Cotonou artisanal fishing port: legal green light to unlock Dutch funding
The project to modernize Cotonou’s artisanal fishing port has reached a major milestone. After signing the financing agreement with the Kingdom of the Netherlands in February 2024, the release of 23 billion CFA francs was conditional on meeting certain requirements set by the donor.
One of these was obtaining a legal opinion confirming the contractual documents’ compliance and ensuring that national procedures were respected.
Beninese authorities, in collaboration with the Port Autonome de Cotonou and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, carried out the necessary steps with the competent legal services to secure this approval.
This opinion validated the regularity of the financing agreements, guaranteeing that the project meets national legal standards and the contractual requirements of the donor.
The financing aims to modernize the port over an area of 8 hectares in the Xwlacodji neighborhood, with the objective of improving the facilities for artisanal and semi-industrial fishing activities.
This project is part of a sustainable development and neighborhood revitalization strategy, while strengthening the safety and efficiency of fishing activities.
Moreover, the Port Autonome de Cotonou had already undertaken concrete actions to support local fishermen, such as handing over fiberglass pirogues to fishermen’s associations in November 2024.
With the legal opinion now obtained, construction work on the new port should begin in the coming weeks, marking a turning point for the artisanal fishing sector in Benin.
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