The Beninese president, Patrice Talon, was Tuesday August 30 the guest of the Meeting of the entrepreneurs of France, the summer university of Medef, the French employers’ union. Himself a former entrepreneur, the one who was nicknamed the “king of cotton” took the opportunity to praise the development model and Benin’s assets for foreign investors. And he also gave his advice, much applauded by the heads of large French companies.
In front of the business elite gathered at the Longchamp racecourse in Paris, Patrice Talon was quick to start at full gallop: “ I share with all those who are here the same DNA elements: ambition, seriousness and hard work. »
To listen to the Beninese president, these values would be rather rare among his opponents. “ What we lack in Benin, what the leaders lacked, is ambition, seriousness and hard work “, he denounced.
Benin, land of entrepreneurs, is the ambition of Patrice Talon who recalled that his country had become ” pro business » with improved investment conditions.
” You have quality electricity, with a possibility of agreement on the price. We can sell you electricity cheaper than in China. »
With a calculated franchise, the Beninese number one also boasted of having brought the unions to heel.
” Strikes are prohibited in vital sectors such as health, police and firefighters. In the other sectors, it is limited to two days per month and ten days per year. It’s true ! It is a step back from the democratic achievements, but I do not have the ambition to have a democratic expression identical to France. But when a country is to be built, you need to have strong regulations. »
Given the applause meter, the message was received five out of five by French entrepreneurs. It remains to be seen whether they will have the curiosity to go and judge on the spot. France is now only the country’s third largest trading partner, behind India and China.