Benin: the Economic and Social Council launches the development of its strategic plan 2027-2031

During the proceedings, the rapporteur of the commission, Célestin Guidimey, described this exercise as a decisive step for the future and direction of the 8th mandate.

As part of the reform of its organic law, the CES now operates within a reorganized institutional framework, including a national council and departmental councils designed to strengthen territorial coverage. The future roadmap will be structured around four main axes:

• Increasing the institutional utility of the CES;
• Consolidating its closeness to citizens;
• Enhancing institutional dialogue;
• Increasing the institution’s international influence.

The development of this document will initially rely on a complete strategic diagnosis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) before determining operational choices, governance mechanisms, financing, and monitoring-evaluation.

Alignment with the priorities of the Wadagni government

Present during the discussions, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Aristide Medénou, praised the initiative while emphasizing the need to align this planning with the main orientations of government action.

The minister reminded that urgency is being given to eradicating extreme poverty, focusing primarily on the agricultural sector, which concentrates nearly 70% of the vulnerable population and represents about 25% of GDP.

The mentioned levers are based on improving yields, facilitating access to markets, and strengthening social protection through health insurance and the retirement system.

Moreover, the territorialization of public action, represented by the development of industrial hubs and the enhancement of regional economic and tourist specificities, as well as digital transformation, are the other cross-cutting pillars highlighted.

For the president of the CES, Abdoulaye Bio Tchané, this strategic plan should not be conceived in isolation but should be rooted in national realities to make the institution more relevant and directly useful for the community, the government, and the National Assembly.