West African speakers meet on integration

The speakers of parliament of 15 west African countries have begun a conference in Nigeria aimed at promoting regional integration.

Opening the meeting, the Nigerian Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, urged delegates to work out ways of enhancing the integration of the west African sub-region so that artificial and colonial borders could crumble.

The speaker of the lower house of the Nigerian parliament, Ghali Umar Na'abba, said it was their duty - as speakers of parliament - to work towards the removal of all fiscal, physical barriers to economic and political integration within the region.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service