President John Agyekum Kufuor arrived home on Sunday from Dakar, Senegal, where he attended a meeting on the ways of financing the New Economic Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) and the sub-regional monetary integration.

President Abdulai Wade of Senegal, Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, Vice President of South Africa and a representative each from ECOWAS, African Development Bank (ADB) and UEMOA, attended the meeting. The meet, which was described as very brief and successful, was part of a consultative meeting and an input of the forthcoming G8 summit.

Briefing journalists on arrival at the Kotoka International Airport, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was also on the trip, said decisions taken were expected to help developing countries fast track the NEPAD initiative.

The Foreign Minister said the meeting was also briefed by Michel Camdessus, a special representative of the French President, Jacque Chirac, on the meeting between President Chirac and 12 African leaders held in Paris a few days ago.

He said the meeting agreed that this consultation should continue so as to ensue that programmes and projects of NEPAD are implemented. They also touched on the need for ECOWAS to move in unison at all fronts, especially the adoption of a common currency for the sub-region.

Mr Owusu-Agyeman said President Kufuor suggested that there was the need for a second monetary zone for Anglophone countries and that ECOWAS should begin discussions on having a single currency. The meeting also proposed that the governors of the various central banks within the sub-region should meet to work out the modalities for a single currency.

Members of the delegation include the Executive Secretary-General of ECOWAS, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, Dr Kwesi Nduom Minister of Economic Planning and Regional Co-operation and Nana Kodua Asare of the Private Enterprise Foundation.