Zou: the appointment of Prefect Laurent Zomaï postponed at the last minute

The handover ceremony between the outgoing prefect of Zou, Daniel Valère Sètonnougbo, and his successor, Laurent Zomaï, did not take place this Friday, June 5, in Abomey.

However, several mayors, departmental directors, administrative officials, and numerous citizens had traveled to the prefecture to attend the official installation of the new state representative in the department.

But to everyone’s surprise, the Secretary-General of the Abomey prefecture, Julien Ouankpo, announced the postponement of the ceremony. “The handover ceremony is postponed to a later date,” he stated according to La Nation, without providing further details on the reasons for this decision.

According to observations on-site, neither the outgoing prefect Daniel Valère Sètonnougbo nor the incoming prefect Laurent Zomaï was present at the prefecture at the time of the announcement.

This postponement comes after the Ministry of Decentralization and Local Governance had already set a schedule for the inauguration of the new prefects appointed in the Council of Ministers on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. In a radio message signed by Minister Janvier Yahouédéou, it was scheduled that the handover ceremonies would take place in two waves.

The first phase, scheduled for Friday, June 5, concerns the prefectures of Atlantic, Couffo, Littoral, Zou, and Plateau. The second is planned for Monday, June 8, in the departments of Borgou, Atacora, and Donga.

At this stage, no new date has been communicated for the holding of Laurent Zomaï’s installation ceremony in the department of Zou.