Pharmacie de Garde Cotonou: Find the Pharmacy on Duty Tonight

It is late, someone in the house is sick, and the pharmacy on your street is closed. In Cotonou the answer is the pharmacie de garde, the pharmacy on duty. Each week an official rota names the pharmacies on duty in the city. It is the list to use at night and on Sunday.

The hard part is finding this week's list, reading it, and then finding the pharmacy in a city where many streets have no name on the map. This guide covers all three. The short version: get the name from the official rota, then use the Ceety Boy guide to pharmacies on duty in Cotonou to see how to get there.

The rota is published by the Ordre National des Pharmaciens du Bénin (ONPB), the national order of pharmacists. On its website, onpb.bj, it has a section called Tour de garde, with a list for Littoral. Littoral is the department that covers the city of Cotonou, so this is the list you want. The order also publishes rotas for other areas, including Ouémé-Plateau (the Porto-Novo side) and Atlantique (which includes Abomey-Calavi).

Use the official list, not a screenshot someone forwarded on WhatsApp. A forwarded screenshot may be from a past week.

The ONPB usually posts one programme per week, with a title like "Programme de garde Littoral du 19 au 25 octobre 2026". That week ran from Monday 19 to Sunday 25 October. So check the dates in the title first: if they don't include today, you are looking at the wrong week.

The list is posted as images of a table. For the week of 19–25 October 2026 it read "Pharmacies de garde dans le Littoral", marked "Groupe B", with four columns:

• N°: the line number.

• Nom de la pharmacie: the pharmacy's name.

• Quartier: the neighbourhood or a nearby landmark, such as "Rond-point Dégakon", "Carrefour Marina" or "Paroisse Sainte Rita".

• Téléphone: one or more phone numbers.

The pharmacies are grouped by area under green headings, for example Akpakpa; Agla, Akplomey, Aïbatin and Fidjrossè; Gbégamey and Zongo; Ganhi, Missèbo, Dantokpa and the port. That week's list had about fifty pharmacies across the city.

1. Open the official rota. Go to onpb.bj, then Tour de garde, then Littoral, and open the newest post.

2. Check the dates. Today must fall inside the dates in the title.

3. Find your area. Scroll to the green heading that matches where you are, or the nearest one.

4. Call before you move. Use the number on the list to confirm they are open and have what you need. This saves a wasted trip at night.

5. Find the way. Look the pharmacy up on Ceety Boy, which lists pharmacies in Cotonou by neighbourhood, each with the road distance from a landmark you know.

6. Take your prescription and the box of any medicine you already use.

Be clear on this, because it matters at night. Ceety Boy does not say which pharmacy is on duty. Its pharmacy page says so in plain words and sends you to the ONPB rota for that. What it adds is the map side: on 20 October 2026 it listed 78 pharmacies in Cotonou across 37 neighbourhoods, each with its distance from a public landmark such as Place de l'Étoile Rouge, Marché Vêdoko or Place Lénine.

So the two tools do different jobs. The ONPB tells you which. Ceety Boy tells you where and how to get there. French speakers can use the same page in French: pharmacie de garde à Cotonou.

Look at the Quartier column again. Many entries are not street addresses but landmarks: a roundabout, a church, a market, a cinema. That is how Cotonou gives directions. When you call the pharmacy, ask "what is the nearest big landmark?" and tell your zémidjan or driver that, not a street name.

A pharmacy is for medicine. For a serious emergency, go straight to a hospital or clinic. Ceety Boy also has a guide to hospitals and clinics in Cotonou, organised the same way, by neighbourhood with routes from landmarks. Save the nearest one on your phone now, before you need it.

If you have just moved to Cotonou, do three things this week: find the nearest pharmacy to your room, save the ONPB rota page on your phone, and note the nearest hospital. Our guide to student accommodation in Benin Republic helps with where to live, and travelling from Nigeria to Cotonou covers the journey. If pharmacy is your field, see the best universities to study pharmacy in Benin Republic.

Where can I find the pharmacie de garde in Cotonou today?
On the website of the Ordre National des Pharmaciens du Bénin (onpb.bj), under Tour de garde, then Littoral. Open the newest post and check that today is within its dates.

How often does the duty rota change?
Usually every week. Most programmes run Monday to Sunday, but check the dates in each title.

Does Ceety Boy show which pharmacy is on duty?
No. Ceety Boy lists pharmacies and how to reach them. The ONPB rota is the official source for which one is on duty.

Is there a duty rota for Porto-Novo?
Yes, the ONPB also publishes a rota for Ouémé-Plateau.

Is there one for Abomey-Calavi?
Abomey-Calavi is in the Atlantique department, and the ONPB publishes an Atlantique rota too.

Should I call before going?
Yes. The phone numbers are on the rota. A call confirms they are open and have your medicine.

See the route in 3D: Ceety Boy lets you preview a drive across Cotonou before you go. The phone version is a tester build and a heavy download, so install it on Wi-Fi now, not at midnight.