The Staff

USAID/Benin is a small group of about 60 professionals committed to development. Our offices are in three connecting houses, which have been remodeled but which still feel like a home. This is conducive to the family-like atmosphere that reigns here. An uninformed observer might not recognize just how diverse the staff is. We have employees from Niger, Ghana, Togo, Brazil, and the U.S. Of course, the Beninese employees are the mainstay of our staff, and they represent a significant diversity within the Republic of Benin.

How does this diversity help the Mission? We feel privileged to have such a variety of cultural and professional backgrounds, and our discussions of development issues are always rich and varied.

Support offices

Office of Program Coordination (OPC)

OPC provides guidance to the Mission on strategy development, program design, results monitoring, evaluation and reporting, program budgeting, donor coordination, and cross-sectoral and socio-economic issues. It oversees the development of Strategic Objective Agreements, and the execution of the Mission's participant training program. OPC provides translation and editiorial services to the Mission. OPC is responsible for ensuring that Mission activities comply with U.S Government regulations for environmental compliance.

OPC examines initiatives and activities being carried out across the Health, Education, and Governance sectors to take advantage of the many opportunities for synergies, for increasing the flow of benefits derived from interventions for the overall benefit of the program. In its role to ensure effective development coordination, OPC keeps abreast of and analyzes important Government of Benin development strategies such as the Poverty Reduction Strategy, and works with the strategic objective teams to ensure that the USAID program supports these strategies.

Executive Office(EXO)

The Executive Office is a staff of 20 Foreign Service National (FSN) employees who provide administrative and logistical support to all mission programs, projects, personnel and contractors in the ares of ADP, communications and records, personnel, general services, maintenance, warehousing, motorpool, security, safety and travel services.

The USAID/Benin mission also receives regional administrative support services from EXO/Ghana and receives general supervision from the Controller.

One of the real interests of the EXO is its participation in the Mission’s program. This dynamic team works closely with the strategic teams and focuses on anticipating what the Mission needs to achieve its objectives. Executive Office staff involved in the donor's meetings organization.

Office of Procurement (OP)

The Office of Procurement is a service-oriented team of 3 Foreign Service National Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) Specialists led by an American Senior Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) Specialist. This dynamic office provides all acquisition and assistance services for the Mission, from procurement of operational supplies and services to the solicitation, negotiation and award of the Mission's program-funded technical assistance awards.

Office of Financial Management(OFM)

The Office of Financial Management (OFM)/Benin is a team of 11 Foreign Service Nationals (FSNs) led by an American Controller. The main function of this office is to ensure that sound financial management practice is observed in the areas of accounting, payment, budgeting, financial analysis, auditing and internal controls for OE & Program funds managed by the Mission.

In addition, OFM/Benin is a regional office and manages the Ambassador's Special Self Help Funds (SSH) and Democracy and Human Rights Funds (DHRF) for the embassies in Benin, Togo, Gabon, and Sao Tome & Principe. OFM organizes, on an as-needed basis, financial management training sessions for the Mission's staff and partners.

If you need more information, the point of contact is the Controller, Margaret Witherspoon, at phone number (229) 30-05-00 ext.: 3109.

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