Benin: the government dissolves SONAB and creates SODEF

At Wednesday’s Council of Ministers meeting, the government announced the dissolution of the Société nationale du Bois (SONAB) and the creation of a new entity called the Société de Développement Forestier (SODEF SA).

SODEF SA is to take over all the tasks previously carried out by SONAB. These tasks include the production of wood energy, wood processing, the exploitation of classified forests, the sustainable management of wooded areas, and adding value to forest products.

The measure is part of the ongoing restructuring of the wood sector in Benin, with an emphasis on including local riverine communities and on climate and environmental issues.

Objectives aligned with sustainable development

According to the Council of Ministers’ report, SODEF SA will have the following missions:

• securing the State’s forest domain and increased monitoring of forests ;

• the establishment of forest plantations and the exploitation of products in accordance with sustainable development objectives ;

• the production of timber, the industrial development of wood, and contributing to the creation of jobs for young people.

Implementation and implications

The minister in charge of sustainable development has been instructed, in coordination with the other ministries concerned, to take all necessary measures to operationalize SODEF SA.

This decision marks an important step in reorganizing the forestry sector, with the ambition of better addressing the economic, social and environmental challenges related to the wood industry.