Benin/Agricultural mechanization: Government supports agricultural entrepreneurship with modern equipment

On Friday May 8, 2026, the headquarters of the Société de Mécanisation Agricole (SoNaMa) in Ouidah hosted the official ceremony for the presentation of agricultural equipment to five students in the Agrostudies program. Presided over by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Mr Gaston Cossi DOSSOUHOUI, this initiative is part of the government's drive to modernize the agricultural sector and promote youth entrepreneurship. It is supported by the Fonds National de Développement Agricole (FNDA), SoNaMa and Swiss Cooperation.

Beneficiaries received tractor kits with ploughs and trailers, power tillers, tricycles, sprayers and various maintenance accessories, for a total estimated value of over 130 million FCFA. According to FNDA Managing Director Nicolas AHOUISSOUSSI, twenty-five young people from the fourth cohort of the program were initially selected.thirteen of them were retained at the end of the support process, thanks to their commitment to agricultural activities. The other eight beneficiaries will soon receive their equipment in Parakou.

For Minister Gaston Cossi DOSSOUHOUI, this endowment will make it possible to improve farm productivity, reduce the drudgery of work and increase the profitability of young promoters' agricultural enterprises. He stressed that this action reflects the Government's determination to make modernized and mechanized agriculture an essential lever for Benin's economic development. The Minister also invited the beneficiaries to make responsible and sustainable use of the equipment made available to them.

Speaking on behalf of SoNaMa, Jean-Patrick YEKPE, Director of Commercial Operations, welcomed the initiative, which places agricultural mechanization at the heart of the sector's transformation. For his part, Michael AVAGBO, spokesman for the beneficiaries, expressed his gratitude to the Government and technical partners, while promising to make good use of the equipment to achieve the objectives set under the Agrostudies program.

Source: www.gouv.bj/article/