Benin’s growth under Patrice Talon came with curbs on political freedoms

Patrice Talon’s decade in power in Benin brought visible construction and industrial investment alongside tighter limits on political freedoms, according to a Guardian account published on 30 September 2026 from Cotonou and Porto-Novo. The record matters beyond the former president’s tenure: he became president of Benin’s new senate in August, after his chosen successor won April’s presidential election.

How much has Benin’s economy grown?

The World Bank reported that Benin’s economy grew 7.5% in 2024, its fastest rate since 1990, with services and industry driving the increase. It said the national poverty rate fell from 33.2% in 2023 to 31% in 2024. Those are national results; they do not establish how much of the improvement came from Talon’s policies or how evenly households shared it.

The Guardian describes a building boom in Cotonou and a coastal road that has shortened travel to Ouidah. It also reports an industrial zone northwest of Cotonou. The World Bank identifies expansion of the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone as part of Benin’s investment picture. The visible changes help explain why Talon’s economic record remains central to the debate about his presidency.

The state’s finances changed as well. According to the World Bank, tax revenue rose from 9.2% of GDP in 2016 to 13.2% in 2024, although Benin still lagged peer countries in raising domestic revenue. The bank said Benin met the West African Economic and Monetary Union’s 3% fiscal deficit target in 2024, alongside fiscal consolidation and debt reduction.

What do the gains mean for households?

The Guardian reports that the minimum monthly wage rose from 40,000 to 52,000 CFA francs in January 2023. It says rent and electricity tariffs rose by at least 15% in recent years and fuel prices nearly doubled over that period. Those price figures come from the Guardian’s account; the reviewed material does not provide an underlying series with which to measure the effect on every household.

University of Abomey-Calavi political scientist Guillaume Moumouni told the Guardian that Talon’s vision had brought net economic progress, particularly in social infrastructure. He also said people were not gaining much more in cash. The World Bank’s poverty figures show an improvement between 2023 and 2024, while its call for more targeted taxes, transfers and social spending indicates that the distribution of growth remains a policy concern.

What happened to political freedoms?

The Guardian reports that stricter election laws and higher registration fees reduced opposition representation during Talon’s first term. It says only one opposition candidate was approved for the April 2026 presidential election. Romuald Wadagni, Talon’s chosen successor, won more than 94% of the vote, according to the report. Talon later became president of the senate created under a constitutional amendment.

Amnesty International’s 2025 country report says freedom of expression and peaceful assembly continued to be restricted. It records suspensions of news outlets and arrests of journalists and opposition figures, while attributing the charges against them to authorities. Amnesty also says the opposition Democrats party filed complaints in March 2025 after demonstrations were banned and protests violently dispersed. The complaints are the party’s reported action, not a court finding.

Development has carried other costs. The Guardian cites an Amnesty report finding that four projects caused forced evictions affecting at least 6,000 people. Amnesty’s later country report says households representing more than 3,000 people in Cotonou’s Fiyégnon 1 district had been evicted without compensation since 2021. It also records a public call by the land agency for people still awaiting adequate compensation to come forward.

Eugène Azatassou, vice-president of the opposition Democrats party, told the Guardian that development should be judged by democracy, purchasing power, employment, security and living conditions as well as roads and buildings. The Guardian says it approached Benin’s communication ministry for comment; the account reviewed here contains no ministry response. Those assessments, and the measurable economic gains, remain part of the debate over Talon’s legacy.