Reappointed as head of the Benin Employers’ Organization after having succeeded in restoring confidence with the executive and the social partners, President Eustache Kotingan intends to help speed up the competitiveness of the Benin private sector. He has defined four (04) main pillars for his new five (05) years mandate.
For a structural transformation of the Benin private sector, and therefore of the national economy, Eustache Kotingan, President of the National Council of the Benin Employers (CNP-Benin), is committed to achieving great things. Aware that dynamic private markets and companies are the best way to create wealth, jobs and prosperity for all, on a sustained basis, the man who has seen his peers from the Benin employers’ union renew their confidence in him, did not wait for long to reveal the four (04) priorities of his mandate at the head of the Employers’ Union. With regard to the first priority: “An organized private sector for sustainable development”, President Eustache Kotingan must rethink growth models and strike a balance between economic prosperity and environmental sustainability, investment promotion, innovation, competitiveness, social inclusion and cohesion, quality employment and democratic participation.
Peace for better enterprise
Evidently, in a context of instability and social tension, all development actions are doomed to failure, Eustache Kotingan’s second priority is the « promotion of peace ». In this regard, « We must not take peace for granted in our country. And without peace, there is no growth, no decent jobs and no cohesion. In a few months, we will go to the polls to elect our deputies to the National Assembly. As our management structures are apolitical, we must remain vigilant and not activate hotbeds of tension. Economic operators, for one reason or another, have withdrawn from our Employers’ Union. Reconciliation and peace are among the greatest achievements of the CNP-Benin, « he said.
Strengthen the presence in strategic bodies
The third priority is to « strengthen the role of the private sector in economic and social development » in Benin. In this regard, employers must strengthen the presence of the private sector at all stages of reforms and of legislative and regulatory texts aimed at improving the business environment. This is because the private sector can play a crucial role in strengthening social and territorial cohesion, creating growth and jobs, opening dialogue and restoring trust.
Supporting young people
As a force for development, the Benin youth, who compete with one another to assert themselves in the entrepreneurial world, also has a prominent place in the CNP-Benin program. As it were, President Eustache Kotingan remained convinced of the need to give young people the attention and space they deserved in the business world. « Young people must become the very first agents of change. I will work with each and every one of you to find ways to give young people back the will to get involved in business. We cannot accept the disenchantment and isolation felt by the youngest in most of our countries, » he said. With these different pillars, the objective is to make the private sector a key link in Benin’s inclusive development. It should also be noted that, on average, the private sector accounts for 60 per cent of GDP, 80 per cent of capital flows and 90 per cent of employment in developing countries.
