Benin/Public Administration: Abomey Hosts Workshop on Reorganizing the Recruitment System

The WADAGNI Government aims to recruit more effectively, at lower cost, and in a more attractive manner. It was in Abomey, a historic city, that the Government chose to open a new and decisive chapter for the future of the nation. On Monday, October 19, 2026, the Ministry of Budget and Public Service brought together several high-level experts from the labor sector for a strategic workshop to discuss the reorganization of the civil service recruitment system.

As part of the ongoing reforms to modernize the public administration, the President of the Republic, Mr. Romuald WADAGNI, is methodically implementing another measure—perhaps the most sensitive one: the entry point into the civil service.

For the stakes are clear. While entry into the civil service is governed by laws that promote transparency and rigor, the current system has shown its limitations in light of the ambitions Benin has set since 2016.

Reducing the cost of taking civil service exams and making recruitment more attractive

The objective of the Abomey workshop is simple in its statement but revolutionary in its scope. It aims to propose a modern recruitment system that meets two requirements:

1. Reduce the cost of entering the civil service for candidates. Gone are the days of costly and discouraging obstacle courses for young graduates.

2. Create conditions that attract top talent. The public sector of tomorrow needs data scientists and experts in energy transition, artificial intelligence, and project engineering. The public service must once again become attractive for the jobs of the future.

The government must no longer recruit merely to replace staff; it must recruit to transform and prepare a better future for Beninese talent.

Supported by the World Bank and the UNDP, this workshop is not just another seminar. Its conclusions should help open a new chapter: one of better management of newly created public sector jobs and a civil service that is more agile, more competent, and resolutely performance-oriented.

Abomey could well give rise to the new face of the Beninese civil servant.

Source: www.gouv.bj/