Benin

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (http://AfDB.org) meeting in Abidjan today approved a €102.12 million loan to Benin to implement the first phase of the Agriculture Transformation Programme in the country's savannah region.

The programme aims to sustainably increase national poultry meat production in line with required standards by integrating maize, soybean and poultry value chains. Success will strengthen food sovereignty and security in Benin, create jobs and promote inclusive economic development.

Through this project, the African Development Bank Group is promoting the use of appropriate agricultural technologies with private sector involvement to improve productivity in the savannah zone, drawing inspiration from transformation of the Cerrado in Brazil, which has become a ‘food basket' for that country.

Robert Masumbuko, Country Manager for the African Development Bank Group in Benin said the programme would be implemented in several phases to support gradual growth of the poultry sector, particularly broiler production, which has high input requirements.

The project, which will run between 2026 and 2030, will see the cultivation of 120,000 hectares of maize and 80,000 hectares of soya, leading to annual production of around 41,000 tonnes of poultry. Beneficiaries will be provided with broiler chicken farming kits, certified seeds, fertilisers and plant protection products. Smallholder farmers will also receive portable equipment to improve sowing and crop management. The project aims to promote good agricultural practice, structured water management, resilience and adaptation to climate change, as well as pest control.

The programme will establish a multi-stakeholder platform for agricultural and environmental research on maize and soybean-based cropping systems. It will also promote climate-resilient and nutrient-rich seeds. Storage capacity will be strengthened through the construction of 1000-tonne barns (60 units), 500-tonne barns (90 units) and drying areas (150 units, each of 200 square metres).

Implementation of the Programme in Benin's savannah region will directly benefit some 50,000 people, with a further 500,000 benefiting indirectly, of which 30% of each target groups will be women.

Media contact:
Alexis Adélé
Communications and External Relations Department
media@afdb.org

About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group is Africa's premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). Represented in 41 African countries, with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org

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The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund approved additional financing of $28 million for Benin to continue the Economic Governance and Private Sector Development Support Programme (PAGE-DSP) on 24 November 2025.

Following phases I and II, which were successfully implemented in 2023 and 2024, respectively, the objective of this financial support is to increase the contribution made by Benin's private sector to the economy. Specifically, it aims to improve the business climate, strengthen Special Economic Zones, support the agro-industrial sector and enhance climate resilience.

"This additional funding concludes the exemplary implementation of the first two phases of the programme by the Government of the Republic of Benin," said Robert Masumbuko, the African Development Bank Group's Country Manager in Benin.

In terms of expected outcomes, the programme aims to contribute to achieving convincing results by 2025: an increase in private investment to 35.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025 (compared with 29.9 percent in 2022); an increase in the amount of investment in the Glo-Djigbé Special Economic Zone to 23 billion CFA francs, approximately $40.5 million (compared with 11 billion CFA francs, approximately $19.3 million in 2021); and an increase in the value added of agri-food industries to 7.7 percent of GDP in 2025 (compared with 6.1 percent in 2022).

"This programme consolidates the results of the first two phases, which totalled approximately $100 million," said Ammar Kessab, Senior Programme Manager at the African Development Bank.

Several measures will be implemented as part of the programme. In particular, the Council of Ministers will adopt a decree on the National Competition Authority, which will define its powers, composition and funding. Bringing the Authority into operation will enable it to contribute to national competition policy and ensure free competition. A similar decision will concern the Directorate for the Promotion of E-commerce, which will be responsible for implementing the National E-commerce Strategy 2025–2029.

Another measure provides for updating the gender assessment in the agricultural sector to bring it into line with the "gender-responsive budgeting" approach. The gender assessment in the agricultural sector had not taken this approach to budgeting – which is now a requirement for all sectoral ministries – into account. The approach will enable the State to target its interventions aimed at women more effectively.

Media contact:
Alexis Adélé
Department of Communication and External Relations
media@afdb.org

About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group is Africa's premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). Represented in 41 African countries, with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org