LEAD. Leaders' Visits & Agreements Database
Portrait of Patrice Talon
Photo: Lula Oficial · CC BY-SA 2.0

President · Benin

Patrice Talon

112 recorded engagements, 2016–2025: 112 visits and 16 signed agreements.

Open in the interactive map Benin country profile
112Engagements
112Visits
0Phone calls
0Video conferences
16Signed agreements
35Destination countries
53Multilateral summits
2016–2025Years in LEAD

Biography

President of Benin from 2016 to 2026

Patrice Guillaume Athanase Talon (born 1 May 1958) is a Beninese politician and businessman who serves as the first president of the Senate since 2026. He previously served as the eighth president of Benin from 2016 to 2026.

== Early life and career ==

Patrice Guillaume Athanase Talon was born in Ouidah on 1 May 1958, and is of Fon origin. His father was from Ouidah while his mother came from a Guédégbé family in Abomey. After completing secondary school with a baccalauréat, he studied mathematics and physics at the University of Dakar. Talon had ambitions of becoming a pilot in his early years. Following his second year at university, he passed an Air Afrique pilot exam and transferred to the École nationale de l'aviation civile in Paris, but he was ultimately disqualified by a medical test and forced to pursue other options.

In 1983, Talon became involved in trading packaging and agricultural inputs. In 1985, he returned to Benin and established the Intercontinental Distribution Company (Société Distribution Intercontinentale; SDI), supplying agricultural inputs to cotton producers. In 1990, after recommendations by the World Bank to liberalize economies in West African countries...

Text from the Wikipedia article “Patrice Talon” by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article

Where they travelled

Benin   Visited or called (darker = more often)

Most-visited countries

  • France18
  • Nigeria17
  • Ivory Coast11
  • Ghana8
  • Niger5
  • Senegal4
  • China4
  • United States of America3
  • Togo3
  • Saudi Arabia3
  • Belgium3
  • Ethiopia3

Discussion topics

  • Diplomacy and Foreign Relations111
  • Regional Organizations and Multilateral Affairs50
  • Trade and Economic Relations28
  • Development and Aid4
  • Security and Defense3
  • Terrorism and Counterterrorism2
  • Education and Culture2
  • Human Rights and Governance1
  • Environment and Climate Change1
  • International Conflicts and Crises1

Activity by year

2016: 23 engagements2017: 13 engagements2018: 12 engagements2019: 17 engagements2020: 2 engagements2021: 4 engagements2022: 14 engagements2023: 15 engagements2024: 5 engagements2025: 7 engagements201620202025

Signed agreements

Where the agreement's title was not recorded, its type or category is shown, as coded in the dataset.

DatePartnerWhat was signed
2016-06-03SenegalEconomic Partnership Agreement
2016-12-05TurkeyFunctional cooperation
2016-12-08BelgiumEconomics
2018-07-26NigeriaFunctional cooperation
2019-06-29NigeriaHigh-level politics
2019-07-07NigerHigh-level politics
2019-10-23RussiaHigh-level politics
2021-07-15Ivory CoastEconomic Partnership Agreement
2021-11-08FranceFunctional cooperation
2022-10-04NetherlandsEnvironmental Agreement
2022-12-12United States of AmericaFunctional cooperation
2023-08-31ChinaChina-Benin Strategic Partnership (2023)
2023-11-09Saudi ArabiaEconomic Partnership Agreement
2024-05-22BrazilFunctional cooperation
2025-05-18QatarMemorandum of Understanding
2025-06-21NigeriaFunctional cooperation

