Benin report - Institut Africain de la Gouvernance

CHAPTER SEVEN: CROSSCUTTING ISSUES__________________________________________________________________________institutions, the reorganisation of their operational mechanisms, the legislativeand regulatory mechanism, and the resources and methods of work. Thechallenge is to transcend the model of the state as the „facilitator of the privatesector‟ (a „Western‟ model recommended by some donors), whilesimultaneously taking responsibility for the development of society and themanagement of the welfare of citizens – who are mainly subjects here. In thecase of Benin (and generally in Africa), the state is expected to be the keyagent of change, under the direction of which the entire society involves itselfin the changes required by the construction of a consensual vision. The state isnot only the housekeeper and manager of the city; it is here, more thanelsewhere, transformer and bearer of the dream of the nation. It is within thiscontext that the need for reform and improvement of the state apparatus shouldbe placed. This will enable the state to assume its responsibilities in this regardefficiently and effectively.980. This requires that particular attention be paid to a few aforementioned butessential issues, notably:The capacity of the state to conduct the reforms and modernisation in acontext of scarcity of financial resources and increased poverty, given theimportance of the costs involved.The merging of the different strategic development orientation documentsinto a single, comprehensive document that would ensure efficientstrategic planning of the reforms and development of Benin, and thatwould act as a real compass of the government and the entire society.The scarcity of human resources, commensurate with the challenges facingthe Beninese society in operationalising the vision of creating an emergingBenin.In relation to the first two issues, the dependency of Benin on the externalworld – notably development partners. Since resorting to foreign fundingand expertise carries the risk of the imposition of „ready-made‟ solutions,the content and pace of reforms may not be endogenous.The local culture of irresponsibility, inertia, disorder and even evasion ofthe standards or the law, which is a major difficulty to be overcome.The issue of legal security, most notably the rapid resolution of legalidentity; land security and legal titles; as well as the protection of peopleand property, which is guaranteed by a strong, efficient, independent andfair justice system.The conflict between modernity and tradition in a state where the ruralareas are still quite often the poor parent of public policies, and whereilliteracy and obscure traditions often impede the modernisation of thesociety and socioeconomic development. The weight of religions,traditions and multi-secular practices – which constitute the base of a302