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[ Field reports - Benin
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Field reports Benin
Benin’s long way to make progress measurable
It goes without saying that budget support is no
blank check but tied to conditions, as the government
commits to reach jointly agreed goals. Until 2007
each donor marked its share of budget support with
its own “scent”: The “joint” matrix was simply an
accumulation of all donors’ conditions and only
a few of the listed criteria were really shared.
The construction site of the national budget
The state’s budget is ultimately the construction
site where it is decided whether public authorities
really act at the service of the population, how
they fight abuse and how they render accountability
with respect to the deeds done.
Education in Benin: “We were blind, but
now we can see!”
Education has been declared to be an area
of priority and its share in the 2007 government
budget reached 19 percent. Benin disposes of well
over 300 million dollars per year for the recurring
and investment costs at all educational levels.
While this seems a considerable share at first sight,
it does amount to not even 1.5 percent of the public
expenses which Switzerland makes for education.
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Health care in Benin: provision and providence
The amounts which the government has allocated
to the health sector have continuously increased
in recent years. The majority is financed with Benin’s
own income. A little less than one third is provided
by foreign aid sources.
The rocky road of promoting women’s rights
At the 2008 annual budget support conference
government and donors jointly look back on achievements
and failures. The family ministry which is in charge
of promoting women’s rights is taking stock of the
crude facts. A national policy for gender equality
is under preparation. But concrete results are “modest”,
resistance is considerable.
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