Benin/Promoting health equity: Kilibo health center officially inaugurated after rehabilitation

The Kilibo health center has been given a facelift. The infrastructure has undergone a complete metamorphosis following its rehabilitation thanks to the Equity project financed by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and implemented by Enabel. On Thursday July 10, 2025, the Minister of Health, Professor Benjamin HOUNKPATIN, and his colleague in charge of Social Affairs and Microfinance, Madame Véronique TOGNIFODÉ, took delivery of the center in the presence of its partners.

Kilibo has regained confidence in its health center. Thanks to the excellent partnership between the Government of Benin, AFD and ENABEL, this metamorphosis is changing habits. According to statistics, the Kilibo maternity hospital, which is a SONU-B maternity hospital, has recorded 45 deliveries since its renovation, compared with 18 in the past. The same is true of the health center, which has seen a marked improvement in its attendance rate.

By implementing this project, AFD and ENABEL are supporting the vision of President Patrice TALON's government to offer quality healthcare to all Beninese, wherever they may be. The renovated Kilibo center includes a Maternity Unit, a Dispensary Unit, a Laboratory and Administrative Unit, a room for accompanying staff, and accommodation for the Doctor, the Midwife and the Major.

On the occasion of the reception ceremony, the Director of the Agence Française de Développement, Mrs. Laure WEISGERBER, underlined the importance of this health center for the populations of Kilibo and surrounding localities. "Thanks to this new center, thousands of people in Kilibo and the surrounding areas will have adequate access to quality healthcare and local medical support. quality health care, local medical support, maternal and child health services and more humane care," she said.

In Kilibo, people's perception of the need for healthcare is changing with this new building, which offers unrivalled comfort and quality of care. The government, through the Ministry of Health, is supporting this dynamic initiative by medicalizing the renovated health center, equipping it with an ambulance and reinforcing health human resources throughout the Ouèssè commune.

The Mayor of the Commune, Mr Ibidon Firmin AKPO, is delighted and expresses his gratitude to the Government. "I would like to thank the Government for the massive recruitment of qualified health workers. In the past, the commune of Ouèssè didn't have a single doctor. Today, we have 5. It's a great effort that we must salute," said the commune's mayor.

In his speech at the official opening of the center, the Minister of Health thanked ENABEL and the AFD for this important support, which is in line with the government's vision of strengthening the technical platform of health facilities and facilitating access to basic social services for all. He urged healthcare staff to ensure the proper use of this infrastructure. "I would like to express the gratitude of the Government of Benin to ENABEL, and to its strategic partner the Agence Française de Développement, as well as to the ÉQUITÉ project team, for all their diligence in bringing the renovation of this center to a successful conclusion. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the staff of the Kilibo health center, and invite them to ensure that patients receive a warm welcome, that they receive quality health care, and that the premises and equipment are well maintained", said the authority in charge of health.

From 2020 to 2023, the Government of Benin benefited from the support of the EQUITE project (Ensemble pour une Qualité des soins inclusive et transparente, orientée vers l'Égalité genre)" financed by the Agence Française du Développement and implemented by ENABEL. This project has contributed to strengthening the health system and improving the health of the population of the Collines Department.

The total cost of the work is estimated at 379,352 euros excluding VAT, or 248,838,600 FCFA.

Source: www.gouv.bj/