VZCZCXRO0242
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHCO #0440/01 1710315
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 200315Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY COTONOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9585
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHLMC/MILLENIUM CHALLENGE CORP WASHDC
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 0142
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0315
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1108
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1364

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COTONOU 000440 
 
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DEPT FOR AF/W:BANKS, S/ES-O 
PARIS FOR D'ELIA 
KAMPALA FOR FLINTROP 
LONDON FOR HAHN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON EFIN SOCI PINR BN
SUBJECT: BENIN: PRESIDENT BONI YAYI RESHUFFLES HIS GOVERNMENT 
 
 
COTONOU 00000440  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶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 
 
COTONOU 00000440  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
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