Telephone booths : A company that is resurfacing

Yellow, a color that escapes no one in the streets of Cotonou. Telephone booths are making their appearance again to the delight of the Beninese population. It is true that they no longer have the same usefulness as there is 20 years back but become very important.

Firmin KASSAGA A wooden hut covered with metal sheets or a table and a sunshade. These are the clues that identify them. These installations can be observed practically every 100 meter in the streets and alleys of the different cities of Benin. Formerly used for phone calls, these cabins are now used for mobile recharging, sometimes for tontines and money transfers. To the pleasure of the population, this regeneration especially limits the long journeys of those who would like to have such services. "With these cabins, we no longer travel long distances to carry out our operations ”, Lady Lucie told us, a client met on site. In addition to the local service offered by these cabins, they offer a job to a few people as Karl says, a telephone booth manager. "This job allows me to save some money with the salary I earn. For me, it's a relief especially since it is difficult to find a job here with us. I am here for the moment waiting for a better offer », he emphasizes. Another observation, it is the proliferation of this type of activity. Which certainly brings an aesthetic change in the streets by the colors they present. But it is undoubtedly this multiplicity that justifies the return of an activity which had reached its peak but which is reborn. Jacques N. booth promoter believes that the telephone booths have not disappeared. "They just took a step back from the technological evolution and so did we, we found a way to adapt them to this evolution. For the large number of cabins you see, this is justified by the profitability of the sector on everything with electronic currencies and for some the tontines ”, he hinted. otherwise, it should be noted that risks also exist in this activity, in particular theft. However, the contribution of these activities to society remains the essential element in addition to financial income. A sanitation of the environment would not be too much but in the meantime the population benefits from it.