Port of Cotonou: support to the development of the port sector

The EU's support to the Port of Cotonou port sector sits across two active financing instruments recorded in the IATI Datastore. The larger, ProPort II, carries a committed envelope of €15 million with a start date of June 2024 and a projected end date in March 2036, suggesting a long implementation horizon. A second, earlier delegation convention committed €7 million from December 2022 through to February 2034. Both are recorded as active, which confirms formal financial commitments are in place, though commitment and disbursement are distinct stages, and no disbursement figures are available from the IATI data to indicate how much funding has actually flowed to date. According to EU sources, the programme aims to modernise port infrastructure, improve competitiveness and efficiency, and embed environmental sustainability criteria, including biodiversity considerations, into port operations. These are the stated objectives; independent verification of on-the-ground progress is not available from the sources reviewed for this report. The project is categorised under the Education and Research pillar of Global Gateway, which is an unusual classification for a port infrastructure and competitiveness initiative. This mismatch between project substance and pillar label is not explained in available documentation and may reflect administrative categorisation choices rather than a substantive link to education or research programming. Independent news coverage retrieved for this report does not directly address the Cotonou EU support programme. The Nigerian press items identified relate primarily to competition from Lekki Port and broader West African port dynamics, including reports that Nigerian importers are saving approximately N4 million per container by routing cargo through Cotonou, which points to the port's continued commercial relevance as a transit gateway for landlocked and Nigerian trade.