The Minister of State for Development and Coordination of Government Action exchanged views with Dr. Christian P. Shindler, Director General of the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) on Tuesday, March 15, 2022 for his investment in Benin. The discussion took place in the office of the Minister of State in the presence of the delegation of textile investors, heads of APIEx and SIPI-BENIN SA.
The discussions between the Minister of State for Development and Coordination of Government Action, Abdoulaye BIO Chane, and textile investors allowed them to review the reforms initiated by the government in order to facilitate investment in Benin. First, the Director General of SIPI-Benin SA, Létondji BEHETON, presented the objective of the delegation which is to come to Benin and see what is happening, what he heard regarding not only the processing of cotton but also all agricultural products for more added value.
On this occasion, the Minister of State Abdoulaye BIO TCHANÉ said the following to the textile investors: “We are a country of major producers in West Africa. And our ambition is to create added value through the structural transformation of the economy. On the site of Glo-Djigbé, you will see the implementation of the reforms. The government has not limited itself to infrastructures. There are reforms in the legal field (…) Everything you need to make the area more competitive, and attractive (…) I wish you would be our spokesperson to the other textile associations and federation so that they can come to Benin not only for textiles but also for other agricultural products “.” In addition to cotton production, where Benin is the largest in West Africa, we are the second largest producer of cereals,” said the Minister of State. Dr. Christian Shindler, Managing Director of the International Textile Manufacturers Federation, said he was initially impressed with the achievements in the Special Economic Zone called the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ). “Hearing is good, but seeing physically is more important. A major project for the industrial processing of Benin cotton will be implemented. We will process the cotton here without exporting it. There is no factory. I am very impressed that it is not cotton alone that will be processed. There are cashew nuts, pineapple, etc. This will transform the economy of Benin. I am convinced of this based on all the efforts made by the government. It is only 14 months since the works of the Special Economic Zone called Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone started but we see the buildings growing. ITMF is a platform for textiles, so we will be the spokesperson for investors from Brazil, China, etc. “, added the head of the textile investors’ delegation. As a reminder, during their visit, Dr. Christian Shindler, Director General of the International Textile Manufacturers Federation and his delegation visited the area to have an idea of the work progress which is more than 85% of achievement.
