Decentralization and local development in Benin: The mandate of reformatting

Since 2003, the experience of the renewal of grassroots democracy, through decentralization and deconcentration of central power, has become a tangible reality in Benin with mixed results. But before, it must be recognized that decentralization has a long history in the country's development process. The effectiveness of this process, there have certainly been achievements, but there are still great challenges to be taken up in order to move towards decentralization of sustainable development and the fight against the poverty of the populations at the base.

Like a sunrise, the decentralization process has progressed gradually in Benin. The people have had lived experience in this matter, even if the context is very different today. The democratic anchoring at the base had a timid scope which was limited to 1955 than in certain regions or cities of the country in colonial times. At that time, only the towns of Porto-Novo, Cotonou, Ouidah, Abomey and Parakou had been established as communes. Other parts of the country were not affected at this time. This beginning of the young experience of decentralization in the country was slowed down in this mixture., because of its territorial political and administrative demands following the departure of the colonial administration from the head of state power.

After the country's independence, the timid advance of pseudo-decentralization had been abandoned. It was not maintained given the development challenges that awaited the new power which lacked the experience and the technical and political capacities to ensure and continue this experimental legacy of local governance.. The central state had a unique thought of development.

From period to period, we are now at the start of the year 1990 that the Beninese Constitution, of 11 December 1990, enshrined the principle of the free administration of local communities. The government of Benin did not immediately rush to experiment with decentralization. He took the time to embark on this process with varying results.

Major achievements

Following the collections of laws on decentralization voted in January 1999, the advent in 2003, decentralization led the central government to put in place the necessary structures in this area. So, he specifically created, in 2006, a ministry responsible for decentralization and local governance which has created specific technical departments to facilitate the management of municipalities by local elected officials. There was also, the development and provision of technical management tools to support them, especially guides, manuals and compendiums as well as a National Decentralization / Deconcentration Policy document (PONADEC) to quote only those. These are documents and tools that have been developed to provide visibility and readability of the decentralization process at the grassroots. But it was not enough. Resources are needed to translate this political will. The democratic organization of municipal and regular municipal elections is part of the achievements where each municipal territory is administered by the Mayor and his municipal council under the supervision of the Prefect. As well, there is the approach to good management of financial resources, monitoring and evaluation of achievements and reporting of subsidies from the central government and technical and financial partners (PTF).

Intercommunal agreements between municipalities and twinning agreements of certain cities in Benin with other cities abroad are achievements to be encouraged in order to effectively strengthen grassroots development. Each municipal team has strived to boost the development and visibility of its municipality, despite difficulties.

Difficulties / failures

Succeeding in regularly mobilizing financial resources at the level of a town hall is a barometer for the influence of the town. The effectiveness of partnerships, of twinning or relevant inter-municipal relations depend on the dynamism of their management teams. More, here again, it is almost a failure in the face of the great needs displayed by each municipality. This leads us to say this : ‘’ Without yours, the contributions of others cannot be enough for you ". Each municipality must therefore personally strive to be identified in key areas of specific development according to its potential linked to its population., his culture, his history, its economy, agriculture, its landscape and environment to create wealth.

What is remarkable, there is no direct investment in most municipalities, like those on a lower budget, in the social issue of youth. While the problems of local youth are not inevitable. Regardless of the technical and financial partners, that the town hall authorities remain dynamic at their side. More, Unfortunately, most municipal authorities are more administrative and political than technical and practical. They are more in the administrative routine than in modernity, in entrepreneurial innovation and the initiation of local strategies to promote jobs for young people and women, and wealth creation with regard to territorial potentialities.

Thereby, they are faced with difficulties of operation and proper financing of some of their activities contained in the municipal development plan both in rural areas, peri-urban than urban. Politicians in general, and grassroots political actors, responsible for the management of municipalities, in particular, have often abused grassroots populations, because of their increased illiteracy, with utopian promises. There is also the inaction of local citizen watch. We get the impression that the populations are afraid to take initiatives without the approval of the authorities because they see themselves illiterate. Others yet educated, do not involve. The obsession with renewing the mandate of local elected officials leads actors to lax and to keep their populations in ignorance.

What it takes for 5 years to come

We must recognize that the government did not stand still and wait for everything, classic partners. However, in terms of resource transfer, he must fully respect the directive of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) who recommended that at least 15 % of national resources go to the development of municipalities. This shows that this sub-regional institution attaches importance to the decentralization process in the countries which are experimenting with it.. Despite these possibilities for the municipalities, efforts are needed on the part of the municipal administrations to ensure a strong mobilization of resources, in particular the financial resources in order to achieve at a high rate (98%) the actions provided for in the development plans of each municipality for the benefit of the populations.

Obstacles linked to the dysfunction of local development must be removed, in particular the breach of the principle of transfer of competence. The central state is still slow to hand over to the municipalities in the entire management of certain resources that it considers sensitive for the national economy.

However, all the same, this delay in the types of transfers cannot explain the laxity and the bad choices of expenditure at the level of the municipal administrations which do not obviously benefit the development of the municipality and the populations.

Now impose on political parties and their candidates for municipal and municipal elections well-developed decentralized social projects which they must present and defend. This will avoid the procrastination and gaping hesitation observed in places by the management teams..

Find strategies to regulate the disproportionate expansion of certain cities that do not have the means to ensure security, basic social services and others. In the subdivision and servicing plans in urban and peri-urban areas, we must now think of the generations by planning routes over sixty meters wide. Demographic demands must force us to make changes in public and private behavior, collective and individual today. We must move forward in regional planning and not just leave tracks forty meters wide, but more.

In all, emphasis must be placed on the training of technicians and executives of municipal administrations. A better quality of human resources will make it possible to stem the evils that hamper local development. To that, we must avoid the strong politicization of all local development actions. Encourage innovative local initiatives for development at all levels.

this being, the mobilization of resources is the main knot that weighs down the realization of many essential actions to be undertaken by the municipal authorities. It is obvious that we must multiply the sources of mobilization of human resources, material and especially financial.

Car, the contributions of the TFPs and the central government will not be sufficient if to meet the needs of local communities. It is necessary to strengthen the strong participatory involvement of the beneficiary populations in the entire process of implementing development projects or programs to effectively improve the living conditions of local populations.

This requires respect for needs and the effective implementation of local plans or strategies for poverty reduction and sustainable local development.. At this level too, the efficiency and stability of management teams are essential to ensure results-based management, hence good governance. The involvement of the central state would be good to supervise, but this should not overshadow the efforts to be made by local elected officials and their populations.

Article proposed by the Writer, Todjo Julien HOUNDOLO