Bénin: extraordinary parliamentary session set for friday

The National Assembly is convening an urgent plenary session this Friday at the Palais des Gouverneurs in Cotonou, bringing together deputies from the 10th legislature to deliberate on two critical draft laws.

key draft laws on the agenda

At the heart of the session are two priority texts submitted under the urgent procedure:

• 2026 supplementary budget bill – increasing total state expenditure from 3,783.984 billion to 4,086.620 billion FCFA, a 8% boost reflecting an expansionary fiscal stance
• Amendment to the Republic Mediator Act – modernizing institutional oversight mechanisms

The Conference of Presidents, led by Assembly President Joseph Djogbénou, has endorsed this accelerated timetable to ensure swift adoption of measures deemed essential for aligning public policy with the priorities of President Romuald Wadagni’s administration.

budgetary priorities: growth and social investment

The supplementary budget maintains its 7.5% growth projection while introducing targeted adjustments:

• Personnel costs cut by 9.8% through efficiency gains without affecting planned recruitments or service acquisitions
• Revenue increase of 2% and investment expenditure up by 8.5%
• New allocations for social protection, including:
• Installation of water points in schools and health centers
• Accelerated nutrition supplementation program for the first 1,000 days of life
• Strengthening of mandatory health insurance
• Support for street children and child beggars
• Education sector boost: free secondary school fees for girls starting the 2026-2027 academic year and construction of school canteen storage facilities
• Security and infrastructure: increased funding for public safety video surveillance in major cities, hospital and clinic construction, and sanitation projects

In response to rising living costs driven by global tensions, the government will also subsidize agricultural inputs to bolster food security and support local producers.

what’s at stake for Benin

This extraordinary session represents a pivotal moment in the parliamentary calendar, where financial decisions intersect with social and political priorities. The adoption of these texts will signal the government’s commitment to inclusive development amid challenging economic conditions.