At 48 years old, Romuald Wadagni embodies a rare style of leadership: discreet, constant, and effective. His “calm strength” has been established over a decade of rigorous financial management, and it is this same quality that is driving him towards a presidential candidacy.
The numbers speak for themselves: a growth of 7.5% in 2024, a deficit kept below 3% of GDP, and tax revenues increasing by over 2 percentage points of GDP in two years. International financial successes – $750 million raised in 2024, then $500 million in 2025 – have strengthened Benin’s credibility and allowed for the funding of roads, schools, and electrification.
These results have earned him continental recognition: he has been named Best Finance Minister in Africa several times, a title that places him among the key figures on the continent. But his calm strength is not limited to numbers: it is evident in his ability to unite. The recent support from Léon Basile Ahosssi, a member of the opposition party Les Démocrates and 2nd vice-president of the National Assembly, demonstrates that his leadership goes beyond the boundaries of the majority.
This understated style finds a perfect balance in the duo he forms with Mariam Chabi Talata. As the First Vice President of Benin, Talata embodies openness, gender equality, and regional balance. Together, they offer a modern and inclusive candidacy, capable of bringing together all sensitivities.
Many observers point out that this combination – technocratic rigor and political grounding, youth and experience, male and female – makes the Wadagni-Talata duo a unique model on the continent. In a time when Africa is looking for new faces to tackle its challenges, they project a calm yet ambitious leadership.
In an uncertain world, the calm strength of Wadagni and the political stature of Talata project an image of a country moving forward quietly but confidently. This duo embodies the promise of peaceful, united governance focused on development.
