China's Role in Benin's Development: From Slave Port to Tourist Destination

Lead

Benin's new president, Romuald Wadagni, is banking on Chinese and other foreign investment to close the country's infrastructure gap and build value-adding industries. Among the most symbolic projects is the transformation of the historic slave port in Ouidah into a tourist destination, a development reported by the South China Morning Post.

Coverage Comparison

The South China Morning Post covered this story from a few angles. One report focused on the transformation of the slave port in Ouidah, detailing the historical significance and the construction of a modern waterfront complex. Another emphasized the broader context of Chinese involvement in Benin's infrastructure, including port upgrades and road construction, against the backdrop of the country's new leadership. The outlet consistently attributed the projects to the Beninese government's decisions to contract Chinese state-owned firms.

Key Claims

The South China Morning Post reported that Ouidah, a town on Benin's southern Atlantic coast, was once a major hub in the transatlantic slave trade. Nearly 2 million enslaved Africans were marched along the 2km "Slave Route" from the auction plaza to the beach, passing through the "Gate of No Return," where a memorial arch now stands.

The Beninese government has contracted Chinese state-owned firms to build the La Marina waterfront complex on the site of the former slave port. According to the South China Morning Post, the project aims to boost tourism by linking the modern seaside complex to the historic slave route and memorial sites. The project is managed by Benin's National Agency for Heritage Promotion and Tourism Development, and construction began under the previous president, Patrice Talon.

The newspaper also reported on China's wider role in Benin's infrastructure. At the Autonomous Port of Cotonou, China Harbour Engineering Company is building Terminal 5, involving land reclamation and two 100,000-tonne berths. Chinese firms are also constructing a 60km highway in the central region and a 184km "cotton road" in the north, the latter backed by the China-supported Africa Growing Together Fund.

With Sunday's swearing-in of Romuald Wadagni as president, the former finance minister who won April's election with over 94 per cent of the vote, Benin is looking to foreign investors to modernize its infrastructure. Wadagni, who served as finance chief for a decade under Patrice Talon, is described by the South China Morning Post as a key architect of the nation's recent economic reforms.