Port of Antwerp modernises and manages port of Cotonou (Benin)

Port of Antwerp International (PAI), the consultancy and investment subsidiary of Antwerp Port Authority, has been given the go-ahead by the Benin council of ministers to modernise the port of Cotonou. In early December, a special committee of the Benin government decided that PAI would be given a mandate to take charge of the ‘Port Autonome de Cotonou’, but only after approval from the council of ministers has it now been officially ratified. According to the Port Authority, the authorities in Benin are mainly looking for a partner to modernise the infrastructure and organisation at the Port of Cotonou for further growth. The management will therefore be temporarily outsourced. The port of Cotonou handles 12 million tonnes of goods annually and is considered the economic heart of the country.