## _cr08125

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---

### EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Participatory process:
  - SCRP (Growth Strategy for Poverty Reduction) 2007-2009 prepared through a participatory process including public administration, economic agents, and civil society; Integrated Modular Survey on Household Living Conditions (EMICoV) four rounds; first round from August 7 to November 25, 2006; nearly 18,000 households covered nationwide.
- Gains and shortfalls under PRS 2003-2005:
  - Institutional advances: generalization of participatory approach; early involvement of civil society and private sector; PRS 2003-2005 enabled joint TFP missions, budgetary support, two IMF-supported programs, and HIPC Initiative eligibility.
  - Shortfalls: results below targets for growth and poverty reduction; MDG achievement by 2015 jeopardized at current pace.
  - Causes identified: insufficient focus on diversification and growth; underestimation of human capital and public administration limits; weak local government involvement.
- Poverty findings (EMICoV provisional):
  - Income poverty incidence: urban average 27 percent; rural 40.6 percent.
  - Nonmonetary poverty (material living conditions): declined slightly from 43 percent to 41 percent.
  - Subjective poverty: households perceive living conditions as becoming more difficult.
- SCRP pillars and targets:
  - Pillar 1 (Acceleration of growth): Government target increase growth rate to 6.5-7 percent by 2009.
  - Pillar 2 (Infrastructure): priorities in transport, energy, water supply and sanitation.
  - Pillar 3 (Human capital): education, vocational training, health/nutrition, social protection.
  - Pillar 4 (Good governance): administrative reforms, rule of law.
  - Pillar 5 (Balanced and sustainable national development): regional/local development, growth poles, environment.
- Macroeconomic and budgetary framework (headline projections):
  - Target average economic growth: 6.5 percent for 2007-2009 (up from 3.5 percent recorded for 2004-2006).
  - Population growth projected at 2.9 percent; per capita GDP growth: 2.5 percent average 2007-2009.
  - Investment ratio increase by approximately 3 points: from 22 percent of GDP in 2006 to 25 percent in 2009.
  - Tax receipts to GDP: increase from 15.1 percent of GDP in 2006 to the Community goal of 17 percent by 2009.
  - Current expenditure: on average 15 percent of GDP; capital expenditure: on average 9 percent of GDP; total expenditure stabilize at around 24 percent between 2007 and 2009.
  - Budget deficit: rise from 5 percent of GDP in 2006 to approximately 7 percent between 2007 and 2009.
- Cost of SCRP and financing:
  - Total cost estimates: CFAF 631.5 billion in 2007; CFAF 776.5 billion in 2009; implied annual growth rate of about 11 percent.
  - Government financing measures: tax base broadening, modernizing tax/customs administration, mobilize national/subregional markets, partner coordination per Paris Declaration, attract FDI, new financing instruments, bolster banking presence, mobilize national savings, promote microfinance.
- Implementation & monitoring:
  - Emphasis on accountability for PAP projects; minimum list of PRSP and MDG monitoring indicators drafted; indicators to be updated by EMICoV and EDS.

### INTRODUCTION — VISION, PROCESS, STRUCTURE
- Vision and objectives:
  - Transform Benin into an emerging country by 2011; SCRP covers 2007-2009; aligns with “Benin 2025: Alafia,” MDGs, and SDOs.
- Document scope and structure:
  - SCRP is reference for 2007-2009 socioeconomic development and dialogue with TFPs.
  - Document structure: ten (10) chapters in three (3) parts: Part I (context and preparation), Part II (five strategic pillars), Part III (macroeconomic/budgetary framework and implementation/monitoring).
- Key preparatory milestones:
  - Official launch: February 3, 2006; final SCRP adopted by Council of Ministers on Monday, February 26, 2007.
  - Ten (10) theme-based working groups established covering social sectors, environment, macroeconomics, private sector, governance, agriculture, security, ICTs, poverty/targeting, monitoring and evaluation.
  - EMICoV launched August 2006; sample almost 18,000 households; first round coupled with Demographic and Health Survey (EDS); includes Governance and Perception of Poverty modules.

### POVERTY PROFILE — EMICoV AND TRENDS
- Income poverty (2002 → 2006):
  - National P0: 2002 = 28.5; 2006 = 36.8.
  - Urban P0: 2002 = 23.6; 2006 = 27.2.
  - Rural P0: 2002 = 31.6; 2006 = 40.6.
  - P1 (depth) national: 2002 = 0.109; 2006 = 0.138; rural P1 increase more pronounced.
- Nonmonetary poverty (RGPH3 composite):
  - 2002: nearly 43 percent poor; rural 59.1 percent; urban 17.7 percent.
  - 2006: overall declined to 41.1 percent; urban nonmonetary poverty rose to 22.1 percent; rural nonmonetary poverty fell to 50.8 percent.
- Subjective well‑being (2001 vs 2006):
  - “Living is difficult”: 2001 = 37.2; 2006 = 38.7 (subjective poverty incidence in 2006 = 38.7 percent).
- Inequality (Gini index):
  - Nationwide: 2002 = 0.437; 2006 = 0.398.
  - Urban: 2002 = 0.478; 2006 = 0.395.
  - Rural: 2002 = 0.361; 2006 = 0.384.
- Determinants and correlates:
  - Household size, education level of head, age, gender, migratory status, access to infrastructure correlate strongly with poverty.
  - Education returns: completing four years of primary associated with 14 percent higher consumption versus no education (World Bank, 2003).
- Growth vs distribution contribution (2002–2006):
  - Increase in poverty mainly attributable to low growth in average expenditure ("growth effect"); decrease in inequalities partially offset nationally, especially urban.

### STRATEGIC ORIENTATION AND PRIORITIES (SCRP PILLARS)
- Overarching diagnostic:
  - Economic growth is essential for poverty reduction; corruption harms investment, diversification and growth.
- Pillar 1 — Acceleration of growth:
  - Government target: increase growth rate to 6.5-7 percent by 2009.
  - Priority areas: macroeconomic stabilization; private sector revitalization; promotion of export-promising activities; regional integration.
  - Principal private sector obstacles (verbatim): (i) land ownership hurdles; (ii) shortcomings of the judicial system and failure to honor contractual obligations; (iii) tax system deficiencies; (v) hindrances to domestic and foreign trade; (vi) high factor costs; (vii) lack of technical support to enterprises; (viii) dependence on cotton and re-export trade; (ix) limited range of export products; (x) corruption; (xi) weak public-private dialogue; (xii) difficulty meeting quality standards.
  - Diversification focus: reduce cotton dependence (~40 percent of export revenue); develop agricultural diversification (palm oil, cashew, rice, pineapple, shea, cassava, fisheries); develop project clusters and value-added processing.
- Pillar 2 — Development of infrastructure:
  - Priorities: transport (roads, ports, rail, air), energy, water and sanitation.
  - Road network: 25,575 km registered; 7,827 km developed; 1,075 km properly maintained; Road Fund covers 60.79 percent of maintenance requirement (CFAF 28,427 million in 2007).
  - Port of Cotonou handling capacity ~2.3 million metric tons/year; actual traffic: 3.0 million tons (2000), 4.3 million tons (2003), 5.3 million tons (2006); port depth at low tide 10 meters (need 12–14 meters).
  - Energy constraints: brownouts cause output losses ~7.4 percent; takes 104 days to hook up to electricity grid in Benin vs 12 days in Senegal; rural electrification target: bring electricity to 150 rural localities each year; average electrification rate for those localities at least 20 percent by 2009.
  - Water: rural access rose from 35 percent (2002) to 41 percent (2005); as of December 31, 2005, 12,089 watering places constructed covering 41 percent rural population; projection: if unchanged, number of rural people without safe water will rise to 8 million by 2015.
- Pillar 3 — Human capital building:
  - Priority areas: development-oriented education; vocational training; access/quality of health and nutrition services; social protection.
  - Education targets and indicators: target primary gross enrollment 100% by 2015; Ten-Year Plan 2006-2015; baseline education cost-free from 2006-2007.
  - Health outcomes 2003–2005: infant mortality 2005 = 66.8 per mil (PRS1 target 65); assisted childbirth 2005 = 75 percent (target 75); prenatal consultation rate 2005 = 90 percent (target 84); health service access rate 2005 = 37 percent (target 37); malaria death rate per 10,000: 2005 = 140 (PRS1 target 62.5).
  - Nutrition: daily energy consumption ~1,300 kilocalories (target minimum ~2,400 kc); 33 municipalities in chronic food insecurity.
- Pillar 4 — Promotion of good governance:
  - Actions: anti-corruption strategic plan with five priority pillars; establishment of Anti-Corruption Observatory (OLC); judicial reforms including recruitment and capacity-building for judges; public expenditure and procurement reforms (Law 2004-18 of August 27, 2004 and Decrees 2004-562 to 565).
  - Administrative reform priorities: generalize results-based management; combat corruption; improve economic management; modernize and stabilize civil service; promote merit-based advancement and gender parity in appointments.
- Pillar 5 — Balanced and sustainable development of national territory:
  - Components: sustainable development of regions/localities; emergence of development and growth poles; environment, natural resource management and living standards.
  - Spatial imbalance: four southern départements cover 5 percent of territory but house over 40 percent of population.
  - Tools: town and country planning, decentralization, intermunicipal shared development spaces, DEPONAT operational strategy.

### MACROECONOMIC AND BUDGETARY FRAMEWORK (central scenario & MTEF)
- Central scenario headline projections (principal macro indicators):
  - Real GDP growth rate: 2006 = 3.6; 2007 = 6.0; 2008 = 6.8; 2009 = 7.5 (Annex principal macroeconomic indicators).
  - Investment ratio (% of GDP): 2006 = 22.4; 2007 = 23.6; 2008 = 24.4; 2009 = 25.2.
  - Total revenue (TOFE) (% of GDP): 2006 = 17.0; 2007 = 17.6; 2008 = 18.0; 2009 = 18.1.
  - Total expenditure (% of GDP): 2006 = 22.1; 2007 = 24.4; 2008 = 25.0; 2009 = 24.6.
  - Overall deficit (payment-order basis) (% of GDP): 2006 = -5.1; 2007 = -6.8; 2008 = -6.9; 2009 = -6.5.
  - Public investment (% of GDP): 2006 = 7.6; 2007 = 8.6; 2008 = 9.5; 2009 = 9.9.
  - Money supply: expected annual nominal increase ~10 percent consistent with real growth 7 percent and inflation ~3 percent.
- MTEF sectoral allocations (average shares 2007-2009):
  - Social sectors (education, health, other social): 31 percent of total expenditure.
  - Manufacturing and trade sectors: 11 percent.
  - Infrastructure: 19 percent.
  - Comparative shares PRS 2003-2005: social sectors 28 percent; manufacturing and trade 8 percent; infrastructure 12 percent.
- Cost and financing (Table 19):
  - Estimated public expenditure* (CFAF billions): 2007 = 631.0; 2008 = 711.3; 2009 = 776.0.
  - Domestic resources (CFAF billions): 2007 = 506.7; 2008 = 522.8; 2009 = 568.7.
  - Tax and nontax revenue (CFAF billions): 2007 = 465.4; 2008 = 521.5; 2009 = 580.4.
  - External resources (excluding debt relief) (CFAF billions): 2007 = 113.0; 2008 = 132.1; 2009 = 146.5.
  - Financing gap (CFAF billions): 2007 = 11.3; 2008 = 56.4; 2009 = 60.8.
  - Residual financing to be sought (narrative): around CFAF 50 billion in 2007; CFAF 94 billion in 2008; CFAF 72 billion in 2009.
  - Note: *Total expenditures minus pensions minus interest on the debt minus short-term payments.
- Alternative scenarios (principal aggregates preserved):
  - MDG scenario (higher ambition): GDP growth 2007 = 7.3; 2008 = 8.1; 2009 = 8.7; investment ratio ~26.4–27.6; total expenditure as % of GDP reaches up to 30.2 in 2007; budget deficit up to -12.7 percent in 2007; annual average residual financing need CFAF 225 billion.
  - Recent trends scenario (conservative): GDP growth 2007 = 4.1; 2008 = 4.5; 2009 = 5.0; investment ratio ~22.9–23.6; lower deficits (around -4.8 to -3.4) and constrained public investment.
- Risk factors:
  - External shocks (petroleum price spikes), climate contingencies, persistent structural rigidities (energy, telecommunications), unpredictability of assistance, low FDI inflows, low budget absorption capacity, cotton price volatility, delayed reforms, weak political support.

### IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING & EVALUATION (institutional mechanism)
- Participatory institutional architecture — four levels: national, sectoral, departmental, local.
- National-level bodies:
  - Steering Committee chaired by Minister Responsible for Development and the Economy.
  - Government/Partners Committee co-chaired by Minister and partners’ representative.
  - Monitoring Unit for Economic and Structural Reform Programs (CSPRES) as coordinating unit for SCRP implementation and monitoring.
- Monitoring dimensions:
  - Administrative monitoring of program execution (sector ministries, annual reviews).
  - Technical monitoring of development (statistical monitoring by INSAE, program/project execution monitoring by DGSP, impact assessments by OCS).
- Subsystems and responsibilities:
  - Subsystem 1: Macroeconomic and poverty indicators — coordinated by INSAE; outputs include SIGIES, TBES, BenInfo updates.
  - Subsystem 2: Program and project execution monitoring — coordinated by Directorate General of Project Monitoring (DGSP); outputs include annual program/project execution reports and project database.
  - Subsystem 3: Policy and program impact assessments — coordinated by Social Change Observatory (OCS); outputs include beneficiary surveys, selective impact studies, territorial analysis; DAT ensures territorial dimension.
- Decentralized monitoring structures:
  - Departmental Monitoring Committees (CDSs) chaired by Departmental Prefects; meet quarterly.
  - Municipal Monitoring Committees (CCSs) chaired by Mayors; meet quarterly.
- Data and capacity-building needs:
  - INSAE responsible for data gathering, processing and dissemination in collaboration with SCRP coordination.
  - Needs: institutional reforms, training, logistics, motivation mechanisms, and budgetary allocations to data-producing units.
- Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness:
  - Joint partners-government group on aid effectiveness chaired by MDEF; joint action plan to strengthen aid coordination, transparency, program approaches, harmonization of missions and studies; joint annual sectoral reviews and joint annual SCRP review to be held by end of first half of each year.

### SECTORAL EXPENDITURE HIGHLIGHTS (selected annex figures)
- Education sector (CFAF billions):
  - Total: 2007 = 97.8; 2008 = 106.2; 2009 = 116.5.
  - Investment: 2007 = 28.7; 2008 = 30.6; 2009 = 32.6.
  - Gross enrollment rate (%): 2007 = 97.2; 2008 = 97.6; 2009 = 98.0.
- Health sector (CFAF billions):
  - Total: 2007 = 56.3; 2008 = 68.2; 2009 = 72.4.
  - Investment: 2007 = 16.25; 2008 = 17.28; 2009 = 18.51.
  - Malaria incidence rate (per 1,000 persons): 2007 = 119; 2008 = 119; 2009 = 119.
- Road infrastructure (CFAF billions):
  - Total: 2007 = 76.4; 2008 = 78.8; 2009 = 86.4.
  - Investment: 2007 = 39.81; 2008 = 40.99; 2009 = 52.26.
  - Length of asphalted roads per 1,000 persons (km): 2007 = 0.29; 2008 = 0.31; 2009 = 0.33.

### ENVIRONMENT, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, GENDER (annex costs & indicators)
- Annex 19 (Water and energy — selected program investment numbers):
  - Energy — Electricity investment: 2007 = 16.55; 2008 = 18.98; 2009 = 21.55.
  - Water program — Rural areas: 2007 = 5.10; 2008 = 5.48; 2009 = 5.89.
- Annex 20 (Rural development totals, CFAF billions):
  - Total: 2007 = 62.03; 2008 = 92.31; 2009 = 77.86.
  - Agricultural productivity program: 2007 = 35.48; 2008 = 53.73; 2009 = 49.42.
- Annex 21 (Environment totals, CFAF billions):
  - Total: 2007 = 16.25; 2008 = 34.01; 2009 = 63.17.
  - Investment: 2007 = 11.95; 2008 = 24.36; 2009 = 44.35.
- Annex 22 (Gender totals, CFAF billions):
  - Total: 2007 = 2.81; 2008 = 3.97; 2009 = 4.86.
  - Related indicators: women’s reproductive health coverage (%): 2007 = 11.0; 2008 = 15.9; 2009 = 20.8.

### KEY POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION MEASURES (synthesized from text)
- Prioritize pro‑growth, diversification and private sector revitalization to reduce income poverty — targets include growth increase to 6.5-7 percent by 2009 and investment ratio rising to 25 percent of GDP by 2009.
- Strengthen human capital: scale up education (free baseline education from 2006-2007), vocational training, maternal/child health, malaria control, and nutrition programs to support growth and MDG achievement.
- Expand infrastructure investment in transport, energy, water and sanitation to reduce factor costs and improve competitiveness; address port, road, and electricity bottlenecks.
- Implement governance reforms: anti-corruption measures, procurement reforms (Law 2004-18 and related decrees), judicial capacity-building, civil service modernization and RBM generalization.
- Deepen decentralization: transfer authority and resources to municipalities, build capacities of local elected officials and prefectural administration, and operationalize intermunicipal shared development spaces.
- Mobilize financing: broaden tax base to reach 17 percent of GDP by 2009, mobilize national/subregional financial markets and FDI, coordinate donor support per Paris Declaration, and pursue measures to improve absorptive capacity.
- Strengthen M&E: operationalize CSPRES, INSAE-led statistical monitoring, DGSP project database, OCS impact assessments; maintain quarterly CDS and CCS reporting; implement SIGIES and TBES; allocate budgets to data-producing units.

*Source: _cr08125*

### Box 1: Summary of the Paris Declaration.................................................................................

### Box 1: Summary of the Paris Declaration

### Location
- Appears on page 3 of the source PDF.

### Available metadata from the source
- Unit title: "Box 1: Summary of the Paris Declaration"
- Page reference: 3

### Notes
- No substantive text of the box is available in the provided content inventory.

*Source: _cr08125 - Box 1: Summary of the Paris Declaration (page 3).*

### EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

### _cr08125 - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

### Participatory process
- The SCRP (Growth Strategy for Poverty Reduction) for 2007-2009 was prepared through a participatory process involving public administration, economic agents, and civil society.
- Key stages:
  - Evaluation of the PRS 2003-2005.
  - National forum defining guiding principles for the new Strategy.
  - Definition of Strategic Development Orientations (SDOs) 2006-2011.
  - Establishment of ten working groups covering major development topics.
  - Pillared workshops on gender (November 14, 2006), population (November 14, 2006), human rights (November 14 and 15, 2006), the environment (November 5-9, 2006), and HIV/AIDS (February 28-March 2, 2007).
  - Integrated Modular Survey on Household Living Conditions (EMICoV): four rounds; first round from August 7 to November 25, 2006; nearly 18,000 households covered nationwide.
  - Consultations with national, departmental, and local structures to secure stakeholder ownership of the SCRP.

### Gains from implementation of PRS 2003-2005
- Institutional advances:
  - Generalization of participatory approach for multisectoral strategies and monitoring/evaluation.
  - Early systematic involvement of civil society and private sector in drafting development orientation documents.
  - PRS 2003-2005 served as primary frame for coordinating Technical and Financial Partners (TFPs), enabling joint missions, budgetary support, two IMF-supported programs, and HIPC Initiative eligibility.
- Shortfalls and constraints:
  - Results fell short of goals for growth and poverty reduction; MDG achievement by 2015 appears jeopardized at current pace.
  - Causes identified:
    - Insufficient focus on diversification and growth, including private sector revitalization and development of sectoral/regional growth poles.
    - Underestimation of the role of human capital in growth and poverty reduction.
    - Underestimation of internal limits of Public Administration regarding performance-based management and good governance.
    - Weak local government involvement in the development process.

### Poverty in Benin (EMICoV findings)
- Partial and provisional EMICoV findings:
  - Income poverty incidence in Benin is still high in 2006 and appears to have increased from the 2002 level (as shown by the CWIQ survey).
  - Poverty varies by residence area: incidence of 27 percent on average in urban areas versus 40.6 percent in rural areas.
  - Nonmonetary poverty (material living conditions) appears to have declined slightly from 43 percent to 41 percent.
  - Subjective poverty: households perceive living conditions as becoming more difficult.

### Main strategic pillars of the SCRP
- Overall strategic orientation:
  - Analysis shows economic growth is the key factor in poverty reduction; economic stagnation between 2002 and 2006 is linked to deterioration in income poverty.
  - Corruption is identified as harmful to business climate, investment, diversification, growth, and poverty reduction.
  - Strategy stresses diversification policies, good governance, and strengthening the social sector.
- The SCRP is structured as a federative and integrative framework with a Priority Action Plan (PAP) for 2007-2009, aligned with a strengthened MTEF.

- Pillar 1: Acceleration of growth
  - Government target: increase growth rate to 6.5-7 percent by 2009.
  - Four priority areas:
    - Stabilization of the macroeconomic framework.
    - Revitalization of the private sector.
    - Promotion of new export-promising activities.
    - Promotion of regional integration.

- Pillar 2: Development of infrastructure
  - Infrastructure priorities: (i) transport infrastructure; (ii) energy; (iii) water supply and sanitation.
  - Rationale: reduce factor costs, improve competitiveness, and provide essential public services.

- Pillar 3: Human capital building
  - Four priority areas:
    - Promotion of a development-oriented education system.
    - Strengthened professional training adapted to labor market needs.
    - Improved accessibility and quality of health and nutrition services.
    - Strengthened social solidarity and protection.

- Pillar 4: Promotion of good governance
  - Priority programs:
    - Speeding up administrative reforms.
    - Strengthening the rule of law and individual freedoms.
  - Objective: increase effectiveness and efficiency in public management and support private sector development.

- Pillar 5: Balanced and sustainable development of the national space
  - Three components:
    - Sustainable development of regions and localities.
    - Emergence of development and growth poles.
    - Environment, natural resource management, and living standards.
  - Tools: town and country planning, environmental protection, decentralization.

### Macroeconomic and budgetary framework
- Growth and demographics:
  - Target average economic growth: 6.5 percent for 2007-2009 (up from 3.5 percent recorded for 2004-2006).
  - Population growth projected at 2.9 percent over the period.
  - Resulting per capita GDP growth: 2.5 percent on average over 2007-2009.
- Drivers of faster growth:
  - Dynamism of trade and transport activities.
  - Diversification and greater contribution from export-oriented primary sector production (agriculture for export).
  - Investment ratio increase by approximately 3 points: from 22 percent of GDP in 2006 to 25 percent in 2009.
- Revenue, expenditure, and deficit projections:
  - Tax receipts to GDP: increase from 15.1 percent of GDP in 2006 to the Community goal of 17 percent by 2009.
  - Current expenditure: on average 15 percent of GDP during program period.
  - Capital expenditure: on average 9 percent of GDP during program period.
  - Total expenditure as proportion of GDP: stabilize at around 24 percent between 2007 and 2009 (compared with 21 percent over PRS 2003-2005).
  - Budget deficit: rise from 5 percent of GDP in 2006 to approximately 7 percent of GDP between 2007 and 2009.

### The Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF)
- Resource allocation based on the macroeconomic framework and SCRP priorities.
- Average shares of total expenditure over 2007-2009:
  - Social sectors (education, health, other social sectors): 31 percent.
  - Manufacturing and trade sectors: 11 percent.
  - Infrastructure: 19 percent.
- Comparative shares over PRS 2003-2005:
  - Social sectors: 28 percent.
  - Manufacturing and trade: 8 percent.
  - Infrastructure: 12 percent.

### Cost of the strategy and financing
- Total cost estimates of the SCRP:
  - CFAF 631.5 billion in 2007.
  - CFAF 776.5 billion in 2009.
  - Implied annual growth rate of about 11 percent.
- Government financing strategy:
  - Continued reforms to rehabilitate public finances and improve tax situation (broadening tax base, modernizing tax and customs administrations, strengthening auditing).
  - Mobilization of national and subregional financial markets.
  - Continued partnership with development partners and improved coordination in line with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.
  - Promote private sector financing participation: attract FDI, introduce new financing instruments, bolster banking presence nationwide, mobilize national savings, and promote microfinance.

### Implementation and monitoring of the strategy
- New mechanism emphasizes accountability of structures responsible for implementing PAP projects and programs.
- Monitoring tools:
  - Minimum list of PRSP and MDG monitoring indicators drafted.
  - Monitoring indicators to be updated by EMICoV survey findings and the EDS (Demographic and Health Survey).

