The Director of the Cabinet of the Minister of Economy and Finance, Hermann Orou TAKOU, appointed to the Council of Ministers on December 12, officially took office yesterday at the Ministry of Economy and Finance in Cotonou. It was through a ceremony of handover between his predecessor, Servais ADJOVI and himself.

(Read below the speeches of the outgoing and incoming Directors of Cabinet)

Speech by the outgoing Chief of Staff, Servais ADJOVI

Mr. Minister of Economy and Finance; Mr. Director of the Cabinet of the incoming MEF; Ladies and Gentlemen, members of the MEF CODIR; Ladies and Gentlemen, Central, General and Technical Directors of the Ministries here present; Messrs. Secretaries General of FESYNTRA-FINANCES, SYNAIB, SYNATRACEF and SYNATREP; Honorable guests; Ladies and gentlemen ; The event we are going through forces us to think deeply for all those who have passed away, our parents, our friends and our colleagues. I would like to ask you to observe a minute’s silence in their memory. I bless the Lord on this day of grace when I will pass the witness on to my brother and friend Hermann TAKOU, Director of the Cabinet of the incoming MEF, after my appointment on July 13, 2011 as Director of the Cabinet of the Minister of the Economy and finances. In this circumstance, I would like to express my gratitude to the Head of State, Head of Government and President of the Republic, and to the Ministers whom I had the opportunity to serve for allowing me to live this enriching experience, exhilarating and hectic, that of serving and making my modest contribution to the work of economic promotion and development in Benin. I would particularly like to thank from the bottom of my heart Minister WADAGNI who, with the support of the Head of State, has kept me by his side for the past two years. I ask you to find here the expression of my deep gratitude for your listening and your spirit of openness. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to take this opportunity to fulfill a fraternal duty, that of welcoming the new Director of the Cabinet of the Minister of the Economy and Finance and above all to express my warm congratulations to him on his brilliant appointment to this post. Broken and experienced executive of our ministerial department, you have proven yourself in various positions which have enabled you to gain a proven and very rich experience. I do not want proof of all the dexterity with which you invested yourself under the instructions of the Minister of Economy and Finance in order to obtain the approval by the Board of the IMF of the results of the Benin program and the allocation. important resources for the benefit of our country. Ladies and gentlemen, During this period of my life that I spent as Director of the Cabinet within this Ministry which trained me and gave me everything, I worked with women and men who are available, loyal committed and who do not in no way bargained for their collaboration. They spontaneously agreed to make the sacrifice of helping me achieve the goals that were assigned to me when I was appointed to this strategic position. Whether it is a question of mobilizing and increasing resources, improving the quality of spending or carrying out reforms, they have shown themselves to be fully prepared to follow the instructions of the Minister of Justice. ‘Economy and Finance. I would like on this solemn occasion to express to you dear colleagues all my gratitude and my thanks. I would not like to obscure the maintenance of the framework for consultation and dialogue with the social partners who have always shown availability, openness, understanding and a constructive approach in expressing their concerns. I would also like to insist on the consultation with the technical and financial partners, the private sector and the financial and banking institutions which animate the socio-economic environment of our country. Of course, efforts still need to be made to meet their expectations or their requests. This is the place to tell them how satisfied I am with the collaboration we have experienced and especially my admiration for the results obtained thanks to their availability and their constant support. Challenges await us in particular the switch from budget management to program mode from January 1, 2019, the partition of the MEF in the implementation of the PAG, the PAARIB, the implementation of the new public procurement code, the land reform. and the reorganization of the microfinance sector. Ladies and gentlemen, Dear collaborators and partners, We worked together and lived moments of joy and sorrow, in solidarity and team spirit. I know it was not easy but thanks to the sense of responsibility, the humility and the modesty of each other we were able to transcend our moods and focus on the essential: serving our country, Benin, our best. For all those whom I was able to wound under the heat of the action, let them receive here the expression of my deep regret. You can all be assured that I have fond memories of these moments spent together. I have unforgettable memories of the availability and commitment of the staff attached to the firm, in particular my secretary, his assistant, my driver and my assistant. Receive here the expression of my deep gratitude. I do not forget all the staff of the private secretariat with the SP / MEF in mind, thank you for the frank and cordial collaboration Mr. Director of the Cabinet, As I hand over the witness to you, I would like to reassure you that these men and women will spare no effort to provide you with their cooperation and availability. Knowing you, they unanimously told me. I will just say that you are in very good hands. I would also like to tell you that I am available to provide you with my assistance, if necessary, whenever I am requested. Finally, ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, I would like to thank you for agreeing to devote part of your time by participating in this ceremony. I am infinitely grateful to you. THANK YOU THANKS AND THANKS TO ALL and may God keep us.