Venezuela and Benin explore opportunities for university cooperation

Published at: 22/09/2026 03:06 PM

The Minister of Higher Education and Research of the Republic of Benin, Romarique Sèdami Mèdégan Fagla, received the ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Jesús Alberto García, at the headquarters of the ministry.

After a brief exchange of introduction and thanks, the diplomat offered a short historical preamble about the role he played on behalf of his country in the discussion, presentation and creation of the Slave Route project in Ouidah in 1993.

In addition, he spoke of the efforts of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to establish relations with the African continent, which is why Commander Hugo Chávez opened the embassy in the Republic of Benin in 2006, representing a 20-year history of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

After the historic introduction, Ambassador Garcia presented the agreements that are currently under way between the two nations.

The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Benin thanked the Head of Mission for having informed her of the meetings and efforts of the Venezuelan Government to establish bilateral cooperation agreements.

García expressed interest in establishing a draft memorandum of understanding in the field of higher education, more precisely referring to the recognition of certificates, degrees and/or diplomas in university education between the two governments.

Minister Fagla expressed interest in the following aspects presented by the Venezuelan ambassador:

· Vocational training grants for Beninese students: the minister was informed that, although there are still no signed agreements on educational cooperation, the Bolivarian Government has trained 17 Beninese doctors in Venezuela, who finished their studies in 2018, and now there are 5 more students in the Venezuelan territory, also training in Medicine and Agroecology since 2022.

· Proposal for cooperation between universities in both countries: Minister Fagla raised the interest of Venezuelan teachers training professors in strategic subjects, such as gas and oil, in Benin, and for Benin teachers to be trained in Venezuela.

· Presentation of the capacities of the Venezuelan University Education System: Given the scenario in the Middle East, which has exposed a strong global crisis to the world, especially in the area of energy and fertilizers, the minister was visibly interested in the plan of agricultural and oil training, pointing out that although Benin does not have large oil fields, there is a demand for professionals in the area in West Africa, giving as an example the neighboring country of Nigeria, which currently specialized talent is imported from India and this is a great opportunity that Benin could benefit from if it were able to train professionals in these areas.

At the end of the meeting, the minister promised to review the documents submitted in detail and to coordinate a new meeting, including the Minister of Agriculture, Adin Yéton Bloukounon Goubalan.

MPPRE