Benin is a country in West Africa with a population of around 10 million – and although it’s neighbours with Nigeria it has nowhere the same trade links or business opportunities.
Porto Novo is the capital of Benin but most of the country’s trade is done via the bustling port of Cotonou where cargo includes cocoa, rice and cotton, which is the lifeblood of the economy.
There is also a growing trade in used vehicles from Europe and the US – imports have grown from 200,000 in 2010 to 314,000 in 2014.
On average, 25,000 cars pass through Cotonou every month – up to 90% of which end up in Nigeria – but it’s something of a murky market and in 2013 there was a diplomatic disagreement between the two countries when Nigerian customs officials directly accused the Beninese government of smuggling vehicles into Nigeria.
So if you’re thinking of dabbling in the Beninese second-hand car market, approach it with caution.
And as Benin is something of an unknown quantity, it may be worth setting up an international conference call with potential business partners to get the lay of the land before you commit.
And here’s how…
How to set up a conference call between the UK and Benin
Visit ConferenceCall.co.uk to get your free PIN and then click on ‘Invite Participants’ to generate an email template.
Put in the time, date and subject of the conference call, choose UK and Benin dial-in codes, then click ‘Copy this invitation’, paste it into an email and to up to 100 participants.
Dial-in numbers to call
At the scheduled time colleagues should dial the following numbers and enter your PIN:
– UK participants dial 0843 0 250 250
– Benin participants dial 6150-9851
Your conference call is ready to begin!
Where is Benin?
Formerly known as Dahomey, Benin is one of Africa’s most stable democracies, and is situated to the west of Africa. Bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north, tmajority of its population lives on the small southern coastline of the Bight of Benin, part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean.
What’s the best time to call Benin from the UK?
Porto Novo, the capital of Benin, sits more than 4,000 miles from London and is a nine-hour flight away – flights are not as frequent or direct as the one to neighbouring Nigeria.
Despite the distance though, Benin is just one hour ahead of the UK (it’s the same as GMT during the summer), making a conference call the perfect way to do business.
