Benin: list of the 12 new prefects and the departmental capitals

The Council of Ministers on Thursday, June 4, 2026, appointed the twelve departmental prefects of Benin. A comparison with the list in force at the end of Patrice Talon’s term shows a marked continuity with nine of the twelve outgoing prefects being retained, either in the same department or reassigned to a different one. Three positions have been filled with newly appointed individuals in the prefectural body.

Four prefects are retained in their original departments: Ahmed Bello Ky-Samah remains in Alibori, Saliou Odoubou in the Collines, Dêdêgnon Bienvenu Milohin in Mono, and Marie Akpotrossou in Ouémé. A fifth prefect, Déré Lydie M. Chabi Nah, is moved: having been the prefect of Atacora since 2021, she takes over in Donga. Her departure from Atacora frees up the position for Jacques Rolland Amadou, one of the newcomers. Four other former Talon prefects are assigned to departments different from the ones they occupied: Raphaël Akotegnon arrives in Atlantique, Abdoul-Chakour Assouma in Borgou, Ruffino d’Almeida in Couffo, and Gilbert Deou in Littoral.

The three positions that have been truly renewed with individuals who have not held prefectural roles under Talon are Plateau, assigned to Délonix Kogblevi, and Zou, assigned to Laurent Zomaï.

Two of the seven changes in incumbents are directly linked to the composition of the Wadagni government and not to a discretionary choice. Borgou was led by Djibril Mama Cissé Moussa, appointed on May 24 as the Minister Delegate for Interior and Public Security: his departure from the prefecture was therefore inevitable. Littoral was led by Alain Sourou Orounla, a former spokesperson for Talon’s government who has since 2021 been reconverted into the prefect of Littoral: his non-renewal is a discretionary political decision.

An Assured Continuity in Territorial Administration

The choice to retain nine prefects out of twelve – several of whom have been in the corps for five to ten years – is consistent with the overall logic of the Wadagni government, which has itself retained nearly a third of Talon’s ministers in its first cabinet. Territorial administration is the link in the implementation of public policies: preserving institutional memory while signaling targeted renewals in strategic positions – Atlantique, Borgou, Littoral – reflects the same philosophy observed in the composition of the government.

The Littoral department, which covers Cotonou, the economic capital, and concentrates the most complex security, port, and administrative issues, receives a new incumbent in Gilbert Deou. Atlantique, the second most populated department in Benin with Allada as its capital, is entrusted to Raphaël Akotegnon.