The good news came at the end of last week. Benin will become an oil exporting country. He is the Minister of Energy, water and mining, Samou Séidou Adambi who announced it.
Over the last few years, there have been several attempts aimed at reviving the Beninese oil industry which experienced its best period between 1984 and 1998, date of last offshore oil production. These efforts have, among other things,, allowed the country to secure the transit of Nigerien oil to international markets.
But now everything is done according to the Minister of Energy, water and mining, Samou Séidou Adambi so that Benin aligns from here 2025 among the oil exporting countries. “Next year, I assure you that the government will do everything possible to start by extracting in deep water. We already have white gold, but we will have black gold. Since 8 years and a half, we work on it through serious partners, there are some, it's done, next year, we are going to start by being a raw country exporting country”, he declared during his speech at the inauguration ceremony of the post 161/63/15 kV from Sèmère Kpodji.
Benin, he said, has other significant mineral resources which the government is promoting.. “In the industrial zone of Glo-Djigbé, we have a factory (African ceramics solutions, editor's note) manufacturing tiles using our local clay-based materials, from kaolin and other local materials in Benin’.
Since his accession to power in 2016, reports Banouto, President Patrice Talon has initiated several reforms aimed at promoting the country's resources. Reforms which led to the creation of the Glo-Djigbé Zè industrial zone, a space of 1 640 hectares dedicated to cotton processing, you soy, cashew and other local raw materials. Early August 2024, the government has given its agreement for the signing of an agreement for the exploitation of kaolin from Kétou, deposits of Zogbodomey as well as the granite of Djidja.
Damien TOLOMISSI