Romuald Wadagni, born June 20, 1976, in Lokossa (Benin), is Senior Minister in charge of Economy and Finance of Benin. He was appointed on April 7, 2016, in the first government of President Patrice Talon and reappointed to this position in May 2021. Romuald Wadagni is a public accountant certified in France and the USA. He also holds a master’s degree in finance and has completed specialized training in private equity and venture capital. Before being appointed Minister of Economy and Finance in 2016, Romuald Wadagni had a leading international experience within Deloitte. In France from 1998, then in the United States from 2003, he developed cutting-edge expertise in several fields, serving customers in various sectors of activity (Mining, TMT, Financial Sector, Public Sector, Retail) and various governments and donors. In 2012, he was promoted to Managing Director and Partner at Deloitte at the age of 36 in recognition of his professional achievements, his expertise and knowledge of European, American, and African economic issues as well as the quality of his international network. In 2015, Deloitte entrusted him with the creation of a new office in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he was also appointed Audit Manager and Director of Professional Practice for all of Deloitte’s activities in French-speaking Africa. In charge of the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Benin since April 2016, Romuald Wadagni implements a policy articulated around two axes: on the one hand a transparent, proactive, and innovative management of public finances in order to make Benin trustworthy with public and private international donors, and on the other hand the improvement of the business climate and the strengthening of the resilience of the private sector in the face of exogenous crises. Beyond Benin, Romuald Wadagni plays a major role on the West African stage. As Chairman of the Statutory Council of WAEMU Finance Ministers, he led negotiations with France and signed the agreement in December 2019 to put an end to the franc CFA in West Africa.
