On Friday 21 May 2021, the Government of the Republic of Benin and the SONATEL group formalised the placing of the Beninese Digital Infrastructure Company (SBIN) S.A under delegated management. The official signing ceremony for the delegated management agreement was co-chaired by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Mr Romuald WADAGNI, the Minister of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation, Ms Aurelie ADAM SOULE ZOUMAROU, and the Special Adviser to the President of the Republic, Mr Johannes DAGNON.
On Friday 21 May 2021, the Government of the Republic of Benin and the SONATEL group formalised the placing of the Beninese Digital Infrastructure Company (SBIN) S.A under delegated management. The official signing ceremony for the delegated management agreement was co-chaired by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Mr Romuald WADAGNI, the Minister of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation, Ms Aurelie ADAM SOULE ZOUMAROU, and the Special Adviser to the President of the Republic, Mr Johannes DAGNON.
Mr Marc-André LOKO, outgoing Director General of SBIN S.A, recalled the many projects successfully undertaken in recent months and wished the new team every success in pursuing SBIN S.A's other major ambitions, in particular the development of mobile services. Mr Sekou DRAME, Director General of SONATEL, gave assurances of the group's commitment to helping realise the vision of the Head of State, His Excellency Patrice TALON, of making Benin the digital services platform of West Africa in order to accelerate growth and social inclusion. “The SONATEL group aims to bring to SBIN all its expertise and dynamism in terms of innovation, operational excellence and development of the digital ecosystem,” he continued.
Through the delegated management mechanism, the Beninese State is making SONATEL its strategic partner for improving the quality of SBIN's services. The objective is to make SBIN a major operator of fixed and mobile services in Benin and, later, in the sub-region. For the Minister of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation, Ms Aurelie ADAM SOULE ZOUMAROU, the signing of the SBIN delegated management agreement marks a turning point in the management of the digital sector in Benin. “The signing of the agreement marks the start of a new journey, one that will lead, in line with the Government's vision, to the creation of a robust company that will bring innovative, high-quality digital services to the people of Benin,” the Minister of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation added.
“Our aim is simple: to make SBIN the catalyst of Benin's digital ecosystem.” According to the Minister of Economy and Finance, Mr Romuald WADAGNI, it was this objective that led the Government to opt for placing SBIN under delegated management. “We want you, on the one hand, to revitalise Benin's digital sector by bringing value to all stakeholders and, on the other, to make Cotonou the place from which innovations in digital usage spread across Africa,” he insisted. Minister Romuald WADAGNI concluded by assuring the SONATEL group of the Government's unwavering support in achieving the set objectives.