Porto-Novo

The city of Porto-Novo, an urban agglomeration of some 400,000 inhabitants is located 32 km east of Cotonou, the country’s largest economic hub and the capital of Benin.

Porto-Novo is a crossroads city, located at the crossing of the east-west axis along the river and the country’s second north-south axis and the country’s second north-south access, which offers direct access to Niger and the entire western border of Nigeria.  In the past, Porto-Novo was the heart and mind of Dahomey, which is today the Republic of Benin.

Porto-Novo is financially independent. Its budget is very modest and does not allow for major investments. The primary source of income, 67.6% of financial resources, is taxes. The importance of the informal sector in Porto-Novo explains its limited resources.  

Porto-Novo is ethnically and culturally diverse. The cohabitation of different cultures and ethnicities has made Porto-Novo an excellent city for integration. As well, although it is a Christian city, Porto-Novo has the largest Muslim community in the country, along with a large proportion of animists. This cohabitation, which is called religious syncretism, is part of Porto-Novo’s charm. 

Mayor of Porto-Novo