Afripoli

France commits €100 million to Benin’s power grid

6 October 2026

France signed financing worth about €100 million ($117 million) with Benin on 5 October during President Romuald Wadagni’s visit to the Élysée Palace. Most of it comes from the French Development Agency, and 52.1 billion CFA francs ($93 million) will extend the grid of the state power company to more than 120,000 new customers in 750 localities. The rest funds fish farming, agriculture and a forensic DNA laboratory, partly through the public investment bank Bpifrance. The deal shows Benin, led by Wadagni since May, keeping close ties with France while its Sahel neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger have cut theirs.

Energy & Industry · Tags: Benin, France, French Development Agency (AFD), Bpifrance

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