Benin: report of the Council of Ministers of June 3, 2026

The following decisions were made: 

I- NORMATIVE MEASURES.

Transmission to the National Assembly for study and vote of the amended finance bill for management 2026.

The restructuring of the governmental apparatus following the inauguration of the President of the Republic and the consideration of his priority orientations require a substantial modification of the initial finance law objectives. This therefore necessitates a readjustment of the state’s budgetary architecture.

In this perspective, the budget would amount to 4.086.620 billion FCFA compared to 3.783.984 billion FCFA for the initial finance law, representing a growth rate of 8%. The expected growth rate is maintained at 7.5%, while personnel expenditures are decreased by 9.8% without jeopardizing scheduled recruitments and expenditures on the acquisition of goods and services.

An increase of 8.5% in investment expenditures and 2% in budgetary revenues is also projected.

Specifically, the adjustments address the following measures :

• in the field of social protection and strengthening of human capital: opening budget lines dedicated to social measures included in the Chief of State’s project. This notably includes the realization of water points in schools and health centers, accelerating the nutritional supplementation program for the first 1000 days, strengthening the mandatory health insurance scheme, assisting those in need and street children, etc.
• in the field of education and school canteens: initiating the generalization of free tuition fees for girls in general secondary education starting from the 2026-2027 school year and constructing storage facilities for school canteens.
• in the field of internal security: strengthening the public security network by allocating a revalued budget for deploying a video protection solution in the country’s major cities.
• Regarding the Health and Infrastructure sector: consolidating credits for the Public Investment Program (PIP) to support the construction/rehabilitation of hospitals and clinics, accelerating the new operational phase of the Calavi International Hospital Center (CHIC), sanitation and transportation infrastructure, etc.
• in the field of economic support: subsidizing agricultural inputs to mitigate price increases on the market due to geopolitical crises and promote food security.

Government members will support discussions before the National Assembly during the examination and voting of this amended finance bill.
 

II- COMMUNICATIONS.

II-1. Social measures for various sectors.

In the framework of translating into concrete actions the commitments contained in his project, the President of the Republic has instructed the Government to promptly operationalize certain flagship measures promised.

In this regard, the following decisions were made :

In the field of education : 

• tuition will be free in public general and technical secondary education for all girls throughout the territory starting from the 2026-2027 school year;
• a budget of 20 billion FCFA is made available to enhance and accelerate access to drinking water and electricity for all public educational institutions lacking these facilities;
• at the higher education level, a committee is established to assess the conditions for revitalizing and/or improving social services (transportation, accommodation, catering) in public universities starting from the 2026-2027 academic year. It will present its report at the next Council of Ministers meeting.

In the field of health :

• a fund of one billion FCFA is allocated to assist public hospitals in building stock of essential supplies for the systematic handling of vital emergencies. Thus, health facilities throughout the national territory will be able to manage swiftly and unconditionally any patient in a critical condition.
• a budget envelope of 10 billion FCFA is allocated to the program of access to drinking water and electricity for all public health centers that do not yet have them;
• the acceleration of the nutritional supplementation program for the first 1000 days is prescribed.

In the field of agriculture : 

Specific subsidies are established for farmers, mainly those in the rice, cotton, soybean, and cashew sectors from the 2026-2027 agricultural campaign. In doing so, the Government aims to better reward productive effort, sustainably strengthen farmers’ incomes, secure the supply of local processing units, and consolidate Benin’s positioning as an agricultural and agro-industrial power in West Africa. 

Thus : 

• concerning cotton, for a national production exceeding 700,000 tons, producers will receive an exceptional premium of ten (10) FCFA/kg on the approved price for the agricultural campaign;
• regarding the cashew, soybean, and rice sectors, once installed processing capacities are satisfied, producers will receive an exceptional premium of ten (10) FCFA per kilogram delivered to local factories.

It should be noted that for the 2026-2027 agricultural campaign, these capacities are respectively :

• Cashew: 200,000 tons
• Soybean: 450,000 tons
• Rice: 350,000 tons

Furthermore, the Council has instructed concerned ministers to engage in strategic reflection on the restructuring of these three sectors to make them more competitive.

