Benin: a second wave of disaster victims from Cotonou’s East Bank compensated

The Beninese government is continuing its program to relocate residents and redevelop the east bank of the Cotonou lagoon. This Wednesday, a second group of displaced residents received compensation checks at the offices of Cotonou’s 3rd arrondissement, as part of an operation to clear and enhance this area.

The beneficiaries, visibly relieved, expressed their gratitude for this assistance aimed at compensating for the loss of their structures, following the decision taken by the Council of Ministers on July 30, 2025, to compensate occupants in order to clear public land.

According to Ghislain Hounnou, Director General of Urban Development, this initiative addresses sanitation and safety imperatives, noting that the lagoon shoreline is inalienable public property.

Present at the ceremony, Alain Orounla, Prefect of Littoral, praised the exemplary response of the residents, who spontaneously began to vacate the area following awareness campaigns conducted by the authorities. He encouraged them to make good use of this support.

The amount of the checks varies depending on the type of structures: it is 200,000 FCFA for makeshift constructions (shantytowns) and up to 3 million FCFA for permanent buildings, reflecting the considerable financial effort undertaken by the government.

According to Moussa-Fils Djibril, Deputy Director General of ANDF, this distribution follows a precise survey that identified 538 occupants of the shoreline. The files are still being processed to ensure that all those concerned are compensated.

Beyond the distribution of checks, this project aims to clean up and redevelop the shoreline to make it clean, safe and, looking ahead, conducive to tourism development. This new step is a strong sign of urban transformation, combining the protection of public land with social support.