The Minister of Finance of Benin, Romuald Wadagni, received in audience on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, Nestor Coffi, the new Representative of the World Bank in Benin. The exchanges between the two personalities focused on the situation of the portfolio and all the programs conducted with the country's authorities.

In terms of exchanges, Nestor Coffi said that the quality of the program alone is not enough. “We were also able to discuss the measures that need to be taken to ensure that this program can move forward, in particular the proposals that would strengthen the mobilization of resources, to ensure that this program can have the maximum impact for the population,” he said. He stressed that he had already contacted some partners who are also involved in development and the fight against poverty, including bilateral partners, but especially also UN agencies

Priority projects

Strategic directions have been redefined based on the government action plan. Indeed, explains Nestor Coffi, in 2018 the institution developed a partnership framework with Benin, which was based on the government action plan. This partnership framework is coming to an end. “We are therefore in the process of developing a new partnership strategy with Benin that will build on the achievements of what has been achieved, the lessons that have been learned and especially the new directions that the Republic of Benin would therefore like to initiate with intuition, the group and the World Bank. We really plan to move this project forward and ensure that in the coming months the new strategy is discussed and approved intuitively,” he explained

The second pillar is in a way within the framework of IDA 20, a set of priority programs have been discussed between the World Bank and Benin. The third point is to explore the new dynamic of the evolution of the World Bank Group, which is in the process of integrating at the global level, at the level of the whole world, and to ensure that Benin's path is heard