Benin country strategic plan (2024–2027)

CSP approved at EB November 2023 session

Benin is a lower-middle-income country of 13.7 million inhabitants with a gross domestic product of USD 17.1 billion. The country has a young population, with two thirds of Beninese aged under 25. The population is unevenly distributed: 70 percent live in the southern quarter of the country. The national poverty rate is 38.5 percent, rising to almost 44.2 percent in rural areas. Benin ranked 166 of 191 countries in the Human Development Index in 2022. The primary school completion rate declined from 81 percent in 2016 to 62 percent in 2020, before picking up again to 73 percent in 2021.

Food insecurity remains high. The latest cadre harmonisé figures estimate that 547,422 Beninese are severely food insecure (in Integrated Food Security Phase Classification phase 3 or 4). Almost 83 percent of households are unable to afford a healthy diet.

WFP has been supporting the Government of Benin since 2017 with the implementation of the national integrated school feeding programme (programme national d’alimentation scolaire intégré), which reaches 75 percent of public primary schools. The Government has committed to ensuring full coverage of all primary schools and has already allocated more than USD 200 million for a five-year cycle of the programme. WFP has been requested to implement the national programme and will continue to support the enhancement and extension of the programme with the aim of strengthening community resilience and programme sustainability, mainly through the promotion of local procurement and home-grown school feeding.

This country strategic plan is based on the analysis and strategic orientation of the Government’s national action plan for 2021–2026 and the United Nations sustainable development cooperation framework. It envisages a continuation of WFP’s implementation of the national school feeding programme and the provision of technical assistance and policy advisory work, leveraging WFP’s successful and long-lasting partnerships with the Government and other national and international stakeholders to achieve three country strategic plan outcomes:

➢ Outcome 1: People affected by shocks in Benin can meet urgent food and nutrition needs before, during and after shocks, by 2027.

➢ Outcome 2: School-age children and communities in Benin have access to affordable, nutritious diets and basic social services as a result of the leveraging of the school feeding programme as an entry point for the achievement of enhanced nutrition, health and education outcomes, by 2027.

➢ Outcome 3: Targeted institutions and systems in Benin have strengthened capacity to implement school feeding and other inclusive programmes to promote food security and nutrition, by 2027.

The country strategic plan provides support in strategic areas prioritized by the Government and through it, WFP will endeavour to respond to challenges related to gender inequality. In addition to contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 17, the country strategic plan will enhance Benin’s capability to achieve Sustainable Development Goals 1 (no poverty), 4 (quality education) and 5 (gender equality). Implementation of the plan will contribute to the achievement of WFP strategic outcomes 1 (People are better able to meet their urgent food and nutrition needs), 2 (People have better nutrition, health and education outcomes) and 4 (National programmes and systems are strengthened).