He was the uncle of Chantal Yayi, who served as First Lady of Benin from 2006 to 2016, and the late Marcel Alain de Souza (1953–2019), a banker and former President of the ECOWAS Commission.
[3] He led the National Conference in February 1990, which was convened to address economic issues but returned Benin to democracy.
[4] De Souza served as the chairman of the High Council of the Republic from 28 February 1990 to 31 March 1991,[5] setting up the presidential election and a new constitution.
He persuaded President Mathieu Kerekou to accept the decisions of the council and return Benin to civilian rule.
[2] De Souza was the chairman of the Regional Episcopal Conference of Francophone West Africa from 1997 to his death.