Benin: CES prepares its first opinion on the economic and social state

The Economic and Social Council (CES) of Benin will open its second ordinary session of the year on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 9:00 am in Cotonou. Scheduled to last thirty days, until October 14, it will lead the councilors to prepare, for the first time, an opinion on the economic and social state of the country.

The announced agenda also includes the review and adoption of the CES’s 2027 budget draft, the study of the finance bill for the 2027 management, the selection of new self-referral topics, and the presentation of work conducted by the institution’s departmental councils.

A presentation on the Alafia 2060 Vision and its alignment with the CES’s future Strategic Plan 2027-2031 is also on the agenda. Additionally, the Council will examine its draft report on the economic and social state of Benin, a document that will serve as the basis for this unprecedented opinion.

This session is the first ordinary session led by Abdoulaye Bio Tchané since his election as head of the eighth mandate of the CES. It follows an extraordinary session held in August, which focused on the internal operational framework of the institution.

Internal regulations declared compliant with the Constitution

In its decision DCC26-007 dated August 27, 2026, the Constitutional Court declared all provisions of the CES’s internal regulations, adopted in plenary assembly on August 20, to be compliant with the Constitution. The text had been submitted to the high court by the president of the Economic and Social Council.

The decision specifies that the amendment to the internal regulations received the votes of 18 councilors out of 21, exceeding the two-thirds majority required. Consequently, the Court deemed the referral admissible and validated all provisions of the text.

The second ordinary session of the CES will continue in committees and plenary sessions until Wednesday, October 14, 2026, the announced date for its official closure.