On October 5, 2026, Beninese President Romuald Wadagni made his first visit to France since taking office, meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée Palace. The visit led to several funding agreements covering areas such as electricity, agriculture, fish farming, and health. According to the Beninese presidency, agreements with the French Development Agency (AFD) and Bpifrance totaled nearly 100 million euros (65.5 billion CFA francs). These funds are intended to support projects related to electricity access, agricultural development, and the establishment of a national forensic medical capability. The largest portion of the funding, 79.4 million euros, is allocated to the Project for the Extension and Densification of the Electrical Networks - Phase Plus (PEDER+). This initiative aims to expand and strengthen Benin’s electricity distribution networks, supported by a 50 million euro loan from AFD and a 29.4 million euro donation from the European Union (EU). The project is expected to provide 120,000 new electricity connections in 750 localities across 15 communes in the Mono, Couffo, and Borgou departments, while improving the quality of the network and reducing energy losses. In addition to the electricity sector, 14.9 million euros will be used to develop fish farming in ten communes in the Alibori, Atacora, and Donga departments. The funding will cover the entire value chain, from fry production to marketing, with the goal of increasing national fish production. A further 5 million euros will support the poultry, rabbit, legume, and oilseed sectors in several communes in the Borgou, Donga, Collines, and Zou departments. The third part of the agreements focuses on creating a national capacity for forensic medical expertise. A letter of mandate signed with Bpifrance sets the stage for negotiations to fund the Platform for Research, Investigation, and Forensic Analysis (PRIAM), developed in collaboration with the Bordeaux Forensic Hematology Laboratory and supported by a guarantee from Bpifrance Assurance Export. The project includes the creation of a national DNA expertise laboratory capable of performing 30,000 analyses per year, aiming for ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. It also involves the training of more than 500 professionals and the establishment of a dedicated university sector.