Benin has successfully secured CFAF65.5 billion (€100 million) in international financing during official engagements in Paris to fund strategic national initiatives across the electricity, agriculture, public health, and justice sectors.
Announced by the Beninese presidency on Monday following high-level bilateral discussions between the Beninese and French heads of state, the total package comprises two financial agreements worth CFAF61.9 billion concluded with the French Development Agency (AFD) alongside a CFAF3.54 billion mandate letter signed with French public investment bank Bpifrance.
The core allocation of CFAF52.1 billion will directly target national energy infrastructure by expanding the distribution network of the Beninese Electricity Company (SBEE) to deliver over 120,000 new household connections across 750 localities in 15 communes. The agricultural sector will receive CFAF9.8 billion to enhance aquaculture, poultry, and oilseed value chains across key northern and central departments. Concurrently, the agreement with Bpifrance secures CFAF3.54 billion to establish a state-of-the-art national DNA forensic laboratory equipped to process up to 30,000 annual samples while funding advanced technical training for more than 500 judicial and healthcare professionals.
TE/Sf/lb/abj/APA