- The Beninese Parliament adopted unanimously on Thursday, at the Palais des
governors of Porto-Novo, the law on the legal, tax and customs regime applicable to the pipeline project
export of hydrocarbons from Niger to Benin, Xinhua learned on Friday from parliamentary sources in
Cotonou.
According to the report of the Finance and Trade Commission of the National Assembly of Benin,
arrived that same day at Xinhua in Cotonou, the provisions of this law voted by the Beninese deputies
will not only make it possible to make all the legislative provisions suitable for guaranteeing
effective implementation of the project, both in the interest of all parties and of the Beninese State, but also to render,
legal and valid, the stipulations of the Niamey agreement, which, in the absence of the law, would
contrary or incompatible with Beninese law.
"The passed law will contribute to strengthening the cooperative relations that have always existed between Niger
and Benin, to the improvement of the tax base, to the payment of labor rights, to the creation of jobs that this
both in the construction phase and in the operating phase, to building the capacities of actors in the
oil sector through training actions in all related specialties of the transport system",
points out the same source.
With a total length of 2,085 km including 687 km in Benin, the construction of this infrastructure will cost 600
billion CFA francs (about 1.3 billion US dollars) for the Beninese section and will be insured
by China National Oil and Gas Exploration and Development Company LTD., through a
partnership signed in August 2019 with the Beninese authorities.
"This project is the largest direct private investment in Benin since the latter's accession to
independence and will generate more than 3,000 jobs during its construction phase and 300 to 500 jobs
permanent in the operational phase," the report states.
On the economic level, according to the same source, the construction of this pipeline will allow the reinforcement of the
economic fabric and the development of certain business sectors and new trades.
The Beninese Ministry of Water and Mines recalls that Benin and Niger signed in January 2019
the bilateral agreement on the construction and operation of a hydrocarbon transport system by
pipeline. End