Key challenges
How can Cotonou’s port community balance the needs of street food vendors with strict hygiene and safety standards for both sellers and customers?
Innovative solution
To tackle unsafe working conditions and poor food hygiene along Cotonou’s port routes, the Port Autonome de Cotonou (PAC) launched a comprehensive consultation process. This led to the creation of modern, weatherproof stalls equipped with running water and electricity. The initiative demonstrates the port authority’s commitment to social and environmental responsibility for nearby communities.
Transformative initiative
As part of its ongoing social and environmental modernization efforts, the Port Autonome de Cotonou has invested in a 3,000m² covered market space featuring fully equipped cooking stations, water access, and electricity. The 98 female vendors previously operated along the busy roadside, exposed to traffic and weather, unable to cook on-site or maintain proper hygiene standards. They lacked even basic sanitation facilities.
Today, vendors enjoy clean, secure stalls that enable professional food preparation while serving port employees and neighborhood residents with improved food safety. The new setup allows vendors to store ingredients safely and maintain consistent supplies. With an investment exceeding 600 million FCFA, this project involved extensive stakeholder consultations.
The transformation has stabilized vendors’ incomes by expanding their customer base to include port executives and dock workers. Early results show a 20% sales increase, with ongoing data collection tracking additional benefits like incident reduction and waste management improvements.