Cotonou: official launch of compensation for the East bank occupants
Patrice Talon’s government takes a decisive step in the process of freeing the lagoon banks of Cotonou. After several months of waiting, the process of compensating local residents officially begins, with a solemn ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, August 20, 2025.
SUMMARY
This initiative stems from a decision of the Council of Ministers on July 30, 2025, which authorized the release of the necessary funds to compensate the occupants of the East bank. The operation is part of a broader urban development and environmental preservation project, the exact details of which will be revealed later.
The National Agency for Land and Property (ANDF), the driving force behind the operation, supervises the process and ensures the implementation of this government decision.
A ceremony with high symbolic significance
The delivery of the first compensation checks will take place on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, at 11 a.m., on the grounds of the Yacht Club Tennis in Cotonou, located on the edge of the lagoon. The choice of this location is not insignificant: it illustrates the authorities’ desire to highlight the symbolic and strategic dimension of freeing the banks.
The official note signed by ANDF’s General Director, Moussa-Fils Djibril Akambi, reveals the government’s emphasis on this event. Among the guests expected at the ceremony are the Prefect of the Department of Littoral, the Mayor of Cotonou, the Directors General of Construction and Housing (DGCH) and of Urban Development (DGDU), the State Judicial Agent (AJE), the district and neighborhood leaders of the 3rd and 4th districts, as well as representatives of the affected occupants.
A decisive step for the future of the banks
The transfer of these checks is not merely an administrative formality. It marks the tangible beginning of a frequently sensitive process: the freeing of land due to public interest.
For the government, it’s a matter of combining social justice with urbanization ambition, by providing the locals with financial compensation while preparing the future of a highly strategic area of Cotonou.
All parties hope that this milestone, imbued with solemnity, will proceed in a calm atmosphere and pave the way for a successful transformation of the lagoon banks.
Comments