Every recorded engagement

DateTypeDestinationAgreements
2016-04-18VisitIvory Coast · Abidjan
2016-04-26VisitFrance · Paris
2016-05-14 – 2016-05-15Visit SummitNigeria · Abuja
2016-06-03Visit SummitSenegal · DakarAgreement signedEconomic Partnership Agreement
2016-07-12 – 2016-08-02VisitFrance · Paris
2016-08-02VisitNigeria · Abuja
2016-08-03VisitNigeria · Abuja
2016-08-08 – 2016-08-10VisitChad · N'Djamena
2016-08-29 – 2016-08-30VisitRwanda · Kigali
2016-09-05 – 2016-09-12Visit SummitChina · Beijing
2016-09-19 – 2016-09-22Visit SummitUnited States of America · New York
2016-10-02 – 2016-10-09VisitFrance · Paris
2016-10-04Visit SummitNigeria · Abuja
2016-10-15Visit SummitTogo · Lomé
2016-11-07 – 2016-11-09Visit SummitNorway · Oslo
2016-11-15 – 2016-11-16Visit SummitMorocco · Marrakech
2016-11-20 – 2016-11-22VisitUnited Arab Emirates · Abu Dhabi
2016-11-21VisitSaudi Arabia · Riyadh
2016-11-22 – 2016-11-24Visit SummitEquatorial Guinea · Malabo
2016-12-05 – 2016-12-06VisitTurkey · AnkaraAgreement signedFunctional cooperation
2016-12-08Visit SummitBelgium · BrusselsAgreement signedEconomics
2016-12-12VisitFrance · Paris
2016-12-13 – 2016-12-14VisitEstonia · Tallinn
2017-01-11VisitIvory Coast · Abidjan
2017-01-19VisitGambia · Banjul
2017-04-10Visit SummitIvory Coast · Abidjan
2017-05-09 – 2017-05-10Visit SummitKenya · Nairobi
2017-05-21Visit SummitSaudi Arabia · Riyadh
2017-05-22 – 2017-05-25Visit SummitIndia · Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat
2017-08-08 – 2017-08-22VisitMorocco · Rabat
2017-10-02 – 2017-10-07VisitFrance · Paris
2017-10-09VisitBurkina Faso · Ouagadougou
2017-10-11VisitGhana · Accra
2017-10-18VisitTogo · Lomé
2017-11-29 – 2017-11-30Visit SummitIvory Coast · Abidjan
2017-12-12VisitFrance · Paris
2018-01-28Visit SummitEthiopia · Addis Ababa
2018-03-01 – 2018-03-03VisitFrance · Paris
2018-04-09 – 2018-04-11VisitNigeria · Abuja
2018-05-21 – 2018-05-23VisitItaly · Rome
Show all 112 engagements
DateTypeDestinationAgreements
2018-05-22 – 2018-05-23Visit SummitSwitzerland · Berne
2018-07-26 – 2018-07-28VisitNigeria · AbujaAgreement signedFunctional cooperation
2018-09-01VisitChina · Beijing
2018-09-03 – 2018-09-04Visit SummitChina · Beijing
2018-09-07 – 2018-09-10VisitTurkey · Ankara
2018-10-11 – 2018-10-12Visit SummitArmenia · Yerevan
2018-10-29 – 2018-10-30Visit SummitGermany · Berlin
2018-11-27Visit SummitTogo · Lomé
2019-02-22Visit SummitGhana · Accra
2019-02-24 – 2019-02-25Visit SummitNiger · Niamey
2019-04-06 – 2019-04-07VisitRwanda · Kigali
2019-06-20VisitNigeria · Abuja
2019-06-29Visit SummitNigeria · AbujaAgreement signedHigh-level politics
2019-07-07 – 2019-07-08Visit SummitNiger · NiameyAgreement signedHigh-level politics
2019-07-12 – 2019-07-13Visit SummitIvory Coast · Abidjan
2019-08-28 – 2019-08-30Visit SummitJapan · Yokohama
2019-09-02VisitIvory Coast · Abidjan
2019-10-03VisitSenegal · Dakar
2019-10-04VisitNiger · Niamey
2019-10-21VisitJapan · Tokyo
2019-10-23 – 2019-10-24Visit SummitRussia · SochiAgreement signedHigh-level politics
