After two days of exchanges of exceptional scientific density, the Scientific Days of the Beninese economy (JSEB) 2025 closed the curtain at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Cotonou on November 28, 2025. Nearly 400 participants made up of researchers, students, policy makers and international experts took part in this An event that has become a must on the African scientific agenda.

Placed under the theme : “Institutions and Prosperity of Nations”, the JSEB were a real forum for research and economic growth. In total, 42 papers selected from around 100 initial submissions were presented during 12 sessions parallels.

The Director General of the Economy, Aristide Médénou, expressed his profound gratitude to Professor James Robinson and praised the rigor and richness of the work presented. He recalled the concordance of the JSEB with the national priorities of Benin, which has committed important institutional reforms. “One system that does not rely on robust institutions is doomed to disappear ”, underlined Mr. Médénou, insisting on the fact that the JSEB aim to” to fuel a thought that brings solutions” and not only to present results.

Echoing this vision, the Resident Representative of UNDP in Benin recalled the evolving nature of the economy and emphasized that strong institutions are essential for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, because they protect rights, encourage innovation, and reduce uncertainty.

The Best Prize

The other moment On the strength of the fence was the presentation of the JSEB 2025 Best Article Award to duo Mahamady Ouedraogo and Théophile Azomahou. Their award-winning work, entitled “Mining, Ethnic Distance to Power and Institutional Trust” (Mining, ethnic distance to power and institutional confidence), obtained an almost perfect score of 9.3 out of 10, out of the basis of rigorous criteria (relevance for Africa, rigor methodological, contribution to public policies) detailed by Professor Jude Eggoh.

The study reveals that exploitation mining is associated with a net decline in institutional confidence in extraction areas. However, this erosion of trust is clearly less marked for ethnic groups close to power. The article puts thus highlighting the corrosive link between natural resources, political proximity and the perception of institutions by citizens.

At the end of the work, Aristide Médénou expressed his great satisfaction with the scientific level of production. These contributions, according to the DGE, participate in the construction of a “new economic discourse” intended to overcome unproductive habits.