*Source: _cr08125 - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY*

### INTRODUCTION

### INTRODUCTION

### Vision and objectives
- The Government aspires to transform Benin into an emerging country by 2011.
- The ambition is to create conditions for accelerated economic growth and a noteworthy reduction in poverty.
- The Growth Strategy for Poverty Reduction (Stratégie de Croissance pour la Réduction de la Pauvreté-SCRP) covers the period 2007-2009.
- The SCRP aligns with “Benin 2025: Alafia [peace and happiness],” the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and the Strategic Development Orientations (SDOs).

### Document purpose and scope
- SCRP 2007-2009 is the frame of reference for socioeconomic development of Benin for 2007-2009 and the reference document for dialogue between the Government and the Technical and Financial Partners (TFPs).
- SCRP implementation will require support from the international community to consolidate recent development gains and ensure the economic take-off sought by Benin.

### Structure of the SCRP document
- The document consists of ten (10) chapters grouped in three (3) parts:
  - Part I: context and preparation process (Chapter 1); summary of gains under PRS 2003-2005 (Chapter 2); living conditions and poverty based on provisional findings of the Integrated Modular Survey of Household Living Conditions (EMICoV) (Chapter 3).
  - Part II: the five (5) strategic pillars and priority areas of intervention (Chapters 4-8).
  - Part III: macroeconomic and budgetary framework (Chapter 9) and implementation and monitoring mechanisms (Chapter 10).
- Sectoral strategies and policies growing out of the SCRP will be refined and/or readjusted to more clearly delineate planned actions and facilitate implementation.

### Participatory preparation process (summary)
- SCRP 2007-2009 is the outgrowth of a participatory strategic planning exercise involving all components of Beninese society.
- Sustained participation by civil society, the private sector, and TFPs was included throughout preparation.
- Key steps in the preparation process included:
  - (i) official launch of the process;
  - (ii) evaluation of PRS 2003-2005;
  - (iii) establishment of theme-based working groups;
  - (iv) national forum on the new SCRP;
  - (v) preparation of the Strategic Development Orientations 2006-2011;
  - (vi) theme-based workshops;
  - (vii) conduct of the Integrated Modular Survey of Household Living Conditions (EMICoV);
  - (viii) consultations with national, departmental, and local structures;
  - (ix) definition of the strategic pillars of SCRP 2007-2009;
  - (x) establishment of a SCRP drafting committee;
  - (xi) SCRP validation and adoption efforts.
- The official launch took place on February 3, 2006.
- The preliminary draft final SCRP was forwarded to TFPs for assessment; the final SCRP paper was adopted by the Council of Ministers on Monday, February 26, 2007.

### Theme-based groups and cross-cutting issues
- Ten (10) theme-based groups were established on:
  - (i) social sectors, infrastructure, and baseline equipment;
  - (ii) environment and living conditions;
  - (iii) macroeconomics and sectors with growth potential;
  - (iv) private sector and employment;
  - (v) good governance, decentralization, and capacity building;
  - (vi) agriculture, natural resources, and land tenure issues;
  - (vii) security and peace;
  - (viii) information and communication technologies;
  - (ix) poverty and targeting;
  - (x) monitoring and evaluation.
- Cross-cutting studies and workshops covered: (i) the ten-year outlook for development; (ii) gender; (iii) the environment; (iv) human rights; (v) HIV/AIDS.
- Conformity evaluations ensured cross-cutting issues were taken into account.

### Integrated Modular Survey of Household Living Conditions (EMICoV)
- EMICoV was launched in August 2006.
- The survey covers a sample of almost 18,000 households throughout the entire national territory.
- Original features:
  - representativity at the commune level;
  - coupling of the first round with the Demographic and Health Survey (EDS);
  - inclusion of two modules on “Governance” and “The Perception of Poverty.”
- The survey gathers quantitative information and aspirations of social groups and updates the poverty profile.

---

### PART I: CURRENT STATUS — CHAPTER 1: SCRP CONTEXT AND PREPARATION PROCESS

### PRS 2003-2005 background and lessons
- PRS 2003-2005 was adopted in September 2002 as the first genuine intersectoral and participatory planning exercise in Benin and served as the sole framework for dialogue between the Government and TFPs.
- Annual reports were prepared during PRS1 implementation, enabling annual program reviews with TFPs.
- PRS 2003-2005 placed special emphasis on the social sectors.
- The evaluation of PRS 2003-2005 informed SCRP preparation and identified shortcomings in the participatory process that were addressed in SCRP 2007-2009.

### National consultations and ownership
- The national forum on SCRP preparation convened more than a hundred participants from ministerial departments, civil society, the private sector, and most TFPs; it produced a roadmap.
- Consultations at national and departmental levels provided the draft SCRP to citizens to garner support for pillars, priority intervention areas, and corresponding actions.
- The National Assembly and the Economic and Social Council were consulted on SCRP priorities.

### Coordination and drafting
- A working group of public administration officials and resource persons finalized the selection of strategic pillars based on theme-based reports and SDOs 2006-2011.
- A drafting group composed of senior officials, university professors, and national experts produced the SCRP draft; coordination was provided by the Permanent Secretariat of the CNDLP.
- The Permanent Secretariat of the National Commission for Development and Combating Poverty (CNDLP) became the Economic and Structural Reform Program Monitoring Unit pursuant to Decree No. 2006-616 of November 23, 2006 on the Powers, Organization, and Operation of the Ministry of Development, Economy, and Finance.

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### PART I: CURRENT STATUS — CHAPTER 2: GAINS UNDER PRS 2003-2005

### Overall assessment
- PRS 2003-2005 made noteworthy progress in participatory approaches, ownership of multisectoral strategies, and monitoring and evaluation.
- PRS 2003-2005 served as the first reference framework to coordinate and channel TFP interventions, promoted joint missions and budgetary support, and enabled adoption of two economic and financial programs supported by the IMF.
- Eligibility point for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative was reached during PRS1.

### 2.1 Strengthening the macroeconomic framework — key outcomes and indicators
- Macroeconomic stability was maintained during 2003-2005.
- Inflation was contained within the WAEMU convergence pact limit (less than 3 percent).
- The current balance of payments improved during 2004-2005 because of positive shifts in services and incomes.
- The Government began introducing an Industrial Free Zone to promote investment, concentration of enterprises, and job creation.
- The growth target was not met; external shocks dampened economic activity.
- The average annual real economic growth rate was of 3.3 percent over the 2003-2005 period, compared to an average annual target of 7 percent.
- Table 1: Macroeconomic Indicators (percent of GDP unless otherwise indicated) — selected figures preserved exactly as in source:
  - Population (in millions): 4.9 5.8 6.6 7.0 7.2 7.4 7.2
  - Population growth rate (in %): 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0
  - GDP (in CFAF billions): 644 1319 1823 2067 2140 2299 2169
  - Per capita GDP (in CFAF thousands): 131 228 277 296 298 310 302
  - Real GDP growth rate (in %): 3.7 5.1 5.2 3.9 3.1 2.9 3.3
  - Per capita growth rate (in %): 0.4 1.8 1.9 0.8 0.2 -0.1 0.3
  - Gross investment: 14.4 18.2 18.9 20.3 20.7 17.0 19.3
  - Gross public investment: 4.9 6.1 5.8 6.6 5.4 5.3 5.8
  - Gross private investment: 9.5 12.1 13.2 13.7 15.3 11.6 13.5
  - Gross domestic saving: 10.1 9.6 10.0 10.2 12.2 8.8 10.4
  - Total revenue: 11.2 14.3 15.8 16.6 16.4 16.7 16.6
  - Tax receipts: 9.2 12.2 14.0 14.9 14.6 14.5 14.7
  - Total expenditure: 17.7 17.7 18.6 22.0 19.8 19.8 20.6
  - Wage bill: 6.2 4.7 4.4 5.1 5.8 5.7 5.5
  - Baseline primary balance: 0.9 3.5 1.6 -1.4 -0.3 0.1 -0.5
  - Exports: 16.3 17.6 15.8 15.2 14.0 13.0 14.1
  - Imports: 24.7 24.2 22.7 23.0 20.8 19.9 21.2
  - Overall balance: 6.9 -0.1 2.8 -1.2 -2.9 2.1 -0.7
  - Net foreign assets (in months of imports): 4 7 12 11 7 10 9
  - Outstanding debt: 52.8 59.4 51.8 40.3 40.3 40.3 40.3
  - Debt service: 1.8 2.0 1.3 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.7
  - Debt service (in % of exports): 11.9 8.6 5.9 3.8 3.6 3.1 3.5
- Source for the table: MDEF.

### 2.2 Human capital building — outcomes and indicators
- Human development indicators improved significantly.
- Comparative indicators (Box 2: Selected human development indicators for Benin):
  - Life expectancy at birth (years): Benin 55; West Africa 48
  - Literacy rate (% of young people ages 15-24): Benin 45; West Africa 53
  - Malnutrition rate, weight (% of children under 5): Benin 23; West Africa 15
  - Mortality rate, under age 5 (per 1,000): Benin 152; West Africa 87
  - Population growth (%): Benin 3.2; West Africa 2.5
  - Population living on less than $1/day (%): Benin 31; West Africa 60
- The natural rate of increase in the population (2.89 percent) is one of the highest in West Africa and requires adequacy of actions with economic growth.

### Education — key indicators and progress
- Progress in access to baseline education and improvements in schooling of girls and gender issues were recorded.
- Remaining challenges: improving quality of education and reducing disparities.
- Table 2: Key indicators of education — preserved exactly:
  - INDICATORS 2003 2004 2005 PRS1 target value
  - Gross enrollment ratio, primary level: 94 96 94 94
  - Gross enrollment ratio of girls, primary level: 81 84 83 Nd
  - Girl/boy parity Index in % (*): 75 80 Nd
  - Gross admission rate, primary level: 104 106 99 Nd
  - Primary cycle completion rate: 49 50 54 Nd
  - Pupil-teacher ratio: 55.7 53.2 50 51.4
- Source: PRSP progress report 2005.
- Note: (*) gross enrollment ratio of girls as against that of boys.

*Source: _cr08125 - INTRODUCTION (PDF chapter)._

### 26. In the area of health, statistics from the National Health Management Information

### _cr08125 - 26. In the area of health, statistics from the National Health Management Information

### Health sector outcomes 2003–2005: improvements and concerns
- Marked improvement in quality of care during the 2003-2005 period, with targeted efforts to reduce infant mortality and maternal mortality and to fight malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS.
- Specific outcomes (2005 vs targets and prior years):
  - Infant mortality rate (IMR): 66.8 per mil in 2005 compared to objective of 65 per mil.
  - Incidence of assisted childbirth: 75 percent in 2005 (in keeping with objective).
  - Health service access rate: 37 percent in 2005 (in keeping with objective).
  - Prenatal consultation rate: 90 percent in 2005 against a target of 84 percent.
- Major concerns:
  - Continuing high maternal and neonatal mortality rates.
  - Continued high death rates from malaria.
  - These concerns pose risks for achieving the MDGs.

### Key health indicators (Table 3)
- Infant mortality rate (IMR)
  - 2003: 68
  - 2004: 66
  - 2005: 66,8
  - PRS1 target: 65
- Infant/child mortality rate (ICMR)
  - 2003: 107
  - 2004: 105
  - 2005: 105
  - PRS1 target: 117
- Maternal mortality rate (per 100.000 births)
  - 2003: 474
- Health service access rate
  - 2003: 38
  - 2004: 39
  - 2005: 37
  - PRS1 target: 37
- Health service access rate by children ages 0 to 5
  - 2003: 78
  - 2004: 86
  - 2005: 76.2
  - PRS1 target: Nd
- Rate of medically/paramedically assisted childbirth
  - 2003: 76
  - 2004: 76
  - 2005: 75
  - PRS1 target: 75
- Prenatal consultation rate
  - 2003: 76
  - 2004: 76
  - 2005: 90
  - PRS1 target: 84
- HIV/AIDS prevalence among expectant mothers during prenatal visits to health centers
  - 2003: 2.2
  - 2004: 2
  - 2005: 2.1
  - PRS1 target: Less than 6%
- Death rate from malaria per 10,000 inhabitants
  - 2003: Nd
  - 2004: 135
  - 2005: 140
  - PRS1 target: 62.5
- Source for table: PRSP progress report 2005.

### Water access and infrastructure gains
- Access to safe drinking water improved:
  - Rural access rate increased from 35 percent in 2002 to 41 percent in 2005 (a six percentage point rise).
- Sectoral capacity doubled for creating water supply points.
- Performance in 2004 exceeded the threshold of 1200 points equivalents of water for the first time.
- Improved planning, budget execution, and donor commitment contributed to performance.

### Governance and institutional capacity building (high-level actions)
- Anti-corruption and oversight:
  - 2005: Government adopted a strategic plan for combating corruption with five priority pillars:
    - (i) revitalization of the oversight system through the passage of an anti-corruption law;
    - (ii) promotion of administrative and institutional reforms;
    - (iii) strengthening the capacity for action of civil society and the private sector;
    - (iv) creation of an environment hostile to corruption;
    - (v) strengthening of reporting requirements and the obligation to combat impunity.
  - Establishment of an Anti-Corruption Observatory (OLC).
  - A first survey on governance and corruption was in progress to establish a reference base for PSAC implementation and public information mechanisms.
- Legal and justice sector reforms:
  - Adoption and implementation of plan to operationalize an integrated program to strengthen legal and judiciary systems.
  - Government recruiting 40 judges and 30 court clerks a year.
  - Capacity building and improved compensation for judges.
- Public expenditure and procurement reforms:
  - Budgetary reform goals:
    - (i) generalize performance-based budgeting in all ministries using program budgets;
    - (ii) transfer some public expenditure management responsibilities from the Ministry of Finance to sectoral ministries and decentralized structures;
    - (iii) streamline and automate the expenditure circuit.
  - Procurement reforms introduced a new institutional framework to increase transparency and efficiency, modernize procedures, and establish independent oversight.
- Civil service and decentralization:
  - Introduction of a Single Reference File to determine the precise number of paid civil servants and curtail fraudulent appointments.
  - Delegation to education ministries of administrative management of their personnel.
  - Legal provisions on budgetary and accounting framework for local governments adopted.
  - Program initiated to build local government capacities in fiscal management.

### Employment, microfinance, community development, and social protection
- National Employment Agency (ANPE) established; employment promotion structures strengthened.
- Microfinance advances:
  - Capacity building for stakeholders.
  - Support for creation of the Regional Solidarity Bank (BRS) and its Beninese branch.
  - Establishment of the microfinance support fund.
  - Improvement of legal and regulatory framework for microfinance institutions.
- Community development:
  - Local master plans and pilot villages for the National Community Development Plan.
- Social protection and women’s promotion:
  - Exemption from primary school tuition payment for girls.
  - Promotion of girls’ access to merit-based academic scholarships.
  - Adoption and implementation of laws/regulations on protection of children, especially girls, in schools and apprenticeship centers.
- Security in at-risk areas: projects to modernize agriculture, improve access to essential social services, rural access roads, prevent/resolve transhumance problems, and control urbanization and town management.

### Status of MDGs, current situation, and path ahead (selected indicators and targets from Table 4)
- Objective 1: Eliminate extreme poverty and hunger
  - Income poverty index (2004 current value of indicator): 36.3%
  - MDG target value for 2015: 15%
  - Target: 50% reduction of proportion of Beninese living below poverty line, with poverty index improving to 15% by 2015
- Human poverty index: 48.9% (2004) -> 16% (target)
- Proportion of underweight children: 30% (2004) -> 14.6% (target)
- Objective 2: Primary education for all
  - Gross enrollment ratio in primary school: 80.7% (2004) -> 100% (target)
  - Primary completion rate: 54% (2004) -> 100% (target)
  - Literacy rate: 62% (2004) -> 100% (target)
  - Girl-boy ratio in primary and secondary: 0.75 (2004) -> 1 (target)
  - Percentage of elected officials by gender (% women): 3.2% (2004) -> 30% (target)
- Objective 4: Reduce infant mortality
  - Death rate of children under 5: 146.4 per mil (2004) -> 65 per mil (target)
  - Infant mortality rate: 65.6 per mil (2004) -> 39 per mil (target)
- Objective 5: Improve maternal health
  - Maternal mortality rate: 474.4/100,000 (2004) -> 390/100.000 (target)
  - Proportion of assisted childbirths: 75% (2004) -> 100% (target)
  - Prenatal care coverage rate: 90% (2004) -> 100% (target)
- HIV/AIDS and related indicators
  - Prevalence of HIV/AIDS among expectant mothers ages 15 to 24: 2% (2004) -> 1.9% (target)
  - Contraception usage rate: 10.1% (2004) -> 40.9% (target)
  - Number of children orphaned by AIDS: 32,810 (2004) -> Stabilized (target)
- Malaria and other diseases
  - Malaria incidence rate: 116 per mil (2004) -> ND (target)
  - Death rate from malaria: 140 per mil (2004) -> ND (target)
  - Prevalence of tuberculosis: 4.5% (2004) -> Stabilized (target)
- Health services and environment
  - Rate of use of health services (curative care): 37% (2004) -> 100% (target)
  - Proportion of population with access to a source of safe drinking water: 76% (2004) -> 100% (target)
  - Proportion of households with no latrine or toilet: 67.3% (2004) -> 42% (target)
  - Carbon dioxide emissions (per capita): 300 (2004) -> ND (target)
  - Area of protected spaces (in %): 0.18% (2004) -> 1% (target)
  - Household waste removal method (waste collection percentage): 10.1% (2004) -> 34% (target)
  - GDP per energy unit consumed (energy yield): 3.2% (2004) -> ND (target)
- Source for table: Excerpt from the departmental Report on the MDGs in Benin, MDG-PRSP and OCS/MDEF.

### Progress, constraints, and major challenges to achieving MDGs by 2015
- Overall assessment: Progress to date is insufficient to meet MDG targets by 2015 at the current pace.
- Key constraints cited:
  - Ineffectiveness of public expenditure.
  - Insufficient access to developed country markets.
  - Structural problems including:
    - (i) poor governance and corruption;
    - (ii) low productivity, lack of competitiveness, and vulnerability of the Beninese economy;
    - (iii) poverty.
- Health-sector specific constraints and challenges:
  - Shortfall in financial resources required for investment in baseline infrastructure for primary health care.
  - Households continue to bear over half of health care costs (household share: 52.3 percent of health care financing in Benin, per economic accounts for public health published in 2006).
  - Consequences: difficulty achieving targets for frequency of access to health services and control of major diseases.
- Identified actions and priorities to meet MDGs:
  - Information, education, and communications to support behavioral changes.
  - Combat cultural practices harmful to health.
  - Strengthen efforts to combat unhealthy behaviors.
  - Facilitate access to essential social services (education, health, safe drinking water, sanitation, and other baseline infrastructure), especially in rural areas.
  - Educate the public about causes of infant/child mortality and access to relevant kinds of care.
  - Consistent easing of conditionality associated with grants and lines of credit; good governance and optimal absorption of mobilized funds; coordinated framework for development partners’ interventions.

*Source: PRSP progress report 2005; Excerpt from the departmental Report on the MDGs in Benin, MDG-PRSP and OCS/MDEF (as provided in the content unit).*

### CHAPTER 2: GAINS UNDER PRS 2003-2005

### CHAPTER 2: GAINS UNDER PRS 2003-2005

### Evaluation of PRS 2003-2005
- Many reforms were initiated under PRS 2003-2005, but results fell short of objectives and progression toward the MDGs could be jeopardized.
- Explanations for poorer-than-expected performance:
  - Insufficient attention to growth issues, particularly revitalization of the private sector and development of sectoral and regional growth poles.
  - Underestimation of the role of human capital in growth and poverty reduction.
  - Underestimation of internal resistance within the public administration to changes implied by performance-based management and good governance.
  - Limited involvement of local communities in the development process.

### Poverty measurement and data sources
- Data sources used:
  - EMICoV survey 2006 (provisional and partial results, first round August-November 2006; sample analyzed: 5,231 households representative by area of residence only).
  - CWIQ survey 2002.
  - Demographic and Health Survey (EDS) 2006 for nonmonetary poverty.
- Notes on EMICoV 2006:
  - Survey design: four 3-month rounds with one-month breaks; covers a sample of 18,000 households (7,440 urban; 10,560 rural) across 77 communes.
  - Poverty diagnosis in this paper uses first round data (August-November 2006) including retrospective 12-month information; limitations may affect comparability with 2002 and robustness of 2002–2006 poverty evolution assessment.

### Changes in income poverty, 2002–2006
- Poverty thresholds used:
  - CFAF 74,886 per capita in 2002.
  - CFAF 82,224 in 2006.
- Income-poverty indicators (P0 incidence, P1 depth, P2 severity) — Table 5 (exact values):
  - Urban: P0 2002 = 23.6; P1 2002 = 0.107; P2 2002 = 0.069; P0 2006 = 27.2; P1 2006 = 0.110; P2 2006 = 0.060.
  - Rural: P0 2002 = 31.6; P1 2002 = 0.110; P2 2002 = 0.058; P0 2006 = 40.6; P1 2006 = 0.149; P2 2006 = 0.075.
  - Together: P0 2002 = 28.5; P1 2002 = 0.109; P2 2002 = 0.062; P0 2006 = 36.8; P1 2006 = 0.138; P2 2006 = 0.071.
- Key findings:
  - Incidence of income poverty rose from 28.5 percent in 2002 to 36.8 percent in 2006.
  - Depth of poverty (P1) rose from 11 percent in 2002 to nearly 14 percent in 2006, with a more pronounced change in rural areas.

### Nonmonetary poverty and subjective perceptions
- Nonmonetary poverty (composite standard-of-living indicator) — RGPH3:
  - 2002: nearly 43 percent of the population poor; rural 59.1 percent; urban 17.7 percent.
  - 2006: overall declined to 41.1 percent.
  - Urban nonmonetary poverty increased from 17.7 percent in 2002 to 22.1 percent in 2006 (a factor of 1.2 increase in number of urban poor).
  - Rural nonmonetary poverty fell from 59.1 percent in 2002 to 50.8 percent in 2006 (a drop of 12.9 percent).
- Correlation between per capita expenditure and composite index:
  - Nationwide correlation = 0.58.
  - Rural correlation = 0.29.
  - Urban correlation = 0.63.
  - Interpretation: composite index and income approach do not classify households identically but both show extent of poverty.
- Subjective well-being (Table 6):
  - 2001 vs 2006 household self-assessments (percentages):
    - Things are going well: 2001 = 3.1; 2006 = 4.3.
    - Things are pretty much okay: 2001 = 33.3; 2006 = 35.0.
    - We have to be careful: 2001 = 26.4; 2006 = 22.0.
    - Living is difficult: 2001 = 37.2; 2006 = 38.7.
  - Incidence of subjective poverty in 2006 = 38.7 percent.
- Primary needs deemed essential by households (items cited as vital by over three-fourths of the population):
  - The ability to care for oneself when ill.
  - Access to housing (as renter or owner).
  - The ability to send one’s children to school.
  - Stable and sustainable employment.
  - Access to water.
  - Access to electricity.
- Additional items considered essential by over 65 percent of any income quartile include ownership of a radio, personal care items, a personal means of transport, three meals a day, and capacity to purchase a television set.

### Inequalities, 2002–2006
- Gini index (Table 7):
  - Urban areas: 2002 = 0.478; 2006 = 0.395.
  - Rural areas: 2002 = 0.361; 2006 = 0.384.
  - Together: 2002 = 0.437; 2006 = 0.398.
- Key points:
  - Nationwide Gini declined from 0.430 in 2002 to 0.398 in 2006 (decline of 7.4 percent).
  - Urban Gini declined by 21.3 percent; rural Gini rose by 6.4 percent.
  - Despite the urban drop, urban areas remain those with the greatest inequalities.

### Sociodemographic correlates of poverty
- Household size:
  - 2002: poverty incidence increased with household size; households of more than six people had incidence twice that of households of fewer than three.
  - 2006: relationship confirmed; nonmonetary poverty incidence is 1.25 times greater in households of more than six people than in those of less than three (ratio was 2 in 2002); for income poverty the ratio increased from 2 in 2002 to 3 in 2006.
- Education level of household head:
  - Strong negative correlation between education and poverty.
  - Households headed by someone with no education are 2.5 times more likely to suffer from nonmonetary poverty than those headed by a person with primary education; ratio = 10.8 for secondary education; ratio = 29.2 for higher education.
  - Returns to education: completing four years of primary study associated with a 14 percent higher consumption level compared with no education (World Bank study, 2003, based on CWIQ 2002).
  - 2006: households headed by an individual with no formal education have twice the number of poor as those headed by an individual with primary education, and seven times more in the case of secondary education.
- Gender of household head:
  - 2002 nonmonetary poverty: male-headed households = 45 percent; female-headed households = 33 percent (difference significant at the 5 percent level).
  - 2006 nonmonetary poverty: male-headed households = 42.3 percent; female-headed households = 34.6 percent (1.33 times more poor in male-headed households).
  - Large share of poor female heads are widowed, divorced, or separated (approximately 45 percent).
  - Income poverty: 1.09 times more poor in households headed by men.
- Migration status:
  - 2006: non-migrants poorer than migrants: incidence of poverty for non-migrants = 41.95 percent; for migrants = 21.7 percent.
  - 2002: non-migrants were 2.5 times more likely to be poor than migrants.

