On Friday, February 5, 2021, the Government of the Republic of Benin officially handed over the site of the Glo-Djigbé Special Economic Zone to the technical partner responsible for planning and developing this zone. The implementation of this project will require more than 300,000 jobs. The Glo-Djigbé Special Economic Zone with an area of 1640 hectares was created on February 5, 2020 by the Government of the Republic of Benin with the aim of making Benin an industrial hub and ensuring the processing of agricultural products, in particular cashew, cotton, shea, pineapple, soy, etc. and capture much more of the added value of our agricultural products.
This area will be developed in two phases in order to optimize the capital expenditure and profitability of the project. Phase 1 takes into account 635 ha, including 485 ha of industrial, commercial and storage area, the rest being devoted to infrastructure and common facilities (eg the building of the one-stop shop). Phase 2 will be an extension of 1005 ha to reach a total of 1640 ha.
Increase in GDP from 4 to 7 billion US dollars
Thanks to this project, Benin will experience an increase in its exports of 5 to 10 billion US dollars and an increase in its GDP of 4-7 billion US dollars within ten (10) years. 6 industrial cotton fiber processing units with a total capacity of 100,000 tons, 29 industrial garment manufacturing units, 14 industrial cashew nut processing units with a total capacity of more than 150,000 tons and 10 industrial units of all types have already expressed their interest in settling in this area and are expected there in the next 5 years.
The Director General of APIEx indicates that this zone is designed to be a modern industrial park, respecting the highest environmental and social standards, and intended to provide services to the various industries, in particular: cashew nut processing; cotton spinning and weaving; clothing manufacturing; agri-food; wood, etc.
Thus, 300,000 - 350,000 jobs are expected in this area by 2030 (including 100,000 jobs in cashew nut processing and 200,000 - 250,000 jobs in cotton spinning / weaving and garment manufacturing), which will undoubtedly change the economic paradigm of Benin, and that of the populations of Glo-Djigbé who will be the first beneficiaries in terms of employment and socio-economic benefits of this project.