Editing Benin (section)

==Economy==
{{main|Economy of Benin}}
[[File:Benin Product Exports (2019).svg|upright=1.4|thumb|right|A proportional representation of Benin exports, 2019]]
[[File:Extensive Landwirtschaft im Norden Benins bei Djougou.jpg|thumb|Extensive agriculture in the north of Benin, near Djougou]]
[[File:GDP per capita development of Benin.svg|thumb|Real GDP per capita development of Benin since 1950]]
The economy is dependent on [[subsistence agriculture]], cotton production, and regional trade. Cotton accounts for 40% of the GDP and roughly 80% of official export receipts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/6761.htm |title=Background Note: Benin |publisher=State.gov |date=3 February 2010 |access-date=2 May 2010 |archive-date=4 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604183410/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/6761.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

Real GDP growth was estimated at 5.1% and 5.7% in 2008 and 2009, respectively. The main driver of growth is the agricultural sector, with cotton being the main export, while services continue to contribute the largest part of GDP mostly because of Benin's geographical location, enabling trade, transportation, transit and tourism activities with its neighboring states.<ref>{{cite web |title=Benin: Financial Sector Overview |website=Making Finance Work for Africa |url=https://www.mfw4a.org/country/benin |access-date=30 November 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513105544/http://www.mfw4a.org/benin/benin-financial-sector-profile.html |archive-date=13 May 2011}}</ref> Benin's overall macroeconomic conditions were "positive" in 2017, with a growth rate of around 5.6%. Economic growth was mostly driven by the cotton industry and other cash crops, the Port of Cotonou, and telecommunications. A source of revenue is the Port of Cotonou, and the government is seeking to expand its revenue base. In 2017, Benin imported about $2.8&nbsp;billion in goods such as rice, meat and poultry, alcoholic beverages, fuel plastic materials, specialized mining and excavating machinery, telecommunications equipment, passenger vehicles, and toiletries and cosmetics. Principal exports are ginned cotton, cotton cake and cotton seeds, cashew, shea butter, cooking oil, and lumber.<ref>{{citation-attribution|1={{cite web |title=Benin – Market Overview {{!}} Privacy Shield |url=https://www.privacyshield.gov/article?id=Benin-Market-Overview |website=www.privacyshield.gov |access-date=29 December 2020 |language=en |archive-date=14 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414034503/https://www.privacyshield.gov/article?id=Benin-Market-Overview |url-status=live}} }}</ref>

Access to [[biocapacity]] is lower than world average. In 2016, Benin had 0.9 global hectares<ref name=footprintdata>{{cite web |url=http://data.footprintnetwork.org/#/countryTrends?cn=53&type=BCpc,EFCpc |title=Country Trends |publisher=Global Footprint Network |access-date=24 June 2020 |archive-date=8 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808050235/http://data.footprintnetwork.org/#/countryTrends?cn=53&type=BCpc,EFCpc |url-status=live}}</ref> of biocapacity per person within its territory, less than the world average of 1.6 global hectares per person.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lin |first1=David |last2=Hanscom |first2=Laurel |last3=Murthy |first3=Adeline |last4=Galli |first4=Alessandro |last5=Evans |first5=Mikel |last6=Neill |first6=Evan |last7=Mancini |first7=MariaSerena |last8=Martindill |first8=Jon |last9=Medouar |first9=FatimeZahra |last10=Huang |first10=Shiyu |last11=Wackernagel |first11=Mathis |date=2018 |title=Ecological Footprint Accounting for Countries: Updates and Results of the National Footprint Accounts, 2012–2018 |journal=Resources |language=en |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=58 |doi=10.3390/resources7030058 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2018Resou...7...58L }}</ref> In 2016 Benin used 1.4 global hectares of biocapacity per person - their [[ecological footprint]] of consumption. This means they use "slightly under double" as much biocapacity as Benin contains. As a result, Benin is running a biocapacity deficit.<ref name=footprintdata/>

[[File:Gossypium sp MS4007.JPG|thumb|Cotton field in northern Benin]]
To raise growth still further, Benin plans to attract more foreign investment, place more emphasis on [[Tourism in Benin|tourism]], facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products, and encourage new information and communication technology. Projects to improve the business climate by reforms to the land tenure system, the commercial justice system, and the financial sector were included in Benin's US$307&nbsp;million [[Millennium Challenge Account]] grant signed in February 2006.<ref name=MCC>{{cite web |title=2006 Benin Compact Summary |website=Millennium Challenge Corporation |date=2006 |url=https://assets.mcc.gov/agreements/022206_benin_compact_summary.pdf |access-date=16 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203153130/https://assets.mcc.gov/agreements/022206_benin_compact_summary.pdf |archive-date=3 February 2016}}</ref>