### Determinants of poverty and role of growth vs distribution
- Main determinants repeatedly identified across areas: household size, age of head of household, education level of head, gender, migratory status, access to economic infrastructures (housing, health, water and electricity, telecommunications), and access to production factors.
- Education and migration have positive influence on household living standards.
- Contribution of growth and inequality to poverty change (2002–2006):
  - Increase in poverty primarily attributable to low growth in average expenditure ("growth effect"), partially offset by a significant decrease in inequalities, especially in urban areas.
  - Rural areas experienced the greatest increase in incidence of poverty: rural P0 rose by 9 percentage points versus 3.6 percentage points in urban areas.
  - Rural deterioration attributable to low growth in average rural household consumption and increased disparities in distribution of such spending.

*Source: _cr08125 - CHAPTER 2: GAINS UNDER PRS 2003-2005 (excerpted content)._*

### CHAPTER 3  CHARACTERISTICS AND DYNAMICS OF POVERTY

### CHAPTER 3  CHARACTERISTICS AND DYNAMICS OF POVERTY

### Changes in poverty incidence (2002–2006)
- Table 8: Changes in poverty incidence between 2002 and 2006 (in percent)
  - Urban: Total change 3.6; Growth effect 8.8; Redistribution effect -5.2
  - Rural: Total change 9.0; Growth effect 4.9; Redistribution effect 4.1
  - Total: Total change 8.3; Growth effect 9.7; Redistribution effect -1.4
- Sources: CWIQ 2002 and provisional and partial results from first round of EMICoV 2006
- Interpretation:
  - The breakdown of changes illustrates the highly unfavorable effect of the low growth in household consumption expenditure.
  - Results point to the need to emphasize pro-poor growth.

### Growth Incidence Curve (GIC) and pro-poor growth assessment
- Conceptual summary:
  - The GIC approach considers the cumulative distribution function of expenditure on consumption and yields the growth rate of expenditure in the pth quintile between two periods.
  - When the GIC shows positive growth for any p covering the poor, growth may be concluded to be unambiguously “pro-poor” (benefits to the poor proportionally greater than to the wealthy).
- Empirical finding:
  - "The growth incidence curve falls below the right axis (Figure 2) representing the growth rate of average expenditure between 2002 and 2006 for the poorest."
  - Conclusion: Economic growth in Benin would not have been beneficial to the poor over 2002–2006.

### Strategic approach: growth, governance, and social development
- Key diagnostic points:
  - Economic growth is identified as the essential factor in poverty reduction.
  - National consultations indicate that corruption is harmful to the business-enabling environment.
- Strategic orientation:
  - Aim: accelerate economic growth, promote good governance, and ensure equitable social development in a poverty reduction context.
  - The Government’s ultimate objective: sustainable and effective improvement in living conditions by attacking root causes of poverty.
  - Recognized constraints: economic growth is necessary but not sufficient; the poor also lack services, resources, and prospects (human capital, access, inclusion).
- Short- and long-term priorities:
  - Short term: educational and health-related policies (especially reproductive health and major epidemics) to contribute directly to growth and human capital formation.
  - Long term: social investments to help achieve slowing population growth.
  - Cross-cutting delivery mechanism: grassroots development and decentralization to create wealth and jobs through regional economic and agricultural poles.

### Demographics and social demand (2002–2009)
- Demographic statistics and projections:
  - Population growth rate: 3.25 percent (annual).
  - Total population: increased from 6.77 million in 2002 to 7.6 million in 2006.
  - Projected total population in 2009: 8.3 million.
  - Urban population share in 2009: 43 percent (up from 41 percent in 2006).
  - School-age population (6-11 years) in 2009: 18.8 percent of the total population.
  - Children under 5 years in 2009: 16.5 percent of the total population.
- Implications:
  - Rapid population growth driven by high birth rate and declining but still high mortality poses challenges for nutrition, education, health, employment, housing, and urban management.
  - Meeting social demand in 2007-2009 will require coordinated economic and social sector actions to match demographic growth with economic growth and appropriate income distribution, social solidarity, and environmental policies.

### Policy diagnosis and orientation post-PRS (2003–2005)
- Observed outcomes of PRS implementation (2003–2005):
  - Monetary poverty persists due to subdued economic growth that largely benefited better-off strata.
  - Some social indicators improved, contributing to marked improvement in standard of living for segments of the population.
- Government response:
  - Pursue an accelerated growth policy to generate sufficient wealth to improve living conditions and reduce poverty.
  - The policy is articulated in the "Strategic Development Guidelines (SDG) of Benin, 2006-2011" with two central challenges:
    - (i) enhancement of overall and sectoral competitiveness;
    - (ii) eradication of poverty and improvement of population’s standard of living.
  - Vision: turn Benin into “a country that attracts investments, expedites economic growth, and equitably distributes the outcomes, a country that achieves successful integration in the global economy thanks to its export capacities.”
  - Required conditions: far-reaching structural transformation, sectorally diversified growth poles with project clusters, and reinforced good governance.

### Growth Strategy for Poverty Reduction (2007–2009)
- Target:
  - Under an “Emergent Benin Scenario,” Government set four specific targets to achieve average annual economic growth of 7 percent in 2007-2009.
- Five strategic axes (priority intervention areas for 2007-2009):
  - Axis 1: Acceleration of growth
  - Axis 2: Development of infrastructure
  - Axis 3: Human capital building
  - Axis 4: Promotion of good governance
  - Axis 5: Balanced and sustainable regional development
- Conceptual components (Box 6 highlights):
  - Acceleration of growth pillars: stabilization of the macroeconomic framework; revitalization of the private sector; diversification of the economy; promotion of regional integration.
  - Development of infrastructure pillars: transportation infrastructure; energy infrastructure; hydraulic and sewer system infrastructure.
  - Human capital building pillars: promotion of development education; strengthening of professional training; improvement of access to, and quality of, health and nutrition services.
  - Promotion of good governance pillars: expediting administrative reforms; strengthening the rule of law and individual liberties.
  - Balanced and sustainable regional development pillars: sustainable regional and community development; emergence of development and growth poles; environment, natural resource management, and living environment.

*Source: CHAPTER 3. CHARACTERISTICS AND DYNAMICS OF POVERTY (extracted from provided PDF content)._

### CHAPTER 4: ACCELERATION OF GROWTH

### _cr08125 - CHAPTER 4: ACCELERATION OF GROWTH

### Private sector development policy
- Principal objective: reinforce existing private sector revitalization strategy and support implementation of the 2007-2009 poverty reduction strategy.
- Principal obstacles to private sector development (verbatim):
  - (i) land ownership hurdles;
  - (ii) shortcomings of the judicial system and failure to honor contractual obligations;
  - (iii) tax system deficiencies;
  - (v) [Tr. sic] hindrances to domestic and foreign trade;
  - (vi) high factor costs;
  - (vii) lack of technical support to enterprises;
  - (viii) dependence of the economy on cotton and the re-export trade;
  - (ix) the limited range of export products;
  - (x) corruption;
  - (xi) weak public sector-private sector dialogue; and
  - (xii) difficulty for enterprises of meeting quality requirements and standards.
- Main lines of the private sector development strategy:
  - Improving the legal, juridical, and regulatory framework;
  - Enhancing factor markets efficiency;
  - Improving facilities for trade;
  - Developing incipient productive activities and tourism;
  - Developing infrastructure services; and
  - Strengthening private sector support mechanisms.
- Principal reforms and actions to be undertaken (verbatim examples):
  - (i) judicial reform, streamlining of the regulatory framework, enhancing the competitiveness of local enterprises and rationalizing protection mechanisms, tax reform, and stepping up the fight against corruption;
  - (ii) land/real estate market reform, increasing the efficiency of the labor market and enhancing the quality of labor, improving access to bank financing and microfinance;
  - (iii) raising the quality of port and transit services, rationalization of customs administration;
  - (iv) strengthening research, support for private sector associations, and intensifying public-private partnership.

### Diversification of the economy — diagnosis and strategy
- Key findings:
  - The Beninese economy is essentially based on cotton.
  - Between the early 1980s and the early 2000s, Benin’s share of world cotton exports increased from 0.06 percent to 2.3 percent.
  - Cotton currently accounts for approximately 40 percent of export (including re-export) revenue.
  - Over-reliance on a single product renders the economy vulnerable to external shocks.
- Export performance (verbatim figures):
  - Benin’s export ratio (exports as a percentage of the value of nominal GDP) averaged 15.3 percent in 1998-2004, compared with 30.8 percent for WAEMU as a whole.
  - That rate was under half that of the other countries, with the exception of Burkina Faso and Niger.
- Table 9: Average annual export ratio (1998-2004) (values shown as in source)
  - Benin: 1998 17.1; 2002 14.3; 2004 15.1; Average 15.3
  - Burkina Faso: 1998 12.9; 2002 8.5; 2004 8.6; Average 9.6
  - Côte d’Ivoire: 1998 39.4; 2002 49.6; 2004 48.1; Average 43.6
  - Guinea-Bissau: 1998 14.4; 2002 29.9; 2004 34.9; Average 28.1
  - Mali: 1998 24.8; 2002 31.9; 2004 28.0; Average 28.3
  - Niger: 1998 17.8; 2002 15.2; 2004 15.9; Average 16.5
  - Senegal: 1998 30.3; 2002 30.6; 2004 27.8; Average 29.8
  - Togo: 1998 29.7; 2002 33.8; 2004 33.5; Average 31.7
  - WAEMU: 1998 30.0; 2002 33.3; 2004 31.3; Average 30.8
  - Source: WDI 2006
- Government diversification approach (two directions):
  - (i) Diversification of agriculture.
  - (ii) Development of project clusters with demonstration effects.
- Agricultural diversification: targeted new farm products and crops (in collaboration with the private sector): palm oil, cashew nuts, rice, market garden produce, pineapple, shea, cassava, and fisheries products (shrimp).
- Policy emphasis:
  - Step up agricultural research to support diversification.
  - Develop products with higher value-added through processing (examples cited: clothing industry for textile cotton; cosmetic industry for shea and palm oil; confectionery for fresh pineapple; food-processing or pharmaceutical industries for cashew).
  - Focus on regional markets and market niches rather than commodity markets dominated by large-scale producers.

### Strategy for boosting the agricultural sector (Box 8)
- Context and constraints:
  - Poverty is predominantly rural; sector composed largely of over 550,000 small farms (DPP, MAEP 2002).
  - Farm income and productivity are low; workforce largely unskilled.
  - Lack of effective agricultural loan system; farmers lack inputs at sowing season.
  - Natural resource degradation exacerbated by mining company practices.
- Five core objectives (verbatim):
  1. Increase the availability of food products to both the rural and urban population, ensuring that they are of high quality and affordable for all.
  2. Increase the income of those working in this sector.
  3. Increase the sector’s resources or lower its foreign exchange expenditure.
  4. Maintain or increase employment in the sector.
  5. Guarantee sustainable management of land, livestock farming areas, and fishing grounds.
- Strategies to lay foundations for sustainable agricultural development:
  - Complete rural land ownership reform, formulate rural land ownership policy, provide villages with rural land development plans, strengthen rural land management capabilities of stakeholders, improve women’s access to land, and update village soil fitness maps.
  - Provide the agricultural sector with a National Agricultural and Rural Extension Strategy (SNFAR).
  - Establish a decentralized mechanism for collecting and processing reliable agricultural statistics.
  - Provide the sector with sustainable financing arrangements, improving terms on which loans are granted and repaid, with attention to developers of agricultural enterprises.
  - Develop human capital to strengthen institutional and professional capacities for technological innovation dissemination and value-added analysis.
  - Conduct studies of the potential for hydro-agriculture (small scale irrigation).
  - In water management, use modified irrigation models and develop baseline infrastructure.
  - Opt for farm mechanization adapted to local conditions to enable access to farm mechanization facilities.
- Strategies for creating wealth through crop choice and promotion:
  - Diversification and expansion of agricultural output with expected outcomes:
    - (a) A 30 percent increase in agricultural output within three years;
    - (b) A 25 percent improvement in yields;
    - (c) Five new product-lines (crops) developed.
  - Improvement of market quality and access: develop produce that meets safety and quality standards.

### Project clusters and sector-specific actions
- Incipient clusters identified (six):
  - (i) textile cotton;
  - (ii) food processing, trade, and international trade;
  - (iii) buildings and civil engineering works (BTP) and construction materials;
  - (iv) tourism, crafts, and culture;
  - (v) transportation, logistics, and international trade;
  - (vi) telecommunications and information and communications technologies (ICTs).
- Government strategy: base accelerated growth policy on tightly-woven development of these incipient clusters and accompany cluster development with anti-HIV/AIDS campaigns.

- Textile cotton (verbatim findings and intentions):
  - Over 95 percent of the fiber cotton produced in Benin is sold on the international market.
  - Today, it accounts for almost 40 percent of export revenue and 90 percent of revenue from agriculture.
  - It provides a monetary income for more than 120,000 farmers.
  - Problems: fall in cotton prices on the world market, lower output, unevenly managed liberalization, under-utilization of gin mill production capacity because of low levels of grain cotton output.
  - Government intends to: boost cotton production; create conditions for domestic processing of grain cotton; guarantee quality control of chemical inputs and proper use; seek subcontracting opportunities with clothing industry companies abroad.

- Table 10: Structure of exports, Benin (CFAF billions) (values shown as in source)
  - Period prior to PRSP I (2000-2002) Share (%) | PRSP I period (2003-2005) Share (%)
  - Cotton fiber: 92.5 32.1 | 103.8 34.1
  - Cottonseed: 4.2 1.5 | 0.8 0.3
  - Cottonseed meals: 2.5 0.9 | 2.9 1.0
  - Palm oil: 0.0 0.0 | 0.9 0.3
  - Palm-kernel meals: 0.0 0.0 | 0.3 0.1
  - Cashew nuts: 10.8 3.8 | 9.2 3.0
  - Tobacco and cigarettes: 2.1 0.7 | 8.8 2.9
  - Wood and woodwork: 3.1 1.1 | 2.3 0.8
  - Miscellaneous products: 10.3 3.6 | 17.1 5.6
  - Re-exporting: 134.9 46.8 | 132.1 43.4
  - Unregistered trade: 28.0 9.7 | 26.4 8.7
  - Total exports: 288.4 100.0 | 304.7 100.0
  - Source: BCEAO

- Food processing, trade and international trade — planned actions:
  - Boost palm oil cultivation tailored to local ecological conditions and encourage investors to install modern processing plants.
  - Support efforts to improve the percentage of cashew nut output processed locally and initiate talks with private enterprises developing exports of this product.
  - Ensure proper working of the traceability system by the Benin Center for Standardization and Quality Management (CEBENOR).
  - Strengthen technical capacity of existing processing units.
  - Establish conditions conducive to installation of new processing units and support producer initiatives for processing and preservation.
  - Continue support for farmer groups to improve export quality; strong support for shea and subsistence crop processing activities predominantly performed by women.
  - Implement consolidation of foreign trade support structures by establishing the Exports and Investments Promotion Agency (APEI).

- Buildings and civil engineering works (BTP) and local construction materials:
  - BTP contributed importantly to growth resumption and consolidation.
  - Domestic BTP companies: low on financial resources and physical fixed assets; weak organizational and managerial capacity.
  - Government plans to carry out major works to attract multinational BTP enterprises, create subcontracting opportunities for domestic companies, and promote skills transfer.

- Tourism, crafts, and culture:
  - Tourism remains incipient despite considerable natural, historical, and cultural heritage.
  - Government policy objectives for tourism:
    - (i) significantly improve hotel and tourism services for business travelers;
    - (ii) lay foundations for development of international tourism;
    - (iii) promote tourism related to conferences and meetings;
    - (iv) promote Benin’s tourism potential in international travel markets.
  - Constraints: low qualifications and lack of professionalism in sector enterprises.
  - Government commitments: raise capacities of commercial players over next three years; rehabilitate and develop tourist sites; carry out major infrastructure projects (example: “fishing route project”).
  - Government notes West African tourism is underdeveloped compared with South, East, and North Africa and intends to exploit Benin’s diversified ancestral cultural traditions.

*Source: CHAPTER 4: ACCELERATION OF GROWTH, _cr08125*

### 113. Here, too, it is important to ensure high quality in the provision of such services as

### _cr08125 - 113. Here, too, it is important to ensure high quality in the provision of such services as

### Utilities, business services, and investment climate
- Brownouts caused turnover losses of approximately 13.4 percent.
- More than 59 percent of enterprises have to go to the extra expense of purchasing electricity generators.
- In the tourist sector, 67 percent of firms regard electricity supply deficiencies as a major problem.
- Policy emphasis:
  - Ensure high quality provision of electricity, telephony, transportation, and logistics to reduce firm costs and support tourism.

### Beninese crafts sector
- The crafts sector:
  - Comprises approximately 210 trades.
  - Accounts for approximately 12 percent of Gross Domestic Product.
  - Is the third most important sector for employment generation, after agriculture and commerce.
- Government objectives for National Crafts Development Policy (PNDA):
  - (i) strengthening and expanding the foundations for a crafts industry;
  - (ii) strengthening managerial capacities of decentralized financing institutions by training staff and tracking and monitoring their activities;
  - (iii) tailoring the financing system to the needs of the crafts industry;
  - (iv) enhancing the quality of crafts products to increase domestic sales and improve positioning in regional and international markets;
  - (v) ensuring promotion of women’s craft activities (basket weaving, weaving, pottery...).

### Transportation, logistics, and international trade
- Rationale:
  - A well-maintained infrastructure network and efficient, competitive transportation services reduce production costs, keep markets supplied, and facilitate economic activity.
- Government approach:
  - Develop baseline transportation infrastructure and continue reforms to encourage private investment.

### Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) and telecommunications
- Developments and challenges:
  - Benin has increased fixed and mobile telephone lines, service providers, and Internet users.
  - High cost of accessing services and poor quality customer service remain problems.
  - “Bénin Télécom S.A.” suffers from run-down equipment and network malfunctions.
- Cost of installing a company telephone line (as reported):
  - US$280 in Benin, US$81 in Mali, US$32 in Senegal, US$50 in Ghana, US$78 in Thailand, and US$ in Malaysia.
- Comparative evidence:
  - Senegal’s liberalization delivered broad, low-cost ADSL access and competitive rates, supporting e-commerce and strong financial earnings for the telecom company.
- Government telecom/post strategy and reform measures:
  - Introduce private players to increase supply of infrastructure and services.
  - Support reforms by:
    - (i) liberalization of the telecommunications and post office sector through a new legal and regulatory framework;
    - (ii) privatization of the state telecom enterprise;
    - (iii) development of services exploiting submarine cable availability and an educated population.

### Telecom price comparison (Table 11: Average cost of a three-minute dial-up call to the USA in US$)
- Benin: 1998 — 7.16; 1999 — 6.86; 2000 — 5.93; 2001 — 5.76
- Ghana: 1998 — NA; 1999 — 2.92; 2000 — 1.65; 2001 — 1.26
- Senegal: 1998 — 4.48; 1999 — 3.19; 2000 — 2.23; 2001 — 1.81
- Mali: 1998 — NA; 1999 — 14.62; 2000 — 12.64; 2001 — 12.28
- Togo: 1998 — 11.44; 1999 — 7.80; 2000 — 7.90; 2001 — 7.67
- Bangladesh: 1998 — 6.00; 1999 — 4.40; 2000 — 4.14; 2001 — 2.47
- Thailand: 1998 — 6.98; 1999 — 2.54; 2000 — 2.19; 2001 — 1.49
- Malaysia: 1998 — 3.82; 1999 — 2.76; 2000 — 2.37; 2001 — 2.37
- Source cited for table: International Communications Union (2004), cited in the Diagnostic Trade Integration Study [DTIS] (2005)

### Promotion of regional integration
- Strategic objectives:
  - Leverage membership in WAEMU, ECOWAS, and the African Union and Benin’s position linking Nigeria and WAEMU and openness to hinterland countries.
- Government plans:
  - (i) develop transit services potential and make Benin a platform for trade;
  - (ii) develop channels for exchange of subsistence crops (strong demand in Nigeria and Niger) to increase output;
  - (iii) establish joint ventures to ensure complementarity of production factors and boost industrial potential;
  - Accompany initiatives with programs to strengthen efforts to combat HIV/AIDS along borders.
- Regional cooperation actions:
  - Support modernization of ECOWAS bodies.
  - Strengthen bilateral cooperation with Nigeria to reduce illicit trade and pursue lifting of non-tariff barriers adopted by Nigeria pursuant to the Badagry memorandum.
  - Anticipated WAEMU impact: stronger regional market in government securities and private bond issues.

### Infrastructure development: priorities and challenges
- PRSP priorities for economic infrastructure:
  - (i) transportation infrastructure;
  - (ii) energy;
  - (iii) water management and sanitation.
- Importance:
  - Infrastructure has cross-cutting impacts on all sectors and population strata and is core to growth and poverty reduction.
  - Infrastructure development programs will be accompanied by HIV/AIDS prevention measures for involved human resources.

### Road network: status, financing, and priorities
- Comparative weaknesses:
  - Benin has the least developed rail and road network, the least road traffic density ratio, and the fewest up-to-standard airports among compared countries.
- Road Fund and maintenance:
  - Road Fund resources cover only 60.79 percent of the road network’s current maintenance requirement, which totaled CFAF 28,427 million in 2007.
- Registered and developed roads:
  - Of 25,575 km of registered roads, 7,827 km have been developed and 1,075km are properly maintained.
- Policy and priority actions:
  - Improve mobility for people and goods by:
    - (i) ensuring correct maintenance of the existing road network, taking decentralization into account;
    - (ii) developing road infrastructure to consolidate internal regional relations;
    - (iii) enhancing management of mobility, safety, and protection against environmental disruptions in large towns;
    - (iv) strengthening environmental management and road safety.
  - Support productive sector and SMEs via large works and subcontracting to develop local capacity.
  - Make rural roads an instrument of development through:
    - (i) national coordination capacity-building;
    - (ii) improvement of rural access road network management;
    - (iii) devolution of responsibility to local governments;
    - (iv) implementation of a modified financing system to support and maintain rehabilitated roads.
  - Increase international competitiveness by strengthening road infrastructure for subregional integration and facilitating transport on international routes.
  - Recover infrastructure usage costs by consolidating the Road Fund and strengthening highway toll systems.
  - Enhance sector planning and management capacity and reshape tasks of regional departments.

### Rural roads strategy and pilot projects (Box 9)
- Strategy objectives:
  - Ensure sustainability of infrastructure as a contribution to poverty reduction in rural areas.
  - Specific goals: (i) beneficiary “ownership” of rural road management; (ii) rational development of the rural road network; (iii) identification of a mechanism for sustaining long-term financing.
- Pilot projects financed by World Bank (IDA), DANIDA, AFD, and the European Union.
- Outcomes:
  - Beneficiary involvement in identifying and carrying out works.
  - Awareness-raising and manual maintenance training for communities.
  - Results included a considerable stretch of roads maintained by beneficiaries, heightened awareness of management responsibilities, development of local upkeep skills using labor-intensive methodology (SMEs, think tanks, and labor), and generation of alternative gap-bridging jobs.
- Source for box: Ministry of Transport

### River, lake, and port capacity
- River and lake transportation are underdeveloped despite potential benefits for opening remote areas, tourism, and local public transport near Cotonou.
- Port of Cotonou:
  - Handling capacity (loading or unloading) approximately 2.3 million metric tons of freight per year.
  - Actual traffic: 3 million tons by 2000, 4.3 million tons by 2003, and 5.3 million tons in 2006.
  - Demand exceeds capacity; at low tide port depth is only 10 meters while container-carrying ships need 12 to 14 meters.
  - Consequence: some ships diverted to other ports (e.g., Abidjan) and port platform constraints increase transaction costs relative to other subregional ports.

*Source: https://www.imf.org/-/media/websites/imf/imported-full-text-pdf/external/pubs/ft/scr/2008/_cr08125.pdf*

### 142. Given the importance of the shipping sector, especially the key part that the Port of

### CHAPTER 5: DEVELOPMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE

### Shipping sector and Port of Cotonou
- Government objectives to preserve and make the Port of Cotonou more competitive through institutional reforms:
  - (i) enhancing the performance and quality of service provided to users of the Port of Cotonou;
  - (ii) revamping the port’s installations, expanding the port, and issuing a new Maritime Code;
  - (iii) tightening port platform security and improving the quality and promptness of the services provided;
  - (iv) strengthening environmental management and environmental protection measures in the maritime and port subsector;
  - (v) hooking up all services to the port management software and expanding computerization of port operations with a view to expediting them and reducing discharge costs;
  - (vi) involving the private sector in port and shipping activities;
  - (vii) tailoring maritime policy to community needs;
  - (viii) enhancing the institutional capacity and professional qualifications of the Merchant Navy Directorate;
  - (ix) constructing a dry dock at Parakou.
- Additional intent:
  - Facilitate development of a transportation system that takes advantage of the country’s numerous waterways and man-made lakes.

