Ahmad 
Five African countries have officially joined the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction Security Initiative: Zambia, Ghana, Togo, Equatorial Guinea, and Benin.
The announcement came after a meeting dedicated to the initiative held in Marrakech, Morocco.
MAP reported that the accession took place during a political meeting organized jointly by Morocco and the United States from January 31st to February 2nd.
The number of African member states after joining the initiative increased from 6 to 11, an estimated increase of about 80 percent.
Other countries such as Malawi, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, and Nigeria have expressed interest in joining the initiative in the near future.
The Proliferation Security Initiative (SSI) is a multilateral cooperation framework, officially launched in 2003, aimed at combating the illicit transfer of weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery and related materials.