The administration

The political and administrative evolution of the municipality of Ouidah can be redrawn through four ( 04 ) great periods during which, it successively had the status of rural / urban district, sub-prefecture, of urban district. The last one, that is impulsed by the democratic flourish and the decentralization allowed Ouidah to become a Municipality of full exercise.
So, the local elections of December, 2002 allowed to endow Ouidah of a deliberative organ, a Municipal council (of 17 members) elected for 5 years and of an executive organ constituted by the city hall and the offices of the district according to the reformation of the territorial administration which Benin operated few months ago.

The organisation of the local administration

The Municipality of Ouidah, within the framework of the application of the new competence inherited from the texts of laws on the decentralization, decided by Order N° 5 / 08 / CO / SG / BAGD of 09 / 02 / 2004 to set up an administrative organization diffrerent from the one inherited from the ex district.
So, twelve ( 12 ) Services were created. They are :

• The Cabinet of the Mayor;
• The Particular Secretary;
• The Cell of Audit and Internal Control ( CACI);
• The Service of the General Affairs (SAG) which contains three ( 3 ) Divisions: the Administrative Secretariat, the Division of the Staff and the Division of Social services;
• The Service of the Financial Affairs (SAF) subdivided into two Divisions: the Division of the Budget and the Division of the Management of the Materials;
• The Service of the Local Development and the Planification (SDLP) which contains two Divisions: the Plan Division and the Division of the Cooperation and the Partnership;
• The Service of the State-owned and environmental Affairs (SADE) with also two ( 2 ) Divisions: the Division of the Lot and the living licence to live and the Division of the management of the environment;
• The Service of the Registry office (Family status) and the Population ( SECP);
• The Service of the Piece of information, the Training, Archives, the Documentation and the NITC ( SIFAD-NTIC);
• The Service of Figures and Transmissions (TSS);
• The Technical Service (ST) consisted of the Division of General Works and of the Division of the Studies;
• The Trade Service.

These various Services exercise their attributions under the authority of a department head in charge of animating them.
This last one is assisted, if necessary, of an Assistant or leaders of the Division.
All the Services, with the exception of those placed under the direct authority of the Mayor (the Cabinet Office, the Cell of Audit and Internal Control and the Particular Secretariat) work under the coordination and the control of the General Secretary of the Municipality, the main driving force of the municipal Administrative departments, of whom he watches the good functioning.
The General Secretary, according to the power given by the article 81 of the Law 97-029 of January 15th, 1999 endowing the Organization of the Municipalities in Benin Republic and of the Decree N 2001-412 of October 15th, 2001 endowing the status of the General Secretary of the Municiplaity is in charge of:

• Execute the instructions of the mayor;
• Organize, coordinate and control the common administrative departments
  Participate in:
  • The elaboration of the Plan of Municipal Development (PDC);
  • The preparation and the execution of the municipal budget;
  • The conception, the execution, the follow-up and the evaluation of the programs and the municipal projects of development;

• Watch the correct management of the human resources of the Municipality.
• Maintains working relations with the services decentralized by the State settled in the Municipality. He reports it to the Mayor.

A strength of 95 agents of all categories participate in the functioning of these various services. One should mention that, aiming to make more successful the Municipal Administration, and further to an audit of the municipal services, a new administrative organization of the Municipality is in progress. It is traduced by:

• The improvements at the level of texts
• The intensification of the internal organization
• The improvement of the traffic of the information
• The improvement of the relations with the populations
• The intensification of the means of functioning

Le Municiplaity Council

It is formed by the group of Municipal Councillors elected during the municipal elections of December, 2002. They are 17 lead by the Mayor who is the first responsible of the Municipality. As such, he exercises different functions of municipal interest and the functions of national interest. He is elected by the Municipal council which, in case of lack of confidence can remove him his confidence and accordingly, discharge him.

The Municipal council is the organ deliberating on the Municipality. It has a power of decision which exercises by considerations in domains specified by the Law, particulary the budget, the Plan of Municipal development, the guiding plan of regional development, the economic, social, sanitary, cultural and scientific development, the environmental protection, the improvement of the living environment, the intermunicipal cooperation and the decentralized cooperation.

       The Municipal council meets necessarily, in common sessions, four ( 4 ) times a year, in March, June, September and November. The session of November is a budgetary session.

        They can meet in extraordinary session:

• At any time that the Mayor find it useful;
• At the request of the Prefect of the Department, the authority of custody;
• When a motivated demand is made by the absolute majority of the members.

There are four ( 4 ) Permanent commissions within the Municipal council of Ouidah:

• The Commission of the Financial and economic Business;

• The commission of the State-owned and environmental Business;

• The Commission of the Social and cultural Business;
• The Commission of Foreign affairs and the Decentralized Cooperation.

The municipal administration works with the technical support of public utilities and companies decentralized by the State. These services physically known on the territory of the municipality appear as follows:

• The Centre of Health of the Municipality ( CSCOM)
• The Centre of Social advancement ( CPS)
• The School District ( CS)
• The Municipal Centre for the Agricultural Promotion ( CCPA)
• The Service of the Taxes
• The Receipe Perception
• The Service of the Elimination of illiteracy
• The post office and the telecommunication
• The Services in charge of Water and Energy
• The Police station,
• The Management of the culture (service)
• The centre in charge of the Management of Young people and Leisure activities

As far as the implementation of the lagoon project is concerned, initiatives are in hand to make operational the intercommunality with the other similar municipalities of Kpomassè, Grand-Popo and Calavi.