The Beninese government has formalised the recognition of 16 kingdoms, 80 superior chiefdoms and 10 customary chiefdoms through a new law adopted in March 2025 in order to anchor traditional chiefdoms in the national dynamic.
The Beninese government clarified on Friday, April 25 in Cotonou the details of Law No. 2025-09, adopted last March, establishing a legal framework for traditional chiefdoms.
According to information released by the APO Group on behalf of the Government of Benin, the law officially recognizes 16 kingdoms, 80 superior chiefdoms and 10 customary
chiefdoms.
A press conference hosted by Government Spokesperson Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji and Minister of Tourism, Culture, and the Arts, Babalola Jean-Michel Abimbola, clarified the misunderstanding raised by this new text, which aims to redefine the role of traditional authorities in building a modern Benin.
According to the government’s clarifications, the recognition of traditional entities is based on three main criteria: territorial base, the type of power exercised, and the existence of a hierarchical social organization. The pre-colonial period, set at 1894 for the South and 1897 for the North of Benin, served as the historical reference for the study.
The chairman of the commission in charge of the work, Professor Bienvenu Akoha, emphasized that the identification process was based on scientific and impartial grounds, specifying that more than 300 kings had been initially identified. “We have done our work rigorously and impartially,” he insisted.
Asked about the fate of the entities not recognized in the three legal categories, Minister Babalola Jean-Michel Abimbola explained that no “de-crowning” was planned.
“If the law does not recognize you as a kingdom, a superior chiefdom, or a customary chiefdom, you are classified as a community chiefdom,” he clarified.
The government called for an objective appropriation of the law’s content, affirming that all traditions and communities will continue to contribute to the country’s memory and development.
AC/Sf/fss/gik/APA