Logistics Infrastructure Narrative 

The provision of infrastructure and operations in all modes of transport in Benin is under responsibility of the state department of the transport (Ministry of the transport and public works). Regulatory frameworks of infrastructures exist, but the application of certain texts encounters difficulties. It requires an update by the government to address new challenges, particularly in the investment sector of road rehabilitation companies. The transport and logistics sector should benefit in equally from all investments when new companies are involved in the realization of road infrastructure projects. However, the question of government coordination and supervision reveal lot of questions and interests. 

For years, especially with the advent of the “regime of change”, Benin is in a perpetual construction on almost the national territory, in terms of construction of road infrastructures.  

The importance of building road infrastructures in one state is well known and has shown the real advantages. This contributes to the practicability of the roads and to allow movements of goods and people. Better, these constructions play a crucial role for the national economy because they allow heavy trucks to quickly touch the hinterland countries as well as al Benin main cities. A benefit opportunity consolidating the links between these countries and Benin. Indeed, the first major handicap is almost a total lack of the real separation of the bike path of the road. This generates complains between users and an opportunity of law enforcement. The most recent illustration is the last crackdown by the authority with respect to motorcyclists. Also, the absence of traffic lights in some main road causes huge road damage. Similarly, the lack of electric poles on or off these roads put users into a permanent risk of accidents. The bad cut of crossroads is sometimes source of "go slow" and collision between vehicles or motorcyclists. The actual erection of the route plates of the different roads leading into the city or city neighbourhoods contributes to and increases the rate of loss of the populations wishing to travel from point A to B.. This invite and challenges the various bodies involved in the latter to show patriotism and work well done for the eradication of these road problems. 

 
Road 

Road transport is, by far, the main mode of transport in Benin. It represents 93% of passenger transport and 73% of freight (BAD 2017).  

However, despite the predominance of the road as the main mode of transport, paved roads represent less than 50% of national roads. 

Road transport in Benin may be categorized into 4 main segments, namely urban, primary services, rural-urban and rural. The Road construction company EBOMAF oversees transforming Benin formerly considered as smuggling into a modern road will give way to a pavement of 7 m wide with shoulders ranging road from 1.5 to 2.5 m in open country and agglomeration. A series of sanitation works is planned along the route. "Lot 2 of pk 11 + 150 at KP 30 + 650 includes the carrying out of general earthworks, the construction of hydraulic and sanitation works (scuppers, gutters, ditches, curbs), the construction of roadways and shoulders", explained the Director General of Public Works. 

Indeed, by this time, there is not much completed projects of road constructions and rehabilitation in Benin. However, some road construction works have been observed.  

• The axis Dassa-Savalou-Djougou, with a total length of 270.5 km as follows. 

• Dassa-Savalou-Djougou (255.7km)  

• and the development and asphalting of the Bassila-Manigri (9.3km),  

• Kpèrèkètè-Togo border (0.8km)  

• and Bassila-Togo border (4.7km).  

The demand for urban passenger transport is mainly by residents commuting to work, school, and other economic, social and leisure activities. Most urban transportation in Benin is by road and provided by private transports including Benin taxis, the private taxis and two wheels motos-taxis. Taxis-brousse are the main mode of road transport in rural zones, accounting for about 70% of passenger movement. Recently, Benin Taxis account for only 12% while the remaining accounted for by private cars. One important trend in road transport (especially inter-city) is still under range of fluidity according to the low flow of daily passengers travelling. Overall, traffic densities are low, except in the large cities of Cotonou and Bohicon, Parakou, Natitingou etc. The intention of the government is to build some highways with tolls, cooperating with private sectors in the zone of UEMOA. 

 
Railways 

Benin's railway network was built between 1900 and 1936. It is divided into three lines: from Cotonou to Parakou (438 km); from Pahou to Segbohoue via Ouidah (33 km), and from Cotonou to Pobe via Porto-Novo (107 km). The former Benin-Niger Railway and Transport Organization (OCBN) operated the service until 2014, when it was delivered under concession to Beninrail. 

The track and rolling stock are in poor condition and the operation of the line is in pause due to cancellation of the concession contract. There is a long-standing project to connect the central line to Niamey, Niger: the first part of the plan consisted of rehabilitating the existing Cotonou-Parakou line from 438 km and to build an extension of 625 km from Parakou to Niamey. 

