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BENIN
Activity Data Sheet
>> AFR Regional Overview >> Benin Overview PROGRAM: BENIN
TITLE AND NUMBER: Improved Governance and Reinforced Democracy, 680-003
STATUS: Continuing
PLANNED FY 2001 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $1,485,000 DA
PROPOSED FY 2002 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $923,000 DA
INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 1996; ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 2003Summary: Benin continues to consolidate its democracy at the macro level. However, Benin's success in improving democratic governance has not equaled its success in establishing a democratic system of government. Authority remains primarily at the central level, while the legislature is weak relative to executive powers. Weak public sector planning, budgeting and audit mechanisms constrain the Ministries of Education and Health, and contribute to poor basic education and health services. The lack of a transparent, fair and predictable legal and regulatory environment limits private and local initiatives and weakens the participation of civil society in national and local decision making. USAID's objective is to strengthen civil society's advocacy and networking skills, improve transparency and accountability of public and democratic institutions, improve the environment to promote local and private initiatives, support Benin's governmental decentralization process, and improve the legislative and deliberative performance of the legislature. This crosscutting program supports other USAID interventions in education and health sectors.
The FY 2001 USAID plans to obligation ($1,485,000) in development assistance. These funds will assist U.S. Private Voluntary Organizations (U.S. PVOs) and local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), national audit institutions, the national legislature and local elections and relief and conflict activities. (The P.L. 480 Title II resources managed by Catholic Relief Services will also fund this activity).
In FY 2002, USAID anticipates providing ($923,000) in development assistance to continue this ongoing activity trains citizens through NGOs to focus on decision-making and the need for their financial contributions in development activities; participatory democracy including the links between decentralization and economic growth.
Key Results: During this period, considerable progress was made on all planned results. The Inspector General's Office (IGF) recruited more public auditors. Through USAID financed training the auditors acquired advanced capacities to conduct audits on public accounts and to assess USAID-funded projects. Through USAID's assistance, a legislative reform committee was formed within the Benin National Assembly to ensure a successful reform of the Benin legislature. The parliament is starting to assume its role of checks and balances for the executive branch. In addition, the legislators revised the electoral code to redefine the role of the Permanent Secretariat of the Electoral Commission.
Through the Benin Indigenous Non-Governmental Organizations Strengthening (BINGOS) training, more NGOs are advocating for change and influencing decision making. Through the introduction of modernized appropriate technology, an increasing number of small-scale Beninese farmers who have achieved great success, have expressed interest in diversifying their indigenous farming activities. This success generated responses to consider other sub-sectors this year. The micro credit activity has exceeded its targeted client levels for selected poor communities, with 86% of beneficiaries being women. The activity is extending services to a third local community to ensure that other disadvantaged small-scale entrepreneurs and poor development groups including women's groups receive micro loans. It is expected that beneficiaries of this activity will increase their income levels and confidently participate in local decision-making processes.
Performance and Prospects: Overall, the program is progressing as planned. The GOB continues to demonstrate a firm commitment to the democratic process and improved governance. In supporting the GOB's commitment, USAID played a key role among donors in electoral reform, strengthening civil society organizations and reinforcing the legislature, while complementing the efforts of other donors to consolidate democracy and governance. BINGOS NGOs are now seen as model NGOs due to their professionalism and are considered the most functional NGOs in their localities. NGO advocacy efforts are gaining momentum and producing concrete impacts. To sustain NGO advocacy, BINGOS NGO training graduates have created a governance network to advocate for effective local development. In order to ensure sustainability and as part of its efforts to support decentralization, USAID will continue to work with NGOs that graduated from the BINGOS program and other local civil society networks to improve collaboration between local government and NGOs, especially on delivery of health and education services. USAID will conduct an evaluation on the impact of NGOs on health and education services.
Increased performance of the Inspector General's Office and civil society actions are beginning to bear fruit. Public awareness and social consciousness on corruption issues are growing stronger through public forum and debates on various anti-corruption themes, carried out by a local NGO and other civic action groups funded by USAID. An activity to strengthen the capacities of the National Assembly started in FY 01; legislators as well as technical staff and specialized committees are all participating in the training. USAID will assist the National Assembly better understand its role in passing laws, particularly those affecting education and health. During the reporting period, USAID financed an assessment of the multi-party system to recommend improvements to the political party charter. The team of local consultants have revised the charter and submitted a bill to the National Assembly. It is expected that the revised political party charter, when passed, will help reduce the present 120 political parties to a more appropriate number to stimulate effective political participation in the democratic process. USAID also worked with the Chamber of Accounts of the Supreme Court to conduct control of Beninese political parties' spending and ensure that political parties comply with reporting procedures resulting from the March 2001 Presidential elections. USAID will continue to finance anti-corruption activities, assist civil society to draft anti-corruption legislation, and assist the Chamber of Accounts to become an independent audit institution. USAID financed a training of local women NGOs to promote their participation in decision-making. During the training, NGOs developed a national platform document that will serve as a stepping stone to greater women's participation in political decision-making. USAID will continue to promote women's participation in politics through local women's NGO networks.