II-2. Adoption of the multiannual budgetary and economic programming document 2027-2029.

This document indicates that the current programming exercise takes place in a national economic context marked by the consolidation of growth, which was established at 8.1% in 2025, a record since the advent of democratic renewal, with controlled inflation estimated at 1.1%. 

In this regard, the Beninese economy is expected to maintain its resilience despite unstable regional and international contexts. Thus, the growth rate is projected to be 7.5% in 2026 as initially planned, as well as in 2027, with an inflation rate maintained around 2% and a controlled budget deficit of 2.8%.

II-3. Approval of the Strategic Development Plan 2026-2030 of the Agency for the Integrated Development of the Lake Ahémé Economic Zone and its Channels.

This plan posits that: “By 2030, the water bodies’ areas will be rehabilitated and developed into ecologically healthy spaces fulfilling their systemic functions and creating sustainable economic and tourist development poles.”

In order to operationalize it, three strategic orientations are defined regarding the rehabilitation and enhancement of water bodies, the development of the local economy, and the improvement of the Agency’s governance. These are complemented by six strategic axes and three operational programs outlined in thirteen actions.
 

III- INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS AND EVENTS.

It was authorized, under this heading, the organization of: 

• the 35th meeting of the Governing Council of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) and the 12th Summit of African Think Tanks;
• a national workshop for reviewing the Integrated Support Plan for Nuclear Security in Benin, from June 22 to June 25, 2026, in Cotonou;
• the 2026 Porto Novo Mask Festival, from July 25 to July 26, 2026;
• the 2026 Gaani festival in Nikki;
• the International Days of Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition (JISTNA), 2026 edition under the theme “The Return”, from August 22 to August 23, 2026, in Ouidah.
• It was also authorized for Benin’s participation in:
• the 18th Ministerial Round Table and the 19th Annual “e-learning Africa” conference to be held in Accra, Ghana, from June 03 to June 05, 2026; and
• the 43rd session of the Council of Ministers of the African and Malagasy Council for Higher Education (CAMES), from June 18 to June 19, 2026, in Libreville, Gabon.

IV- INDIVIDUAL MEASURES.

Under this chapter, the following appointments were made: 

At the Presidency of the Republic

• Director General of the National Agency for the Fight against Malaria and Mosquitoes: Mrs. Evelyne ALYKO

At the Supreme Council of the Magistracy

External members

• Appointed Members
  • Mrs. Tido Catherine N’DA
  • Mr. Rigobert AZON
  • Mr. T. Félix HESSOU
  • Mr. Orou Gabé OROU SEGO
• Substitutes
  • Mr. Jonathan TAWEMA
  • Mr. Jocelyn DEGBEY
  • Mrs. Francine BIO BAGOU
  • Mr. Bastien SALAMI

At the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishing

• Director General of the Agency for the Development of Ruminant Livestock: Mr. Sènan Aziz AGOSSOU

At the Ministry of Decentralization and Local Governance

Prefects of the departments as follows :

• Alibori: Mr. Ahmed Bello KY-SAMAH
• Atacora: Mr. Jacques Rolland AMADOU
• Atlantique: Mr. Raphaël AKOTEGNON
• Borgou: Mr. Abdoul-Chakour ASSOUMA
• Collines: Mr. Saliou ODOUBOU
• Couffo: Mr. Ruffino d’ALMEIDA
• Donga: Mrs. Déré Lydie M. CHABI NAH
• Littoral: Mr. Gilbert DEOU
• Mono: Mr. Dêdêgnon Bienvenu MILOHIN
• Ouémé: Mrs. Marie AKPOTROSSOU
• Plateau: Mr. Délonix KOGBLEVI
• Zou: Mr. Laurent ZOMAÏ

At the Ministry of Finances and Microfinance

• Director General of Customs: Mr. Raouf MALEHOSSOU ABOUDOU
• Director General of Taxes: Mr. Erick Maxime Mensah AKAKPO-DJIHOUNTRY

At the Ministry of Budget and Public Service

• Director General of the Budget: Mr. Albert MONTCHO.
  

Done in Cotonou, on June 3, 2026, 

The Secretary General of the Government,

Wilson GAKPETOR.