Air Travel 

Currently, the country knows some progress in the air travel with some international landing and taking off in Cotonou. There is a construction plan of an international airport at Glo-Djigbé. It’s a district of the municipality of Abomey-Calavi, located in the department of Atlantic, in Benin. The National Agency of Civil Aviation of Benin (ANAC BENIN) is the civil aviation agency of Benin. ANAC is based in Cotonou.  

Benin possesses one international airport in Cotonou and seven airfields in Natitingou, Parakou, Save, Porga, Bembereke, Kana and Kandi. The safety of air transports as well as the technical management of the country’s air space is the responsibility of ASECNA. ASECNA, through SGAB (Service de Gestion des Aéroports du Bénin) is also responsible for the management of Benin’s airport’s infrastructures. 

The definition of Benin’s air transport policy, including the negotiation of traffic rights related to the country’s air space is the responsibility of the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC). 

 
Water Transport 

Rivers: 

Some rivers are rather navigable in Benin. Transportation on the water is also done in small boats that flock the waters of the littoral. Artisanal fishing remains the reference element. The transport of people and goods on the waters of the Niger River and its tributaries in the department of Alibori are suspended until further notice. This is a measure aimed at protecting the population against the serious repercussions of the rising waters of the Niger River and the rivers of Sota, Mekrou and Alibori having already caused extensive damage and loss of life. Weather conditions are hostile to all human mobility in the Niger River Basin. 

Sea: 

Benin presents a gentle terrain with five different morphological landscapes including the coastal plain that favoured maritime trade. Until the end of the 19th century, maritime trade was done at two points along the coast: Grand - Popo and Ouida. 

In these two points, the ships encountered difficulties of docking due to the phenomenon of the bar. Despite the breadth and the violence of this bar, the landing and embarkation of goods and passengers was carried out by transhipment on canoes which were the liaison between the ships anchoring in fairgrounds and the shore, which resulted in fatal accidents and adverse economic consequences. 

Thus, was built in December 1891 the 1st wharf with winches with metal frame. But this wharf could not go far enough to facilitate the berthing of ships. It will be rebuilt several times in 1910; 1926; 1928 and 1950 following the doubling of traffic, which should reach 304,000 tons in 1960. 

Faced with this inability of the wharf to meet the demands of the traffic, the French colonial authorities of the time entrusted various missions as well as the carrying out of several studies to the Central Bureau of Studies of Overseas Equipment (BCEOM) and the Company. Grenoble of Hydraulic Planning Studies (SOGREAH) from 1952 to 1959 to be able to find better solutions. 

On July 10, 1952, Pelnard-Considère, the BCEOM engineer concludes that the best remedy is to establish a deep-sea port rooted on the coast. The in-depth examination of the different solutions (Port à 

accumulation of sand, artificial sand transit port and island port) resulted for economic and political reasons to the choice of the Port of accumulation of sand, in deep water in Cotonou. 

Thus, the activities of the Port of Cotonou started on December 1, 1964, and the latter experienced the docking of the first ship called "FOCH" at its docks on December 30, 1964. This marked the cessation of activities of the Wharf. As for the official inauguration of the Port of Cotonou, it took place on August 1, 1965. It must be recognized that according to the statistics, the first exercise of benefits of the Port of Cotonou gave a cumulative freight.  

miscellaneous (import-export) of 365 000 tonnes. The work of the first extension launched in March 1979 ended in 1983 to respond to the increase in traffic. 

The regional vocation of the Port of Cotonou has been confirmed with the maintenance of traffic at a significant level and has also materialized with the construction of bonded warehouses by the authorities of neighbouring landlocked countries (Niger, Mali, Burkina-Faso). 

ICT, Telecom services and Internet 

The Mobile phone network in Benin is regulated by Benin’s Ministery of Numeric economy and Communication. There are mainly three (3) telecommunication service providers: Moov Africa, Spacetel Benin (MTN) and CELTIIS. You can choose between a prepaid plan or a monthly plan, you will be able to purchase 100, 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 2,500 and 5,000 CFA airtime. If you opt for a package, the price can start at 100 F CFA for 5 minutes of voice communication at Moov Africa for example. You can access the Internet in Benin by going to a cybercafé (few still exist) or investing in a mobile connectivity, modem/router key for this purpose. For one hour of connection, count 150 to 400 FCFA. Benin Telecoms Services, MTN, Moov Africa and Celtiis offer an unlimited or rechargeable plan. Count around 50 000 FCFA for a key, and 10 000 to 15 000 FCFA per month for a fixed price. To have a fixed telephone line installed in your home, it will be necessary to contact Benin Telecoms. The cost of activating a fixed line in Benin will be around 132,000 F CFA. The monthly subscription is 2,700 F CFA. La Poste in Benin is of good quality. But users must be careful, however, if you need to receive mail, you will need to contact your local office to get your PO Box number. 

