Benin: Port of Cotonou

Benin’s port of Cotonou is a potential gateway to landlocked West African countries, but high shipping costs, low efficiency, and poor logistical facilities have kept it from becoming a key trade route. As part of a major port sector reform program, the government hired IFC as the lead advisor on a public-private partnership for a new container terminal. The concession agreement was signed in September 2009.