At the same time, Benin faces important future challenges, among them: Constitutional changes and succession politics seem to consume much political energy today, with the two major political figures over the past decade and a half poised to retire. The realization of decentralization has a number of implications for good governance, fiscal responsibility, and increased political competition. A reduction in the level of corruption in public and economic life as the credibility of the state rests in the balance and mismanagement threatens the basic capacity of the state to function. Finally, the overwhelming need for sustained economic growth whose benefits reach the increasing number of poor in the nation will inevitably be the key to Benin's ability to maintain and improve the quality of democratic governance into the future.

USAID experience with other democracy and governance programs has shown that the impact is greater when they are closely linked to programs in other sectors such as health, education, or economic growth. USAID/Benin recognized that there is a great deal of initiative and potential within the productive sector.

USAID/Benin modified its democracy and governance objective in 2002 to focus on governance and emphasize its importance in relation to economic productivity and the social sectors, particularly in health and education. The program emphasizes community participation in local decision making as this affects health care, schools and livelihoods. The Governance program has implemented a number of activities focused on promoting community participation in governance, encouraging greater transparency and accountability in government and in the private sector and improving the productivity of small producers.

USAID promotes better governance by providing training and technical assistance to members of local government, local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community groups. This assistance supports decentralization and devolution of authority to local communities to strengthen the fight against corruption and child trafficking, improve the productivity of small farmers and producers in targeted areas of Benin, and reinforce the capacities of local microfinance institutions.

1. Decentralization: Local elected officials are mandated to carry out activities for local development, while civil society is expected to assume greater responsibilities in monitoring performance and participating in local decision-making. The USAID/Benin program aims at increasing civil society's participation in decentralization. Decentralization is the first cross-cutting activity developed and co-funded by all three objective teams (Education, Family Health and Governance). It focuses on four regions of Benin ( Mono, Couffo, Alibori and Borgou). The program increases local government's transparency and outreach for greater citizens' involvement. It also increases civil society participation and oversight in local development through training, advocacy and monitoring of micro projects. The activity aims at improving capacities in identifying needs, planning, achieving and evaluating local development results. Civil society involvement in local governance increases collaboration, oversight and, through greater transparency and accountability, shows that elected officials are responsive to local needs and priorities of its citizens.
   Research Triangle Institute International - Decentralization

2. Anti-corruption: Improving accountability requires detecting and/or punishing corrupt acts. USAID/Benin intends to continue complementing other partners' efforts by placing greater emphasis on improving detection. To do this, USAID/Benin strengthens the capacities of public and private organizations to promote transparency and accountability. The anticorruption activity endevors to reduce corruption at the local level, and reinforce the capacities of public auditing institutions and advocacy groups to investigate, track and denounce corrupt behaviors. USAID/Benin has a fine record of accomplishment in providing support to civil society. In addition to human resources shortcomings and an inability to confront government head on, civil society must also be prepared to confront specific roadblocks affecting their ability to monitor government behavior. The most important of these is the absence of a legal right to information in Benin.

3. Gender: In Benin, as in most developing countries, women contribute substantially to national production as well as household income. However, the majority of women, especially those in rural areas, continue to face numerous constraints. These include the absence of gender-equitable legislation, limited access to land and capital, as well as the lack of political, social and decision-making powers. USAID/Benin tacitly integrates gender considerations into program activities. For example, the Basic Education Team supports the institutionalization of a network for the promotion of girls' education. The Family Health Team works with women's NGOs to disseminate health-related information. The Governance Team created a network of grassroots women's NGOs. This network aims to encourage women to participate in the decision-making process.

The platform on gender drafted by a Beninese Women's NGO network and funded by USAID now serves as a guide and stepping stone for women's participation in political and economic decision-making. With the support of the WID Office (Africa Bureau/Washington), the Mission is actively working towards integrating gender considerations as a crosscutting theme in its program portfolio and all relevant activities. In 2004, a new family code was promulgated which extends a greater voice to women in Benin. Under the women's Legal Rights project (WLR), an activity supported with core funding from EGAT/WID, women's rights under the new code are being disseminated to a broad audience. This law is the legal foundation for an environment that affords greater participation in economic, social and political life of Benin.


