--本文原刊载于环球网（Huanqiu.com）“西非漫谈”栏目

链接：https://opinion.huanqiu.com/article/4AHVZBy07aq

（作者：电子科技大学西非研究中心团队，执笔人：Fikru Tizita Endeshaw（电子科技大学西非研究中心团队成员） 【西非漫谈】2022年第十六期，总第六十五期。译者：洪凌（外国语学院）；校对：赵韵涵（外国语学院）；整理：孟雅琪（公共管理学院）、黄锐（公共管理学院）；供稿：电子科技大学西非研究中心团队)

Fikru Tizita Endeshaw：An overview of Benin: A West African Country

1.Introduction

The West African country of Benin is formally known as the Republic of Benin. Burkina Faso to the north-west, Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, and Niger to the north-east are its neighbours. In the northernmost tropical region of the Atlantic Ocean, in the Bight of Benin, which is a part of the Gulf of Guinea, most of its population lives. The official capital is Porto-Novo, and the seat of government is in Cotonou, the most populous city and economic capital. The population of Benin, which has a land area of 114,763 square kilometres (44,310 square miles), was estimated to be over 13 million in 2021. It is a tropical country that depends on agriculture and exports cotton and palm oil. Some subsistence farming generates work and revenue. Although Oruba and Fon are two of the most widely used indigenous languages of Benin, French is the country's official language. Most religious people in Benin are Roman Catholics. The Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, La Francophonie, the African Petroleum Producers Association, the Niger Basin Authority, and the United Nations are all organizations that Benin is a member of. From the 17th through the 19th centuries, the Kingdom of Dahomey ruled over what is now the country of Benin. The area came to be known as the Slave Coast because of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. After the slave trade was outlawed, France acquired control of the region and renamed it French Dahomey. When Dahomey won its 12-year war of independence from France in 1960, a democratic republic was born. From 1972 through 1990, the People's Republic of Benin ruled. A period of oppression and economic catastrophe resulted from this. In 1991, the Republic of Benin was formed and brought with it multiparty elections.

The President serves as both the head of state and the administration in a presidential representative democratic republic. There are multiple parties in Benin. Governments have both exclusive executive and joint legislative powers. Benin has an impartial judicial system. The 1990 Constitution of Benin created the nation's political structure and led to the country's transition to democracy in 1991. A stable democracy is found in Benin. In April 2021, Patrice Talon won re-election for a second five-year term as president, and 83 deputies make up the government's current absolute majority in Parliament. The September 2018 party system reform resulted in the merger of political parties and movements, reducing the number of parties in Benin from 200 just to 12. On January 8, 2023, the following legislative elections will take place.

Source: Dreamstime.com

2.Economic Overview

Since independence, France and international organizations have provided most of the funding for Benin's regular and development budgets. The overwhelming majority of the population's severe economic stagnation and low standard of life has been made a little less painful thanks to this help. To break its dependence on France, the dictatorship that took control in a coup in 1972 made attempts starting in 1975 to rebuild the economy following socialist lines. Economic ties were formed with the Soviet Union, other socialist nations, as well as Benin's neighbours, and most economic sectors were nationalized or otherwise given to government control. Early in the 1980s, it became evident that, despite economic restructuring, which made the country's economy more efficient and diversified and reduced France's economic contribution to Benin, corruption persisted and the country's overall economic status had not improved. The "liberalization" of the economy in the middle of the 1980s also had negative effects. Accompanying changes in the constitution and regime in the early 1990s,  privatization of the economy began. Agriculture, both formal and informal re-exporting, and transit trade with Nigeria continue to be the mainstays of Benin's economy. In 2021, the economy saw a robust recovery and expanded by an estimated 6.6%. The main forces behind this expansion were the service and construction industries. Throughout the year, inflation averaged 1.7% and was mostly caused by rising food prices. The consequences of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, which began at the end of February 2022 and is harming industries including oil products and agricultural inputs, have made the situation worse. The fiscal deficit (grants included) widened from 4.7% of GDP in 2020 to 5.8% in 2021, while fiscal policies have remained expansionary. Although overall revenues remained resilient, response plans significantly increased government expenditure during the 2020-2021 period.

3.Education in Benin

The education system of Benin is based on the French education model and follows the 6 plus 4 plus 3 approaches. This means 13 years of school education is the minimum requirement when youth get access to college for higher education. Education is compulsory for children 6 to 11 years old and school education is free. The duration of primary schooling is 6 years. After completing elementary school, students are advanced to middle school, which is a 4-year program that follows the same broad academic curriculum as primary schools. Students take the brevet d'etudes du premier cycle exam after finishing middle school, which is comparable to the "O" Level. For entry, senior high schools in Benin require the O Level certificate or d'etudes du premier cycle. Senior high school lasts for three years. Students take the baccalaureate examination following the conclusion of senior high school; this serves as the prerequisite for admission to universities. Additionally, a lot of students decide to enrol in vocational schools, which prepare students in a variety of skill areas for the demands of large cities. A dual apprenticeship system is used in vocational schools, replacing the theoretical curriculum with apprenticeship training. Higher education in Benin is offered through different colleges, universities, and institutes. Various study disciplines are offered at undergraduate, graduate, and research levels studies. The University of Abomey-Calavi (previously known as the University of Dahomey [1970–75] and the National University of Benin [1975–2001]), located in Cotonou, was founded in 1970. The university’s student body has been, along with workers, the main political force in the country since the early 1980s. The University of Parakou was founded in 2001.

