Benin: Édouard Dahome appointed head of the Ministry of Energy, Water and Mines.

Édouard Dahome officially assumed his role as Minister of Energy, Water, and Mines on Tuesday, May 26, at the ministerial city of Cotonou, during a ceremony described by the presidency as “very simple,” attended by ministry officials, social partners, and close collaborators. His predecessor Didier Tonato, who had managed the energy transition until November 2025, handed over the role after eleven months in office. Dahome expressed his determination to “continue the ongoing projects while bringing a new dynamic focused on efficiency, transparency, and inclusive development.” He paid tribute to Tonato for the structural reforms undertaken during this brief transitional mandate.

Born on November 1, 1958, Édouard Dahome brings with him forty years of experience in the energy sector, entirely built within EDF (Électricité de France). A graduate of the École polytechnique in 1980, he joined the company upon graduation and climbed the ranks to become the Director of Africa and Access to Energy, internally nicknamed “Mr. Africa.” He left the group in 2016, following Valérie Levkov’s appointment to head the Africa and Middle East direction of EDF. That same year, he co-founded the cabinet DRH Énergie with former Beninese Minister of Energy Jean-Claude Houssou, specializing in consulting and developing energy projects in Africa. He later served as the coordinator of the strategic development unit for the electricity sector at the presidency and then as president of the National Council of the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ARE).

An electrification rate to expand and an oil field to revitalize

Dahome takes office as two key projects are underway. The first is the National Energy Pact, which sets the goal of connecting 257,000 additional households per year. The electrification rate was reported in January 2025 as 69% in urban areas and 36% in rural areas, according to official figures, leaving several hundred thousand households without access to the grid, mainly in the northern departments. Achieving the Pact’s objectives requires continuous investment in the distribution network and in production capacities, including the FORSUN solar plant in Pobè, where construction began in 2025.

The second key issue is the revitalization of the Sèmè oil field off the coast of Benin, whose facilities have been inactive for nearly thirty years. In February 2026, operator Akrake Petroleum successfully drilled well AK-2H, marking a decisive step in the redevelopment of the field. Initial production is estimated at 15,000 barrels per day, but it cannot start until the connections to the surface facilities are completed. The supervision of these final connections and the negotiation of operating terms with Akrake Petroleum constitute one of the new minister’s first operational tasks.

A mining sector in structuring

In the mining sector, Benin has documented phosphate resources in the Ouidah-Kpomassè area and limestone in several deposits in the north, with no established industrial exploitation framework. The new ministerial nomenclature — “Energy, Water and Mines” — signals the Wadagni government’s intent to address extractive resources and access to drinking water infrastructure in a context where access to water remains uneven between rural and urban communities. Dahome has cited strengthening sector governance and promoting sustainable investments as among his priorities, without specifying the modalities in his inaugural speech.