Bénin enters new phase of cooperation with China under president Wadagni

With the ascension of Romuald Wadagni to the highest office, Bénin is initiating a strategic shift in its development policy. Central to this new era is the revitalisation of the sino-béninois partnership, concretely manifested by the resumption of major infrastructure projects in Cotonou and the northern regions.

This forceful signal was sent in the early months of his mandate. The new president, Romuald Wadagni, a former finance minister noted for his macroeconomic discipline, intends to leave his mark on the national territory. To achieve this, Cotonou is leaning more than ever on its historic ally, Beijing. This renewed strategic partnership is materialising on the ground through the roar of construction machinery spanning from the Atlantic coast to the far reaches of the Grand North.

The capital’s renewal: Cotonou undergoes transformation

In Cotonou and Porto-Novo, the objective is clear: complete urban modernisation and decongest the main economic corridors. Under President Wadagni, Chinese cooperation is injecting fresh capital and deploying technical expertise on several fronts:

• Port modernisation and road corridors: Chinese construction firms are re-engaging on the access routes to the Autonomous Port of Cotonou, the country’s economic engine, to smooth goods traffic toward the hinterland.
• Large-scale sanitation: The programme to upgrade the stormwater drainage network and road paving, heavily backed by Chinese engineering, is entering a decisive phase to sustainably protect the economic capital from recurring floods.

The Grand North as a priority: opening up and security

While the capital receives a major facelift, the true break in Wadagni’s doctrine lies in the accelerated investments in northern Bénin, notably in Parakou, Natitingou, and Kandi. This priority meets a dual imperative: economic and security-related.

The challenge of the Septentrion: in a regional context marked by cross-border security challenges in the Sahel, the Béninois government is convinced that opening up and economic development constitute the best bulwarks against instability.

Key axes of the sino-béninois plan for the North

1. Rehabilitation of strategic road corridors toward Niger and Burkina Faso;
2. Improvements in multimodal transport infrastructure;
3. Logistical support for agricultural development hubs.

Chinese firms are thus mobilised for the rehabilitation of the inter-state national highway (RNIE), essential to maintaining the competitiveness of the Béninois corridor against its West African rivals. By more efficiently linking the port of Cotonou to the agricultural regions of the North and to landlocked countries, Bénin is equipping itself to sustain resilient growth, estimated at nearly 6% in the medium term by international financial institutions.

The Wadagni method: financial rigour serving infrastructure

China’s involvement under this new presidency is not blind. Drawing on his mastery of debt mechanisms and international financing, Romuald Wadagni advocates for a rebalanced ‘win-win’ partnership, based on effective public-private partnerships. Beijing brings its technical and industrial power, while Cotonou guarantees a stable and sound macroeconomic framework that reassures foreign investors.

Challenges to overcome

The road, however, remains fraught with obstacles. For this revival to be a lasting success, the government must ensure:

• Skills transfer: guarantee that these megaprojects foster local employment and involve more Béninois subcontractors.
• Respect for execution timelines: accelerate administrative and procurement procedures, often seen as bottlenecks in national project implementation.

By simultaneously relaunching infrastructure in the South and the North, President Romuald Wadagni is playing his first major political and economic card. Bénin in 2026 is under construction, and the partnership with China is one of its principal levers.