The Port Authority of Cotonou (PAC) is a public organization of an industrial and commercial nature with a share capital of approximately three hundred and forty-two billion (342,625,216,490) CFA. 

Created on December 31, 1964 by the law n°64-39 modified by the ordinance N°76-55 of October 12, 1976, it is inaugurated on August 1, 1965 by the accosting of its very first ship, the "Marechal FOCH", after having given place to the wharf of Wxlacodji, metallic footbridge of 400m advanced on the sea, built in 1891 and exploited during several years.

The Port Authority of Cotonou is the port authority in charge of the maintenance and operation of the Port of Cotonou facilities, to manage the port domain and to carry out the improvement and extension works of the said port.

Designated as the lung of Benin's economy for its function as an engine for the development of the national economy, the Port of Cotonou benefits from an optimal geo-strategic position that allows it to play an important role in the sub-regional economy, particularly in the countries of the hinterland and Nigeria, for which it constitutes a natural outlet.

For more than half a century, the Port of Cotonou has accompanied the development of import-export in the sub-region and is a reference. These experiences accumulated over the years have enabled it to become a certified eco-citizen platform ISO 14001:2015, ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018, respectively for its Environmental Policy and its Quality Management Systems, then Health and Safety at work.

In its evolution and to boost its profitability in order to ensure its technological and infrastructural mutation, the Port Authority of Cotonou, gets a partnership in 2018, with the Port of Antwerp Burges International (POABI - Ex PAI), a subsidiary of the Port of Antwerp in Belgium. This new collaboration will focus on modernization, repositioning and skills transfer.

The Port Authorithy of Cotonou currently employs more than six hundred (600) people. It is an intergenerational team composed of men and women, experts in the port, maritime and logistics sectors, but also with different, sometimes atypical backgrounds and a diversity of professions and profiles. Most of them come from the telecom sector, both from the private and public sectors, and have up to 20 years of significant experience. 

By 2026, through the implementation of its twelve (12) major works, le Port de Cotonou sera doté de nouvelles infrastructures et d’équipements de pointe grâce à la mise en œuvre d’un ambitieux plan directeur financé à hauteur de plus de quatre cent cinquante (450) milliards de francs CFA. 

The Port Authority of Cotonou thus aims to make the Port of Cotonou a modern, secure logistics platform offering quality services.