Strategic Framework: Benin

Benin is advancing on its development journey, facing important challenges of health, democracy, and stability. While President Talon’s ambitious development goals outlined in the Programme d’Action du Gouvernement (PAG) have resulted in significant achievements, the day-to-day reality for many Beninese is still challenging. The population is mostly young, works in the informal economy, and is faced with high rates of morbidity and mortality from preventable illnesses treated by an underequipped health system. High morbidity from malaria, shocks related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and increasing rates of HIV among key populations are all concerns. There are also persistent gender gaps in household decision making, the political participation of women, and access to education for girls, and Benin ranks low at 159 on the UN Gender Inequality Index. Health care service delivery, access, and supply chains are in need of support. However, a productive and efficient health care system is not possible unless the contextual conditions of democratic challenges and threats to security and stability are also addressed. 

In the last five years, Benin’s democratic reputation has been questioned by many international stakeholders and watchdog organizations, stemming from political reforms that restrained the space for open competition. Furthermore, Benin is faced with a crisis on the northern border as there has been a significant uptick in violence from extremist organizations encroaching on Beninese territory to attack its security forces as well as plant roots and recruit young people into their ideology. These organizations exploit the vulnerabilities of the communities in the northern departments.

To address these development challenges, USAID/Benin’s strategic objective is “Benin is more capable of fostering a healthier, more stable, and more democratic society.” The focus on health results continues from the last strategy and emphasizes expanded delivery of quality health services and strengthened governance of health-sector resources. High-priority disease and health areas also now include programming to combat the spread of HIV as well as prepare Benin for future pandemics. New to the 2022-2027 strategy is the intermediate result (IR): Democracy, rights, and stability enhanced. This IR builds off programming USAID has achieved through using central funds in human rights and election processes. It also incorporates stability as a primary concern and anticipates leveraging current Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) programming and future programming developed through the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability (SPCPS). The identified intermediate results are bolstered by cross-cutting priorities that target populations vulnerable to inadequate health services and gender-based violence (GBV), gender equality and equity, and the New Partnerships Initiative. The above stated strategic objective aligns with Embassy and USG strategies and represents a development approach that coordinates closely with other donors and the Government of Benin (GOB). As a Limited Presence Country (LPC) Office we achieve our objectives under the oversight of the West Africa Regional Mission in Accra, Ghana, and our staffing is supported by the Regional Mission. Additionally, the Regional Mission implements activities in Benin in areas of energy; trade and investment; water, sanitation, and hygiene; peace and governance; and health.