Benin's 2026 Presidential Race: Talon's Chosen Successor, Romuald Wadagni, Unveils His Vision for Society

In Benin, Romuald Wadagni, the candidate of the presidential movement for the upcoming April election, presented his societal project this Saturday, March 21, 2026. The event took place at the Cotonou Conference Palace before a large crowd of dignitaries, including former President Nicéphore Dieudonné Soglo, former Parliamentary Presidents Amoussou Bruno and Adrien Houngbédji, and the head of the Republican Bloc, Abdoulaye Bio Tchané.

"Public policy will be organized around 6 regional development hubs"

In his speech, the candidate stated he would establish the framework for a new dynamic in public action.

"Henceforth, public policy will be organized around 6 regional development hubs. The country will be divided into 6 regions. The first region will be: Atacora-Donga, the 2nd: Borgou-Alibori, the 3rd: Zou-Collines, the 4th: Ouémé-Plateau, the 5th: Atlantique-Littoral, and the 6th: Mono-Couffo. We will establish authorities for these 6 regions," declared the political heir of President Patrice Talon.

The idea behind creating these hubs is "to establish a specific development plan for each region. Each region must have an economic ecosystem based on its assets and expertise. There will be a development engine, specific to each region," assured the current Minister of Economy and Finance.

However, all 6 regions will also need to concurrently develop agriculture, tourism, industry, and innovation.

Lifting Farmers Out of Precarious Conditions

Regarding agriculture more specifically, candidate Wadagni proposes lifting farmers out of precarious conditions by implementing a program that supports production. The goal is to help them improve their yields.

"We will support you during the period by providing the complete package: support, mechanization, inputs, fertilizers. If at the end of the harvest you have less than your usual tonnage per hectare, we pay you. If you have more than one ton per hectare, then, we take a portion of the surplus, we take charge of marketing it, and with that money, we set aside some funds to renew the program for the farmer. We allocate some resources for their health and we establish a reserve for their retirement," stated candidate Wadagni.

He also intends to work on tourism projects by endowing each region with a village or town of splendor. Furthermore, access to micro-credit will be facilitated by creating a financial inclusion platform.

In the health sector, the nation's finance minister announced the systematic coverage of vital emergencies.

"Henceforth, for vital emergencies, you will be treated first. There will no longer be deaths in Benin related to waiting to complete formalities, to pay, waiting to bring an invoice, no," declared candidate Wadagni.

"What we have done poorly, together through dialogue, we will correct what needs to be corrected"

He did not fail to address issues of individual freedoms and democracy. For him, Benin is entering a "phase of stabilization."

"What we have done poorly, together, through dialogue, we will correct what needs to be corrected," he promised.

The final part of his address focused on security. He promised to equip the Defense and Security Forces with "state-of-the-art equipment."

They will henceforth be capable of seeing "down to a few centimeters, what is happening at our borders. We will enable them to anticipate approaching enemies, to be reactive when we are attacked," said the candidate for the April 2026 Presidential election.