The [[Paris Club]] and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation, with Benin benefiting from a G8 debt reduction announced in July 2005, while pressing for more rapid structural reforms. An "insufficient" electrical supply continues to "adversely affect" Benin's economic growth and the government has taken steps to increase domestic power production.<ref name=CIA>{{Cite CIA World Factbook |country=Benin |access-date=27 August 2022 <!--check original ref placement date in article history--> |year=2022}}</ref>

While [[trade unions in Benin]] represent up to 75% of the formal workforce, the informal economy has been noted by the [[International Trade Union Confederation]] (ITCU) to contain ongoing problems, including a lack of women's wage equality, the use of [[child labour|child labor]], and the continuing issue of [[unfree labour|forced labor]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Serious violations of core labour standards in Benin, Burkina Faso and Mali |work=ICFTU Online |url=http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991220267&Language=EN |access-date=30 July 2007 |archive-date=4 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904222240/https://www.viasatprovider.com/?Index=991220267&Language=EN |url-status=live}}</ref> Benin is a member of the [[Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa]] ([[OHADA]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=OHADA.com: The business law portal in Africa |url=http://www.ohada.com/index.php |access-date=22 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326033744/http://www.ohada.com/index.php |archive-date=26 March 2009}}</ref>

Cotonou has the country's only seaport and [[Cadjehoun Airport|international airport]]. Benin is connected by 2-lane asphalted roads to its neighboring countries (Togo, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria). Mobile telephone service is available across the country through [[Mobile Network Code|operators]]. ADSL connections are available in some areas. Benin is connected to the Internet by way of satellite connections (since 1998) and a single submarine cable [[SAT-3/WASC (cable system)|SAT-3/WASC]] (since 2001). Relief of "high price" is expected with the initiation of the [[ACE (cable system)|Africa Coast to Europe]] cable in 2011.

With the GDP growth rate of 4%–5% remaining consistent over two decades, poverty has been increasing.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/benin/overview |title=The World Bank In Benin |date=10 October 2017 |website=The World Bank |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309013038/http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/benin/overview |archive-date=9 March 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=14 March 2018}}</ref> According to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Analysis in Benin, those living under the poverty line have increased from 36.2% in 2011 to 40.1% in 2015.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Benin: Request for a Three-year Arrangement Under the Extended Credit Facility-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Benin |last=International Monetary Fund. African Dept. |publisher=International Monetary Fund |year=2017 |pages=5}}</ref>

The growing [[Blaxit]] movement is starting to bring people of African heritage to Benin for cultural and economic growth reasons, with the Benin government currently working to grant citizenship to people of African descent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Abbas |first=A. |date=2024 |title=Benin Proposes Law to Grant Citizenship to African Descendants |url=https://www.imidaily.com/africa/benin-proposes-law-to-grant-citizenship-to-african-descendants/ |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=IMI – Investment Migration Insider}}</ref>

===Science and technology===
==== National policy framework ====
The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research is responsible for implementing science policy. The National Directorate of Scientific and Technological Research handles planning and coordination, whereas the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research and National Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters each play an advisory role. Financial support comes from Benin's National Fund for Scientific Research and Technological Innovation. The Benin Agency for the Promotion of Research Results and Technological Innovation carries out technology transfer through the development and dissemination of research results.<ref name=":0" /> Benin was ranked 119th in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2024.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2024/en/|title=Global Innovation Index 2024. Unlocking the Promise of Social Entrepreneurship |access-date=2024-10-22|author=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]] |year=2024|isbn=978-92-805-3681-2|doi=10.34667/tind.50062 |website=www.wipo.int |location=Geneva |page=18}}</ref>

The regulatory framework has evolved since 2006 when the science policy was prepared. This has been updated and complemented by new texts on science and innovation (the year of adoption is between brackets):<ref name=":0" />
* a manual for monitoring and evaluating research structures and organizations (2013);
* a manual on how to select research programmes and projects and apply to the National Fund for Scientific Research and Technological Innovation (2013) for competitive grants;
* a draft act for funding scientific research and innovation and a draft code of ethics for scientific research and innovation were both submitted to the Supreme Court in 2014;
* a strategic plan for scientific research and innovation (under development in 2015).
Equally important are Benin's efforts to integrate science into existing policy documents:
* ''Benin Development Strategies 2025'': ''Benin 2025 Alafia'' (2000);
* Growt''h Strategy for Poverty Reduction 2011–2016'' (2011);
* Phase 3 of the ''Ten-year Development Plan for the Education Sector'', covering 2013–2015;
* ''Development Plan for Higher Education and Scientific Research 2013–2017'' (2014).
In 2015, Benin's priority areas for scientific research were: health, education, construction and building materials, transportation and trade, culture, tourism and handicrafts, cotton/textiles, food, energy and climate change.<ref name=":0" />

Some so-called challenges facing research and development in Benin are:<ref name=":0" />
* the unfavorable organizational framework for research: weak governance, a lack of co-operation between research structures and the absence of an official document on the status of researchers;
* the inadequate use of human resources and the lack of any motivational policy for researchers; and
* the mismatch between research and development needs.