### Air transportation
- Current infrastructure:
  - Benin has just one international airport, at Cotonou.
  - Its runway is 2.4km long and cannot be physically extended.
  - Seven smaller airfields exist in the interior; very few inland domestic flights.
- Under the 2007-2009 SCRP arrangement, planned measures:
  - (i) upgrade, expand, and strengthen security at Cotonou’s international airport;
  - (ii) strengthening environmental management and environmental protection measures in the aviation subsector;
  - (iii) privatize Cotonou airport management;
  - (iv) have a second airport built by the private sector, under a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) arrangement;
  - (iv) gradually turn the secondary Parakou and Natitingou airfields into airports meeting International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.

### Railroad network
- Current state:
  - Single meter-gauge track between Cotonou and Parakou (438km).
  - Both track and rolling stock are in very poor shape; parts of the route currently not used.
  - Cotonou – Pobé and Cotonou – Sègboroué railway lines currently not in use but supposed to form part of the ECOWAS international connection system.
- Government intentions to promote railroad sector development:
  - (i) formulate and implement a rail transportation policy;
  - (ii) strengthen environmental management and environmental protection measures in the railroad subsector;
  - (iii) continue rehabilitating the railroad in the Lama area;
  - (iv) establish the conditions for fair competition between North-South rail and road transport options;
  - (v) privatize the running of the Benin-Niger Railway (OCBN);
  - (vi) rebuild the coastal road with a connection to Nigeria.

### 5.2 Energy infrastructure
- Key findings from the 2004-2005 investment climate study:
  - It takes 104 days for a manufacturing enterprise in Benin to be hooked up to the electricity grid, compared to 12 days in Senegal, 32 days in Mali, and 18 days in China.
  - Brownouts cause output losses of 7.4 percent in Benin, compared to 2.6 percent in Mali, and 1.8 percent in China.
  - Duration of brownouts in days per year: Benin in 2003/2004 was 44 compared to 14 days in Mali.
- Table 13: Bottlenecks caused by electricity supply problems: an international comparison
  - % loss of output: Benin 7.4 | Mali 2.6 | Senegal 5.1 | China 1.8
  - Number of brownouts: Benin 43.9 | Mali 14.5 | Senegal 31.5 | China n.a.
  - % of firms that have their own generator: Benin 26.9 | Mali 45.3 | Senegal 61.6 | China 17.0
  - Time it takes to hook up to the grid: Benin 104.4 | Mali 31.7 | Senegal 12.4 | China 18.2
  - Source: ECI Benin (2005)
- Net import status and capacity data:
  - Benin is a net importer of electricity from Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
  - Table 14: Electric energy capacity, Benin (millions of Kw)
    - WAEMU: 1980-1985 1.54 | 1986-1990 1.66 | 1991-1995 1.72 | 1996-2000 1.86 | 2001-2002 1.77
    - Nigeria: 1980-1985 2.86 | 1986-1990 4.57 | 1991-1995 5.91 | 1996-2000 5.89 | 2001-2002 5.89
    - Benin: 1980-1985 0.02 | 1986-1990 0.02 | 1991-1995 0.03 | 1996-2000 0.11 | 2001-2002 0.12
    - Source: U.S. Department of Energy, November 2004 (quoted in DTIS 2005)
- Government measures under the SCRP strategy to address energy challenges:
  - (i) establish an appropriate institutional, legal, and regulatory framework;
  - (ii) consolidate implementation of an energy information system to provide tools for energy policy decision-making;
  - (iii) promote rational use of energy in all branches of the economy;
  - (iv) diversification of domestic sources of energy;
  - (v) take advantage of national, economically viable, energy resources;
  - (vi) improve the pricing (rates) system for energy use;
  - (vii) shorten the time it takes to hook up to the grid.
  - Implementation expected to attract DFI and encourage local investment.
- Rural electrification and consumption:
  - Total end-consumption of energy over the past five years has averaged approximately 1,584 kilo tons of oil equivalent (ktoe).
  - Per capita consumption: 0.252 toe per annum.
  - Household and services electricity consumption increased from 154,849 MWh in 1996 to 392, 558 MWh in 2002, an increase of 15.6 percent [Tr. sic].
  - Low percentage of households with electricity: approximately 22 percent nationwide in 2003 and less than 5 percent in rural areas.
  - Industrial sector accounts for only 2.1 percent of the total demand for electricity in 2002.
- Rural electrification targets:
  - Government’s goal: bring electricity to150 rural localities each year (an average of 10 per rural electrification concession).
  - Ensure that, by 2009, the average electrification rate for all those rural localities is at least 20 percent.
  - Success depends on: (i) electrification options chosen; (ii) organization of rural electrification; (iii) rural electrification priorities; (iv) pricing of electricity in rural areas; (v) use of renewable and local sources of energy; (vi) support for local rural electrification initiatives; (vii) financial assistance for installation of household electric appliances and hook-ups; (viii) synergy with other sectoral programs.

### 5.3 Waterworks and sanitation
- Priority sectors: safe water in rural and urban areas; water management works for productive purposes; sanitation infrastructure.

Safe water supplies
- Rural findings:
  - Approximately two-thirds of the rural population in Benin lack access to safe water.
  - Shortcomings derive from:
    - (i) failure to meet the goal of constructing, on average, 1,350 watering places a year, needed to meet Millennium Development Goals (MDG);
    - (ii) delays in organizing the financial participation of local communities;
    - (iii) red tape in procurement procedures;
    - (iv) the large number of bodies involved in water resource management decisions.
  - As of December 31, 2005, 12,089 watering places had been constructed, covering 41 percent of the country’s rural population.
  - Projection: By 2015, if current distribution and safe water supply coverage remain unchanged, the number of people living in rural areas without access to safe water will have risen to 8 million.
  - Government plans:
    - (i) expedite expansion of access to safe water for approximately 4 million people;
    - (ii) ensure that investments are sustainable;
    - (iii) enhance the impact of investments in the sector.
- Urban findings:
  - SONEB supplies 69 urban districts.
  - 80 percent of demand concentrated in Cotonou, Porto Novo, Parakou, and Abomey/Bohicon.
  - Estimated in 2005: approximately half the population had access to safe water, based on 120,328 customers and an average of 12 people supplied by each connection.
  - Between 1991 and 2004, sale of water (cubic meter terms) grew by approximately 12 percent a year; between 2000 and 2004 growth was approximately 5 percent a year.
  - Government proposals to address urban access to safe water:
    - (i) rehabilitate and expand the water processing plants in Védoko and Godomey;
    - (ii) hook-up two wells in the new drilling field;
    - (iii) rehabilitate six (6) old wells and hook up 20 new ones;
    - (iv) rehabilitate the water towers;
    - (v) install water pipes;
    - (vi) systematize measures to protect against water pollution;
    - (vii) prepare and propose regulations and standards to govern water resource catchment and management, and rational use;
    - (viii) ensure proper management of water resources in the public domain (wetlands, rivers, lakes, lagoons, springs, and artesian wells, etc);
    - (ix) guide and coordinate actions by the Government and external partners in the water sector;
    - (x) coordinate actions relating to different uses of water and encourage Integrated Water Resource Management (GIRE);
    - (xi) provide advice and support to villages and other stakeholders through briefings, training, and technical assistance;
    - (xii) see to it that safe water supply policy is implemented.

Works to harness water supplies
- Surface water accounts for approximately 3.8 percent of the known, potentially available supply for irrigation.
- Fewer than 3,000 hectares of land are properly irrigated and farmed (mainly old, rehabilitated rice fields, micro-irrigation schemes since 1984, and a few private farms).
- Government priorities for 2007-2009:
  - (i) perfect tools for rational water use and ground water resource management;
  - (ii) create an environment conducive to – and with incentives for – the development of water management infrastructure;
  - (iii) promote private irrigation to ensure rapid economic growth, strengthen financial capacity of local governments, and grant certain population segments greater autonomy;
  - (iv) increase the area of land under irrigation by using reliable water management systems;
  - (v) construct and restore watering places for pastoral uses;
  - (vi) develop fish farming facilities.

Sanitation works
- Problems identified:
  - Rapid and disorganized urbanization on land not divided into plots and not connected to mains services.
  - Lack of community management capacity and financial resources to meet growing demand for services.
  - Anarchical occupation of plots in areas unfit for habitation.
  - Shortage of sanitation infrastructure to channel rain and waste water and to handle solid waste.
- Government’s urban management program envisages:
  - (i) producing urban planning documents, such as master plans for town planning and urban development;
  - (ii) installing drains in the streets of Benin’s principal urban centers and secondary towns;
  - (iii) proceeding to make landed and residential property more secure (titling);
  - (iv) identifying low-cost and welfare housing areas and fitting them out with mains services;
  - (v) promoting real estate operations to increase the supply of decent housing;
  - (vi) investing in sanitation infrastructure in both towns and rural areas.

---

### CHAPTER 6: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (excerpts)

### Population policy and DEPOLIPO
- Benin approved a Declaration of Population Policy (DEPOLIPO) in 1996 and revised it in 2006.
- Purpose: improve standard of living and quality of life; match economic growth and population growth over a twenty-year period (1996-2016).
- DEPOLIPO comprises 16 global objectives:
  1. Provide high-quality education to all citizens of Benin.
  2. Find in-depth and lasting solutions to the problems of vocational training and employment.
  3. Increase life expectancy at birth from 54 years in 1992 to 65 years by the year 2016.
  4. Promote responsible childbearing.
  5. Achieve better spatial distribution of the population.
  6. Take international migration into account as a factor in the development process.
  7. Ensure that the entire population has available, at all times and in all locations, adequate, wholesome food that ensures nutritional well-being.
  8. Promote safe housing, as well as protection of, and respect for, the environment.
  9. Create conditions conducive to full participation by women in the development process and to their enjoyment of the resulting benefits.
  10. Create conditions conducive to optimal fulfillment of the potential of young people.
  11. Ensure sure that the elderly receive a comfortable social security allocation.
  12. Integrate handicapped persons into the development process.
  13. Adjust the implementation of population policy to regional specificities.
  14. Integrate elements of said policy into development plans and programs.
  15. Mobilize the people of Benin to address the country’s socio-economic and demographic problems.
  16. Improve the state of socio-economic and demographic knowledge of the country.
- Source: DEPOLIPO, 1996

### Human capital development and education
- Development of human capital identified as strategic theme 3; prerequisite for improvement of personal income and economic growth.
- Government actions:
  - Baseline education declared cost-free and expenses covered from the 2006-2007 academic year for children enrolled in public schools.
  - Private educational establishments shall receive a government subsidy to defray their costs.
  - Continued support for secondary and higher education to train competent and competitive managers.
  - Introduce prevention programs into training curricula to promote behavioral change in response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

*Source: _cr08125 - IMF staff report excerpt (Chapter 5 and parts of Chapter 6).*

### 165.  In addition to interventions directly geared to the formal educational sector, the SCRP

### CHAPTER 6: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

### Strategic priorities and objectives
- Four (4) priority areas of intervention:
  - (i) promotion of development-oriented education;
  - (ii) strengthening of vocational training in keeping with the requirements of the labor market;
  - (iii) improved accessibility and higher quality of health and nutrition services; and
  - (iv) strengthening of social protections.
- Emphasis on vocational training and functional literacy to encourage integration of young people and adults into the labor market, support growth sectors, and train specialized and skilled labor for clusters of projects with multiplier effects.
- Social protection focus on vulnerable groups: women, children, the handicapped, and the elderly; promotion of the family unit and gender equity as means to attain accelerated growth and poverty reduction.

### Promotion of development-oriented education
- Overall goal: ensure primary education for all by the year 2015, in accordance with the MDGs.
- Identified problems in the education sector:
  - (i) scarcity of pre-school facilities;
  - (ii) primary education characterized by low retention rates and poor performance, especially for girls;
  - (iii) limited scope of higher education;
  - (iv) threat posed by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
- Strategic interventions by educational level:

  - Pre-school level:
    - Improve access to pre-school through community-level facilities and awareness-raising of communities and local elected officials.
    - Ensure equitable coverage of rural and urban areas via a communication plan, encouragement of NGO/private/community initiatives, and raising awareness of schooling importance for girls.
    - Enhance outreach programs and improve quality of services for very young children.

  - Primary and secondary levels:
    - (i) boost the elementary school completion rate to 100 percent by the year 2015;
    - (ii) substantially improve retention of pupils over the six years of instruction;
    - (iii) reduce grade repetition;
    - (iv) support private education through subsidies from 2007 onward;
    - (v) improve the quality of teaching;
    - (vi) improve retention rate for girls;
    - (vii) generalize the system of financial aid sponsorship for girls’ schooling;
    - (viii) promote residential homes and high schools for girls and orphans;
    - (ix) substantially improve teachers’ working conditions;
    - (x) adapt the school map to regional requirements;
    - (xi) develop environmental education programs;
    - (xii) provide incentives to promote training of girls in underrepresented educational tracks;
    - (xiii) improve the system for gathering and processing educational statistics.

  - Higher education:
    - (i) improved management and policy guidance;
    - (ii) improved quality and greater gender equity;
    - (iii) promotion of scientific and technical research geared to sustainable development;
    - (iv) re-pillaring higher education on the country’s development needs with regard to regional integration and globalization, linking the university to its milieu;
    - (v) stipends for girls and facilitation of girls’ access to on-campus housing.

  - Literacy:
    - (i) equitable access to literacy programs;
    - (ii) promotion of women’s literacy;
    - (iii) improvement of quality of human resources, programs and curricula;
    - (iv) enhancement of subsectoral monitoring/evaluation, policy guidance and management to make literacy an instrument of social change.
    - Integration of environmental concerns into training curricula.

- Language strategy: develop and progressively implement a strategy to impart mastery of spoken and written English to as many people as possible to exploit geographic opportunities vis-à-vis Nigeria.

### Ten-year plan for educational development (Box 11 highlights)
- The Ten–Year Plan for 2006-2015 builds on prior diagnostics and international commitments (e.g., NAP/EFA).
- Policy themes:
  - Improved policy guidance (planning, management, system evaluation, recruitment planning).
  - Enhancement of teaching quality via revamped pedagogical programs, professionalization of training, outreach/support, and reduced class size.
  - Broadening educational options, including reorganization of technical, vocational and university training programs.
  - Improved human resource management: career monitoring/advancement linked to performance assessment.
  - Diminution of gender and regional disparities via affirmative action for girls and disadvantaged groups/regions.
  - Expanded role for private sector and local communities through promotional policy.
- Specific measures:
  - Promotion of girls’ schooling via grassroots interventions, monitoring systems, and safety measures.
  - School health and environment partnerships; adaptation and strengthening of programs on school health and environmental protection; establishment of a health, hygiene, and nutrition policy in educational establishments.

### Strengthening of vocational training
- Background:
  - National Policy of In-Service Vocational Training (1998); Development Fund for In-Service Training and Apprenticeship (2001).
  - 2001 reform themes: professionalization of initial training (skill-set approach); introduction of a dual apprenticeship system; expansion of in-service vocational training and options for vulnerable/disadvantaged groups.
- Actions planned for 2007-2009:
  - (i) develop and diversify educational offerings;
  - (ii) improve quality and enhance gender equity;
  - (iii) improve management and policy guidance;
  - (iv) distribute and re-pillar vocational schools according to regional comparative advantages;
  - (v) re-orient vocational school training to employment opportunities at the département level;
  - (vi) introduce a training plan meeting needs of business owners and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Benin (CCIB);
  - (vii) offer incentives to encourage vocational training for girls;
  - (viii) develop specific HIV/AIDS prevention programs for trainees.
- Employment objectives:
  - Prioritize technical and vocational training to fill jobs from clusters of structuring projects with multiplier effects.
  - Emphasize development of income-generating activities, integration of young people into economic activity, promotion of the social economy (including monetary valuation of domestic labor), generalization of social security registration, and efforts to combat child labor.
- Human capital and attitudes:
  - Promote a citizenry characterized by personal autonomy, responsibility, moral integrity, entrepreneurship, ICT familiarity, and initiative.
  - Develop scholarships and internship programs with technical and financial partners to train high-level managers and technicians.

### Greater accessibility and quality of health and nutrition services
- Health vision incorporates three (3) MDGs:
  - (i) reduce mortality among children aged 5 and under;
  - (ii) improve maternal health;
  - (iii) combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
- Government priorities:
  - (i) develop and equip healthcare infrastructures;
  - (ii) ensure a stable supply of pharmaceutical products and medical consumables;
  - (iii) develop a base-level health care package at the regional level;
  - (iv) improve diet and nutrition;
  - (v) promote athletic and recreational activities.

- Maternal and infant health:
  - Current indicators: around 473 maternal deaths for 100,000 live births and 38 newborn deaths for 1,000 live births.
  - Planned actions to achieve MDGs: improve functioning of the healthcare system; increase access to reproductive health services through family planning; promote responsible parenthood; prenatal care; medical care for obstetrical emergencies; coverage of STIs; continuous availability of the optimal package of obstetrical and pediatric interventions (diarrhea, ARIs, fever, malnutrition, vaccinations, anemia); ensure adequate supply and availability of reproductive healthcare services for adolescents and young people.

- Reliable supply of pharmaceuticals and medical consumables:
  - Ensure constant availability of high-quality pharmaceuticals and consumables through:
    - (i) comprehensive and reliable funding leading to financial autonomy;
    - (ii) harmonization of financing mechanisms between partners and strengthening of cost recovery mechanisms;
    - (iii) reliable and affordable supply of high-quality drugs and products;
    - (iv) ongoing availability of a comprehensive array of services and products to meet increased demand;
    - (v) efforts to combat the informal market in pharmaceutical products.

### HIV/AIDS prevention and surveillance
- Prevalence trend highlights:
  - HIV/AIDS prevalence: 0.3 percent in 1990; 3.2 percent in 1996; 4.1 percent in 2001; nearly 2 percent in 2004.
  - National statistics cited: one person infected every 28 minutes, for a rate of 52 people per day; four years earlier the number of infections per day stood at only 35 (PNLS, 2003).
- Government emphasis:
  - (i) primary prevention (especially among young people);
  - (ii) treatment and care, particularly mother-to-child transmission prevention, management of pediatric cases, and support to AIDS orphans;
  - (iii) management of tuberculosis cases in accordance with the DOTS (Directly Observe Therapy Short-Course) strategy.
- Surveillance notes (Box 12):
  - Sentinel serosurveillance of pregnant women: estimated prevalence rose from 0.3 percent in 1990 to 4.1 percent in 2001 based on seven exclusively urban sites.
  - 2002 nationwide survey (242 urban and rural sites): national prevalence estimated at 1.9 percent, ranges from 0.8 percent to 3 percent depending on the département, and from 1 percent to 6.4 percent depending on the municipality (commune).
  - Expansion of sentinel sites from seven sites (1990-2001) to 39.5 urban sites and 50 rural sites (2003-2005).
  - Estimated prevalence: 2 percent in 2002, 2003 and 2004, and 2.1 percent in 2005.
  - Prevalence by milieu: stable in urban areas between 2002 and 2005; in rural areas it rose from 1.5 percent to 1.9 percent, prompting intensification of interventions.
- Note on tuberculosis: The incidence of tuberculosis has been rising since the emergence of HIV/AIDS, since it is an opportunistic infection.

*Source: CHAPTER 6: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (excerpts).*

### 184. Prevention of malaria and other endemic diseases.  Despite the Government’s efforts,

### 184. Prevention of malaria and other endemic diseases.  Despite the Government’s efforts,

### Malaria prevalence and impact
- Malaria is the primary disease afflicting the people of Benin and "accounts for over one-third of visits to healthcare facilities, and for 40 percent of such visits for children under the age of 5."
- Average rate of prevalence of simple malaria: 116.0 per thousand.
- Prevalence by age:
  - Infants under the age of one (1) year: 478.0 per thousand.
  - Children aged one year to 4 years: 214.0 per thousand.
- Overall lethality: 13 percent in 2005.
- Epidemiological context: Benin is in a zone of stable transmission with cases occurring throughout the year and a surge during the rainy season.
- Consequences documented:
  - Cause of stillbirths and a major contributor to infant mortality.
  - Causes absenteeism and large economic losses for families, individuals, and the nation.

### Government prevention and curative strategy
- Government plans:
  - Continue prevention activities through its national anti-malaria program.
  - Enhance access to curative care, particularly in rural areas.

*Source: UNDP, MS, Strategies for Achieving the MDGs, August 2006*

### Safe blood transfusions (policy and implementation)
- Identified need: Establish a program to ensure the safety of blood transfusions to support disease-prevention programs and effective healthcare.
- Government decisions (planned measures include):
  - (i) construction and equipment of a national blood storage center;
  - (iii) capacity-building for staff; and
  - (iv) implementation of policies for rapid and equitable distribution of blood.

### Healthcare access, baseline services and infrastructure
- Access constraints:
  - Only 66 percent of all households have a healthcare facility available nearby.
  - Primary healthcare facilities serve only 50 percent of the population.
- Government actions decided:
  - (i) put in place an appropriate legislative and regulatory framework;
  - (ii) assign a special budgetary allocation to the sector; and
  - (iii) strengthen the capacities and skills of those involved in the sector.
- Infrastructure shortcomings:
  - Too few infrastructures and facilities at zone hospitals, municipal health centers, arrondissement-level health centers, and village health units.
  - Zone hospitals or health centers are sometimes inaccessible due to remoteness.
- Planned infrastructure actions:
  - (i) increase the number of infrastructures and equip such structures;
  - (ii) promote a detailed human resource development plan based on an inventory of skill deficits by type of personnel and by locality, including the cost of training new employees and norms/standards required for healthcare service coverage.

### Health sector strategy and disease control (Box 14)
- Ministry of Health mandate: “Improve the social and health conditions of families on the basis of a system integrating poor and/or indigent populations.”
- Five strategic themes in the Health Sector Policy Paper:
  - (i) reorganization of the base of the healthcare pyramid and strengthening of healthcare service coverage;
  - (ii) financing and improvement of the management of the sector’s resources;
  - (iii) prevention and treatment of the main diseases and improvement of the quality of care;
  - (iv) prevention and treatment of endemic diseases (AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis);
  - (v) promotion of family health.
- Organizational decision: reorganize the base of the healthcare pyramid in 34 health zones and build and equip 34 Zone Hospitals as hubs for Municipal Health Centers (CSC) and Arrondissement Health Centers (CSA).
- Other health challenges addressed via specific programs: periodic outbreaks of meningitis, cholera and yellow fever; bucco-dental problems, blindness, lymphatic filariasis, sickle cell anemia, sleeping sickness.
- Emphasis on grassroots hygiene and sanitation interventions as upstream prevention.

### Nutrition: findings and three-year government plan
- Current nutritional situation:
  - Daily energy consumption scarcely exceeds 1,300 kilocalories instead of the minimum of 2,400 kc required by an average 65-kg adult with a normal activity level.
  - Thirty-three (33) of the country’s 77 municipalities are in a state of chronic food and nutritional insecurity.
  - Causes cited: precariousness of household supplies of high quality foodstuffs, large post-harvest losses, ineffective food storage/preservation systems, rudimental processing technologies with low yield and variable quality, inadequate policies and weak synergy between sectoral policies and programs, and the lack of a pillar on nutrition in poverty reduction policies and programs.
- Government intentions for the next three years (2007-2009 period):
  - (i) develop a food and nutrition policy for Benin;
  - (ii) strengthen the mechanism for prevention and management of food crises adapted to the decentralized environment;
  - (iii) conduct a prospective study on ways to establish buffer stocks of foodstuffs for the benefit of municipalities within intermunicipal development;
  - (iv) promote income-generating activities, family gardens, urban horticulture, small-scale home-based livestock raising, and non-traditional foods (e.g., mushrooms, spirulina, apiary products, etc.);
  - (v) develop and implement a communication plan on proper food processing and preservation techniques;
  - (vi) re-energize the national committee on food and nutrition and its regional branches;
  - (vii) step up monitoring of the population’s dietary and nutritional status;
  - (viii) enhance the technical and material capacities of communities to assume responsibility for the care of malnourished children.

