Agriculture in Benin: Adin Bloukounon Goubalan sets eight priorities upon taking office

Adin Yéton Bloukounon Goubalan officially took over the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries on Tuesday, May 26, at the F building of the ministerial city in Cotonou, during a handover ceremony with outgoing minister Gaston Cossi Dossouhoui, who has been in office since October 30, 2017. In front of ministry staff and union representatives, the new minister outlined eight priorities and announced that his term would focus on “cooperation and the development of a Green Benin.”

The eight areas he listed are: the deep transformation of priority agricultural value chains, a revolution in agricultural water management, restoration of soil fertility, modernization of livestock farming, total transformation of the fisheries subsector, acceleration of agro-industrialization, digitalization of Beninese agriculture, and social protection for sector stakeholders. To finance these initiatives, he indicated a desire to combine “private partnerships, public financing, South-South and triangular cooperation, multilateral and bilateral partnerships, and innovative funds.” He set as the motto for his governance “discipline, innovation, proximity to stakeholders, and a mandatory results culture.”

Gaston Dossouhoui, who is leaving the position after nearly nine years, stated that he dedicated the morning to briefing his successor and cabinet members on ongoing files, adding: “I didn’t want to just sign the minutes.” He wished success to the new head of state and to Bloukounon Goubalan, indicating that “the sector is vast and challenging, with varied skills. But with organization and method, you will succeed. The stakeholders are ready.”

An international researcher at the head of a strategic ministry

Adin Yéton Bloukounon Goubalan holds a doctorate in sustainable soil fertility and plant nutrition. Before his appointment, he served as the agriculture officer at the FAO sub-regional office for West Africa, based in Dakar. He led research for several years at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), headquartered in Ibadan (Nigeria), focusing on seed value chains, plant protection, and the valorization of agricultural residues. He is among the authors of a reference study published by the FAO in 2024 on the Beninese seed sector. In May 2026, he was awarded “Man of the Year” in Senegal for the quality of his scientific and technical contributions to FAO programs.

His profile contrasts with that of his predecessor, Gaston Dossouhoui, who is trained as an administrator and whose term was marked by the deployment of Agricultural Development Action Programs (PADFA) and the launch on April 23, 2026, of the 2026-2027 agricultural campaign under the theme of competitiveness and sustainability. The appointment of an international researcher without visible political background fits into the technocratic logic displayed by the Wadagni government, which includes several profiles from international organizations in key sector portfolios.

A pillar sector in recent dynamics

Agriculture represents a central part of the Beninese economy. Cotton remains the country’s number one export crop, with Benin among the top five African producers. The 2026-2027 campaign launched by Dossouhoui aimed to boost growth in cereal, tuber, legume, and cotton value chains, with an emphasis on mechanization. A large regional slaughterhouse was inaugurated in Kandi, in the Alibori department, presented by the Talon government as unique in West Africa for its processing capacity.

The representative of the unions present at the ceremony praised Dossouhoui’s record while submitting “some major concerns” for the incoming minister, without specifying their content in the official report published by the presidency.