Benin/Educational and Sports Synergies Project: An Educational Innovation Being Tested in Akassato

The Government of Benin is taking a new step forward in its goal of making sports a cornerstone of children’s education and development. Through the Educational and Sports Synergies project, the Ministry of Sports and Civic Engagement, in collaboration with the Ministry of Preschool and Primary Education, organized a large-scale community event on Friday, June 12, 2026, in Akassato, bringing together students from pilot schools.

This initiative is part of the project’s pilot phase, which is currently being implemented in ten elementary schools in the Akassato district. It marks the first group gathering of students from the participating schools following several months of activities conducted at each school, punctuated by training and awareness-raising workshops for supervisors and stakeholders involved in the program.

Launched in 2024, the Educational and Sports Synergies project targets several aspects of child development, including the strengthening of psychomotor skills such as agility, coordination, and balance; the stimulation of cognitive abilities such as memory, attention, and concentration, as well as the development of social skills through respect for rules, community living, and team spirit.

Officially launching the program on behalf of the Minister of Sports and Civic Engagement, the Chief of Staff, Mr. Crépin OKOUOLOU, emphasized that the project is not limited to a mere recreational activity. According to him, it is part of the government’s vision of using sports as a tool for social development, inclusion, and talent identification from a very young age.

For this day of activities, the students first participated in basic motor skills exercises designed to develop general abilities, before discovering several sports included in the project, notably basketball, wrestling, badminton, and table tennis.

Organized as games and educational competitions, these activities allowed the children to put into practice the skills they had developed at their schools, under the supervision of technical coaches and teachers.

Following this pilot phase in Akassato, the Educational and Sports Synergies project is intended to be gradually expanded nationwide, with plans to roll it out across Benin’s seventy-seven municipalities.

Source: www.gouv.bj/article/