Ministers agreed to split Societe Nationale des Eaux Benin (SONEB), the entity providing urban areas with drinking water, into a parent company and a distribution company. A technical committee will have 45 days to advise the council on how to implement its decision.
The move is expected to simplify water distribution procedures in towns and cities as the council decided to create a National Agency to deal with rural areas, where supply is more sporadic.
This National Agency will be responsible for the planning, execution and monitoring of works on water infrastructure in rural areas.
Under the Government Action Plan 2016-2021, the council has the ambitious target of supplying drinking water to 100% of the population, up from 67.6% in 2015.