(Ecofin Agency) - In an interview given to Gwladys Johnson of the Energies Africaines magazine, Lionel Zinsou reveals a little about his immediate projects. To prove to the Beninese population that, when a government has ideas and method, their lifestyle can improve in just a few months, he simply decided to quickly bring them electricity, everywhere, even the most remote places in the country.

“In six months, we will equip all families with solar kits. What we are going to do, and I think we will be the first country to do so, will be as such: all families however remote and poor they may be have the right to buy the kits when they can, or when they cannot, to be granted a kit as part of a national solidarity effort”, he announced. “We will therefore a national effort to bring light to all, because there is no need to wait for that. And to achieve this, the first thing to do is to meet the demand of consumers who need to have light and one or two power outlets”.

Then the Prime Minister explained his strategy to develop afterwards, in the same idea, 105 mini-power plants, and then the electricity transfer network, followed by the modernisation of SBEE…

But for the ex-French Beninese banker, who certainly knows the story of the milkmaid and her pall, it is about quickly reaching his first goal to allow the populations to regain confidence in their leaders: “We cannot say to the people, “there will be no more power outages in five years” because they have already been told that 20 years ago and they do not believe it anymore”. Therefore, it is through results, more than through promises, that Lionel Zinsou wants to convince his fellow citizens. The bet is on!