In Benin, the Building Resilient and Inclusive Cities (BRIC) program is underway. It was recently launched by José Tonato, the Beninese Minister of Living Environment and Sustainable Development. Focused on the climatic resilience of cities to natural disasters, the initiative will be implemented in seven municipalities plagued by floods. These are Allada and Pobé located in the south of Benin, Aplahoué, Dougou and Lokossa on the Togolese border, Dassa-Zoumé known for its mountainous terrain, as well as Kandi with a population of 20,000.
In September 2022, several schools, plantations and roads linking these municipalities were damaged by flooding. According to Ghislain Hounou, who coordinates the Directorate General of Urban Development (DGDU) in Benin, the “BRIC” will allow the strengthening of sanitation infrastructure and the improvement of the living environment of the population. This will be done through drainage, development and opening up of access roads to the river banks.
For a total cost of 195 billion CFA francs ($323 million), the project is financed to the tune of 65 billion CFA francs (about $108 million) by the Beninese government, with support of 130 billion CFA francs ($215 million) from the World Bank. The Bretton Woods institution, represented in Benin by Atou Seck, is also supporting the Cotonou Rainwater Sanitation Program (PAPC) at a total cost of 264 billion CFA francs, more than 402 million euros.
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The PAPC underway in Benin’s economic capital involves the construction of 90 km of secondary collectors and street side gutters, the construction of 7 retention basins, as well as the acquisition of equipment for solid waste collection. This initiative is similar to the Porto-Novo ville verte (PNVV) project financed to the tune of 6.2 billion CFA francs (9.5 million euros) by the French Development Agency (AFD), with the objective of paving 369 m of roadway, constructing 821 m of gutters near the site of the National Assembly under construction, and developing green spaces in the Beninese capital.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi