IMF concludes Benin mission with 8.1% growth in 2025
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on La Nouvelle Tribune
The IMF completed its annual consultations with Benin in Cotonou on 6 November 2026, praising 8.1% growth in 2025, the highest in nearly two decades. The institution forecasts 7.8% in 2026 and around 7% in 2027, with a fiscal deficit of 2.3% of GDP in 2026, below the WAEMU threshold.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission to Benin ended on Friday 6 November in Cotonou after a visit devoted to annual Article IV consultations, conducted from 27 October to 6 November 2026 under the leadership of Sonali Das, mission chief. The IMF said real growth in Benin reached 8.1% in 2025, its highest level in nearly two decades.
The IMF forecasts a slowdown in growth to 7.8% in 2026 and then around 7% in 2027, notably as a result of the gradual rise in transport and import costs. The institution also forecasts a fiscal deficit of 2.3% of GDP in 2026 and 2.9% in 2027, while inflation is expected to return to the 2% target in 2027.
Benin brought its fiscal deficit below the WAEMU standard of 3% of GDP as early as 2024. In February 2026, the IMF Executive Board completed its review of three financing programmes launched since 2022, allowing a disbursement of about $118 million.
Sonali Das recommended maintaining a prudent fiscal policy while protecting priority social spending. She also called for broadening the tax base, reducing exemptions and improving oversight of state-owned enterprises, while welcoming the efforts of the Beninese authorities to strengthen transparency over public debt.
