. The Council of the Entente publishes the quarterly Entente Africaine.