The Beninese government held its council of ministers on Monday, March 18, 2024. Many topics were discussed during this session. Below is the full report.
The following decisions were made:
I- NORMATIVE MEASURES.
The decree approving the amended statutes of the Beninese Broadcasting Infrastructure Company was adopted under this heading.
II- COMMUNICATIONS.
II-1. Approval to the Investment Code
Three new companies are eligible for the incentive provisions of the said code for various projects which are expected to generate around 500 jobs.
Therefore, the following companies are granted approval for the regimes mentioned below:
- JEHOVAH NISSI PETROLEUM SA under the specific investment regime, for its project of constructing a gas sphere for LPG storage at the Autonomous Port of Cotonou;
- NATURE BRIQUE SARL under the specific investment regime, for its project to establish a new terra cotta brick manufacturing plant in the municipality of Zogbodomey; and
- BENIN TERMINAL SA under regime C, for its project of development and operation of a specialized container terminal at the Autonomous Port of Cotonou.
II-2 Compensation of Persons Affected by the Rehabilitation Project of the Arts and Crafts Promotion Center and the Hall of Arts, Leisure, and Sports in Cotonou
This operation is part of the due diligence before the implementation of the Project, which includes the rehabilitation of certain artistic and leisure facilities, while also causing the relocation of the current occupants.
In this regard, the expert report has identified several categories of people affected by the Project. Depending on the situation, the Council has decided:
on the one hand, to provide rehousing and financial assistance to those who have a long-term lease and are up-to-date with their obligations under the regulations;
and on the other hand, to offer assistance conditioned on the repayment of outstanding rent for those who are in an irregular situation.
Consequently, the Minister of Economy and Finance and the Minister of Living Environment and Transport, in charge of Sustainable Development, have been instructed to ensure the timely compensation of eligible individuals in order to initiate the operational phase of the project effectively.
II-3. New Measures for Improving the Conditions of Teaching Profession Aspirants (TPA).
In its continuous effort to improve living conditions for over 30,000 AMEs deployed in public primary and secondary schools, the Government has decided to grant new benefits for their advantage. These include:
- The extension of their salary coverage to twelve months, starting from this school year;
- The eligibility for health insurance under the terms provided for civil servants;
- The accessibility of maternity leave for female AMEs;
- The establishment of a commitment bonus for national interest service amounting to 20,000 FCFA per month for each AME, starting from March 2024;
- The waiver of tuition fees for the children of AMEs, similar to those for the children of civil servant and contractual teachers.
It should be noted that apart from health insurance benefits and tuition fee waivers, these new measures represent an additional annual financial effort of over 10 billion FCFA to the national budget.
Moreover, considering various advocacies, the Council has agreed to the reinstatement of 175 AMEs who, in 2021, were found guilty of demobilizing their colleagues or being absent from their post due to a strike, and were therefore suspended by their supervising ministry.
III- International Meetings and Events.
Under this heading, the Council authorized Benin’s participation in the 57th session of the Commission on Population and Development, from April 29 to May 3, 2024, in New York, United States of America.
IV- INDIVIDUAL MEASURES.
The following individuals have been appointed to the National Council of the Electricity Regulation Authority, upon the recommendation of the Minister of Energy, Water, and Mines:
- President: Mr. Edouard Denis DAHOME
- Members:
- Ladies
- Judith Baï GLIDJA
- Bintou CHABI ADAM TARO
- Gentlemen
- Armand Raoul DAKEHOUN
- Justin AGBIKOSSI
- Thierno Kafui Eméric OLORY-TOGBE
- Gabriel Nounagnon DEGBEGNI.
Done at Cotonou, on March 18, 2024,
The Secretary-General of the Government,
Edouard OUIN-OURO.