members - (5) African Development Bank, Belgium, European Investment Bank, France, Germany
** West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) **
note - also known as Union Economique et Monetaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA)
established - 1 August 1994
aim - to increase competitiveness of members' economic markets; to create a common market
members - (8) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo
** Western European Union (WEU) **
established - 23 October
1954; effective - 6 May 1955
aim - to provide mutual defense and to move toward political unification