Barely hours after his inauguration on Sunday, May 24, 2026, Benin’s new President Romuald Wadagni has announced his first Government, a 24-member Cabinet combining continuity from the previous Administration with new appointments.
The new executive includes several former ministers from the Talon era, with roughly one-third of the outgoing cabinet retained. Some officials have kept their roles, while others have been reassigned to new portfolios in a reshuffle aimed at reshaping government priorities.
Notably, former Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari has been moved to head Tourism and Foreign Trade, while Benin’s ambassador to France, Corinne Brunet, takes over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Defence and Security portfolios have been placed directly under presidential oversight, reflecting their central role in the new administration’s agenda.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance, previously held by Wadagni himself, is now led by Aristide Médenou, former Director-General of the Economy, supported by three delegated ministers to strengthen economic coordination.
Women occupy about a quarter of the cabinet positions, though no opposition figures who supported Wadagni during the campaign were included in the government lineup. The first Council of Ministers under the new administration is scheduled for Wednesday, May 27, 2026, marking the formal start of policy execution under the new leadership.