BENIN: PRESIDENT BONI YAYI RESHUFFLES HIS GOVERNMENT

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SUBJECT: BENIN: PRESIDENT BONI YAYI RESHUFFLES HIS GOVERNMENT


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1. (SBU) SUMMARY: President Boni Yayi reshuffled his cabinet on June

17. This move had been widely anticipated as a result of the April
2007 legislative elections. While Yayi was faced with making at
least five ministerial re-assignments due to the election results,
he has opted for a wholesale re-vamp of his administration, with 17
ministers who are new to the government and only nine incumbents
holding on to their positions. In addition to personnel changes,
the titles of several ministries have been changed, and various
other ministries have been split or combined. The end result is an
increase of the total number of ministers from 23 before the
reshuffle to 26 now. Despite the presence of few prominent
political names, Yayi's government maintains a strongly
"technocratic" nature. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) The new Cabinet line-up is below:

Retained Ministers (9):

- Pascal Irene KOUPAKI, Minister of State, in charge of the Economy,
Economic Forecasting Development and the Evaluation of Public Action
(Koupaki was Minister for Development, Economy, and Finance. He has
been promoted to Minister of State, but his previous
responsibilities have been divided between this office and the newly
renamed Ministry of Finance)
- Issifou Kogui N'DOURO, Minister of State in charge of National
Defense (This is also a promotion to Minister of State.)
- Roger DOVONOU, Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and
Fisheries
- Emmanuel TIANDO, Minister of Work and Public Service
- Idrissou SINA BIO GOUNOU, Minister of Administrative and
Institutional Reform
- Soumanou TOLEBA, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Handicrafts
- Frangois Gbenoukpo NOUDEGBESSI, Minister of Urban Development,
Land Reform and Coastal Erosion Prevention (One of five ministers in
the last government who was elected to the legislature. He is the
only one of the five Yayi has asked to remain a minister.)
- Sakinatou Abdou Alfa Orou SIDI, Minister of Microfinance and Youth
and Women's Employment (Minister Sidi has been promoted from
Minister-delegate to full minister, and given additional duties for
employment.)
- Albert Segbegnon HOUNGBO, Minister-Delegate for Budget in the
Office of the Minister of Finance.

Newly Appointed Ministers (17):

- General Flix HESSOU, Minister of Interior and Public Security
(General Hessou was formerly Minister N'Douro's Chief of Staff at
the Ministry of National Defense, and is an alumnus of the African
Center for Strategic Studies programs.)
- Dmolo Issa MOKO, Minister of Decentralization, Local Communities
and Land Management (He was formerly Director of Local communities
within the same ministry.)
- Moussa OKANLA, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Integration,
Francophonie and the Beninese Diaspora (He is a professor who
studied at the University of Michigan, and has previously worked as
consultant for USAID.) NOTE: The Foreign Ministry is reclaiming the
responsibility for African Integration and Diaspora issues that had
been shifted in April 2006 to a separate ministry.
- Soul Mana LAWANI, Minister of Finance (Prior to his appointment,
he worked as Director of the Benin Electricity Company.)
- Grgoire AKOFODJI, Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Small and
Medium Scale Enterprises (Mr. Akofodji is a political newcomer with
no known political affiliation.)
- Sacca LAFIA, Minister of Mines, Energy and Water (Mr. Lafia is an
influential political figure and a former deputy at the National
Assembly. He was an International Visitor grantee in 2002.)
- Kessile TCHALA, Minister of Health (He is a medical doctor who was
living in France and a close friend to President Yayi.)
- Christine OUINSAVI, Minister of Primary Education, Literacy and
National Languages (A professor of Agronomy at the University of
Abomey-Calavi in Benin.)
- Bernadette SOHOUDJI AGBOSSOU, Ministry of Secondary Education, and
Vocational and Technical Training
- Vicentia BOCCO, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific
Research (She is a medical doctor and the former President Yayi's
campaign director.)
- Ganiou SOGLO, Minister of Youth, Sports and Leisure (The second
son of former president Nicephore Soglo and a member of the Soglos'
Renaissance du Benin political party.)
- Gnimbr DANSOU, Minister of Family and Children (A magistrate who

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was serving as deputy public prosecutor at the Cotonou Court of
Appeal.)
- Juliette KOUDENOUKPO BIAOU, Minister of the Environment and the
Conservation of Nature
- Cassa Gustave ANANI, Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice,
Legislation and Human Rights (He is an Attorney at Law.)
- Alexandre HOUTONDJI, Minister in charge of the Relations with the
Institutions, Spokesman of the Government (A medical doctor by
profession who was serving as an advisor in the President's
office.)
- Dsir ADADJA, Minister-Delegate for Communication and New
Technology in the Office of the President of the Republic (Prior to
his appointment, he was President Yayi's advisor for on
telecommunication and new technologies and was Director of the
parastatal Benin Telecom.)
- Armand ZINZINDOHOUE, Minister-Delegate for Transport and Public
Works in the Office of the President of the Republic (He used to be
the Chief of Staff of the same Ministry.)


3. (SBU) COMMENT: Through this cabinet reshuffle, President Yayi is
apparently seeking to reward some close political allies and friends
whom he did not appoint to his first government. Among the newly
appointed ministers, those of Higher Education (Vincentia BOCCO),
Health (Kessile TCHALA),and Public Relations with the Institutions
(Alexandre HOUTONDJI) are viewed as close proteges of the President.
The President also took the opportunity to get rid of some
ministers whose parties no longer side with him. Nonetheless, the
new government retains a distinctly technocratic flavor. Overall
reaction to the new cabinet in the press and among the general
public has been positive. The massive changes among the ministerial
positions comes as a bit of a surprise, even to some of the
dismissed ministers, at least one of whom told the Ambassador the
night before the new government was announced that he expected to
keep his job. The departure of Foreign Minister Mariam Aladji Boni
Diallo was among the surprises, as Ms. Diallo was widely respected.
Despite dismissing Diallo, and three of the four other female
ministers in his previous government, Yayi has succeeded in
increasing the overall number of female ministers in the government
from five to six. END COMMENT.


4. (U) Post will provide additional biographical information about
key new ministers as it becomes available.

BROWN