Summarized Views on the Cotonou Autonomous Port  

Land access, for both road and rail, is restricted in many African ports since the latter are generally surrounded by densely developed areas. Resulting delays and congestion in both the delivery and removal of cargoes to and from the port affect port capacity while increasing the costs. In some cases, green field sites may be called for, rather than trying to heap more facilities onto an already overcrowded port infrastructure. The draft restriction of 10 metres at the bulk berths restricts vessels to a maximum DWCC (dead weight cargo capacity) of between 30,000 and 40,000 MT. Container vessel operators are pushing the port to increase the maximum draft beyond 10 metres.  

The Port of Cotonou is entering now into the active phase of its modernization. The implementation of the 2021-2025 Master Plan contains six (06) value-added projects to renovate the infrastructures and equipment as well as the expansion of the port. The works are estimated at 255 billion FCFA. 

The objectives of this work are:  

• Improved access for larger vessels (length 350m, width 52m) 

• Efficiency of handling operations 

• Reduction of waiting time in the harbour 

• Reduction of truck transit time in the port 

• Port capacity will be increased to over 20 million tonnes. 

 
Cotonou used to handle about 3.8 million MT of transit cargo - this includes both liquid and dry cargo. About 2.1 million MT out of this tonnage is for Niger. The Cotonou to Niamey corridor is the shortest into Niger.  Abidjan, Lomé and Tema are also gateway ports to Niger for much smaller quantities. There is the cargo to northern Nigeria which goes via Cotonou and Niger.  Smuggling / illegal entry into Nigeria is also a part of the statistics. The goods are declared in transit to Niger, and at Maradi they are diverted to Kano or even taken across the porous border in smaller quantities. Containerised cargo would be in the region of about 300,000 TEU or close. But at least 80 percent of the containers are stripped, and the cargo sent as break bulk. 

However, for the year 2022, it can be noted that goods traffic at the Port of Cotonou slowed from its usual flow of almost 1,120,000 tons on average per month between February and July 2022 to just 877,000 tons on average per month from September to December 2022, 
 

Trucking from and through Benin.   

It is a mix of formal and informal.  Formal operators have modern trucks and practices, and the informal operators work with second hand vehicles.  The average age of a truck could be as much as 20 years old. The informal operators overload their trucks to improve profitability and hence they are prone to frequent breakdowns. etc.  

The weakness of the framework regulatory framework includes road safety standards, vehicle standards and regulations relating to by weight. For example, overloading trucks is a common practice (concerning 80% of trucks). The SIRGPR theoretically supervises standards and procedures relating to vehicle weights and axle loads of heavy vehicles transporting goods, in accordance with the 2004 UEMOA regulations, but in the in practice, supervision is limited. Benin should build on regional initiatives and strengthen their implementation. 

Key points 

• We should review sending break bulk cargo in jumbo bags for all ports under study.  Several benefits have been noticed:  Reduced theft, reduced breakages, easier handling, easy to tally etc. 

• Cotonou port can be heavily congested with commercial vessels having long delays at anchor. 

• The government has made considerable progress here in port operation, particularly in container terminal. 

• Until stevedoring is privatised for break bulk cargoes, slow discharge rates and poor handling resulting in cargo damage will continue to be noticed. 

• Avoid any storage in port itself because of poor warehousing and security. 

• Vegetable oil need to be shipped in containers. 

• The road from Cotonou to Parakou (also the rail head) is all asphalted and in good conditions. From Parakou to the border town of Malanville, the road is in bad condition and there are a lot of delays during the rainy season. 

Positive aspects: 

The WFP Benin’s office has good relationships with both the Benin government and the port. The port and the stevedoring can be influenced to assist WFP during emergency context. Positive developments with all the de-stuffing of containers are done outside port precincts which reduces congestion in the port. 

Negative aspects: 

There appears to be a growing emphasis on developing the container terminal at the expense of the bulk and break-bulk berths. Limited traditional berths are often congested during the export of cotton season and the imports of commercial fertilizer and commercial rice in break bulk vessels. Growing oligopoly of inland transport companies which limits transportation options and increases costs. It is important to consider the Unreliability of small shipping agencies and smaller transport companies. Slow discharge rates for break bulk vessels, theft in port precincts and unsuitable warehousing in the port itself.