Established on 14 November 1973, the Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement is an international public institution that became operational in 1976. It is the development finance institution of the eight member states of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU): Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. BOAD’s mission is to promote the balanced development of its member countries and contribute to the realization of West African economic integration by financing priority development projects.