The Dutch government is granting Benin €180 million (nearly CFA 118.1 billion). The loan is intended to finance three projects in the country, two of which concern the supply of drinking water and the preservation of water bodies from pollution.
The 180 million euro (about 118.1 billion CFA francs) financing from the Netherlands will be granted to Benin via the investment institution, Invest International. The loan agreement was signed on 4 October 2022 between Benin’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Romuald Wadagni, and the institution’s Director General Joor Orthuizen.
According to the Beninese authorities, part of the loan will be used to implement the project to strengthen the supply of drinking water in northern Benin. The project involves the construction of new water supply systems in the towns of Karimama, Cobly and Gogounou. The project will also rehabilitate several existing facilities in northern Benin, in the towns of Natitingou, Toucountouna and Copargo.
De-pollution of Lake Nokoué and the Porto-Novo lagoon
The realisation of this project will accelerate the achievement of the United Nations’ 6th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 6) which calls for universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation by 2030. According to World Bank data, 73% of the rural population of Benin has access to safe drinking water to date.
With funding from the Netherlands, the Beninese authorities also plan to develop and rehabilitate Lake Nokoué and the Porto-Novo lagoon. Both bodies of water are exposed to several forms of pressure resulting from human activities, including pollution and soil erosion. A project to clean up Lake Nokoué and the Porto-Novo lagoon was announced by the Beninese government in April 2020.
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As part of this project, the populations that have settled anarchically on the beaches will be moved. To this end, a feasibility study is underway for the dredging of Lake Nokoué and the Porto-Novo lagoon. Complementary technical studies are also being carried out for the dredging and rehabilitation of the critical Djondji-Hounkloun junction, which links the coastal lagoons of Grand-Popo and Ouidah to Lake Ahémé via the Ahô channel. This junction was the only migration point between the sea and continental waters for fishing equipment.
The development of the artisanal fishing port of Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin, is also included in the portfolio of projects benefiting from Dutch funding.
Inès Magoum
