Heavy-duty fleet renewal in Benin: Transport partners coordinate efforts

Cotonou, July 10, 2026 – The Enabel Benin offices hosted the Technical and Financial Partners (TFP) Transport Sector Workshop this morning. Around thirty representatives from 12 international organizations gathered to review their respective interventions and work toward a joint approach to renewing the heavy-duty vehicle fleet in Benin.

Established in December 2024 on the initiative of MCA-Benin, the TFP Transport group meets quarterly to bring together international cooperation actors involved in Beninese road transport. It provides a structured dialogue platform to share progress, avoid duplication, and identify synergies between programs.

This session on July 10, 2026, organized by Enabel as part of its COTONI and PROPORT projects, brought together nearly 30 participants representing: MCA-Benin, MCC, World Bank Benin, Enabel, the European Union, AfDB, WAEMU, TMA, UNCTAD, ECOWAS, SCANIA, and World Bank Togo.

Beninese road transport: Between progress and persistent challenges

In Benin, road transport serves as the backbone of the economy. Its strategic geographical position on the Gulf of Guinea makes Benin an essential regional logistics hub for trade with landlocked countries in the sub-region, led by Niger and Burkina Faso.

While notable progress has been made in recent years, persistent structural constraints remain: degraded infrastructure on certain sections, non-tariff barriers, partial digitization of procedures, and an aging fleet of freight transport vehicles.

The core of this workshop focused on renewing the heavy-duty vehicle fleet—a critical challenge for corridor competitiveness, road safety, and reducing the sector’s carbon footprint. MCA-Benin, Enabel, and World Bank Benin each presented their approaches and financing mechanisms. SCANIA and World Bank Togo provided valuable insights through sharing concrete experiences and lessons learned from similar contexts.

Discussions helped map existing models, analyze challenges specific to the Beninese context (access to credit, cost of inputs, technical standards), and identify common levers for action.

At the conclusion of the morning session, participants came away with:

• A shared vision of each TFP’s interventions in Benin’s road transport sector

• A common analysis of the challenges associated with fleet renewal and potential financing models

• Identified synergies and an agreement in principle on a harmonized approach among partners for the coming years

Enabel leads two key structural projects in Benin’s transport sector:

• COTONI (Cotonou-Niamey Corridor): Funded by the European Union with €18 million, this project aims to improve governance, safety, and trade facilitation along the Cotonou-Niamey corridor (2025–2029).

• PROPORT: A complementary project focused on developing the Autonomous Port of Cotonou and the port logistics area.

By organizing and leading this TFP coordination framework, Enabel plays its role as a facilitator of multi-stakeholder cooperation—an essential condition for transforming investments into lasting results for the people of Benin.