Source：en.wikipedia.org

4.Agriculture in Benin

Benin is a predominantly rural society, and agriculture in Benin supports more than 70% of the population. Agriculture contributes around 35% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and 80% of export income. With cotton being the principal cash crop, cashews, shea nuts, coffee, palms, pineapples, and cocoa also contribute as export crops. With rapidly rising demands for food production and economic growth, the country needs a modern and sustainable agriculture industry. It means implementing advanced farming techniques and sustainability best practices. Benin being the mass producer of commercial crops like cassava, maize, yam, cotton, palm oil, and coffee accounting for a significant percentage of Benin’s foreign exchange earnings, the commercial farming contributions play a vital role in alleviating its economic growth. Some of the country’s key agricultural players include:

4.1 Cotton

As of 2015–2017, cotton accounted for over 80% of official export earnings and close to 40% of Benin's GDP. As a result, the economy of Benin is now a crucial component of both domestic and international investment plans for the country. The northern region of Benin is where most of the cotton seed is produced, and this area is referred to as the cotton belt. Cotton is grown by almost two-thirds of the farmers in Borgou, 64% of them in the central Zou region and 37% in the Atacora region. In contrast to these data, the three departments of Atlantic, Mono, and Oueme in south Benin provide numbers varying from zero to twenty-five percent. Small-scale farmers plant cotton, which is then sold to businesses that turn it into lint or make cotton by-products like cotton seed, cake, cotton oil, and more.

Source：out. world

4.2 Shea nuts

Shea nuts are obtained from native, uncultivated trees in the Sahel band of Benin by rural people who either sell these nuts wholesale, or produce shea butter for export/usage in local foods, skin ointments, cosmetics, and soaps. Many women cooperatives have involved themselves in the mass production of shea butter, which is a substitute product for cocoa butter. Also, it is the most sought-after ingredient in the world market for the confectionary and cosmetic products. West Africa grows a wide range of Shea trees, but they only begin to bear fruit after 20 years of growth, reach maturity in 45 years, and produce nuts for up to 200 years. This long duration between nut production has made them unattractive for commercialization. In some regions, these shea trees work as a shade for other crops in dry areas.

Sinocog Bohicon and Sonicog Cotonou are Benin's two shea nut processing facilities, which rank sixth and seventh in the world, respectively. Whereas Sinocog Bohicon can manufacture 10,000 tons, which covers 25% of annual utilization, the second facility has a capacity of roughly 5,000 tons, which covers 20% of annual utilization. As a result, it is projected that Benin collects roughly 50,000 tons of shea nuts a year, exports 35,000 tons of nuts annually, and produces just 100 tons of shea butter for export.

Source: berniceagyekwena.wordpress.com

4.3 Cashew nuts

Benin’s cashew nut production is the second best in West Africa, followed by Guinea-Bissau. The demand for cashews increased significantly in 1990, which sparked interest in Benin's plans to enhance cashew production. As a result, in 2008, the cashew plantation increased in size from roughly 10,000 hectares to over 190,000 hectares. Benin began producing 300,000 tons of cashews in 2021. (Source: africancashewalliance.com). A total of 116,398 tons of goods were exported from Benin, 15% of which were cashew nuts from neighbouring nations like Nigeria, Togo, and Burkina Faso.

Cashew nut exports represent about 8% of total export value, 7% of agricultural GDP, and 3% of the national GDP. Also, very few cultivations land seeks the help of pesticides and fertilizer to upscale the smaller commercial operations. Moreover, the cashew apples (the fleshy part above the nut), with an estimated production of 600,000 tons per year can get utilized in making juice, jam, alcohol, or biofuels. Within the country, domestic consumption of cashew nuts gets concentrated on celebratory occasions or for traveling gifts.

Source: Myloview.com

4.4 Palm oil

Oil palm has been an important crop in Benin since the 19th century. when palm groves were established to meet the oil demand for soaps in the Western world. Oil palms are indigenous to West Africa, naturally occurring in swampy areas. The many products from the plants (fibers, oils, sap) have been used for centuries by local populations. Commercial usage focuses on the oil from the meat surrounding the kernels (palm oil), and the oil within the kernel (palm kernel oil). The colonial government of Benin started its first industrialization program for the oil palm industry in the 19th century, investing in substantial public industrial processing facilities. The national government built more facilities with more capacity after independence, and as of today, it has planted about 500,000 hectares of carefully chosen oil palm seedlings.

The current program for the development of the oil palm sector, based on the distribution of selected oil palm seedlings and infrastructure, benefits only the new private plantation owners. These planters help enjoy a competitive advantage over women small-scale producers on several levels, as they benefit from privileged access to raw materials. From mechanized processing techniques that allow lower cost prices to a larger production of bulk sales that attract more retailers, Benin has become a hub for mass palm oil manufacturing base. Above all, the annual palm oil production has exceeded from 31,000 tons in 1961 to 460,000 metric tons in 2021, with an average growth of 5% every year.

Source: Science.org

References

参考

Law, Robin, Adotevi, Stanislas Spero and Ronen, Dov. "Benin". Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Mar. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/place/Benin. Accessed 21 August 2022.

https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/benin/overview

https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/report/downloadreportbyfilename?filename=Agricultural%20Situation_Lagos_Benin_3-20-2014.pdf