Operations and Supply Chain Leader / 2026 / Benin
Bart Van Eenoo, Director General of the Port Autonome de Cotonou, stands at the forefront of Benin’s logistics transformation. As the chief executive of the country’s principal maritime gateway, he has played a decisive role in repositioning the Port of Cotonou as a competitive and future ready hub for regional and international trade.
Under his leadership, the port has advanced an ambitious modernization and expansion agenda aimed at strengthening infrastructure, improving operational efficiency and enhancing service delivery. Recognizing the port’s strategic importance not only to Benin but also to landlocked neighbors such as Niger and Burkina Faso, Van Eenoo has championed investments that reinforce Cotonou’s position within West Africa’s supply chain architecture.
A defining milestone in his tenure came in early 2025, when the port secured an €80 million financing package from the African Development Bank. The funding is dedicated to critical infrastructure upgrades, including quay rehabilitation, equipment modernization and operational optimization. This investment reflects both institutional confidence in the port’s development trajectory and the credibility of its leadership.
Van Eenoo’s approach blends infrastructure expansion with governance reform and performance management. By aligning capital investment with process improvements and stakeholder collaboration, he has strengthened vessel turnaround times, cargo handling efficiency and transparency across port operations. His leadership emphasizes sustainability, digitalization and long term competitiveness, ensuring that modernization is not limited to physical assets but extends to systems and standards.
Through these efforts, the Port Autonome de Cotonou is consolidating its status as a regional logistics platform capable of supporting growing trade volumes and more complex supply chains. Bart Van Eenoo’s stewardship demonstrates how strategic leadership at a national gateway can drive economic impact well beyond the port perimeter, reinforcing Benin’s role in continental and global commerce.