USAID is contributing to decentralized economic growth through small loans to disadvantaged groups, transfer of appropriate technologies to artisans, small-scale rural farmers and local development groups and using Parent Teacher Associations in marketing schemes. An impact evaluation conducted this period reported that each gardener using the garden water pumps financed by USAID made an average annual increase of $715 on their yearly income as compared to a gardener not using the pump. USAID funded other farming sub-sectors, such as production of local economical cooking stove, palm oil production, which includes introduction of hybrid palm seed and a modernized palm oil press. Local women's groups as well as Parent Teacher Associations are cultivating hybrid palm farms, which serve as demonstration farms to encourage local farmers and populations. When the palm fruits are harvested and sold, proceeds go into a common fund to reduce tuition costs for school children. Under the micro credit program, loans were issued to very poor clients, defined as those whose assets are less than $333. Women make up 86% of the beneficiaries. In order to ensure sustainability, USAID will continue to support the reinforcement of the managerial and institutional capacities of local micro-finance institutions, and also extend assistance to other farming sub-sectors such as quality local potato and sunflower oil production. USAID will start a decentralization program in FY 2003 to prepare central government to assume their new role and reinforce local government through training.
Possible Adjustments to Plans: USAID will place greater emphasis on creating capacity for local governance. USAID will also encourage increased collaboration among the planned local governments and civil society to address local development concerns.
Other Donor Programs: Switzerland supports local grassroots initiatives. Germany intervenes in decentralization, civic education and the School of Administration. Denmark finances local NGO grassroots initiatives. France works on judicial reform, decentralization and public administration. The World Bank assists GOB financial and administrative reform and supports the National Unit of Public Ethics. Canada assists public administration reform and improvements in the private sector environment. UNDP assists electoral coordination, public administration, and Internet access.
Principal Contractors, Grantees or Agencies: Current contractors and grantees include: Africare, Appropriate Technologies International, Volunteers in Technical Assistance, and the State University of New York/International Development Group. GOB partners include the National Assembly, Office of the Inspector General of Finance, the Chamber of Accounts, GOB Decentralization Mission and local NGOs such as Transparency International Benin.
FY 2002 Performance Tables
Performance Measures:
Indicator FY97 (Actual) FY98 (Actual) FY99 (Actual) FY00 (Actual) FY00 (Plan) FY01 (Plan) FY02 (Plan) Indicator 1: Percentage of total number of laws initiated annually by the National Assembly NA NA NA 0.04 NA 0.05 0.08 Indicator 2: Number of BINGOS NGOs that scored over 50% in transparency and honesty NA 8 41 55 45 NA NA Indicator 3: Percentage of loans issued by USAID-supported institutions serving very poor women NA NA 0.8 0.85 0.8 **80% **80% Indicator 4: Number of public accounts audited annually by Supreme Audit Institutions NA NA 54 77 75 109 127 Indicator Information:
Indicator Level (S) or (IR) Unit of Measure Source Indicator Description Indicator 1: IR Percentage per calendar year National Assembly Law Repertory Percentage of laws initiated by parliamentarians over the total number of laws voted annually by the National Assembly Indicator 2: IR Total count per calendar year BINGOS 2000 evaluation report Actual number of BINGOS NGOs: - whose credibility enables them to mobilize financial resources - are engaged in running transparent, accountable operations - have distinct organs with governance and executive roles, that are fully operational Indicator 3: IR percentage per calendar year VITA Micro-bank MIS Percentage of loan budget issued each year to the very poor women groups within disadvantaged communities whose assets are less than US $333. Indicator 4: IR Total count per calendar year Annual activity reports of Chamber of Accounts and Office of Inspector General of Finance Number of public accounts audited annually by the Supreme Audit Institutions (Office of the Inspector-General of Finance and the Chamber of Accounts) for which audit reports have been approved by the government. U.S. Financing
(In thousands of dollars)
Obligations Expenditures Unliquidated Through September 30, 1999 6,942 DA 2,256 DA 4,686 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 CSD 100 ESF 40 ESF 60 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 FSA 5,093 DFA 5,093 DFA 0 DFA Fiscal Year 2000 1,324 DA 3,232 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 350 ESF 40 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA Through September 30, 2000 8,266 DA 5,488 DA 2,778 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 CSD 450 ESF 80 ESF 370 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 FSA 5,093 DFA 5,093 DFA 0 DFA Prior Year Unobligated Funds 0 DA 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 DFA Planned Fiscal Year 2001 NOA 1,485 DA 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 DFA Total Planned Fiscal Year 2001 1,485 DA 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 DFA Future Obligations Est. Total Cost Proposed Fiscal Year 2002 NOA 923 DA 2,000 DA 12,674 DA CSD 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 ESF 950 ESF 1,400 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA 5,093 DFA
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Last Updated on: May 29, 2002 |