### Social safety net, family, women, and child protection (2007-2009 priorities)
- Overall orientation: Strengthen family unit, women’s status, gender equality, child protection, social welfare protections, and mutual health insurance schemes during 2007-2009.
- Promotion of the family unit (objectives and actions):
  - Improve living conditions of families;
  - Protect and preserve the family;
  - Promote peace and social stability;
  - Strengthen capacities of family-promoting institutions and foster homes for orphans and vulnerable children.
- Promotion of the status of women (planned actions):
  - (i) promotion of the education and training of girls and women;
  - (ii) promotion of women’s economic autonomy;
  - (iii) promotion of women’s health;
  - (iv) improvement of, and respect for, the legal status of women;
  - (v) valorization and recognition of women’s labor;
  - (vi) valuing of cultures and traditions that allow women to realize their potential;
  - (vii) continued efforts to combat relationship violence.
- Gender statistics:
  - As of the Third General Population and Housing Census (RGPH3) of 2002, women represented 51.4 percent of Benin’s population and 58.3 percent of them are in rural areas.
- Actions to promote gender equality and women’s autonomy:
  - (i) improvement of the land tenure code to grant women access to land;
  - (ii) facilitation of access to micro-financing for women, particularly poor women;
  - (iii) functional French literacy;
  - (iv) management training as accompaniment to micro-credit.
- Child protection and development objectives for 2007-2009:
  - (i) protect children and adolescents against mistreatment and child trafficking;
  - (ii) promote access for boys and girls to essential social services;
  - (iii) improve the dietary and nutritional status of children;
  - (iv) strengthen capacities of agencies working on behalf of children;
  - (v) encourage familial and social reinsertion of orphans and vulnerable children.
- Social protection program features:
  - Based on risk management, restoring labor policies, social insurance, and social security nets within an institutional framework involving prevention, mitigation and reaction against social risk.
  - Targeted actions include socio-professional integration of handicapped persons; support to the elderly; psychosocial services to indigents and those victimized by HIV/AIDS and other disabling diseases; support for establishment of social protection and social security mechanisms for informal sector workers; improved management of vulnerability to crises; and strengthening capacities of agencies promoting social solidarity.
- Promotion of mutual health insurance:
  - Government pledges:
    - (i) promote micro-insurance;
    - (ii) create incentives for establishment of mutual health insurance programs;
    - (iii) encourage creation of community mutual health insurance schemes;
    - (iv) boost population awareness of advantages of belonging to a healthcare mutual scheme.

*Source: UNDP, MS, Strategies for Achieving the MDGs, August 2006*

### 202. The democratic process in Benin is taking shape to the extent that positive results are

### _cr08125 - 202. The democratic process in Benin is taking shape to the extent that positive results are 

### Political governance and institutional framework
- Democratic process reflected in alternation of political power over about the past fifteen years.
- Elections held:
  - four (4) legislative elections: 1991, 1995, 1999 and 2003
  - four (4) presidential elections: 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2006
  - one municipal election: 2002
- Constitution of December 11, 1990 establishes institutional mechanism granting the Beninese people collective rights and comprising:
  - Executive Branch (Government) and Legislative Branch (Parliament), installed through universal suffrage
  - Constitutional Court
  - Judicial Branch (Supreme Court, High Court of Justice)
  - Economic and Social Council
  - Supervisory Authority for Audiovisual Media and Communications (central level)
  - Municipalities (communes) at the decentralized level
- Political governance regulated by an elaborate legal framework including the Charter of Political Parties, status of the opposition, and elections.

### Legal apparatus for human rights, justice, and ethics in public life (Box 16)
- Government reforms since 1998 aimed at promoting a culture acknowledging the primacy of law. Measures undertaken:
  - (i) Creation of the National Commission on Legislation and Codification
  - (ii) Establishment of a Special Fund for Judicial Reform in 1998 and 1999
  - (iii) Creation of the National Consultative Council on Human Rights
  - (iv) Establishment of programs to rehabilitate and revamp certain judicial structures
  - (v) Creation of the General Inspectorate of Judicial Departments
  - (vi) Promulgation of the Organic Law on the Superior Council of the Magistrature in June 1999
  - (vii) Approval of a comprehensive program to strengthen legal and judicial departments
  - (viii) Staff recruitment and training measures
  - (ix) Approval of a strategic plan to combat corruption and of the baseline legal texts of the Anti-Corruption Observatory
  - (x) Ongoing examination, by the National Assembly, of a draft law on corruption and illicit enrichment
- Technical and financial partners supporting these actions include the World Bank, the European Union, the African Development Bank, and bilateral cooperation arrangements.
- Source attribution for Box 16: UNO

### Local governance and decentralization
- Decentralization and town/regional management designated as instruments to accelerate grassroots development and participation.
- Government plans for decentralization:
  - (i) make prefectures operational in all departments
  - (ii) prompt local prefects to coordinate regionalized departments through better synergy and execution of Government interventions
  - (iii) develop capacities of regionalized departments in keeping with the Reform of Territorial Administration (RAT) and Government’s financial framework
  - (iv) strengthen human resources needed by prefectures and regionalized departments
  - (v) boost effectiveness of municipalities in duties under their purview
  - (vi) develop capacity of municipalities to fully play their role in promoting the local economy
  - (vii) enhance oversight exercised by prefectures (e.g., verification of legality, advisory assistance, coordination of development activities)
- Government will assess enforcement of existing decentralization texts and develop modifying and supplemental texts as needed.
- Each ministry to be given a strategic regionalization plan; improvement of Departmental Administrative Conferences and Departmental Commission for Consultation and Coordination envisaged.
- Major strategic municipal actions:
  - (i) boost capacity and effectiveness of municipalities
  - (ii) enhance effectiveness of verification of legality and advisory assistance
  - (iii) improve legal framework
  - (iv) develop and implement intermunicipal cooperation
  - (v) promotion of decentralized cooperation
  - (vi) promotion of good local governance
  - (vii) support to municipalities to strengthen human resources
  - (viii) develop capacity of municipalities to promote the local economy
- Government will examine complementarity between the FIAT and mechanisms used to transfer resources to municipalities.

### Acceleration of administrative reform (7.1)
- SCRP goal: establish a creative and learning-oriented administrative culture exploiting talents without discrimination.
- Priority attention to:
  - (i) reducing losses of public resources due to corruption and institutional dysfunctionality of the civil service
  - (ii) restore Governmental authority
  - (iii) modernize and stabilize the civil service
  - (iv) accelerate territorial reform
  - (v) develop mechanisms for collaborative governance

#### Reducing corruption and institutional dysfunction
- Three-pronged effort over the next three years:
  - (i) systematize the practice of results-based management (RBM)
  - (ii) combat corruption, especially by reforming public procurement procedures
  - (iii) improve economic management
- Background: progressive introduction of RBM since 2000 and generalization of program budgets in all ministries in 2005 improved execution rate of public expenditures.
- Public procurement reform objectives include:
  - reduce average public procurement timeframe to the absolute minimum
  - organize joint workshops to build procurement expertise for public and private sectors, local municipalities, and civil society organizations
  - draw up a reference pricing scale for purchase of goods and services by sector and disseminate it by all modes of communication and in every language used in Benin
  - assess efficacy and impact of Government oversight bodies and behaviors modeled by Government overseers
  - introduce a national ‘seal of approval’ for public administration service providers and suppliers who adhere to anti-corruption and accurate invoicing clauses, entitling them to exceptional tax breaks over a given period

#### Legal and institutional framework of public procurement (Box 17)
1. Legal and regulatory framework
  - Public procurement regulated mainly by Law 2004-18 of August 27, 2004 modifying Order 96-04 of January 31, 1996 setting forth the public procurement code applicable in the Republic of Benin, and by four enforcement texts:
    - Decree 2004-562 of October 1, 2004 setting forth mandate, composition and functions of the National Regulatory Commission for Public Procurement
    - Decree 2004-563 of October 1, 2004 setting forth mandates, organization and functions of the National Directorate for Public Procurement
    - Decree 2004-564 of October 1, 2004 setting forth mandate, organization and operation of the Public Procurement Units
    - Decree 2004-565 of October 1, 2004 defining public procurement thresholds and jurisdictional boundaries of agencies responsible for public procurement
2. Procurement operations and private sector performance
  - Granting and management of public contracts managed by contracting authorities (ministries, public establishments, local municipalities)
  - Actual execution of public contracts conducted entirely by the private sector, organized through:
    - National Council of Business Owners of Benin (independent private entity)
    - Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Benin (public entity)
3. Integrity of the public procurement system
  - Office of the Auditor General, attached to the Supreme Court, audits public expenditures and public procurement
  - WAEMU directive envisages transformation into an Auditor General's Office (Cour des Comptes) to enhance effectiveness and legal role
- Source attribution for Box 17: Government of Benin

#### Improving economic management
- Government plans:
  - (i) continue reform of budgets and public finance, emphasize quality of expenditures, eliminate over time expenditures via Payment Orders and Advance Accounts
  - (ii) continue and expand Government’s withdrawal from productive sectors
  - (iii) approve incentives encouraging dynamic private sector involvement in economic management

#### Strengthening government authority and modernization of public administration
- Plans to:
  - promote a culture acknowledging work well done and practice of applying sanctions
  - institute mandatory public service obligation educating in republican values, duties of civil servants, prevention of corrupt practices and embezzlement, and communication with users
  - clarify mandates of Government considering territorial reform and revision of organic texts
  - promote computerized administrative e-mail management by intranet and internet
  - computerize career path management and implement skill-building plans for Government employees
  - develop systems for customer satisfaction surveys of public administration services
- Measures to stabilize public administration:
  - develop and apply job descriptions and profiles, objective performance evaluation criteria and a consistent system of sanctions
  - develop and implement dynamic motivation and reward systems for best employees
  - promote social and administrative advancement based on dignity, professional ethics, conscientious work, initiative, and merit
  - particular effort to appoint women, assuming equal qualifications, to high public positions

#### Collaborative governance and human resources management
- Institutionalize general staff assemblies and re-energize management committees in all public administrations
- Institutionalize receiving departments in each public agency to hear workers’ and users’ comments and complaints
- Strengthen managerial capacities of public service managers at decision-making levels
- Compile a roster of civil servants in categories A and B who are without assignments for redeployment and productive use
- Periodic consultations with policy-makers, civil society and private sector on administrative reform ideas and assessments
- Support provided to citizen watchdog organizations to strengthen governance mechanisms

### Acceleration of territorial reform
- Territorial reform aims to promote grassroots development and combat poverty and inequality
- Despite legal apparatus, implementation lagging; Government intends to:
  - (i) assess degree of enforcement of existing texts
  - (ii) develop modifying and supplemental texts as needed
- Introduce intersectoral département-level programs integrating all regionalized government departments with département-level program budgets
- Develop and implement timetable for actual transfer to municipalities of prerogatives, purviews, activities, and financial and material resources per legislative and regulatory texts on decentralization

### Strengthening of the rule of law and individual liberties (7.2)
- Democratic system in Benin is remarkably stable but Government not yet totally effectual.
- Rule of law, security, and tranquility not adequately provided to all citizens due to weak institutional capacities and dysfunctions of the judicial system.
- SCRP implementation expected to:
  - (i) improve the image of Benin’s legal system for redress seekers
  - (ii) consolidate progress toward democracy
  - (iii) enhance public safety and neutrality of the army
  - (iv) heighten popular awareness of civic and patriotic duties
- Strengthening rule of law also requires environmental governance and improved living conditions.
- Professionalization of the media seen as necessary for grassroots populations to be better informed of their rights and duties.

*Source: _cr08125 - 202. The democratic process in Benin is taking shape to the extent that positive results are being obtained in terms of the separation of powers, the functioning of institutions, the organization of free and transparent elections, and respect for human rights and liberties.*

### 223. Where governance is concerned, collective surveillance of the progress and difficulties

### _cr08125 - 223. Where governance is concerned, collective surveillance of the progress and difficulties

### Reinforcement of legal and judicial systems (paragraph 223)
- The Government deems the following measures necessary:
  - (i) revision of the Code of Penal Procedure so as to better guarantee individual rights;
  - (ii) modernization of the national legal framework;
  - (iii) strengthening of the organization and operation of courts and tribunals;
  - (iv) outreach and training for officers of the criminal police and law enforcement personnel to ensure that arrestees are treated in accordance with human rights principles;
  - (v) support to legal assistance organizations to enhance their institutional capacities and oversight of the quality of the services they offer to socially disadvantaged persons availing themselves of the legal system;
  - (vi) enhancement of the capacities of people’s juries in the areas of law, social mediation techniques, and conflict resolution;
  - (vii) review of the cost of services to make judicial redress financially affordable to as many people as possible; and
  - (viii) continued effort to provide the poor with  affordable access to civil registry services.

### Decentralization of the judicial system (paragraph 224)
- Objectives:
  - Make the judicial system more accessible to users;
  - Strengthen the democratic process and public security at the grassroots level.
- Emphases:
  - (i) creation of intake infrastructures for the newly-created Courts of Appeal;
  - (ii) creation of mediation tribunals;
  - (iii) recruitment and training of skilled judicial personnel to operate these regionalized structures.

### Consolidation of democracy and civic freedoms (paragraph 225)
- Policy direction:
  - Open a discussion on human rights, baseline liberties, and universal suffrage;
  - Clarify the status of the opposition;
  - Implement accompanying measures over the next three years to ensure political parties, civil society and the private sector adhere to separation of powers.

### Public security and neutrality of the army (paragraph 226)
- Investments over the next three years to enhance political stability, security, and free circulation of property and persons:
  - (i) reinvigoration of neighborhood- and village-level councils and affiliated young people’s organizations to promote popular participation in the national public security apparatus;
  - (ii) strengthening of the system for combating crime, felony theft, drug trafficking, and the illegal trade in valuable objects and protected animal species;
  - (iii) efforts to combat the disorganized proliferation of highway control stops to foster free circulation of property and persons between Benin and counties in the sub-region;
  - (iv) establishment of a special program of community facilities and security enhancement in border areas to stabilize populations and protect the environment and national resources;
  - (v) consolidation of resources available to the Army to enhance the efficacy of surveillance and operational defense of the national territory in collaboration with other armies of the sub-region.

### Strengthening environmental governance (paragraph 227)
- Planned measures:
  - Strengthen surveillance of transactions involving products posing threats to human health and the environment;
  - Operationalize the charter on environmental governance;
  - Toughen disciplinary measures against attempted corruption in issuance of certificates of environmental conformity, particularly regarding port and industrial activities;
  - Strengthen rapid intervention capacity of policing bodies involved in environmental protection (health inspectors, environmental police, water quality inspectors, forest rangers, fire/rescue squads, highway patrols, etc.);
  - Reinforce the national mechanism for managing transborder livestock movements and strengthen livestock entry points.

### Promotion of civic and patriotic education (paragraph 228)
- Government pledges:
  - (i) enhance the professionalism of the public and private media, particularly through support measures to benefit community radio stations, ensuring ongoing civic education for the masses;
  - (ii) strengthen the interventionary resources of human rights and consumer protection organizations;
  - (iii) enhance training in civic affairs and human rights for public security officers;
  - (iv) develop civic education in detention facilities;
  - (v) set up communication aimed at behavioral change and community assimilation of HIV/AIDS prevention messages.
- Complementary transparency measures:
  - Dissemination of legislative and regulatory texts, programming and budgetary documents, and reports on the state of the Nation in each sector to strengthen social and policy dialogue.

### Balanced and sustainable development of the national territory (Chapter 8, paragraphs 229–232)
- Context and challenge:
  - The four (4) départements in the south (Littoral, Ouémé, Atlantique and Mono) account for only 5 percent of the national territory but are home to over 40 percent of the country’s population.
  - Spatial imbalances exacerbate rural poverty and provoke population movements toward the south, creating periurban infrastructure and environmental challenges.
- Strategic approach:
  - Treat balanced and sustainable development of the national territory as a strategic theme under the SCRP.
  - Integrate HIV/AIDS prevention measures into Municipal Development Plans (Plans de développement communaux, PDC).
- Three (3) objectives reflected in three (3) priority areas of intervention:
  - (i) sustainable development of regions and localities;
  - (ii) emergence of hubs of development and growth;
  - (iii) environment, natural resource management, and quality of life.

### Sustainable regional and local development (paragraphs 233–240)
- Institutional baseline:
  - Reform of territorial administration led to enactment of the law establishing municipalities, subdividing Benin into 77 municipalities, or communes.
  - A town and regional planning strategy proposes grouping municipalities into shared development spaces.
- Remaining constraints:
  - Most municipalities are fragile and need to pool resources;
  - Establishment of development spaces not yet in active phase;
  - Spatial planning is in short supply; human capacity-building needed.
- Government priorities and actions:
  - (i) promotion of structuring intermunicipal dynamics;
  - (ii) promotion of spatial planning;
  - (iii) capacity-building for human resources involved in regional and local development.

Promotion of structuring intermunicipal dynamics (paragraphs 236–240)
- Required operational mechanisms:
  - (i) establishment of shared development spaces;
  - (ii) development of territorially based projects;
  - (iii) contractualization of territorially based projects;
  - (iv) transfer of funds to the municipalities;
  - (v) establishment of intermunicipal agencies.
- Details:
  - Shared development spaces: adjacent municipalities may join consensually into a development territory to create economic watersheds that generate wealth and jobs.
  - Territorial projects: intermunicipal documents incorporating Municipal Development Plans (Plans de développement communaux, PDC) and addressing environment, gender equity, HIV/AIDS, and human rights.
  - Contractualization: performance contracts specifying Government and territory commitments, roles, and required financial and material resources.
  - Creation of public establishments for intermunicipal cooperation under Law 97-029 of January 15, 1999 to provide territorial engineering and a skills bank to local governments.

Box 18 — Operational Strategy for DEPONAT (paragraphs following 240)
- DEPONAT approved in November 2002 with three main themes:
  - (i) promotion of territorial planning and rational resource management;
  - (ii) promotion of decentralization and regionalization;
  - (iii) enhancement of facilities and equipment at the local level.
- Operational Strategy Document (DSO) innovations:
  - (i) partnership and consultation between the Government and municipalities;
  - (ii) territorialization through promotion of associations of municipalities;
  - (iii) contractualization of the relationship between the Government and local governments.

Promotion of spatial planning (paragraphs 241–244)
- Government intentions:
  - Acquire national planning instruments that define broad guidelines for distribution of people, activities, and infrastructures on a basis of territorial equity and coherence.
- Activities to be undertaken:
  - (i) development of spatial planning instruments; and
  - (ii) integration of the territorial and environmental dimension into the budgetary resource allocations.
- Spatial planning instruments (technical, regulatory, financial):
  - Technical: Master Plan for National Town and Regional Planning, planning schemas at infranational levels, and collective services schemes integrating service provision and infrastructure development.
  - Regulatory/normative: Law on Town and Regional Planning and Territorial Directives to be developed.
  - Financial: Town and Regional Planning Incentive Fund (Fonds d’incitation à l’aménagement du territoire, FIAT) instituted by decree.
- Integration into budgeting:
  - Add a process of territorial arbitration to the budget allocation mechanism so each sector shows, in its budget, the overall volume of investments received by each territory and the volume of investment under municipal control.
  - Ensure micro-financing services cover the national territory to the extent possible to leverage regional and local development.

*Source: _cr08125 - 223. Where governance is concerned, collective surveillance of the progress and difficulties*

### 245. To promote local development and support the establishment of development territories,

### _cr08125 - 245. To promote local development and support the establishment of development territories,

### Capacity-building for local development actors
- Objective: render various actors more effective and efficient in contributions to regional and local development through capacity-building measures.
- Target groups:
  - (i) local elected officials;
  - (ii) the prefectural administration.
- Additional need: development of targeted professional training programs to provide chosen sectors with skilled human capital for clusters of structuring projects with multiplier effects.

### Enhancement of capacities of local elected officials (para. 246)
- Government intention: increase ability of local governments to manage mandates and transferred resources.
- Capacity areas to be strengthened:
  - project management;
  - project contracting functions;
  - preparation of bidding documents;
  - accounting;
  - monitoring and evaluation systems;
  - personnel management;
  - communications techniques.

### Strengthening capacities of the prefectural administration (para. 247)
- Rationale: prefects’ role is important in promoting sustainable regional and local development.
- Capacities to be developed:
  - gauge coherence between intermunicipal planning instruments and national guidelines;
  - verify local governments’ adherence to commitments in contractual arrangements with the Government concerning territorial projects.

### Capacity-building for NGOs and local consulting firms (para. 248)
- Rationale: consulting firms and NGOs play roles in preparation of local planning documents and construction of infrastructures.
- Goal: strengthen capacities to ensure provision of good quality services that promote sustainable regional and local development.

### Emergence of development and growth hubs (Section 8.2, paras. 249–257)
- Strategic goal: create several development hubs distributed throughout the national territory to ensure regional balance and stem exodus to large urban centers.
- Hub concept: each hub organized around an economic engine—an important city surrounded by secondary cities and rural localities linked by efficient transport and service networks.
- Main measures for hubs include:
  - (i) spatial distribution of project clusters;
  - (ii) enhanced security and reliability of land tenure.
- Priority: align cluster spatialization with strategy to strengthen medium-sized and secondary cities to create actual hubs of development and growth (roads, tourism/leisure facilities, hotels, business centers, large national and regional schools, modern hospital centers).

### Spatial distribution of project clusters (paras. 250–252)
- Six embryonic project clusters identified:
  - (i) textile cotton;
  - (ii) agrifood, trade and international business;
  - (iii) construction, public works, and construction materials;
  - (iv) tourism, handicrafts, and cultural activities;
  - (v) transportation, logistics, and international trade;
  - (vi) telecommunications and information and communications technologies (ICTs).
- Spatialization process:
  - intersectoral discussion to clarify infrastructure and facility implications for each cluster;
  - draw up a spatial agenda for each cluster or set of clusters to place work sites within an overall coherent scheme with cartographic documents.
- Intended outcome: avoid past errors that exacerbated interregional imbalances, limited access to infrastructures, and provoked uncontrolled urban sprawl.

### Sectoral hub priorities and examples (paras. 253–256)
- Tourism hubs:
  - Assets: fine sandy beaches, Atacora range, Pendjari and ‘W’ national parks, historic cities (Ouida, Abomey, Porto-Novo), lake villages such as Ganvié where over 15,000 inhabitants live on the water in dwellings on stilts.
  - Government priority: enhance touristic hubs via distributed clusters of tourism projects.
- Agricultural hubs:
  - Agroecological regions suited to cotton, cashew apples, oil palm, lumber, shea nut, pineapple, grains, tubers, root crops, fruits, vegetables.
  - Focus areas: valleys along Ouémé, Mono and Niger rivers, Lama depression, hilly regions, cotton-producing regions.
- Commercial hubs:
  - Cities with extended market influence: Bohicon, Djougou, Glazoué, Comé, Malanville, Asovè.
  - Measures: modern commercial infrastructures and improved accessibility nationally and regionally.
- Service hubs:
  - Promising services: financial services, services to business, telecommunications and remote function services, health services, education.
  - Effect: strengthen service mandate of Cotonou, Porto-Novo, Parakou and expand reach of medium-sized cities.

### Sub-regional dynamics and borders (para. 257)
- Consideration: spatialization must account for sub-regional dynamics and boost value of border locales.
- Fact: Benin has over 2,000 km of borders with four neighbors.
- Dependencies for hub creation: good land tenure policy and strengthening/modernization of infrastructures and facilities (transportation, energy and water, telecommunications).

### Providing secure land tenure (paras. 258–259)
- Context facts:
  - 58.5 percent of land cultivable.
  - Insecure land tenure is an obstacle to agricultural expansion, investment in other sectors, and housing.
- Government measures to improve land tenure security:
  - (i) development of a national land tenure policy encompassing rural and urban land tenure management;
  - (ii) completion of the law on rural land tenure and development of rural land tenure plans;
  - (iii) development of cadastral schemes in urban centers;
  - (iv) improvement of cartographic and topographic skills of institutions charged with land tenure management;
  - (v) affordable procedures for formalizing property rights;
  - (vi) information, education, and communication targeting the population;
  - (vii) improvement of land registry services and management of land tenure information;
  - (viii) re-orientation of those who trade in hazardous products into other spheres of activity.

