Benin grants nationality to 53 Afro-descendants
Recipients from Haiti, France, and Martinique received their certificates at a Cotonou ceremony.
53 Afro-descendants received their Beninese nationality certificates on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at the Cotonou Judicial Complex. The recipients came from countries including Haiti, France, and Martinique. This ceremony follows a law adopted in 2024 aimed at reconnecting with descendants of individuals deported during the slave trade.
Florentin Gbodou, director of cabinet for the Minister of Justice, and Jocelyn Flenon, director of cabinet for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, presided over the event. Béatrice Toni, a French recipient, expressed her intention to initiate formalities for her relatives to also obtain Beninese nationality. The government launched the My Afro Origins platform on July 4, 2025, to process these nationality applications.
This event is part of a law passed on July 31, 2024, which recognizes Beninese nationality for Afro-descendants. A previous ceremony on August 29, 2026, saw 10 people, mainly from Guadeloupe, receive their attestations at the same judicial complex.
Why it matters53 Afro-descendants from Haiti, France, and Martinique received their Beninese nationality certificates.