Mr Yayi has been out of the country, visiting Equatorial Guinea for an international summit in February.

BBC: Benin foils 'coup attempt' against President Yayi

Mr Yayi, 60, was first elected president in 2006 and re-elected in 2011.

BBC: Benin foils 'coup attempt' against President Yayi

Mr Yayi, who is Benin's president, called for Nato intervention after talks with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa.

BBC: Nato forces needed in Mali, says AU's Thomas Boni Yayi

In a statement issued on Sunday, officials said the men were plotting to overthrow Mr Yayi and install a military government in Benin.

BBC: Benin foils 'coup attempt' against President Yayi

The festivities will end with the broadcast of a message by Boni Yayi, President of the African Union and President of Benin, followed by a tasting of African dishes.

UNESCO: Social and Human Sciences

At an AU meeting in Ethiopia on Sunday, which is continuing on Monday, outgoing AU chairman and Benin's President Thomas Boni Yayi criticised the slow response of African states to the Malian conflict.

BBC: Mali crisis: French-led troops 'surround Timbuktu'