### Environment, natural resource management and quality of life (Section 8.3, paras. 260–269)
- Ecological context:
  - About 65 percent of territory covered with shrubs and trees.
  - Presence of Pendjari Biosphere Reserve; national trend of deterioration of forest resources and fauna due to human activity (population pressure, overuse of forestry and fisheries resources, ill-adapted production systems, brush fires, cross-border transhumance, poaching).
- Government commitments:
  - Continue and improve legal framework for sustainable natural resource management, including approval of law on land tenure and law on wildlife, update tax regulations, and improve institutional collaboration between public services and users.
  - Develop and implement a national reforestation program tailored to forest categories and agro-ecological zones aimed at:
    - (i) broadening supply of fuelwood, industrial roundwood, and timber;
    - (ii) combating desertification and soil degradation;
    - (iii) improving biodiversity;
    - (iv) improving carbon sequestration capacity.
  - Create new community-level biological preserves, especially in humid zones.
  - Expand participatory approaches nationally and equitably distribute income generated by forest resource exploitation.
  - Privatization of the commercial lumber affiliate “Industrie du bois du Benin” (IBB S.A.) of the National Lumber Bureau to eliminate the monopoly on teakwood purchases, promote private plantations, revive industrial activity, and create new jobs.
- Urban and public health environmental problems identified:
  - proliferation of shantytowns in main cities, particularly Cotonou;
  - growing number of uncontrolled garbage dumps and open-air defecation;
  - growing scarcity and pollution of surface water supplies;
  - air pollution in urban areas and increasing importation of used vehicles withdrawn from circulation in Europe;
  - trafficking in hazardous substances (gasoline, drugs, agricultural and veterinary inputs);
  - scarcity of advisory support and education about the environment;
  - lack of tools for professional associations and grassroots contact persons for environmental outreach.
- Programs and timelines:
  - National Environmental Management Program (PNGE) begun in 2002 for a period of six (6) years; overall objective: “contribute to the sustainable economic and social development of the people of Benin through poverty reduction, promotion of internalized participatory planning, and local governance”.
  - Government commitment to continue efforts over the next three (3) years through:
    - (i) strengthening grassroots environmental management capacities;
    - (ii) strengthening system for incorporation of environmental issues into sectoral policies and the tax system;
    - (iii) promotion of integrated natural resource management, particularly hydraulic and forestry resources;
    - (iv) promotion of local sanitation services.
  - Environmental concerns incorporated into the SCRP.

### Box 19 — The ‘greening’ of the SCRP (summary)
- Definition: promoting concrete policy measures to integrate environmental concerns into plans, programs and projects to ensure sustainability, with poverty considered in monetary, opportunity cost, human capacity, educational, health, and security aspects.
- Objectives for ‘going green’ include:
  - promote sustainability in development programs;
  - integrate natural resource conservation and environmental quality activities into all programs derived from the SCRP;
  - plan in advance for external impacts and account for ecological costs of strategic options chosen under the SCRP.
- Implementation tool: Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to develop sustainability scenarios and analyze environmental potentialities and constraints against development objectives.
- Reported results:
  - Environmental and social concerns integrated into the SCRP and their impacts acknowledged.
  - Poverty-reducing impacts of environmental protection and natural resource conservation identified.
  - Sectoral ministries adopted the process and recognize the relationship between poverty and environment.
  - A set of simple but precise indicators developed to evaluate results.

### Strengthening grassroots environmental management capacities (paras. 266–269)
- Problem: local governments and neighborhood leaders have weak capacity to mobilize populations around public health campaigns; municipal communication plans give limited attention to environmental protection; lack of staff and technical capacities in municipalities and regionalized government departments.
- Government actions planned:
  - emphasize information, education, training, and demonstration activities to introduce a culture of environmental management;
  - strengthen institutional capacities of municipal departments and commissions responsible for government-owned assets and environmental matters through skills upgrades for personnel and elected officials and provision of resources;
  - support local civil society organizations, including women’s organizations and consumers’ associations, to assume responsibility for managing their milieu.
- Main measures to be undertaken:
  - (i) development of a communication plan with varied content addressing main environmental issues of each department;
  - (ii) production of radio broadcasts meeting information and outreach needs of young people;
  - (iii) strengthening capacities of municipalities in environmental management;
  - (iv) training grassroots media facilitators and opinion leaders to promote behavioral change regarding attitudes toward natural resources and the living environment.

*Source: _cr08125 - 245. To promote local development and support the establishment of development territories,*

### 270. Strengthening of the system for incorporating environmental issues into sectoral

### 270. Strengthening of the system for incorporating environmental issues into sectoral

### Progress and current state
- Great efforts over the past ten years to put environmental management tools in place at the sectoral level and to build national education dynamics, including:
  - information, outreach and training activities;
  - creation of environmental units and an environmental police force;
  - resumption of public health policing;
  - support for officials responsible for policing forests and fisheries.
- A culture receptive to the preparation of environmental impact assessments of public and private projects is emerging.
- The decentralization process that established municipalities (communes) in 2003 attaches importance to local elected officials’ responsibility for environmental protection and sustainable natural resource management.
- Despite efforts, behavioral change is slower than desired due to the difficult economic situation, poverty, and scarcity of resources available to local governments, making adherence to environmental protection rules somewhat sketchy.

### Planned strategic deepening
- Government plans to deepen strategies for incorporating environmental issues into:
  - public territorial management; and
  - sectoral policies and programs.
- Prevention of environmental degradation will receive greater attention within:
  - the system of public investment programming; and
  - Benin’s trade policy.

### Specific government measures and reforms
- The Government plans to promote a healthier environment through the following measures:
  - (i) systematically apply the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to all plans and programs;
  - (ii) assess the environmental impact of Benin’s tax system in sectors involving the importation of vehicles, household appliances, etc.;
  - (iii) reform sectoral environmental units and provide them with the operating resources to increase their impact;
  - (iv) develop a performance chart on sectoral priorities in the area of environmental protection at the level of each ministry and each prefecture, providing a clear overview of the relevant budgetary resources;
  - (v) strengthen the national system of environmental information and monitoring through a revamping of the various information collection and analysis formats that feed data into the national report on the state of the environment.

### Integrated natural resource management and decentralization
- Promotion of integrated management of natural resources, particularly hydraulic and forestry resources, leveraging decentralization to municipal level for environmental protection.
- Decentralization is viewed as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation between communities in the management of shared natural resources (cf. Article 94 of Law 97-029 of January 15, 1999 concerning the organization of municipalities (communes) in the Republic of Benin).
- The town and regional planning strategy provides support to intermunicipal dynamics.

### Environmental governance priorities within the SCRP
- The Government intends to orient intervention priorities within the framework of the SCRP to:
  - (i) establish a framework for national, subregional and international partnership in the area of sustainable conservation and management of biodiversity of protected areas and fragile ecosystems;
  - (ii) establish a national observatory of surface water quality;
  - (iii) strengthen local government associations in institutional and operational terms, for purposes of integrated natural resource management;
  - (iv) strengthen the environmental management capacities of mixed and women-only farmers’ and producers’ organizations;
  - (v) ensure baseline photographic/cartographic coverage of municipalities;
  - (vi) promote alternative energies and fuelwood conservation systems;
  - (vii) promote urban forestry and ecotourism;
  - (viii) establish a system of sustainable financing of protected areas; and
  - (ix) accelerate the establishment of measures to combat coastal erosion.

### Local sanitation: problems and government response
- Identified sanitation problems:
  - removal and management of solid and liquid waste;
  - biomedical waste management;
  - absence of sanitary facilities in dwellings;
  - inadequate sanitation infrastructures in large cities and main municipalities.
- Most municipalities’ budgets have few resources available for investment in sanitation.
- Government support to municipalities will continue via:
  - (i) promoting intermunicipal processes for household waste management;
  - (ii) constructing and rehabilitating sanitation and sewer networks in selected cities;
  - (iii) preparing and updating master plans and schemas for urban development and sanitation in main commune-level towns and municipalities;
  - (iv) installing public utilities in inhabited zones or in zones slated for settlement;
  - (v) identifying and closing-off areas unsuited for construction; and
  - (vi) improving the management of biomedical waste in hospitals.

*Source: _cr08125 - 270. Strengthening of the system for incorporating environmental issues into sectoral*

### CHAPTER 9. MACROECONOMIC AND BUDGETARY FRAMEWORK

### CHAPTER 9. MACROECONOMIC AND BUDGETARY FRAMEWORK

### Macroeconomic outlook and fiscal stance
- Saving-investment balance could deteriorate to around 6 percent of GDP; could be improved by increases in transfers linked to the implementation of the SCRP and the MDGs.
- Trade balance: expected to stabilize in the medium term owing to improved goods and services exports; exports should increase as a percentage of GDP with improved productivity in cotton and food crops for export. Imports should increase as a percentage of GDP in relation to private investment and the government’s major works policy.
- Price stability: moderate domestic absorption pressure given production growth; slight fall in private and public consumption as a ratio of GDP combined with strong export growth supports price stability and WAEMU convergence objectives.
- Public finance: tax revenue ratio projected to move from 15.1 percent of GDP in 2006 to 16 percent in 2009 with intensified resource mobilization (broadening tax base, improved financial account earnings).

Key fiscal and macro figures (preserved from Table 17: Trend of revenue and expenditure as a percentage of GDP)
- Total revenue: 2006: 17.0; 2007: 17.6; 2008: 18.0; 2009: 18.1
- Tax revenue: 2006: 15.1; 2007: 15.8; 2008: 16.2; 2009: 16.3
- Nontax revenue: 2006: 1.8; 2007: 1.8; 2008: 1.8; 2009: 1.8
- Total expenditure: 2006: 22.1; 2007: 24.4; 2008: 25.0; 2009: 24.6
- Wage bill: 2006: 5.7; 2007: 5.9; 2008: 5.8; 2009: 5.5
- Public investment: 2006: 7.6; 2007: 8.6; 2008: 9.5; 2009: 9.9
- Baseline primary balance: 2006: -0.9; 2007: -1.5; 2008: -1.6; 2009: -1.2
- Overall deficit (payment-order basis): 2006: -5.1; 2007: -6.8; 2008: -6.9; 2009: -6.5
- Budget composition: during the program period, current expenditure ~15 percent of GDP on average; investment expenditure ~9 percent of GDP on average; volume of expenditure relative to GDP stabilizes around 25 percent between 2007 and 2009 (vs. 21 percent during the three years of the poverty reduction strategy).
- Money supply and credit: expected annual average nominal increase of around 10 percent, consistent with real growth of 7 percent and inflation of around 3 percent.

### Medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) and sectoral allocation
- MTEF period: 2007-2009; prepared on the basis of the macroeconomic framework and SCRP priorities.
- Allocation principles: (i) ministries’ functions and SCRP priorities; (ii) needs from sector program budgets and MDG quantification; (iii) new poverty reduction expenditure needs.

Budgetary appropriation by sector (percent of expenditures excluding debt service) — selected rows pulled from Table 18 (values preserved)
- Social sectors total: 2003: 28.3; 2004: 27.6; 2005: 29.2; 2006: 31.0; 2007: 30.6; 2008: 30.7; 2009: 31.2
  - Education: 2003: 20.3; 2004: 19.4; 2005: 19.2; 2006: 20.2; 2007: 19.7; 2008: 19.7; 2009: 19.3
  - Health: 2003: 6.6; 2004: 6.4; 2005: 8.0; 2006: 8.7; 2007: 9.1; 2008: 9.2; 2009: 10.1
- Production and commerce: 2003: 6.9; 2004: 9.7; 2005: 8.8; 2006: 8.3; 2007: 8.5; 2008: 8.3; 2009: 9.1
- Production infrastructure: 2003: 12.1; 2004: 12.6; 2005: 10.5; 2006: 19.6; 2007: 19.5; 2008: 21.7; 2009: 23.0
- Governance total: 2003: 10.9; 2004: 10.8; 2005: 12.4; 2006: 9.0; 2007: 8.7; 2008: 8.0; 2009: 7.5
- Defense and security: 2003: 9.0; 2004: 9.1; 2005: 12.6; 2006: 7.6; 2007: 8.0; 2008: 7.5; 2009: 6.6
- Sovereignty: 2003: 4.6; 2004: 4.6; 2005: 6.8; 2006: 3.8; 2007: 3.8; 2008: 3.6; 2009: 3.5
- Total ministries and institutions: 2003: 71.7; 2004: 74.6; 2005: 80.3; 2006: 79.3; 2007: 79.1; 2008: 79.9; 2009: 80.9
- Other budgets: 2003: 28.3; 2004: 25.4; 2005: 19.7; 2006: 20.7; 2007: 20.9; 2008: 20.1; 2009: 19.1
- Total budget: all years 2003-2009: 100.0
- Priority sectors (education, health, road infrastructure, water and energy, agriculture, environment, and gender) receive budgetary appropriations representing 48 percent, on average, of all expenditure appropriations for the period after deduction of interest on the debt in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Education and health alone: around 24 percent.

### Cost and financing of the SCRP (Table 19)
- Estimated public expenditure* (CFAF billions): 2007: 631.0; 2008: 711.3; 2009: 776.0
- Domestic resources (CFAF billions): 2007: 506.7; 2008: 522.8; 2009: 568.7
- Tax and nontax revenue (CFAF billions): 2007: 465.4; 2008: 521.5; 2009: 580.4
- Other domestic public financing** (CFAF billions): 2007: 41.3; 2008: 1.3; 2009: -11.7
- External resources (excluding debt relief) (CFAF billions): 2007: 113.0; 2008: 132.1; 2009: 146.5
- Financing gap (CFAF billions): 2007: 11.3; 2008: 56.4; 2009: 60.8
- Residual financing to be sought (from narrative): around CFAF 50 billion in 2007, CFAF 94 billion in 2008, and CFAF 72 billion in 2009 (expenditures not directly linked to the SCRP should be subtracted from these volumes).

Notes: *Total expenditures minus pensions minus interest on the debt minus short-term payments. **Includes variations in arrears.

### Alternative scenarios and MDG prospects
- MDG scenario:
  - Integrates MDG sectoral cost assessments for seven sectors; assumes improved absorption of assistance.
  - Average increase of CFAF 175 billion per year in expenditure relative to baseline.
  - Average investment ratio for the period: around 27 percent (vs. 24 percent baseline).
  - Higher average GDP growth rate: reaches 8 percent for the period 2007-2009.
  - More pronounced annual average budget deficit: around 11 percent.
  - Average current balance-of-payments deficit: in the neighborhood of 6 percent.
  - Annual average residual financing need: CFAF 225 billion.

- Recent trends scenario:
  - Projects recent trends and assumes strong constraint on external resource mobilization and rigidity in resource utilization for projects.
  - Constrains public investment and sector allocations; likely agricultural supply constraints.
  - Growth barely exceeds 5 percent.
  - Investment ratio: in the neighborhood of 23 percent.
  - Deficit in the saving-investment balance: around 6 percent on average for the period.
  - Volume of expenditure contracts by: 62 billion in 2007, 100 billion in 2008, and 132 billion in 2009 (or by 2.4 percent, 3.6 percent, and 4.4 percent, respectively, of GDP, as compared to the baseline scenario).
  - Public deficit under this profile: around 4.8 percent in the first year and 3.4 percent in the last year—profile delinked from MDG targets.

Principal aggregates by scenario (Table 20 — values preserved)
- 2007
  - GDP growth rate (%): Baseline scenario: 6.0; MDG scenario: 7.3; Trend scenario: 4.1
  - Investment ratio: Baseline scenario: 23.6; MDG scenario: 26.4; Trend scenario: 22.9
  - Total expenditure as % of GDP: Baseline scenario: 24.4; MDG scenario: 30.2; Trend scenario: 22.4
  - Budget deficit as % of GDP: Baseline scenario: -6.8; MDG scenario: -12.7; Trend scenario: -4.8
  - Financing gap (CFAF billions): Baseline scenario: 49.6; MDG scenario: 216.6; Trend scenario: 0.0
  - Current deficit: Baseline scenario: -5.8; MDG scenario: -6.1; Trend scenario: -6.1

- 2008
  - GDP growth rate (%): Baseline scenario: 6.8; MDG scenario: 8.1; Trend scenario: 4.5
  - Investment ratio: Baseline scenario: 24.4; MDG scenario: 27.2; Trend scenario: 23.2
  - Total expenditure as % of GDP: Baseline scenario: 25.0; MDG scenario: 29.2; Trend scenario: 22.3
  - Budget deficit as % of GDP: Baseline scenario: -6.9; MDG scenario: -11.5; Trend scenario: -4.2
  - Financing gap (CFAF billions): Baseline scenario: 93.8; MDG scenario: 246.2; Trend scenario: 12.0
  - Current deficit: Baseline scenario: -5.5; MDG scenario: -5.8; Trend scenario: -6.2

- 2009
  - GDP growth rate (%): Baseline scenario: 7.5; MDG scenario: 8.7; Trend scenario: 5.0
  - Investment ratio: Baseline scenario: 25.2; MDG scenario: 27.6; Trend scenario: 23.6
  - Total expenditure as % of GDP: Baseline scenario: 24.6; MDG scenario: 27.5; Trend scenario: 21.8
  - Budget deficit as % of GDP: Baseline scenario: -6.5; MDG scenario: -9.9; Trend scenario: -3.4
  - Financing gap (CFAF billions): Baseline scenario: 72.2; MDG scenario: 212.5; Trend scenario: 30.2
  - Current deficit: Baseline scenario: -4.9; MDG scenario: -5.2; Trend scenario: -5.5

Source: Beninese authorities.

### Risk analysis (major risks identified)
- External shocks that could reduce growth and jeopardize SCRP objectives, including:
  - (i) a rise in petroleum prices;
  - (ii) climate contingencies;
  - (iii) persistence of structural rigidities (reforms in energy and telecommunications; unsatisfactory privatizations);
  - (iv) unpredictability of assistance;
  - (v) low inflows of foreign investment;
  - (vi) a low rate of budgetary resource absorption.
- Agricultural dependence and cotton risk: absence of good climate conditions and weak mechanization, plus volatility of world market prices for agricultural products, particularly cotton, could affect production and forecasts.
- Delays in structural reforms (energy, telecommunications) can hamper competitiveness and diversification.
- Unpredictability and red tape in external resource mobilization undermine program and project execution.
- Weak absorptive capacity in sector ministries lengthens execution periods.
- Lack of firm political support could impede efficient implementation; need to provide implementation system components with adequate resources and generate stakeholder support.

### Monitoring and evaluation: implementation and institutional reforms
- Assessment of 2003-2005 PRS monitoring identified strengths (Permanent Secretariat of the CNDLP and OCS contributions) and weaknesses (ad hoc studies, lack of synchronization, limited use of evaluation results for sector program updates).
- Key challenges for 2007-2009 SCRP monitoring:
  - (i) give greater responsibility to sector ministries and central statistical production units;
  - (ii) simplify institutional coordination to better synchronize technical monitoring with administrative monitoring;
  - activate decentralized monitoring units to improve ownership and participatory processes.
- Institutional measures:
  - Merger of ministries of planning, the economy, and finance into the Ministry of Development, the Economy, and Finance (MDEF).
  - Implementation of two special technical structures within MDEF to provide a simplified and effective system to mitigate prior dysfunctions and ensure better coordination and synergy among stakeholders for monitoring and evaluation.

*Source: _cr08125 - CHAPTER 9. MACROECONOMIC AND BUDGETARY FRAMEWORK*

### 319. The new participatory institutional mechanism encompasses the four levels: national,

### _cr08125 - 319. The new participatory institutional mechanism encompasses the four levels: national,

### Institutional architecture and roles
- Four levels: national, sectoral, departmental, and local.
- National level:
  - Steering Committee: chaired by the Minister Responsible for Development and the Economy; includes all other ministers; formulates major policy and strategic approaches and supervises execution through annual progress reports.
  - Government/Partners Committee: co-chaired by the Minister Responsible for Development and the Economy and a representative of the partners; forum for dialogue between the government of Benin and its technical and financial partners.
  - Monitoring Unit for Economic and Structural Reform Programs (CSPRES): kingpin of the mechanism; responsible for monitoring implementation of the SCRP in all areas. Specific tasks include:
    - coordinating the implementation and monitoring of the SCRP in close liaison with the ministries and other structures involved in SCRP implementation and monitoring;
    - coordinating the three components of monitoring activities: (i) monitoring of indicators, (ii) monitoring of programs and projects, and (iii) impact assessments;
    - coordinating the SCRP participatory process among government, local communities, the private sector, civil society, trade-union organizations, and technical and financial partners;
    - preparing annual SCRP progress reports;
    - conducting periodic reviews of the SCRP as a whole.

### Monitoring dimensions and guiding principles
- Two complementary monitoring dimensions:
  - Administrative monitoring of program execution:
    - Ensures execution according to schedule and reporting via "agreed" reports and indicators.
    - Activities: (i) monitoring program execution in pillars by technical ministries and subordinate units; (ii) coordinating preparation of progress reports and review of priority strategies and programs; (iii) coordinating policy/program dialogue with participants including sector ministries and development partners; (iv) holding annual reviews.
  - Technical monitoring of development:
    - Measures accomplishments against strategic objectives and evaluates effects of actions using studies and precise indicators.
    - Three technical dimensions:
      - Statistical monitoring of economic and social development: responsibility of structures like INSAE and statistical units of technical ministries.
      - Monitoring of program and project execution: typically led by central planning structures (Directorate of Project and Program Monitoring) and DPPs in ministries; may include financial monitoring involving the Directorate of the Budget.
      - Policy and program impact assessments: quantitative studies and beneficiary perception surveys to assess service quality and program effects.

### Roles and responsibilities at sectoral, departmental, and local levels
- Sectoral level:
  - Monitoring of priority actions and programs is responsibility of ministries, particularly Monitoring and Evaluation Units and statistical departments of the DPPs; rely on focal points to coordinate and ensure coherence of the information system and data gathering at deconcentrated levels.
- Departmental level:
  - Departmental Monitoring Committees (CDSs): monitor departmental action programs and gather/analyze sectoral statistical data; chaired by Departmental Prefects; secretariat by Departmental Development Directors.
  - CDS membership includes:
    - members of the Departmental Consultation and Coordination Council (CDCC), Departmental Prefect, Mayors and their deputies, representative of Departmental Producers' Union, representative of Departmental Consular Chamber, representative of Departmental Federation of Student Parents Associations;
    - Directors of government’s decentralized units in the department;
    - a representative of civil society from each municipality;
    - a representative of the trade-union organizations.
  - CDSs meet once per quarter; written records and a quarterly report on SCRP implementation in the department conveyed to the Minister of Development, the Economy, and Finance.
- Municipal/local level:
  - Municipal Monitoring Committees (CCSs): chaired by the Mayor; ensure gathering of statistical data for the municipality under CDS supervision.
  - CCS membership comprises:
    - two municipal councilors;
    - two representatives of NGOs active in the municipality;
    - the Chief Physician of the Health Center;
    - the official in charge of Rural Development;
    - a representative of the farmers' organizations;
    - the head of the local school district.
  - CCSs meet once per quarter; written records and a quarterly report on SCRP implementation in the municipality conveyed to the Departmental Prefect for inclusion in the departmental report.
- Government commitment: will endeavor to ensure establishment and effective functioning of CDSs and CCSs.

### Monitoring/evaluation subsystems (structure, missions, outputs, responsible units)
- Subsystem 1: Monitoring of macroeconomic and poverty indicators
  - Mission: organize and supervise monitoring of poverty, household living conditions, and economic/social situation; centralize indicators on: (i) the poverty trend; (ii) growth and the macroeconomic framework; (iii) infrastructure development; (iv) the social sector; and (v) governance.
  - Outputs: (i) Integrated Management System for Economic and Social Data (SIGIES); (ii) Economic and Social Scorecards (TBES); (iii) updating of the BenInfo database to accompany the progress report on SCRP implementation and the MDG monitoring report.
  - Units responsible: coordinated by the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Analysis (INSAE); comprises the Directorate General of the Economy (DGE), the GDP-Table of Government Finance Operations (GDP-TOFE) Committee, the CSPRES, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), the Directorate General of Development Policies (DGPD), and the statistical departments of the DPPs in the ministries.
- Subsystem 2: Monitoring of program and project execution
  - Mission: monitor execution of programs and projects within the Priority Action Program (PAP); monitor physical and financial execution; compartments: (i) physical monitoring of program execution; (ii) monitoring of financial execution of program budgets.
  - Outputs: (i) annual program and project execution reports, including program budgets; (ii) a performance report; (iii) a project database.
  - Unit responsible: coordinated by the Directorate General of Project Monitoring (DGSP); comprises the DPPs in the ministries and central units such as the Directorate General of the Budget (DGB) and the DGPD.
- Subsystem 3: Policy and program impact assessments
  - Mission: measure effects of policies and actions on target groups and development objectives (growth, poverty reduction, social development); link program/project execution to outcomes; synchronize assessment studies with sectoral programming, sectoral program/strategy reviews, and SCRP review; assess effectiveness of priority programs relative to long-term strategy objectives.
  - Core tasks: (i) identify and select relevant issues for analysis; (ii) identify service providers (domestic or external); (iii) allocate resources; (iv) supervise preparation, dissemination, and utilization of studies to sharpen policy and program pillars.
  - Outputs: (i) surveys of beneficiaries to capture user perceptions of services; (ii) selective impact studies of policies and programs carried out in accordance with annually revised terms and conditions aligned with SCRP priorities and sector programming; (iii) periodic territorial analysis to monitor intra- and interregional disparities and support balanced development per SCRP pillar 5.
  - Unit responsible: coordinated by the Social Change Observatory (OCS); members include INSAE, DGE, DGSP, DGPD, the Economic Policy Analysis Unit (CAPE), the Land Development Authority (DAT), and monitoring/evaluation units of priority sectors.
  - Note: DAT is empowered to ensure territorial dimension of impact assessments through its National Territorial Analysis Observatory.
- A minimum list of SCRP monitoring indicators is annexed to the strategy's PAP.

