Since its establishment in 2023, the Single Hiring Office (BEU) has been working to sustainably transform the working and living conditions of dock workers at the Port of Cotonou and the dry port of Alada. Before that, these essential workers operated in precarious conditions—without formal contracts, social protection, and exposed to numerous professional hazards. The BEU was established as an Economic Interest Group (Groupement d’Intérêt Économique, GIE), initiated and governed jointly by the main approved cargo handling companies operating in the port. This structure ensures collective responsibility, long-term commitment, and shared decision-making in improving the socio-professional situation of more than 5,000 dockers.
Today, the BEU centralizes hiring and guarantees formal employment, social security, appropriate PPE, and access to professional training. Through the PPE Center, dockers receive task-specific equipment, largely produced locally in the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ). A digital system ensures traceability and replenishment of gear. The BEU is also developing a port and logistics training school to build local capacity and open new career pathways. In healthcare, the BEU has taken over the existing infirmary and is preparing to open a modern care center on the CCIB site.
Built in close collaboration with unions, dockers, employers, and port authorities—and supported by the technical expertise of Port of Antwerp-Bruges International (funded by Enabel)—the project is firmly rooted in a participatory and sustainable approach. Through its actions, the BEU directly contributes to several SDGs, including health and well-being (SDG 3), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), reduced inequalities (SDG 10), and sustainable communities (SDG 11). The BEU thus represents the commitment of the Autonomous Port of Cotonou to a more inclusive, safer, and more prosperous future.