#SMEs are “the beating heart of Benin’s economy.” For Ms. #AwaouBACO, their development cannot therefore be left to a patchwork of initiatives, however numerous and relevant they may be. It must be part of a coherent strategy, driven by a shared vision and focused on concrete results.

This was the purpose of the meeting with His Excellency #Joris W.P. #Jurriëns, Ambassador of the #Netherlands, on July 30, 2026, during which both parties reviewed the various forms of Dutch support for the development of Benin’s private sector.

Discussions focused in particular on several key initiatives and programs, including #ACMA, #BeniBiz, the#ADPME’s one-stop shop for businesses, as well as partnerships developed with the Benin Chamber of Commerce and Industry (#CCIB) on trade-related matters.

Aligning Support Mechanisms

According to Ms. Awaou BACO, Benin now has a network of stakeholders and mechanisms capable of supporting businesses at various stages of their development: formalization, financing, capacity building, market access, professionalization, and skills development.

Vocational training plays a strategic role in this regard. It helps gradually align the needs of businesses with available skills and contributes to building a skilled workforce, which is essential to the competitiveness of the private sector.

But the challenge now is to create greater synergies among these various programs. “The task now is to create synergy among our structures,” emphasized the Minister, who hopes to take a new step forward in steering her department’s efforts.

Toward a strategic summit…

This ambition is expected to take shape soon with the organization of a “roundtable” of the MPMEPE’s technical and financial partners.

The goal will be to present the Ministry’s priorities, better align the partners’ interventions, and review, as needed, the terms of their support in order to maximize the impact on businesses, young people, women, artisans, and job seekers.

The goal, therefore, is not to increase the number of projects, but to better align them around a shared vision and clearly defined priorities. This commitment reflects a new approach to leadership: the MPMEPE intends to fully fulfill its role as a driving force by ensuring coherence between its structures, projects, and programs and the initiatives of its partners.

The Ambassador of the Netherlands, for his part, highlighted the crucial role of artisans in the economies of many countries, particularly in the Netherlands. He was pleased to note that Benin is also part of this trend by giving entrepreneurs, SMEs, and artisans an increasingly prominent role in its economic development strategy.

Ms. Awaou BACO welcomed this cooperation and the Netherlands’ ongoing support. The Minister’s message is now clear: to coordinate more effectively to avoid fragmentation, build bridges between programs, and ensure that every partnership contributes to a single goal: more professional, more competitive businesses that create more jobs.