Antwerp Port Authority picked to modernize Benin’s port

Benin’s Council of Ministers has tapped the Antwerp Port Authority’s consulting and investment subsidiary, Port of Antwerp International (PAI), to help modernize the Port of Cotonou.    Benin’s Council of Ministers has tapped the Antwerp Port Authority’s consulting and investment subsidiary, Port of Antwerp International (PAI), to help modernize the Port of Cotonou.
   Cotonou handles about 12 million tons of cargo a year, and is one of the main gateway ports for the sub-region, in particular the countries of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.
   Benin wants to grow the port, but the management and infrastructure at Cotonou are outdated. As a result, the Benin government decided to temporarily outsource its management to PAI.
   Antwerp has a long history with West African port operations. The port has the highest proportion of direct services to West Africa of all the Northwest European ports, which translates into a near 50 percent market share.
   PAI started working with Cotonou on a consultancy basis in 2017. After a selection procedure and negotiations, an agreement with PAI was reached by Benin to improve port operations at Cotonou. Specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
   “Our main task will be to modernize the port authority in organizational terms, renovate the obsolescent facilities and prepare for and guide the expansion of the port,” Kristof Waterschoot, managing director of PAI, said in a statement.
   PAI is currently recruiting eight expats to oversee the modernization work at Cotonou port.
   “For example, we’re looking for a CEO and a chief financial officer, but we have the explicit aim under the terms of our remit to organize management training courses for local managers, to prepare them for a gradual transfer of these key functions,” Waterschoot said.