Benin report - Institut Africain de la Gouvernance

CHAPTER SIX: SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT__________________________________________________________________________850. Housing and urban land tenure are major issues in daily life and a greatfactor in SED. The country has considerable legal and institutional instrumentson rural and urban land. However, it should be noted that there are greatdisparities in this area. The numerous problems encountered at this level –such as the lack of respect for legal instruments by citizens, and the effects ofland speculation – constitute bottlenecks. These hinder the activities ofauthorities at the central and local level with the advent of decentralisation.851. In conclusion, this analysis of Benin (with regard to SED governance) showsthat, despite the significant progress made in some sectors, there are stillseveral aspects that require more effort to promote social welfare. The CRMnoted that the weaknesses in rural development and in land access policies canonly be corrected within the framework of a set of measures likely to redrawthe economic geography of Benin through a good territorial developmentpolicy. This will gradually reduce the regional disparities that create intercommunitytensions.iii.Recommendations of the APR Panel852. In order to improve access to basic services, the APR Panel makes thefollowing recommendations:1. Take quick measures to ensure the establishment of mechanisms tomobilise the contributions of the population to the projects for installingwater supply points. At the same time, strengthen the internal managementcapacities of councils by putting at their disposal adequate tools for morerapid and effective transfers of skills in the construction and managementof water projects (government).2. Grant greater importance to the basic hygiene and sanitation sector withinthe Ministry of Health by developing preventative and organisationalservices (government and regional councils).3. Pursue a strong policy to diversify energy sources by making use of newenergies like biomass and solar energy. At the same time, facilitate theiraccess to citizens at all levels (government, private sector and developmentNGOs).4. Simplify the administrative formalities for water point and electricityrequests in peri-urban and urban areas. At the same time, reduce the costsof these services so as to take the widespread poverty into account(government).5. Review land laws and set up a specialised institution to facilitate andensure justice, transparency and equity in access to land in both rural andurban areas. At the same time, curb dualism with respect to land issues inorder to attract investors through a participative and consensual approach(government).274