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Fighting Corruption: Beninese Civil Society Takes Charge.

To support anti-corruption efforts, USAID has funded (since 1996) several Non-Governmental Organizations to undertake awareness campaigns, promote public debates on radio and TV, and encourage the media to probe corruption cases. Today, organizations such as the National Front of Organizations against Corruption (FONAC), and Transparency International/Benin and other NGOs are more determined than ever to combat corruption.

Although contract tampering is still a problem in the Government of Benin's procurement services, the participation of civil society has led to the strong denunciation of public officials involved in corruption at all levels. Today, victimized citizens of corruption count on FONAC (a civil society anti-corruption entity) to come to their rescue.

Prior to the first-ever National Anti-corruption day (January 15th, 2004) organized by FONAC with financial assistance from USAID/Benin, the NGO network decided to bring complaints of corruption to the attention of the general public. Several of these complaints involved high-ranking public officials and are barometers of the level of corruption in the Government of Benin (GOB).

The Government of Benin procurement policy emphasizes competitive bidding. However, the process is not always transparent. Special interests often fix bidding or tamper with contracts after they are awarded. To stem corruption, the Government of Benin (GOB) created a National Public Procurement Verification Commission which includes a number of civil society watchdog organizations such as the FONAC, a network of anti-corruption advocacy NGOs, supported by USAID/Benin, to ensure that procurement procedures are followed.

The Ministry of Environment, Housing and City Planning was recruiting a contractor for a feasibility study that would ultimately lead to the implementation of a development project in Djougou, a city located in northern Benin. Following a transparent solicitation and review process, the decision was made to award the contract to the most qualified candidate, "Bureau d'Ingénierie et de Management" (BIM). When presented with the selection committee report, the Minister challenged the decision on the grounds that the selection committee overlooked essential factors and should have selected his candidate, a company named SERAU SEM, in which he is a shareholder. Having realized that it could not meet all the requirements under the scrutiny of an active civil society, the Minister's company, SERAU SEM, decided to withdraw from the competition and (BIM) was awarded the contract. No sooner had this occurred than the Minister challenged the decision and again decided to unilaterally award the contract to SERAU SEM, thereby circumventing the validation of the National Procurement Verification Commission. Further investigation by FONAC led to the publication of the complaint of BIM. In response to FONAC's action, both the Vice President of the NGO and the Minister of Environment were invited to a face-to-face nationwide TV debate. Each party justified its position, but the Minister failed to convince public opinion on the legality of his recommendation. The Managing Director of BIM vehemently reacted by challenging the Minister's justification and challenged the Minister in court. The debate has demonstrated to the public the level of entrenchment of corruption in Benin's society and civil society's determination to confront the problem. This case would not have become public without FONAC's intervention.

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