==== Human and financial investment in research ====
In 2007, Benin counted 1,000 researchers (in headcounts). This corresponds to 115 researchers per million inhabitants. The "main research structures" are the Centre for Scientific and Technical Research, National Institute of Agricultural Research, the National Institute for Training and Research in Education, Office of Geological and Mining Research, and the Centre for Entomological Research.<ref name=":0" />

The University of Abomey-Calavi was selected by the [[World Bank]] in 2014 to participate in its Centres of Excellence project, owing to its expertise in applied mathematics. Within this project, the World Bank has loaned $8&nbsp;million to Benin. The Association of African Universities has received funds to enable it to co-ordinate knowledge-sharing among the 19 universities in West Africa involved in the project.<ref name=":0" />

There are "no available data" on Benin's level of investment in research and development.<ref name=":0" />

In 2013, the government devoted 2.5% of GDP to public health. In December 2014, 150 volunteer health professionals traveled to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone from Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria, as part of a joint initiative by the [[Economic Community of West African States]] (ECOWAS) and its specialized agency, the West African Health Organisation, to help combat the epidemic. The Ebola epidemic has been a reminder of the underinvestment in West African health systems.<ref name=":0" />

The Government of Benin devoted less than 5% of GDP to agricultural development in 2010, while the members of the [[African Union]] had agreed to commit at least 10% of GDP to this area in the ''Maputo Declaration'' of 2003. They reiterated this goal in the ''Malabo Declaration'' adopted in Equatorial Guinea in 2014. In the latter declaration, they reaffirmed their 'intention to devote 10% of their national budgets to agricultural development and agreed to targets such as doubling agricultural productivity, halving post-harvest loss and bringing stunting down to 10% across Africa'. African leaders meeting in Equatorial Guinea failed to resolve the debate on establishing a common standard of measurement for the 10% target.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.one.org/africa/press/one-applauds-au-malabo-declarations-re-commitment-to-agriculture-transformation/ |title=One Applauds AU Malabo Declaration's Recommitment to Agriculture Transformation |date=2 July 2014 |work=ONE.org |access-date=12 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010183945/https://www.one.org/africa/press/one-applauds-au-malabo-declarations-re-commitment-to-agriculture-transformation/ |archive-date=10 October 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Research output ====
Benin has the third-highest publication intensity for scientific journals in West Africa, according to Thomson Reuters' Web of Science, Science Citation Index Expanded. There were 25.5 scientific articles per million inhabitants cataloged in this database in 2014. This compares with 65.0 for the Gambia, 49.6 for Cape Verde, 23.2 for Senegal, and 21.9 for Ghana. The volume of publications in this database tripled in Benin between 2005 and 2014 from 86 to 270. Between 2008 and 2014, Benin's "main scientific collaborators" were based in France (529 articles), the United States (261), United Kingdom (254), Belgium (198), and Germany (156).<ref name=":0" />

===Transportation===
{{main|Transport in Benin}}
Transport in Benin includes road, rail, water, and air transportation. Benin possesses a total of 6,787&nbsp; km of highway, of which 1,357&nbsp;km are paved. Of the paved highways in the country, there are 10 [[Controlled-access highway|expressways]]. This leaves 5,430&nbsp;km of unpaved road. The [[Trans–West African Coastal Highway|Trans-West African Coastal Highway]] crosses Benin, connecting it to [[Nigeria]] to the east, and [[Togo]], [[Ghana]] and [[Ivory Coast]] to the west. When construction in [[Liberia]] and [[Sierra Leone]] is finished, the highway will continue west to 7 other [[Economic Community of West African States]] (ECOWAS) nations. A paved highway connects Benin northwards to [[Niger]], and through that country to [[Burkina Faso]] and [[Mali]] to the north-west.

[[Rail transport in Benin]] consists of {{cvt|578|km}} of [[Single track (rail)|single track]], {{RailGauge|1000mm|allk=on}} railway. Construction work has commenced on international lines connecting Benin with Niger and Nigeria, with outline plans announced for further connections to Togo and Burkina Faso. Benin will be a participant in the [[AfricaRail]] project.

[[Cadjehoun Airport]], located at Cotonou, has direct international jet service to [[Accra]], Niamey, [[Monrovia]], [[Lagos]], [[Ouagadougou]], [[Lomé]], and [[Douala]], and other cities in Africa. Direct services link Cotonou to Paris, Brussels, and Istanbul.