Benin/ ANCB and AIMF facilitate the inclusion of the Diaspora in the development of Benin's Territories

(Mayor of Cotonou, President of ANCB and Vice-President of AIMF praised for positioning these three Beninese cities)

ANCB and AIMF facilitate the inclusion of the Diaspora in the development of Benin's Territories

(Mayor of Cotonou, President of ANCB and Vice-President of AIMF praised for positioning these three Beninese cities)

As part of the "Invest in Diaspora" project, developed by Diaspora Impact in partnership with AIMF, the ANCB and three Beninese cities have benefited from support from the Association Internationale des Maires Francophones (AIMF) to explore, develop and implement projects with Diaspora funding. For a pilot phase of the "Invest in Diaspora" project, the Beninese cities of Cotonou, Porto-Novo and Abomey-Calavi are being considered. These exchange sessions kicked off on December 04 in the commune of Abomey-Calavi, with the presence of authorities such as the Mayor's Chief of Staff, representing the Mayor, the Executive Secretary, the President of the Abomey-Calavi Business Association and the President of the Abomey-Calavi Business Association.Commission, the Director of Administrative and Financial Affairs, the Director of Local Development and Prospective, and members of the ANCB project team. They continued in the cities of Porto-Novo and Cotonou, with a wrap-up at ANCB which saw the brilliant participation of representatives of the Caisse de Dépôt et de Consignation du Bénin. A project that is now being implemented in Benin, thanks to the dynamism of the ANCB President and AIMF Vice-President. Luc Sètondji Atrokpo was declared a major player in the development of Benin's communes by participants at the wrap-up session on Friday December 06, 2024.

In order to identify and formulate the projects to be submitted for financing, AIMF initiated preliminary work in these three Beninese cities, through exchange sessions, training, presentation of projects and the development of a network of local authorities.These included exchange sessions, training, strategy presentations and strategic co-construction workshops with Samir BOUZIDI, international expert in mobilizing African diasporas and CEO of the "Impact Diaspora" solidarity startup.

The aim of this mission is to share with local players quality information on the Beninese diaspora, its potential and its readiness to support the development dynamic underway in local communities. The aim was also to take stock of the situation, identifying proven potential, priority actions and the various constraints to be anticipated, with a view to formulating a roadmap to facilitate the preparation of projects to be submitted for funding. At the end of this exchange mission, a strategic roadmap for mobilizing the Diaspora for the development of the three cities will be drawn up by the Expert, Samir BOUZIDI, CEO of the "Impact Diaspora" solidarity startup. This roadmap will take into account the priority areas for diaspora involvement, the objectives to be achieved, the conditions for implementation and the broad outlines of the action plan.

A diaspora among the best in Africa.

According to expert Samir BOUZIDI, CEO, Benin's diaspora is estimated to number between 3.5 and 4 million individuals, living in over forty countries.It represents a largely under-exploited source of investment, financial flows, skills and international soft power. According to the data presented at this session, remittances from the Beninese diaspora account for 4% of GDP. So how can the three Beninese cities involved in the pilot phase of this project make the most of this potential through their municipal development plans? According to the Expert, the Beninese diaspora has identified a number of promising sectors for investment.These include sectors such as economic development (agri-food, tech, public transport, etc.); tourism (the diaspora as investors and customers); the real estate and tourism sectors (the diaspora as investors and customers); real estate and housing (personal purchases, participation in investment funds...); aid to vulnerable populations (in priority : children and women); professional training and mentoring (municipal staff, young entrepreneurs....); digitization of city management (collections, infrastructure management, etc.), etc.

Abomey-Calavi in phase with the project

According to the mayor's chief of staff, who presented the ANCB project team and the Expert with the key objectives of the PDC for the fourth term of office, and with which the diaspora's investment projects should be aligned, Abomey-Calavi is in phase with the project.By 2030, the commune plans to make Kpanhoun and Zinvié an attractive economic hub, with an integrated agropastoral production, processing and marketing project to create jobs. The second flagship project is to promote the Abomey Calavi tourist destination and federate cultural and culinary events (over 52 existing tourist sites to be developed). The third project concerns the creation of a multi-purpose shopping center on the former IITA site in the Calavi Centre district. The project for the creation and operation of a waste collection, treatment and recovery entity. The project to turn former sand quarries into multi-purpose centers for leisure training, livestock farms, museums, etc. The sixth key objective is to enhance the banks of the lakes and waterways of the Abomey Calavi commune (Lake Nokoué and Togba, the Djonou, Togbin and Djissou lagoons, etc.). This project will enable the commune of Abomey Calavi to balance the use and management of the aquatic resources of the commune's lakes and rivers, by enhancing their attractiveness, functionality and environmental resilience.

It should be noted that, at the end of the discussions, the sectoral objectives set for the commune's development through the PDC were in line with the expectations of the International Expert in Mobilizing African Diasporas and the team from the PDC's project unit.ANCB project team, which would facilitate the development of a strategic roadmap for mobilizing the diaspora to finance sectoral development projects.

After Abomey-Calavi, the expert travelled to Porto Novo, Cotonou for the same exercise and to ANCB headquarters for summary work.

the audiovisual version :

Source: lemondelocal.com/