2019-11-09Visit SummitNiger · Niamey
2019-11-18 – 2019-11-19Visit SummitGermany · Berlin
2019-12-02Visit SummitSenegal · Dakar
2019-12-29Visit SummitNigeria · Abuja
2020-01-26 – 2020-01-30VisitUnited States of America · Washington
2020-12-14VisitIvory Coast · Abidjan
2021-01-18 – 2021-01-19VisitNigeria · Abuja
2021-06-19Visit SummitGhana · Accra
2021-07-15Visit SummitIvory Coast · AbidjanAgreement signedEconomic Partnership Agreement
2021-11-08 – 2021-11-09VisitFrance · ParisAgreement signedFunctional cooperation
2022-01-08 – 2022-01-09Visit SummitGhana · Accra
2022-01-16VisitIvory Coast · Abidjan
2022-01-18VisitBelgium · Brussels
2022-01-27VisitSenegal · Dakar
2022-02-03Visit SummitGhana · Accra
2022-02-05 – 2022-02-06Visit SummitEthiopia · Addis Ababa
2022-02-16 – 2022-02-17Visit SummitFrance · Paris
2022-02-17 – 2022-02-18Visit SummitBelgium · Brussels
2022-06-04Visit SummitGhana · Accra
2022-08-29 – 2022-08-30VisitFrance · Paris
2022-10-04 – 2022-10-05VisitNetherlands · The HagueAgreement signedEnvironmental Agreement
2022-11-07VisitFrance · Paris
2022-11-22Visit SummitGhana · Accra
2022-12-12 – 2022-12-15Visit SummitUnited States of America · WashingtonAgreement signedFunctional cooperation
2023-02-16VisitBurkina Faso · Ouagadougou
2023-03-07VisitFrance · Paris
2023-05-29VisitNigeria · Abuja
2023-06-21VisitIvory Coast · Abidjan
2023-06-22 – 2023-06-23Visit SummitFrance · Paris
2023-07-07 – 2023-07-08VisitNigeria · Abuja
2023-07-08 – 2023-07-09Visit SummitGuinea-Bissau · Bissau
2023-07-18Visit SummitNigeria · Abuja
2023-07-26 – 2023-07-27VisitNiger · Niamey
2023-07-29 – 2023-07-30Visit SummitNigeria · Abuja
2023-08-31 – 2023-09-02VisitChina · BeijingAgreement signedChina-Benin Strategic Partnership (2023)
2023-11-09 – 2023-11-10Visit SummitSaudi Arabia · RiyadhAgreement signedEconomic Partnership Agreement
2023-11-15 – 2023-11-17VisitFrance · Paris
2023-12-06VisitNigeria · Abuja
2023-12-13 – 2023-12-17VisitFrance · Paris
2024-02-24 – 2024-02-25Visit SummitNigeria · Abuja
2024-05-22 – 2024-05-26VisitBrazil · BrasíliaAgreement signedFunctional cooperation
2024-07-04 – 2024-07-20VisitFrance · Paris
2024-08-06 – 2024-08-27VisitFrance · Paris
2024-10-02 – 2024-10-06Visit SummitFrance · Paris
2025-01-06 – 2025-01-07VisitGhana · Accra
2025-01-27 – 2025-01-28Visit SummitTanzania · Dar es Salaam
2025-02-15 – 2025-02-16Visit SummitEthiopia · Addis Ababa
2025-05-18 – 2025-05-20Visit SummitQatar · DohaAgreement signedMemorandum of Understanding
2025-06-21 – 2025-06-22Visit SummitNigeria · AbujaAgreement signedFunctional cooperation
2025-06-24 – 2025-06-25VisitBrazil · Brasilia
2025-06-24VisitIvory Coast · Abidjan

Cite this profile

Ozturk, Y., Atabas, H., Guler, E., Duyar, B., & Yucel, R. (2026). Leaders' Visits & Agreements Database [Data set]. Africa Foundation. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22898778 [Patrice Talon leader profile. Accessed 26 September 2026. https://lead-database.netlify.app/leaders/patrice-talon.html]