Appointed on May 15, 2018, Mr. Camille G. DANSOU, the new Managing Director of the Société Nationale des Eaux du Benin – SONEB (Benin National Water Utility Company), officially took office on May 22, 2018.

The ceremony of transfer of power between Mr. Camille DANSOU and the outgoing acting Managing Director Lucien AVOHOUEME took place under the chairmanship of the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Water and Mines, Mr. Emmanuel LAWIN, in the presence of the Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Water, Mr. Youssouf ABOU and the President of the Board of Directors of SONEB, Mr. Corneille AHOUANSOU.

The new Managing Director thanked the Head of State Patrice Talon and the Minister of Water and Mines for the confidence placed in him. He said he was aware of the challenges related to the company and the work expected from him by the Government and the population. Mr. DANSOU made a commitment to the members of the SONEB Management Committee to work hard to achieve quality and performance results. “I can say that I am a foreigner who knew the living room of the house. Now, I will know the various rooms and work to promote our common institution, in line with the objectives of the Government”, said the new boss of the Benin water utility company.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SONEB

A graduate of the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering of Ouagadougou (2IE, formerly E.I.E.R.), Mr. Camille Dansou has an in-depth and confirmed skills in planning, analysis, management, monitoring and evaluation and auditing of development programs. In addition, as a rural engineer, he has expertise in technical design studies, conducting procurement processes, implementation and control and monitoring of Rural Engineering/Civil Engineering works, especially in the areas of drinking water services in urban and rural areas. Furthermore, Mr. Camille Dansou ensures control and monitoring of Hygiene and Sanitation in urban and rural areas, Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), Delta Planning, Energy, Environment and Climate, Economy and Program/Project Management, Civil Engineering of Urban and Rural Infrastructure and Hydro-agricultural developments.

Mr. Camille Dansou had been working at the Dutch Embassy in Cotonou since March 2006 and remained Water and Sanitation Expert/Climate Focal Point until his appointment. A position that enabled him to acquire a wide experience in evaluation, administration/management and monitoring and evaluation of activities supported by the Netherlands in the sub-sector of water, hygiene and sanitation in rural and urban areas, Integrated Water Resources Management and to a lesser extent cross-cutting environment / energy / climate themes. During these years spent at the Dutch Embassy, he actively participated in the formulation and implementation of several projects and programs, in particular the three major multi-year, multi-component and multi-stakeholder programs: PPEA-I / 2007-2012, PPEA-II / 2013-2015 and OmiDelta / 2017-2021.

Liked by all the stakeholders of the sector, he has fostered during these years a good collaboration with the governmental institutions (the ministries of planning, finance, water, health, the DGEau, the SONEB, the DNSP, the National Water Institute, etc.), decentralized services, municipalities, with several non-governmental organizations (SNV, EAA, PNE, etc.) and many other local and international private partners. He has an extensive knowledge of the World Bank's activities in the water sector with regard to the professionalization of water service delivery, urban sanitation policy, etc. In Benin, Mr. DANSOU is an asset to the government in the implementation of World Bank’s ongoing water and sanitation programs.