Benin: report of the Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday, December 3, 2025

I- Regulatory measures.

Establishment of the commission responsible for toponymy and national memory.

This initiative is part of the Government’s determination to rebuild a narrative consistent with the experience of our heroes and our identity, weaving our history into the fabric of the present and into the collective imagination of future generations. The goal is to rebalance our national memory, restoring it to its place in historical truth, social cohesion and shared pride, through the naming of places, spaces and streets.

It will also strengthen the momentum of memorial and identity renewal in our country, building on landmark actions such as the return of cultural property, the erection of the statues of Bio GUERA and the Amazon, and the construction of the Monument to the Devoted in Mathieu Garden in Cotonou.

The multidisciplinary commission established will be tasked with proposing, through a scientific, historical and inclusive approach, a new cartography of Benin in this field — a geography of memory and restored dignity.

Specifically, it will be responsible for:

• identifying places to be renamed;
• compiling a documented database of place names highlighting the country’s key figures and events;
• ensuring consistency between the new names, local history and national memory;
• involving local authorities, educational institutions, cultural communities and traditional chieftaincies;
• proposing citizen and educational awareness programmes around the meaning of the names assigned;
• supporting projects for monuments, museums, memorial gardens and commemorative spaces, building on the Monument to the Devoted.

To this end, the Council adopted decrees establishing the creation, mandate, composition, organisation and operation of the said commission, and then appointed its members.

Under other regulatory measures, decrees were adopted setting:

• the procedure and terms for concluding headquarters agreements between the State and international organisations in the Republic of Benin;
• the conditions, procedure and terms for concluding headquarters agreements between the State and foreign associations, foundations or non-governmental organisations, as well as the types of related benefits, in the Republic of Benin;
• the minimum energy performance standards and energy labelling system for new electric lamps and household appliances in the Republic of Benin; as well as the decree concerning:
• the appointment of the members of the National Commission for the Protection of Cultural Heritage.

II- Communications.

II-1. Approval under the Investment Code.

Two companies are eligible for the specific investment regime.

These are: 

• EKA WORLD SAS, for its project to build and operate a leisure eco-park in the Sitatunga valley, Zinvié arrondissement, commune of Abomey-Calavi; and
• BENIN GAS TRANSFORMATION AND SOLUTIONS SA, for the installation of a gas pipeline connecting the Maria-Gléta power plant to the Glo-Djigbé industrial zone, and the construction of a compressed natural gas decompression station in the Glo-Djigbé industrial zone.

The implementation of these two projects will positively impact the tourism and industrial sectors and contribute to the creation of decent jobs. 

II-2. Full project management assignment for the reconstruction of the Atacora and Donga Departmental Hospital Centres (CHD).

Following an audit carried out in 2018, it was recommended that the Atacora CHD be rebuilt in order to improve the quality of infrastructure and, consequently, the quality of services provided to users.

As for the Donga CHD, commissioned in 2014 while construction was still unfinished, it requires upgrading to ensure the availability of the essential service package.

Once completed, the work will guarantee the optimal functionality of these two hospital centres, enabling them to serve as referral hospitals by strengthening the healthcare offering in the two departments.

To ensure their proper execution, the full project management assignment — including architectural design studies, technical studies, environmental and social impact studies, supervision and monitoring — must be carried out professionally.

The Council therefore approved contracting with experienced companies and instructed the ministers concerned to ensure rigorous monitoring of the construction sites.

II-3. Contracting for the implementation of the Forensic Research, Investigation and Analysis Platform (PRIAM).

The lack of a DNA analysis system constitutes a major structural weakness in the functioning of the judicial chain in the countries of the sub-region. This gap negatively affects the speed of proceedings, the resolution of complex criminal cases and the State’s sovereignty over the management of sensitive data.

PRIAM is therefore intended as a relevant solution, aiming to provide the State with an autonomous national DNA analysis laboratory that meets international standards.

The project will notably consist of:

• the establishment of a fully equipped, 220 m² robotic modular laboratory, adapted to local climatic conditions;
• certified training for the dedicated technical team, as well as specific sessions for all actors in the judicial chain (judicial police officers, magistrates, court clerks, technical experts);
• operational support monitored by a European forensic haematology laboratory for two years, with assistance in operations, skills transfer and support in obtaining ISO 17025 accreditation.

This integrated package has the advantage of ensuring the laboratory’s full operability within one year and international accreditation by the end of the second year. It should be noted that in sub-Saharan Africa, only one laboratory of the same type currently holds this accreditation.

Moreover, the implementation of this project will make Benin the regional reference hub for DNA analysis, given the clear benefits such as control over national genetic data, faster criminal proceedings and an improved case-resolution rate for investigations.

II-4. New name for Cotonou airport.

In a spirit of simplification and efficiency, it appears advisable to update the name, whose current wording is too long and difficult to remember.

Furthermore, in practice, mentioning the title of the person after whom the facility is named, or the neighbourhood housing it, is not essential.

The Council therefore decided that the airport will now be called «Bernardin GANTIN Airport of Cotonou».

The Minister of Living Environment and Transport, in charge of Sustainable Development, will carry out the necessary formalities to this end.

IV- International meetings and events.

Under this heading, the following were approved to be held in Benin: 

• the second edition of the National Forum on the Sustainable Development Goals in December 2025;
• the final phase of the “Professional Fighters League” (PFL AFRICA) competition, from December 13 to 22, 2025.

V- Individual measures.

The following appointments were made:

At the Presidency of the Republic

• Director General of the Investment and Export Promotion Agency (APIEx): Mr Eric AKOUTEY

At the Ministry of Economy and Finance

• Inspector General of Financial Administrations: Mr Kokou Angelo AGOGNINOU

At the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security 

• Technical Advisor for Security: Police Commissioner General Enock Marcel Omonlola LAOUROU.

Done in Cotonou, December 3, 2025, 

The Secretary General of the Government,

Edouard OUIN-OURO.