The Beninese government signed a delegated management contract for the Autonomous Port of Cotonou (PAC) with Port of Antwerp International (PAI) in 2018. Five years later, former minister Ganiou Soglo laments the fetishism surrounding this contract and raises questions about its impact on public finances.
In a column published on his Facebook page, the former Minister of Culture and son of former President Nicephore Soglo expressed his concerns about the economic implications of the delegated management of the Port of Cotonou. In his column, Ganiou Soglo recalls that on December 20, 2017, the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport entered into a contract for the management of the Autonomous Port of Cotonou with the aim of optimizing its profitability.
On January 8, 2018, the contract was signed between Port of Antwerp International (PAI) and the Beninese government. The approach phase started then, aimed at analyzing and auditing the various ongoing procedures at the Autonomous Port of Cotonou to assess their usefulness and relevance in order to make them more efficient.
As a result, Belgian Christian DE BLOCK was appointed Director General of the Autonomous Port of Cotonou on April 4, 2018, by the board of directors. The stated objective was to improve the port’s efficiency and reposition it in the sub-region and internationally,” reminded the son of former President Soglo.
In his column, the former minister believes that “for Beninese people who still have a bit of patriotism, there is a problem of sovereignty” if one has to consider the collaboration between the government and the Antwerp people. Moreover, he laments what he calls the “fetishism” surrounding the management contract.
For Ganiou Soglo, “the public procurement code in the Republic of Benin (Law No. 2020-26 of September 29, 2020) and its implementing decrees require the publication of contracts. Therefore, there should be no taboo on this matter.” Does the contract related to the management of the Port of Cotonou make an exception to this provision? Ganiou Soglo wonders, considering the opacity that he believes surrounds the content of the contract.
Ganiou Soglo’s questions: Through a series of questions, the former Minister of Culture expresses his concerns about this management contract and its economic impact on public finances. “What is the legal status of the Port of Cotonou, a flagship of the national economy? How much does the expertise of the Antwerp people cost? When does the contract end? What has been gained by the public coffers? What is the positioning of this logistics platform compared to others in the sub-region? Have the expectations been fulfilled in terms of skills transfer? What about the management of workers and their social benefits? Were there really no Beninese skills to implement the reforms?” the former minister asked. Certainly, his concerns will not remain unanswered.
