Port of Antwerp International (PAI), the consultancy and investment subsidiary of Antwerp Port Authority, has been appointed by the council of ministers of the West African country of Benin to modernise the port of Cotonou.
This port is the economic heart of Benin, handling an annual freight volume of around 12m tonnes.
In the longer term, the port authority wants the port to grow further, but both the infrastructure and the organisation are outdated. The government therefore decided to temporarily outsource the management of the port.
“We are delighted that the Benin government has opted for the expertise and knowhow of Antwerp,” said port alderman Marc Van Peel, who is also chairman of PAI. “With our subsidiaries APEC and PAI we have been working for a long time on the passing on and sharing of knowledge and experience, in order to strengthen the worldwide network of our port and to ensure that Antwerp is and remains top of mind at the international level of decision makers in the maritime world.'
