The Port of Amsterdam will help with the development of a master plan to renovate and upgrade Benin’s Port of Cotonou.
The Dutch Embassy in Benin has asked the Port of Amsterdam International to assist it with developing a master plan to renovate and upgrade the West African country’s Port of Cotonou.
The Port of Cotonou has the potential to become a regional hub for West Africa, the Port of Amsterdam said. Transshipment cargoes currently exceed 6 million tons a year and the port wants to raise these volumes to 20 million tons annually.
Besides serving Benin, the Port of Cotonou supports several neighboring countries, including Nigeria, and is also the closest port for countries such as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The Port of Cotonou, currently accounts for 60 percent of Benin’s GDP.
However, the Port of Amsterdam said Cotonou “is held back by outdated facilities, major congestion problems and a shortage of quay space and is unable to achieve its growth objectives in its current condition.”
“This project will eventually result in a master plan and implementation plan that will transform and restructure the Port of Cotonou in order to facilitate its growth and drive the Benin economy,” said the Port of Amsterdam Director Gert-Jan Nieuwenhuizen in a statement. “Port of Amsterdam is a major cocoa port that receives very large volumes of cocoa shipments from West Africa. Once Benin’s infrastructure has been upgraded, it will become easier to increase the speed and efficiency of the port’s cargo transshipment.”
Port of Amsterdam assists Benin port with development
