Benin country strategic plan (2019 - 2023)

CSP approved at EB June 2019

Revision 01 approved by the CD in December 2019.

Revision 02 approved by the CD in September 2020.

Revision 05 approved by the RD in February 2023..

With a gross domestic product of USD 9.27 billion in 2017 and a 2017 Global Hunger Index score of 24.4, the Republic of Benin is a low-income, food-deficit country that has succeeded in reducing chronic malnutrition but still faces development challenges, including food insecurity, malnutrition and gender inequalities. Wasting, stunting and micronutrient deficiencies persist among large segments of the population, with variations among regions and between rural and urban localities.

The proposed country strategic plan for 2019–2023 will enable WFP to reposition itself and transition from providing direct assistance to performing an advisory and enabling role, supporting the Government in the design and implementation of a national integrated home-grown school feeding programme.

Based on a 2018 zero hunger strategic review, evaluations and lessons learned and in line with government priorities, WFP will take an integrated approach to support the Government in addressing food insecurity at the household, community and individual levels, focusing on root causes through school feeding under an integrated, nutrition-sensitive, multisectoral approach (with linkages to social protection, education, health, agriculture, hygiene and sanitation); nutrition assistance, with an emphasis on the prevention of malnutrition, including micronutrient deficiencies among children and pregnant and lactating women and girls; and institutional capacity strengthening, with home-grown school feeding as an entry point for promoting local food production, particularly in support of smallholder farmers, especially women.

Demand-driven institutional capacity strengthening is central to WFP’s approach, and WFP will work through partnerships to maximize its effectiveness.

The country strategic plan is aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Government’s national development plan for 2018–2025 and the United Nations development assistance framework for Benin for 2019–2023. It will contribute to Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 17 and to WFP Strategic Results 1, 2, and 3 through the following three strategic outcomes:

• Strategic outcome 1: Vulnerable populations in Benin, including school-aged children, have adequate access to safe, nutritious food and basic social services all year.
• Strategic outcome 2: Vulnerable populations, including children under 5 and pregnant and lactating women and girls in targeted areas, have improved nutritional status in line with national targets by 2023.
• Strategic outcome 3: National and local institutions in Benin have increased capacity, and improved inclusive systems for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2, including for integrated school meals and food security, by 2023.

WFP will adopt a whole-of-society approach1 and will leverage partnerships with national, regional and international financial institutions, United Nations agencies, civil society and non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and the private sector to address Benin’s hunger and malnutrition. The country strategic plan for 2019–2023 will pave the way for full capacity strengthening, policy support and an advocacy focus in country strategic plans beyond 2030.

The country strategic plan is the result of a wide-ranging consultative process within the country involving all stakeholders, including the Government, United Nations agencies, donors, non-governmental organizations and other public and private sector partners. It also responds to the priorities identified in the zero hunger strategic review conducted in 2018.