### Outputs, data systems, dissemination, and reporting
- Progress report on SCRP implementation:
  - Prepared annually in a participatory fashion by the CSPRES; unifying document of the SCRP monitoring system.
  - Comprises:
    - A synthesis of recent developments and accomplishments structured by strategic pillars and a summary of PAP execution;
    - Sectoral annexes: sectoral progress reports and PAP execution reports prepared by ministries analyzing physical and financial execution (annual administrative obligation of ministries);
    - A statistical annex (TBES): enhanced TBS consolidating statistics on poverty reduction, growth and macroeconomic framework, infrastructure, social sector, and governance; principal output of subsystem 1; extractable from computerized integrated statistical management system;
    - A program and project annex: summary of the PAP organized by sectors.
- "Ongoing" outputs and databases:
  - Mechanism must maintain, feed, and centralize a database on (i) statistical monitoring of development, and (ii) project banks.
  - Suggested housing: statistical module in INSAE (fed by sectoral units in ministries and specialized units); project database module in DGSP (fed by sectoral units).
- Dissemination strategy:
  - Monitoring and evaluation reports and studies should be archived on an Internet site to facilitate dissemination, consultation, training, and public awareness on development accomplishments and poverty reduction in Benin.

### Resource allocation and statistical development implications
- Resource allocation for technical monitoring:
  - Budgetary resources should be allocated directly to units responsible for data production in the technical monitoring mechanism, particularly units monitoring sector ministries.
- Implications for statistical development strategy:
  - SCRP M&E requires large volumes of data and strengthening of the national statistical system.
  - National statistical development strategy implementation is an opportunity to address user needs by:
    - developing key data fields for monitoring poverty reduction strategies (PRS) and the MDGs;
    - investing in baseline infrastructure;
    - strengthening data analysis;
    - improving data dissemination;
    - strengthening coordination with other system units.

*Source: _cr08125 - 319. The new participatory institutional mechanism encompasses the four levels: national,*

### 334. Taking into account the institutional mechanism, responsibility for data gathering,

### _cr08125 - 334. Taking into account the institutional mechanism, responsibility for data gathering,

### Implementation and monitoring/evaluation mechanisms — institutional responsibilities
- Responsibility for data gathering, processing, and dissemination will be assumed by the INSAE, in collaboration with the coordination unit of the SCRP technical system.

### Implications for capacity-building
- Multiple challenges related to the national statistical data management system and the planned data, monitoring, and evaluation system centered on poverty reduction and participatory management create needs for support in:
  - Institutional structure
  - Training
  - Logistics
  - Motivation management

- Institutional structure (actions)
  - Correct the dysfunctions to promote smooth circulation of data
  - Establish and improve the functioning of consultation and steering structures
  - Prepare specific terms of reference for all structures involved in SCRP monitoring/evaluation

- Training (actions)
  - Build the human resource capacities of the coordinators of the three monitoring and evaluation subsystems through training workshops

- Logistics (actions)
  - Design tools for data gathering, processing, analysis, and dissemination
  - Identify relevant indicators for the SCRP strategic pillars
  - Design an appropriate policy monitoring and evaluation system

- Motivation management (actions)
  - Establish mechanisms to motivate the staff of the structures participating in the system

### Involvement of the Paris Declaration in SCRP implementation
- The SCRP is the reference point for national priorities and partner actions.
- A prior status report on aid effectiveness and the implementation of the Paris Declaration was prepared in 2006.
- A joint partners-government group on aid effectiveness, chaired by the MDEF, was established to monitor implementation of the Paris Declaration.
- During the SCRP execution period, a joint action plan will be implemented by the government and the donors with objectives to:
  - (i) strengthen aid coordination on the basis of national priorities and government leadership;
  - (ii) improve transparency, effectiveness, and responsibility in managing resources allocated to development;
  - (iii) consolidate program approaches and common mechanisms for aid implementation;
  - (iv) harmonize the management of technical partner missions and analytical studies to reduce related costs.
- The government will revitalize government–donor dialogue by establishing or strengthening joint technical and thematic groups based on SCRP priorities, and will organize:
  - (i) joint annual sectoral reviews, and
  - (ii) a joint annual SCRP review.
- The government hopes these reviews will be held by the end of the first half of each year so that recommendations can be taken into account in the preparation of the general government budget.

### Conclusion — strategic intent and implementation instruments
- The Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy (SCRP) is the unifying framework for sectoral strategies and the background document for government interventions for the period 2007-2009.
- The 2007-2009 SCRP serves as an operationalization framework for the government's Strategic Development Approaches (SDAs) and was prepared with participation from all segments of Beninese society.
- Success depends on ownership by stakeholders and requires:
  - the units responsible for implementing the strategy, at governmental and grassroots levels, to effectively own its content;
  - the government to make sustained efforts to mobilize resources and utilize them on a priority basis for implementation, in accordance with the Paris Declaration;
  - strengthening institutional and human capacities at all levels (central and local);
  - harmonization of technical and financial partners’ actions with the SCRP frame of reference.
- The government intends to strengthen periodic consultations with stakeholders and implement a high-performance monitoring and evaluation system to assess progress and plan corrective measures.
- To render the SCRP operational, the government prepared a Priority Action Program (PAP) that recapitulates investments to enhance visibility of major measures and actions, linking the SCRP, sectoral strategies, and program budgets of ministries.

### Key statistics and projections (Annex 15: Principal macroeconomic indicators of the central scenario)
- Nominal GDP growth rate: 3.5 7.4 5.3 9.0 9.8 10.5
- Real GDP growth rate: 3.1 2.9 3.6 6.0 6.8 7.5
- Investment ratio (As % of GDP): 20.7 18.2 22.4 23.6 24.4 25.2
  - Public investment: 5.6 6.3 7.6 8.6 9.5 9.9
  - Private investment: 15.1 11.9 14.8 15.0 14.9 15.3
- Gross domestic saving (As % of GDP): 12.2 10.1 13.3 16.5 17.7 19.1
  - Public saving: 5.2 5.5 5.9 6.2 6.7 7.5
  - Private saving: 7.0 4.6 7.4 10.3 10.9 11.7
- National saving: 13.6 13.5 16.3 17.8 18.9 20.3
- Saving – investment balance: -7.1 -4.6 -6.2 -5.8 -5.5 -4.9
- Total revenue (TOFE): 16.4 16.7 17.0 17.6 18.0 18.1
  - Tax revenue: 14.6 14.5 15.1 15.8 16.2 16.3
  - Nontax revenue: 1.8 2.1 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8
- Total expenditure: 19.9 21.3 22.1 24.4 25.0 24.6
  - Wage bill: 5.8 5.7 5.7 5.9 5.8 5.5
  - Public investment: 5.6 6.3 7.6 8.6 9.5 9.9
  - Budgetary contribution to investment: 2.7 3.3 3.6 3.9 4.6 4.9
- Primary balance (narrow definition): -0.3 -1.4 -0.9 -1.5 -1.6 -1.2
- Overall deficit (payment-order basis): -3.5 -4.6 -5.1 -6.8 -6.9 -6.5
- Exports (As % of GDP): 14.0 13.0 11.7 12.5 13.4 14.0
- Imports (As % of GDP): 20.8 19.8 19.5 18.9 19.3 19.0
- Trade balance: -6.7 -6.7 -7.8 -6.4 -5.9 -5.0
- Openness ratio: 34.8 32.8 31.2 31.4 32.7 33.0
- Current balance (- = deficit): -7.1 -4.6 -6.2 -5.8 -5.5 -4.9
- Overall balance: -2.9 1.9 0.9 1.0 0.9 0.8
- Debt stock/GDP (%): 38.6 40.0 21.9 21.9 23.2 23.3
- Debt stock/goods and services exports (%): 199.5 222.3 133.4 124.9 123.8 118.9
- Debt service/goods and services exports (%): 11.9 7.6 8.9 8.4 8.3 8.0
- p.m. GDP in CFAF billions: 2140.0 2298.7 2420.6 2637.7 2896.6 3200.9

### Sectoral expenditure highlights (Annexes 16–18)
- Education sector expenditure (in CFAF billions)
  - Total: 97.8 (2007), 106.2 (2008), 116.5 (2009)
  - Compensation: 29.8 (2007), 33.7 (2008), 37.8 (2009)
  - Operating expenditure: 8.7 (2007), 9.5 (2008), 10.4 (2009)
  - Transfers: 29.4 (2007), 32.4 (2008), 35.7 (2009)
  - Investment: 28.7 (2007), 30.6 (2008), 32.6 (2009)
  - By program (Total): 96.70 (2007), 106.20 (2008), 116.52 (2009)
    - Preschool education: 1.18 (2007), 1.40 (2008), 1.69 (2009)
    - Primary education: 72.08 (2007), 76.64 (2008), 81.67 (2009)
    - Secondary education: 20.40 (2007), 24.88 (2008), 29.61 (2009)
    - Adult literacy: 3.05 (2007), 3.27 (2008), 3.55 (2009)
  - Related indicators:
    - Preschool enrollment rate (%): 6.5 (2007), 7.6 (2008), 8.9 (2009)
    - Ratio of pupils/preschool education center: 51 (2007), 51 (2008), 51 (2009)
    - Gross enrollment rate (%): 97.2 (2007), 97.6 (2008), 98.0 (2009)
    - Ratio of pupils/class: 48 (2007), 47 (2008), 46 (2009)
    - Ratio of pupils/teacher: 50 (2007), 48 (2008), 47 (2009)
    - Exclusion rate in secondary education (%): 17.0 (2007), 15.5 (2008), 14.0 (2009)
    - Ratio of pupils/teacher (secondary): 28 (2007), 28 (2008), 28 (2009)
    - Adult literacy rate (%): 69.0 (2007), 72.9 (2008), 76.8 (2009)

- Health sector expenditure (in CFAF billions)
  - Total: 56.3 (2007), 68.2 (2008), 72.4 (2009)
  - Compensation: 14.99 (2007), 17.99 (2008), 18.84 (2009)
  - Operating expenditure: 6.01 (2007), 7.58 (2008), 8.61 (2009)
  - Transfers: 19.02 (2007), 25.31 (2008), 26.44 (2009)
  - Investment: 16.25 (2007), 17.28 (2008), 18.51 (2009)
  - By program (Total): 56.27 (2007), 68.15 (2008), 72.39 (2009)
    - Public health programs: 24.02 (2007), 30.31 (2008), 34.44 (2009)
    - Malaria: 4.40 (2007), 4.88 (2008), 4.94 (2009)
    - Tuberculosis – transfers: 0.28 (2007), 0.32 (2008), 0.34 (2009)
    - Child health – investment: 12.42 (2007), 16.07 (2008), 18.68 (2009)
    - Maternal health: 3.14 (2007), 3.54 (2008), 3.62 (2009)
    - HIV/AIDS: 3.79 (2007), 5.50 (2008), 6.87 (2009)
    - Management cost: 6.01 (2007), 7.58 (2008), 8.61 (2009)
    - Construction and equipment: 10.86 (2007), 11.88 (2008), 10.09 (2009)
    - Center rehabilitation: 0.39 (2007), 0.40 (2008), 0.41 (2009)
    - Maintenance: 0.17 (2007), 0.18 (2008), 0.18 (2009)
    - Operating cost: 14.99 (2007), 17.99 (2008), 18.84 (2009)
  - Related indicators:
    - Malaria incidence rate (per 1,000 persons): 119 (2007), 119 (2008), 119 (2009)
    - Tuberculosis incidence rate (per 100,000 persons): 87 (2007), 87 (2008), 87 (2009)

- Road infrastructure sector expenditure (in CFAF billions)
  - Total: 76.4 (2007), 78.8 (2008), 86.4 (2009)
  - Compensation: 10.00 (2007), 12.00 (2008), 12.00 (2009)
  - Operating expenditure: 26.60 (2007), 25.84 (2008), 22.15 (2009)
  - Investment: 39.81 (2007), 40.99 (2008), 52.26 (2009)
  - By program (Total): 76.4 (2007), 78.8 (2008), 86.4 (2009)
    - Rural programs: 44.47 (2007), 45.25 (2008), 46.09 (2009)
    - Urban programs: 31.94 (2007), 33.58 (2008), 40.32 (2009)
  - Related indicator:
    - Length of asphalted roads per 1,000 persons (in km): 0.29 (2007), 0.31 (2008), 0.33 (2009)

*Content derived from the supplied IMF PDF chapter/section.*

### Annex 19: Water and energy, cost of attaining the MDGs, 2007-2009

### Annex 19: Water and energy, cost of attaining the MDGs, 2007-2009

### Water and energy sector expenditure (aggregate)
- Compensation: 5.16 (2007); 6.64 (2008); 7.79 (2009)
- Operating expenditure: 9.78 (2007); 11.75 (2008); 13.40 (2009)
- Transfers: 0.11 (2007); 0.13 (2008); 0.17 (2009)
- Investment: 18.22 (2007); 18.90 (2008); 20.65 (2009)

### Water and energy sector expenditure by program
- Water program — Rural areas: 5.10 (2007); 5.48 (2008); 5.89 (2009)
- Water program — Urban areas: 5.42 (2007); 5.53 (2008); 5.85 (2009)
- Energy program — Cooking system: 4.94 (2007); 5.75 (2008); 6.62 (2009)
- Energy program — Electricity: 16.55 (2007); 18.98 (2008); 21.55 (2009)
- Energy program — Mechanical energy: 1.27 (2007); 1.67 (2008); 2.10 (2009)

*Italic: Source: _cr08125 - Annex 19: Water and energy, cost of attaining the MDGs, 2007-2009*

### Annex 20: Rural development, cost of attaining the MDGs, 2007-2009

### Rural development sector expenditure (aggregate)
- Compensation: 5.64 (2007); 8.39 (2008); 7.08 (2009)
- Operating expenditure: 19.49 (2007); 27.64 (2008); 33.09 (2009)
- Investment: 36.90 (2007); 56.27 (2008); 37.69 (2009)
- Total: 62.03 (2007); 92.31 (2008); 77.86 (2009)

### Rural development sector expenditure by program
- Agricultural productivity program: 35.48 (2007); 53.73 (2008); 49.42 (2009)
- Other revenue-generating activities program: 16.43 (2007); 24.80 (2008); 15.06 (2009)
- Nutrition program: 4.18 (2007); 5.08 (2008); 6.00 (2009)
- Awareness-raising program: 0.30 (2007); 0.30 (2008); 0.30 (2009)
- Capacity-building program: 5.64 (2007); 8.39 (2008); 7.08 (2009)
- TOTAL: 62.03 (2007); 92.31 (2008); 77.86 (2009)

### Related indicators
- Share of small farmers targeted (%): 20.0 (2007); 25.0 (2008); 30.0 (2009)
- Share of households with access to credit — Small farmers: 18.3 (2007); 22.3 (2008); 26.2 (2009)
- Share of households with access to credit — Stockbreeding: 2.0 (2007); 3.0 (2008); 4.0 (2009)
- Farmers who do not own their land: 13.5 (2007); 18.1 (2008); 22.6 (2009)
- Ratio of coverage of supplementary food programs (%): 14.3 (2007); 18.8 (2008); 23.2 (2009)

*Italic: Source: Annex 20: Rural development, cost of attaining the MDGs, 2007-2009*

### Annex 21: Environment, cost of attaining the MDGs, 2007-2009

### Environment sector expenditure (aggregate)
- Compensation: 1.57 (2007); 3.61 (2008); 7.18 (2009)
- Operating expenditure: 1.35 (2007); 3.28 (2008); 6.80 (2009)
- Transfers: 1.38 (2007); 2.77 (2008); 4.85 (2009)
- Investment: 11.95 (2007); 24.36 (2008); 44.35 (2009)
- Total: 16.25 (2007); 34.01 (2008); 63.17 (2009)

### Environment sector expenditure by program
- Environment: 11.81 (2007); 25.07 (2008); 47.31 (2009)
- Sanitation: 0.89 (2007); 1.82 (2008); 3.37 (2009)
- Wastewater management: 1.72 (2007); 3.44 (2008); 6.02 (2009)
- Hygiene and education: 1.72 (2007); 3.44 (2008); 6.02 (2009)
- Total: 16.25 (2007); 34.01 (2008); 63.17 (2009)

### Related indicators
- Ratio of environmental protection: 24.4 (2007); 28.1 (2008); 31.8 (2009)
- Ratio of access to sanitation: 37.3 (2007); 39.5 (2008); 41.8 (2009)

*Italic: Source: Annex 21: Environment, cost of attaining the MDGs, 2007-2009*

### Annex 22: Gender, cost of attaining the MDGs, 2007-2009

### Gender sector expenditure (aggregate)
- Compensation: 0.26 (2007); 0.36 (2008); 0.44 (2009)
- Investment: 2.56 (2007); 3.61 (2008); 4.42 (2009)
- Total: 2.81 (2007); 3.97 (2008); 4.86 (2009)

### Gender sector expenditure by program
- Awareness-raising program: 0.72 (2007); 1.32 (2008); 1.85 (2009)
- Assistance for young women’s integration into the labor market: 0.53 (2007); 0.79 (2008); 1.01 (2009)
- Encouraging political participation: 0.10 (2007); 0.10 (2008); 0.10 (2009)
- Eradicating violence against women: 0.81 (2007); 0.98 (2008); 1.04 (2009)
- Systemic problems: 0.39 (2007); 0.42 (2008); 0.41 (2009)
- Total: 2.81 (2007); 3.97 (2008); 4.86 (2009)

### Related indicators
- Ratio of women’s reproductive health coverage (%): 11.0 (2007); 15.9 (2008); 20.8 (2009)
- Ratio of coverage of female secondary-school dropouts (%): 6.8 (2007); 9.7 (2008); 12.6 (2009)

*Italic: Source: Annex 22: Gender, cost of attaining the MDGs, 2007-2009*

### Annex 23: Medium-term expenditure framework as a percentage of GDP (selected lines, 2007–2009)

- Social sectors: 7.34 (2007); 7.54 (2008); 7.58 (2009)
- Education: 4.71 (2007); 4.84 (2008); 4.68 (2009)
  - Primary and secondary education: 3.56 (2007); 3.56 (2008); 3.41 (2009)
  - Higher education and vocational training: 1.15 (2007); 1.28 (2008); 1.27 (2009)
- Health: 2.19 (2007); 2.26 (2008); 2.44 (2009)
- Production and commerce: 2.02 (2007); 2.03 (2008); 2.21 (2009)
  - Agriculture, stockbreeding, and fishing: 1.30 (2007); 1.32 (2008); 1.44 (2009)
- Production infrastructure: 4.68 (2007); 5.34 (2008); 5.58 (2009)
  - Transport and public works: 2.90 (2007); 3.60 (2008); 3.86 (2009)
- Governance: 2.07 (2007); 1.97 (2008); 1.81 (2009)
- Defense and security: 1.92 (2007); 1.85 (2008); 1.60 (2009)
- Total ministries and institutions: 18.95 (2007); 19.63 (2008); 19.61 (2009)
- Other budgets: 5.00 (2007); 4.93 (2008); 4.63 (2009)
- Total budget: 23.94 (2007); 24.56 (2008); 24.24 (2009)

*Italic: Source: Annex 23: Medium-term expenditure framework as a percentage of GDP*

### Annex 24: Medium-term expenditure framework as a percentage of total expenditure (selected lines, 2007–2009)

- Social sectors: 30.63 (2007); 30.7 (2008); 31.2 (2009)
- Education: 19.7 (2007); 19.7 (2008); 19.3 (2009)
  - Primary and secondary education: 14.9 (2007); 14.5 (2008); 14.1 (2009)
  - Higher education and professional training: 4.8 (2007); 5.2 (2008); 5.2 (2009)
- Health: 9.1 (2007); 9.2 (2008); 10.1 (2009)
- Production infrastructure: 19.5 (2007); 21.7 (2008); 23.0 (2009)
  - Transport and public works: 12.1 (2007); 14.6 (2008); 15.9 (2009)
- Mines, energy, and water: 4.6 (2007); 4.6 (2008); 5.0 (2009)
- Governance: 8.7 (2007); 8.0 (2008); 7.5 (2009)
- Defense and security: 8.0 (2007); 7.5 (2008); 6.6 (2009)
- Total ministries and institutions: 79.1 (2007); 79.9 (2008); 80.9 (2009)
- Other budgets: 20.9 (2007); 20.1 (2008); 19.1 (2009)
- Total budget: 100.0 (2007); 100.0 (2008); 100.0 (2009)

*Italic: Source: Annex 24: Medium-term expenditure framework as a percentage of total expenditure*

### Annex 25: Distribution of the population by socioeconomic characteristics of household head and standard of living

### Residential area (distribution across living standard quintiles)
- Urban: Poorest 8.7; Poor 13.4; Middle 12.1; Rich 23.4; Richest 42.4; Total 100.0
- Rural: Poorest 27.3; Poor 23.4; Middle 25.3; Rich 17.2; Richest 6.6; Total 100.0

### Department (selected rows)
- Alibori: Poorest 42.5; Poor 23.7; Middle 19.8; Rich 9.5; Richest 4.5; Total 100.0
- Littoral: Poorest 0.9; Poor 2.1; Middle 20.7; Rich 76.3; Total 100.0
- Ouémé: Poorest 16.1; Poor 12.6; Middle 19.8; Rich 27.6; Richest 23.9; Total 100.0

### Sex and age of head of household
- Sex of head of household — Male: Poorest 21.8; Poor 20.5; Middle 20.3; Rich 18.2; Richest 19.2; Total 100
- Sex of head of household — Female: Poorest 17.0; Poor 17.6; Middle 23.5; Rich 25.3; Richest 16.7; Total 100
- Age of head of household — Under 25 years: Poorest 20.5; Poor 15.1; Middle 28.6; Rich 23.1; Richest 12.7; Total 100.0
- Age of head of household — 25-39 years: Poorest 21.8; Poor 19.2; Middle 20.0; Rich 20.3; Richest 18.8; Total 100.0

### Education of head of household
- None: Poorest 28.4; Poor 25.7; Middle 23.3; Rich 15.8; Richest 6.8; Total 100.0
- Primary: Poorest 12.5; Poor 14.6; Middle 21.6; Rich 27.8; Richest 23.5; Total 100.0
- Secondary: Poorest 2.8; Poor 4.9; Middle 11.4; Rich 25.8; Richest 54.9; Total 100.0
- Higher: Poorest 0.9; Poor 4.4; Middle 94.7; Total 100.0

### Aggregate and sample
- Aggregate: Poorest 21.0; Poor 20.1; Middle 20.8; Rich 19.3; Richest 18.8; Total 100.0
- Number of households: 1453 (Poorest); 1365 (Poor); 1524 (Middle); 1437 (Rich); 1452 (Richest); Total 7231
- Average size: 5.7 (Poorest); 5.8 (Poor); 5.4 (Middle); 5.3 (Rich); 5.1 (Richest); Total 5.4

- Source note: Provisional results, EMICOV-EDS3, 2006; sample of 5,231 households.

*Italic: Source: Annex 25: Distribution of the population according to the socioeconomic characteristics of the head of household and the standard of living*

### Annex 26: Determinants of poverty in Benin, 2006

### Annex 26: Determinants of poverty in Benin, 2006

### Regression results — coefficients and t-statistics (Aggregate, Urban areas, Rural areas)
- Age
  - Aggregate: Ratio 0.012, T 3.24
  - Urban areas: Ratio 0.013, t 1.77
  - Rural areas: Ratio 0.011, t 2.69
- Age2
  - Aggregate: Ratio 0.000, T -3.08
  - Urban areas: Ratio 0.000, t -1.69
  - Rural areas: Ratio 0.000, t -2.57
- Size
  - Aggregate: Ratio -0.155, T -16.7
  - Urban areas: Ratio -0.184, t -9.19
  - Rural areas: Ratio -0.143, t -13.67
- Size2
  - Aggregate: Ratio 0.005, T 10.3
  - Urban areas: Ratio 0.006, t 5.78
  - Rural areas: Ratio 0.005, t 8.42
- Sex of head of household
  - Aggregate: Ratio 0.119, T 4.75
  - Urban areas: Ratio 0.120, t 2.51
  - Rural areas: Ratio 0.130, t 4.4

- Level of education
  - Primary
    - Aggregate: Ratio 0.164, T 6.38
    - Urban areas: Ratio 0.222, t 4.4
    - Rural areas: Ratio 0.131, t 4.38
  - Secondary
    - Aggregate: Ratio 0.183, T 5.13
    - Urban areas: Ratio 0.143, t 2.35
    - Rural areas: Ratio 0.216, t 4.78
  - Higher
    - Aggregate: Ratio 0.317, T 3.72
    - Urban areas: Ratio 0.277, t 2.74
    - Rural areas: Ratio 0.516, t 2.36

- Migration status
  - Returning migrant
    - Aggregate: Ratio 0.055, T 2.12
    - Urban areas: Ratio 0.115, t 1.88
    - Rural areas: Ratio 0.037, t 1.33
  - Other migrant
    - Aggregate: Ratio 0.128, T 4.7
    - Urban areas: Ratio 0.121, t 2.77
    - Rural areas: Ratio 0.126, t 3.51

- Source of supply (water)
  - Tap water
    - Aggregate: Ratio 0.205, T 5.13
    - Urban areas: Ratio 0.584, t 6.23
    - Rural areas: Ratio 0.108, t 2.44
  - Well water
    - Aggregate: Ratio 0.128, T 4.09
    - Urban areas: Ratio 0.389, t 5.24
    - Rural areas: Ratio 0.071, t 2.05
  - Ground water
    - Aggregate: Ratio -0.025, T -0.9
    - Urban areas: Ratio 0.034, t 0.56
    - Rural areas: Ratio -0.049, t -1.54

- Access and services
  - Access to information
    - Aggregate: Ratio 0.315, T 9.65
    - Urban areas: Ratio 0.326, t 6.17
    - Rural areas: Ratio 0.289, t 6.85
  - Access to health
    - Aggregate: Ratio 0.151, T 7.35
    - Urban areas: Ratio 0.140, t 3.23
    - Rural areas: Ratio 0.150, t 6.44
  - Lighting
    - Aggregate: Ratio 0.238, T 6.88
    - Urban areas: Ratio 0.169, t 3.15
    - Rural areas: Ratio 0.231, t 4.79
  - Access to housing
    - Aggregate: Ratio 0.163, T 4.75
    - Urban areas: Ratio 0.023, t 0.34
    - Rural areas: Ratio 0.224, t 5.58
  - Residential environment
    - Aggregate: Ratio 0.008, T 0.32

- Constant (_Cons.)
  - Aggregate: 11.428, T 122.34
  - Urban areas: 11.233, t 57.96
  - Rural areas: 11.457, t 107.28

- Pseudo R2
  - Aggregate: 0.299
  - Urban areas: 0.391
  - Rural areas: 0.224

- Note on significance
  - "The figures in bold mean that the variable is significant at the 10 percent threshold, whereas the figures in bold italic mean that the variable is not significant."

*Source: Annex 26, Determinants of poverty in Benin, 2006.*

### Annex 28: Monetary poverty indices, 2006 and 2002

### Annex 28: Monetary poverty indices, 2006 and 2002

### Summary
- Table presents monetary poverty indices for 2002 and 2006 across population subgroups.
- Indices reported: P0 = incidence of poverty; P1 = depth of poverty; P2 = severity of poverty index; figures in parentheses are standard deviations.
- Source: Provisional and partial results, EMICOV (2006), on a sample of 5,221 households; Quibb Survey (2003) on a sample of 5,350 households, using 2002 data.

### Poverty by residential area
- Urban (2002): P0 23.6  P1 0.1070.069  P0 (2006) 27.2  P1 0.110  P2 0.060
  - (0.9) (0.005)(0.004) (1.2) (0.006) (0.004)
- Rural (2002): P0 31.6  P1 0.1100.058  P0 (2006) 40.6  P1 0.149  P2 0.075
  - (0.8) (0.004)(0.003) (0.8) (0.004) (0.003)

### Poverty by sex of head of household
- Male (2002): P0 28.9  P1 0.1090.062  P0 (2006) 37.5  P1 0.142  P2 0.073
  - (0.7) (0.003)(0.002) (0.8) (0.004) (0.003)
- Female (2002): P0 26.6  P1 0.1090.067  P0 (2006) 34.4  P1 0.126  P2 0.064
  - (1.5) (0.008)(0.006) (1.5) (0.007) (0.004)

### Poverty by level of education of head of household
- None (2002): P0 33.0  P1 0.1190.065  P0 (2006) 43.7  P1 0.170  P2 0.089
  - (0.8) (0.004)(0.003) (0.9) (0.004) (0.003)
- Primary (2002): P0 28.8  P1 0.1190.073  P0 (2006) 26.6  P1 0.086  P2 0.038
  - (1.3) (0.007)(0.006) (1.4) (0.006) (0.003)
- Secondary (2002): P0 17.60.0790.050  P0 (2006) 18.1  P1 0.061  P2 0.028
  - (1.2) (0.007)(0.005) (1.7) (0.007) (0.004)
- Higher (2002): P0 6.4  P1 0.0220.014  P0 (2006) 4.3  P1 0.014  P2 0.006
  - (1.9) (0.009)(0.007) (2.5) (0.010) (0.005)

### Poverty by age of head of household
- Under 25 years (2002): P0 18.10.0710.043  P0 (2006) 31.2  P1 0.109  P2 0.054
  - (2.6) (0.013)(0.010) (3.1) (0.013) (0.009)
- 25-39 years (2002): P0 25.9  P1 0.0990.058  P0 (2006) 35.2  P1 0.130  P2 0.065
  - (1.0) (0.005)(0.004) (1.1) (0.005) (0.003)
- 40-59 years (2002): P0 31.6  P1 0.1170.065  P0 (2006) 39.7  P1 0.153  P2 0.080
  - (1.0) (0.005)(0.004) (1.2) (0.006) (0.004)
- 60 years and over (2002): P0 30.0  P1 0.1200.071  P0 (2006) 36.4  P1 0.135  P2 0.069
  - (1.4) (0.007)(0.006) (1.6) (0.008) (0.005)

### Poverty by size of household
- Fewer than 3 persons (2002): P0 15.70.0750.052  P0 (2006) 15.1  P1 0.047  P2 0.021
  - (1.1) (0.007)(0.005) (1.4) (0.005) (0.003)
- 3 to 5 persons (2002): P0 26.0  P1 0.1010.059  P0 (2006) 32.4  P1 0.112  P2 0.053
  - (0.9) (0.005)(0.004) (1.1) (0.005) (0.003)
- 6 persons or more (2002): P0 38.2  P1 0.1360.072  P0 (2006) 48.2  P1 0.193  P2 0.104
  - (1.1) (0.005)(0.004) (1.1) (0.006) (0.004)

### Aggregate poverty
- Aggregate (2002): 28.5  P1 0.1090.062
  - (0.6) (0.003)(0.002)
- Aggregate (2006): 36.8  P1 0.138  P2 0.071
  - (0.7) (0.003) (0.002)

*Source: Provisional and partial results, EMICOV (2006), on a sample of 5,221 households; Quibb Survey (2003) on a sample of 5,350 households, using 2002 data. P0 = incidence of poverty; P1 = depth of poverty; P2 = severity of poverty index; figures in parentheses are standard deviations.*

### 1.2 Design a new strategy for dissemination  of  texts  and  documents

### 1.2 Design a new strategy for dissemination  of  texts  and  documents

### Translation and dissemination of decentralization texts
- 121 Translate   documents   on   decentralization   into   national   languages
  - xxviii. 2007
  - lxxxix. 2008
  - mcxc. 2009
  - MD mcxcii.
  - Number                   of                   documents translated mcxciii. mcxciv.

### Functional literacy and teaching of decentralization concepts
- 122 Design       appropriate       methods  for  functional  literacy  and    teaching    of    concepts    involved in the decentralization process
  - m cxcv. 2007
  - m cxcvi. 2008
  - c xcvii. 2009
  - m mcxcviii. MD mcxcix.
  - Manuals developed mmcc. m mcci.
- 123 Implement  the  functional  literacy method
  - m cc ii. 2007
  - m cc iii. 2008
  - m mcciv. mmccv. MD m mccvi.
  - Number  of  functional  literacy sessions held m ccvii. m ccviii.
- 124 Monitor    and    evaluate    literacy activities
  - m ccix. 2007
  - m mccx. 2008
  - m ccxi. 2008 mmccxii. MD m ccxiii.
  - Number                   of                   monitoring     missions     carried out c cxiv. mmccxv.

### Coordination, regionalization, and transfer of authority/resources
- Objective 7: Coordinate the process of decentralization
  - Initiate          a          strategic          discussion                           on                           decentralization,             local             development,                    and                    regionalization m ccxix. m ccxx. m ccxxi. m ccxxii. c cxxiii. c cxxiv. c cxvi. c xvii. m ccxxv.
- Support     the     process     of     regionalization and the transfer of  authority  and  resources  to  the various sectoral ministries
  - c cxxvi. 2007
  - c xxvii. 2008
  - xxviii. 2009
  - c cxxix. MD, DGAT, MCL m ccxxx.
  - Transfer  of  authority  and      resources      is      complete. Municipalities       have       total   decision-making   authority  at  the  local  level c cxxxi.
- Help  create  a  framework  for  cooperation  by  all  sectors  at  the national level
  - c xxxiv. 2007
  - c xxxv. 2008
  - c xxxvi. c xxxvii.
  - MD, DGAT, MCL x xxviii.
  - Functional  framework  exists for coordination and    cooperation    of    actors in place c xxxix. Prefectures, regionalized departments m ccxl. m ccxli.
- Continue efforts to inform and raise  awareness  of  main  actors  of  the  content  of  texts  and  about    how    to    utilize    the    management tools developed
  - m ccxlii. 2007
  - c cxliii. 2008
  - c cxliv. 2009 m ccxlv.
  - MD, DGAT, MCL m ccxlvi.
  - Most                  actors                  understand            and            endorse the stakes and challenges  involved  in  decentralization c cxlvii. Municipalities, Prefectures

### Participatory management and local development entities
- Help           establish           an           environment   conducive   to   participatory management m mccl. mccli. m cclii. m ccliii. m ccliv. m mcclv. c clvi. m cclvii.
- Help  establish  and  re-energize  collaborative  entities  for  local  development (CAD, CDCC)
  - c clviii. 2007
  - m cclix. 2008
  - m cclx. m cclxi.
  - MISPCL m cclxii.
  - Number    of    entities    established             and             rendered functional c clxiii. c lxiv. m cclxv.
- Establish      a      system      for      assessing     the     impact     of     collaborative       entities       on       poverty reduction policy
  - c clxvi. c clxvii. 2008 c lxviii. 2009 m cclxix.
  - MISPCL m cclxx.
  - Assessment  system  in  place c clxxi. mmcclxxii.

### Strengthen capacities of actors and municipal administration
- Objective 8: Strengthen capacities of actors x xxiii.
- 311 Computerize      DGAT      departments
  - l xxxiv. 2007
  - c lxxxv. 2008
  - l xxxvi. c lxxxvii.
  - DGAT x xxviii.
  - All           departments           equipped              with              microcomputers c lxxxix. MDEF m ccxc.
- 312 Purchase office furnishings and supplies
  - m ccxci. 2007
  - c cxcii. 2008
  - c cxciii. 2009 m ccxciv.
  - DGAT m ccxcv.
  - Office furnishings and supplies available c cxcvi. MDEF c xcvii.
- 313 Train  and  upgrade  human  resources  (DGAT,  Prefectures  and regionalized departments)
  - c xcviii. 2007
  - c cxcix. 2008
  - m mccc. 2009 m mccci.
  - DGAT, MCL m cccii.
  - Managers               and               employees  of  DGAT  and            Prefectures            receive   training   and   upgrading m ccciii. MDEF m ccciv.
- 314 Develop  and  implement  a  personnel   redeployment   and   recruitment  plan  suited  to  the  requirements                         of                         decentralization
  - m cccv. 2007
  - m cccvi. 2008
  - c ccvii. 2009
  - m cccviii. MISPCL m cccix. m cccx. m cccxi.

### Strengthen capacities of local elected officials and municipal employees
- 3.2 Strengthen the capacities of  local  elected  officials  and  municipal employees c ccxii. c ccxiii. c ccxiv. mmcccxv. c ccxvi. c ccxvii. c cxviii.
- 321 Strengthen           the           administrative       management       capacity of municipalities
  - c ccxix. 2007
  - c ccxx. 2008
  - c ccxxi. 2009 m cccxxii.
  - MD, DGAT, MCL c cxxiii.
  - Number    of    citizens    satisfied  with  services  provided                  by                  municipalities c cxxiv. c lxxiii. c lxxiv. c clxxv. c lxxvi. c lxxvii. l xxviii. c lxxix. c clxxx. c lxxxi. l xxxii.

- 322 Strengthen   capacity   for   mobilization  and  management  of         municipal         financial         resources
  - c cxxvi. 2007
  - c xxvii. 2008
  - xxviii. 2009
  - c ccxxix. MISPCL c ccxxx.
  - Capacities                of                municipalities         are         strengthened c cxxxi. MDEF, Municipalities x xxii. x xxiii.
- 323 Develop training plans
  - c xxxiv. 2007
  - c xxxv. 2008
  - c xxxvi. 2009
  - c ccxxxvii. MCL x xxviii.
  - Number   of   training   plans developed c xxxix. m cccxl.

### Communication, tools dissemination, and support for RAT process
- 3.3  Expand  communication  concerning   decentralization   and regionalization
  - c ccxli. 2007
  - c ccxlii. 2008
  - c cxliii. 2009 m mcccxliv.
  - c ccxlv.
  - The     population     is     better informed of the RAT process c ccxlvi. c cxlvii.
- 3.4  Facilitate  assimilation  of  municipal          management          tools c xlviii. c cxlix. m cccl. mmcccli. m ccclii. m cccliii. c ccliv.
- 341 Prepare     studies     and     disseminate their results
  - m ccclv. 2007
  - c cclvi. 2008
  - c cclvii. 2009 m ccclviii.
  - MD, MCL, DGAT m ccclix.
  - Study     specifications,     bid   opening   reports,   and   names   of   firms   selected m ccclx. c cclxi.
- 342 Develop  management  and  decision-making tools
  - c cclxii. 2007
  - c clxiii. 2008
  - c clxiv. 2009 m mccclxv.
  - MD, MCL c cclxvi.
  - Number      of      tools      developed c clxvii. c lxviii.

### Strengthen government support capacity and municipal financing instruments
- 3.5  Strengthen  the  capacity  of   government   entities   to   support municipalities c clxix. c cclxx. c clxxi. m mccclxxii. c clxxiii. c clxxiv. c clxxv.
- 351 Strengthen capacity of MD to implement monitoring/evaluation
  - c lxxvi. 2007
  - c lxxvii. 2008
  - l xxviii. 2009 m c cclxxix.
  - MD c clxxx.
  - Capacities strengthened c clxxxi. l xxxii.
- 352 Prepare  policy  paper  on  decentralization
  - x xxiii. 2007
  - l xxxiv. 2008
  - c lxxxv. c cclxxxvi.
  - MD l xxxvii.
  - Validation report x xxviii. l xxxix.
- 353 Implement  RAT  strategy  document
  - c ccxc. c ccxci. 2008 c cxcii. 2009 c ccxciii.
  - MISPCL c cxciv.
  - Number   of   training   sessions held to obtain backing by actors c ccxcv.
  - MRAI, MDEF c cxcvi.
- 354 Establish Municipal Support Fund (Fonds d'appui au développement des communes)
  - c xcvii. 2007 c xcviii. 2008 c cxcix. 2009 mmcd.
  - MISPCL m mcdi.
  - Fund  established  and  operational m mcdii.
  - MDEF m cdiii.
- 355 Implement Municipal Development Tax (Taxe de développement communal, TDL)
  - m cdiv.
  - mcdv.
  - 2008 m cdvi.
  - 2009 m cdvii.
  - MISPCL, Municipalities m cdviii.
  - TDL implemented m cdix.
  - MDEF m cdx.

### Decentralized cooperation, intermunicipality, and government allocations
- 3.8   Promote   decentralized   cooperation                      and                      intermunicipality
  - m cdxi. 2007
  - m cdxii. 2008
  - c dxiii. 2009 m cdxiv.
  - MISPCL m cdxv.
  - Decentralized cooperation           and           intermunicipality promoted m cdxvi. m cdxvii. d xviii. cdxix. m cdxx. mmcdxxi. m cdxxii. c dxxiii. dxxiv.
- 3.9 Government allocation
  - c dxxv. dxxvi. d xxvii. m mcdxxviii. c dxxix. m cdxxx. dxxxi.
- 391 Government support for capacity-building  at  prefectural  level
  - d xxxii. 2 x xxiii. 2 d xxxiv. 2 c dxxxv.
  - MISPCL d xxxvi.
  - Prefectures’  capacities  strengthened d xxxvii. MDEF
  - 007 008 009 strengthened xxviii.
- 392 Government financial support to municipalities
  - d xxxix. 2007 m cdxl.
  - 2008 m cdxli.
  - 2009 m cdxlii.
  - MISPCL m cdxliii.
  - Municipalities     enjoy     Government support m cdxliv.
  - MDEF m cdxlv. c dxlvi. dxlvii. d xlviii. mmcdxlix. m mcdl. m mcdli. m cdlii.

### Reform of monitoring/evaluation of territorial administration and RAT performance
- 4: Reform the monitoring/evaluation of territorial administration m cdliii. m cdliv. m cdlv. mmcdlvi. m cdlvii. m cdlviii. m cdlix.
- 4.1 Introduce  a  performance  chart  and  montoring/evaluattion       of       RAT m cdlx. m cdlxi. c dlxii. mmcdlxiii. m cdlxiv. m cdlxv. c dlxvi.
- 411 Identify  indicators  of  RAT  success
  - dlxvii. 2007
  - d lxviii. 2008
  - c dlxix. m cdlxx.
  - MISPCL m cdlxxi.
  - Performance indicators are known c dlxxii. d lxxiii.
- 412 Establish  and  implement,  on     an     annual     basis,     a     collaborative   action   program   involving entities managing the RAT
  - d lxxiv. 2007
  - c dlxxv. 2008
  - d lxxvi. 2009
  - d lxxvii. MISPCL d lxxviii.
  - Planning     workshops     organized dlxxix. c dlxxx. d lxxxi. l xxxii. x xxiii. m mcdlxxxiv. d lxxxv. d lxxxvi. x xxvii.
- 4.2 Evaluate decentralization process
  - xxviii. 2007
  - l xxxix. 2008 m cdxc.
  - 2009 m cdxci.
  - MISPCL m cdxcii.
  - Process  evaluated  and  impact identified c dxciii. c dxciv.

*Source: _cr08125 - 1.2 Design a new strategy for dissemination  of  texts  and  documents*

### 4.3  Create  a  framework  for  collaboration    between    all    actors           involved           in           dece

### 4.3  Create  a  framework  for  collaboration    between    all    actors           involved           in           dece

### Operationalize framework for collaboration
- Operationalize framework for collaboration among national actors and donors.
- Timeline entries shown: 2007; 2008.
- Responsible ministry/agency listed: MISPCL.
- Indicator noted: Collaborative framework is operational.

### Establish regionalized coordination structures
- Establish regionalized structures for coordination at département and/or municipal level.
- Timeline entries shown: 2007; 2008.
- Responsible: MISPCL.
- Indicator: Number of structures established.

### PRIORITY AREA: ENVIRONMENT AND QUALITY OF LIFE — Overview
- Multiple detailed objectives (Objective 1 through Objective 27) under programs: NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM; SUSTAINABLE NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM (PGDRN); SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF LAND AND OF LIVESTOCK AND FISHING AREAS; and others.
- Lead agencies repeatedly referenced: MAEP; ABE/MEPN; MEPN; DGE; DGFRN; FNE; DPE; PNUE; local governments; PNUD (PAMOPNGE); national and international non-governmental structures (NGSs).

### Key objectives, actions, and quantitative targets (selected)
- Objective 1–5: Sustainable management of land, livestock, and fishing areas; update suitability maps; update soil degradation maps; establish GIFS techniques; implement anti-erosion techniques; maintain headwaters of springs; eradicate invasive aquatic plants; define boundaries of grazing areas.
- Objective 5: Conduct environmental assessments in all sectors.
  - Indicator: Number of sectoral programs subjected to EIA relative to total under the program.
  - Responsible: ABE/MEPN; Minister responsible for projects subject to EIA.
- Objective 6: Make environmental information available for planning and decision-making.
  - Action: Conduct ecological and environmental monitoring; monitoring of ecological indicators; produce the RIEEB and operationalize an environmental SIG.
  - Responsible: ABE/MEPN.
- Objective 7: Strengthen capacities of actors in local environmental planning and implement PLAGEs in all municipalities.
  - Targets: 46 PLAGEs developed; 150 micro-projects carried out.
  - Set up rural savings and loan associations for environmental protection (CREPPE): 32 CREPPEs set up, equipped and rendered operational.
  - Further target: 20 CREPPE become operational during the first year; 02 CIEDs developed and set up.
  - Partners: PNUD (PAMOPNGE), local governments, national and international non-governmental structures (NGSs).
- Objective 8: Internalize environmental values and abilities in the population via communication.
  - Targets: Plan available; two (2) actions under the plan are financed and implemented.
  - Public engagement: Day-long public dialogue workshop is held; five (5) actions proposed by the population during this workshop are financed.
  - Communication outputs: 1,500 image boxes published; Manual on use of training cards is published; Communication plan for literacy sector is drawn up.
- Objective 9: Integrate environmental concerns and implement Forum on Environmental Governance recommendations.
  - Targets: All bodies are functional; 75% of recommendations are implemented.
- Objective 10: Improve knowledge and management of environmental agreements; strengthen PNGE.
  - Targets: Three projects on priority options for adaptation to climate change are implemented.
- Objective 11: Manage biologically fragile coastal areas and RAMSAR sites.
  - Action: Establish bioreserves; Protection committees established and operational.
  - Action: Identify coastal areas in need of protection and produce zone maps; Zone maps available.
- Objective 12: Strengthen environmental management of urban/metropolitan areas.
  - Targets: At least 60% of imported vehicles are 5 years old or less.
  - Targets: 70% of PCB-contaminated electrical appliances are eliminated.
  - Action: Monitor solid waste management in Cotonou, Ouidah and Porto-Novo; develop operational plan for solid waste management.
- Objective 13: Implement PAN-LCD through municipal participatory management.
  - Target: At least 20 women’s groups are trained in nursery establishment techniques and in the use of improved stoves.
- Objective 14: Render FNE operational.
  - Actions: Update official decrees on ecotaxes and environmental fines; Official texts updated and disseminated.
  - Target: 25 micro-projects financed.
- Objective 15: Establish an environmental disaster preparedness and prevention system.
  - Actions: Database regularly replenished.
  - Partners: Local governments, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Defense.
- Objective 16: Manage forestry resources sustainably and promote alternative energies.
  - Indicators: Rate of adoption of alternative energies by households in large urban centers; Rate of forestry resource degradation caused by uncontrolled woodcutting; Areas subject to uncontrolled cutting of fuelwood.
  - Targets and outputs:
    - 35,500,000 seedlings produced.
    - 3,075 improved stoves built and distributed.
    - 33,676,404 m3 of fuelwood and charcoal produced.
    - 6,113,600 m3 of poles and posts produced.
- Objective 17–19, 21, 22: Management of classified areas, protected areas, forestry inventories, water and soil conservation.
  - Targets:
    - 20 PAPFs developed and implemented.
    - 5 parks, 5 hunting preserves, creation of 2 new protected areas.
    - 3 ‘game ranches’ created and administered.
    - Inventory and mapping of 8,946,764 ha of forestry resources.
    - Development and protection plans prepared and implemented for at least 50% of riverbanks, watercourses, mangrove swamps, marches, lowlands, water retention features and headwaters of springs.
- Objective 20 (PAN/LCD continuation):
  - Target: At least 30 women’s groups trained in tree nursery establishment and in the use of improved stoves.
  - Action: Manage humid zones in southern and Niger Valley areas through establishment of bioreserves; Humid zones in southern and Niger Valley areas of Benin are well managed.
- Objective 23: Expand biodiversity offerings and exploit biodiversity.
  - Targets: 5 parks, 5 hunting preserves, creation of 2 new protected areas; 3 ‘game ranches’ created and administered.
- Objective 24–27: Strengthen institutional, technical, and financial capacities of forestry administration; participatory development for protected areas; re-energize planning and monitoring/evaluation for forestry sub-sector.
  - Targets: At least 3 regulatory texts on management of forests and natural resources are updated and disseminated; Mechanisms for sustainable management of the sub-sector developed and implemented.
  - Indicator: Planning and monitoring/evaluation system for forestry sub-sector is in place and operational.

*Source: _cr08125 - 4.3  Create  a  framework  for  collaboration    between    all    actors           involved           in           dece*

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_Source: https://www.imf.org/-/media/websites/imf/imported-full-text-pdf/external/pubs/ft/scr/2008/_cr08125.pdf_