4. Microfinance: USAID/Benin is also supporting the Catholic Relief Service (CRS) village bank program. Since 1998 USAID/Benin has been engaged in strengthening microfinance in Benin. Vital Finance, a local microfinance organization, became a viable, efficient and sustainable micro-finance institution in record time--four years instead of the recommended seven years by industry standards. Today, Vital Finance, with its 16,000 clients among which 85 percent are women, is considered one of the top performers in Benin. In 2004, to maximize impact, USAID/Benin expanded the scope of its microfinance interventions by targeting the whole sector. The assistance aims to strengthen capacities of local microfinance institutions and networks to effectively provide financial services to rural communities thereby contributing to poverty reduction and improving citizens' participation in decision-making. Through Food for Peace, USAID/W is also supporting the CRS village banking program. USAID wants to help microfinance institutions improve their performance and promote new microfinance products such as micro insurance and lending tools to rural communities. The Governance team also reinforces the capacities of the Microfinance unit of the Ministry of Finance through training and computer and office equipment.  Microfinance

5. MISTOWA: USAID/Benin, through a buy-in with the West African Regional Program's (WARP) MISTOWA project, is currently promoting a Market Information System to increase Beninese farmers' and traders' capacities to access regional market opportunities. MISTOWA links traders, bankers, and policy makers to improve trade flow along the Abidjan-Lagos trade corridor. In Benin, MISTOWA endeavors to increase food security, targets agro-forestry promotion and tree nursery development to mitigate rural deforestation, prevent soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and vegetation cover.  Mistowa





6. Reducing Child Trafficking: USAID signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the MFPSS, and developed an Action Plan in collaboration with the Directorate of Family, Childhood and Adolescence (DFCA), which is created to fight child labor and trafficking in Benin and provide educational opportunities for child laborers, particularly those engaged in domestic labor (vidomègons) and those who are illegally trafficked abroad. Through this action plan, USAID/Benin provided institutional support, including essential equipment and training for the Centers of Social Promotion (Centre de Promotion Social: CPS) and Local Committees fighting against child trafficking, created with the support of UNICEF, in target rural areas. The objective of the training activities is to reinforce the capacity of the CPS to supervise the Local Committees and of the CPS and the Local Committees to discourage traffickers and protect vulnerable children in the Mono, Borgou and Oueme Regions.

   USAID/Benin also aims to reinforce the rule of law to protect and promote citizen's rights and interests, and improve the technical capacities of the DFCA, the "Centre de Promotion Social" (CPS) social workers and the Local Committees fighting against child labor and trafficking. A significant part of the present program aims at drafting legislation, tracking traffickers and reinserting trafficked & abandoned children, to complement awareness and social actions implemented by the GOB, UNICEF and the European Community, in collaboration with civil society organizations.
   

7. Benin P.L. 480 Title II Program:The Benin P.L. 480 Title II program, managed by Catholic Relief Services, is a four-year program and is scheduled to end in September 2005. This activity is managed by the USAID/Benin Governance Team in collaboration with the Regional Food for Peace Office in Dakar. In its Multi-Year Assistance Program (MYAP), Catholic Relief Services (CRS) will work directly with Benin's most vulnerable communities in northwestern Benin to reduce food insecurity. This will be achieved through a geographically and sectorally integrated program of health, education, microenterprise development and non-emergency humanitarian assistance interventions. The program will focus on eight of the most food insecure districts in the Atacora and Donga regions in northwestern Benin, where the malnutrition rate is over 30% and a CRS nutrition study showing that rural Atacora suffers from a malnutrition rate of over 45%. Humanitarian assistance programming will reach the most vulnerable in the targeted regions throughout Benin and will complement on-going CRS/Benin non-MYAP programs.

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