The members of the government of Benin held their customary weekly meeting on Wednesday, January 24, 2024. Numerous topics were on the agenda for this session presided over by Patrice Talon. Find here the full details of the resolutions made.
The following decisions were taken:
I- REGULATORY MEASURES.
Establishment of the Beninese Company for the Development of Plant Seeds and Seedlings, and approval of its statutes.
It has been acknowledged that the national seed system is dominated by informal and inefficient sourcing methods, with producers directly harvesting seeds and plants from the existing stock in the fields for the next season. With this system, close to 80% of plant seeds are used within agricultural operations, negatively impacting the level of yields.
Therefore, it seemed appropriate to establish a formal seed system to ensure the quality of seeds and plants with clear traceability from selection to marketing, especially through multiplication.
To this end, the Government opted to create a structure capable of managing the national scheme for the production, aggregation, importation and distribution of seeds and plants effectively. The establishment of this company is therefore part of a desire to sustainably strengthen the performance of Beninese agriculture.
It will be dedicated to organizing the seed industry around food, horticultural, fodder, fruit and forestry species to meet the needs for quality seeds and plants and improve the rate of utilization of certified seeds and plants, excluding Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
Specifically, this company will strive to:
- Promote the development of seed and plant varieties, the conservation of strains of varieties adapted to the demands of users as well as to climate change;
- Support capacity building for all categories of actors involved in the development of varieties, production, and management of seeds and plants;
- Create networks for the collection and distribution of seeds and plants, ensuring to consider user feedback to improve the quality of seeds and plants;
- Install modern centers for treating, packaging, and storing/conserving seeds and plants;
- Standardize existing infrastructure for production, quality control, treatment, packaging, and storing/conservation of seeds and plants;
- Strengthen capabilities for control and certification of plant seeds and plants.
The ministers concerned with the matter will perform the necessary diligences for the formalization of the Company and its operationalization.
II- Communications.
II-1. Full Project Management Missions for the Rehabilitation of the French Institute of Black Africa (IFAN) in Abomey and the Construction of Police Stations in Djègbadji and Avlékété in Ouidah.
In the context of the rehabilitation project of the ancient royal palaces, UNESCO has recommended the redistribution of some functionalities of the museum of kings and Amazons of Danxomè, whose site is on the World Heritage list, to the ancient royal palaces as well as to the Institut Français d’Afrique Noire.
To this end, a consultancy firm specializing in the rehabilitation of buildings with heritage value has been commissioned to carry out architectural and technical studies as well as to oversee the construction work.
Regarding the Avlékété and Djègbadji police stations, their reconstruction is justified by the presence of buildings that housed them within the scope of the project to develop an exceptional seaside resort at Avlékété and the construction project of the “Marina” tourist complex near the Door of No Return in Djègbadji, in the commune of Ouidah.
It is to successfully carry out these missions that the Council has authorized the contracting with the identified firms and instructed the concerned ministers to ensure the proper execution of their specifications.
II-2. Signing of a Framework Agreement for the Strengthening of the School Canteen Nutrition Program and the Establishment of a Factory for Transforming Local Agricultural Products into Food Supplements.
Malnutrition, in addition to being the underlying cause of more than 45% of deaths in children under five, is a developmental hurdle and a barrier to fully capitalizing on human resources in its chronic form.
Thanks to state interventions, the prevalence of acute malnutrition in Benin has improved, with the latest demographic and health survey (EDS) indicating a rate of 5% in 2018, while chronic malnutrition followed a positive trend down to 32.2% in 2018.
Despite this progress, the state’s action must intensify to quickly bridge the gaps. Consequently, the Government has expanded the scope of the National Integrated School Feeding Programme, which today feeds over one million public primary school children per day, and has created the National Agency for Food and Nutrition.
While the model of school canteens relies on the use of local products to diversify and enrich diets, the availability of food is, however, subject to seasonal fluctuations.
To sustain the quality of services and improve them despite this constraint, it is necessary to find alternative solutions in the form of dietary supplements, made from local products, to ensure the richness and quality of meals served to schoolchildren, regardless of the season.
In addition, the management of malnutrition cases in our health facilities is done through Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods provided by a specialized group to UNICEF.
Considering the quantities used, the Government deemed it wise to develop a local production capacity not only to ensure the permanent availability of these products but also to strengthen the local economic fabric.
To this end, the Council authorized the signing of a framework agreement with the specialized group; this will allow engaging in specific discussions around three areas of intervention that have been identified:
- the enhancement of the nutritional program of school canteens;
- the provision of dietary supplements to improve nutritional status in the critical window of the first 1000 days;
- the establishment of a factory in Benin for the processing of local agricultural products into dietary supplements.
II-3. Contractualization for Obtaining Financial Guarantor Institution Accreditation in Favor of the National Fund for Agricultural Development (NFAD).
Despite the qualitative contributions of the FNDA to the agricultural world, its results could be substantially improved if its guarantees were eligible under the current prudential framework within the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).
As this is not the case, this situation negatively influences its acceptance by partner financial institutions.
To improve the quality of this guarantee and expand the range of facilities for access to agricultural financing, the Government has authorized the Fund to seek approval from the WAEMU Banking Regulatory Authority.
The Council has therefore agreed to recruit international expertise to support the FNDA in the process of obtaining the said accreditation as a financial institution for guarantees.
III- INDIVIDUAL MEASURES.
The following appointments have been announced:
At the Presidency of the Republic
President of the National Council of Education: Mr. Noël Ahonagnon GBAGUIDI
At the Ministry of Economy and Finance, in Charge of Cooperation
Director General of the National Center for Digital Investigations (NCID): Mr. Ouanilo MEDEGAN FAGLA
Director General of the Benin Hotel Development Company: Mr. Adjélé Aminou MAMAN
At the Ministry of Health
Technical Advisor for Partnership and Health Policy: Ms. Annonciat Sèmèvo AVIANSOU
Deputy Director of Planning, Administration, and Finance: Mr. Yentabou Florent Jacob AKPLOME
At the Ministry of Digital Affairs
Secretary-General of the Ministry: Mr. Marius ATAYI-GUEDEGBE
At the Ministry of Industry and Commerce
Deputy Director of Cabinet: Madame Emilie TIBOUTE
Technical Advisor for International Agreements: Monsieur Benjamin ALANMENOU
Technical Advisor for Project Monitoring: Monsieur Mohamed Kankou HAMISSOU
Technical Advisor for Commerce: Monsieur Isdine O. Akanni BOURAÏMA
Director of Industrial Development: Madame Murielle H. GNAMBLOHOU.
Done at Cotonou, on January 24, 2024,
The Secretary-General of the Government,
Edouard OUIN-OURO.
