Benin: launch of the preparation of the first National Action Plan for an Open Government

From July 27 to 31, this meeting brings together public administrations, institutions of the Republic, civil society actors, the private sector, media, and technical partners.

This workshop comes about eighteen months after Benin’s official accession to the OGP in January 2025. Created in 2011, this international initiative brings together many states committed to promoting transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in public governance.

Organization of twelve departmental consultations

According to Mireille Hortense Codjovi, director of the Open Budget Pole and national focal point of the OGP, this workshop serves as a preparatory phase before launching a tour across all twelve departments of the country. Teams will go directly to meet with the populations to gather their expectations, contributions that will be categorized and then integrated into the first version of the document.

The official praised the financial and technical support from the involved partners, notably the PAGOF2 project from Expertise France, GIZ, Swiss Cooperation, UNICEF, and the European Union.

The principles of the OGP at the heart of the work

During the sessions, international expert Gustavo Pérez Ara detailed the OGP requirements articulated around three main pillars: citizen participation, transparency, and accountability. He emphasized that the quality of existing exchanges between public authorities and the Beninese civil society is a major asset for the continuation of the process.

For his part, Jean-Pierre Dèguè, vice president of the OGP Technical Committee, noted that this partnership concerns states eager to establish a more transparent public management. He reminded that Benin already enjoys international recognition for its efforts in budget transparency, with the current challenge being to formalize these achievements.

The advisor to the Court of Auditors Chabi Kassim Taba, who is leading the work, also praised the participants’ commitment, believing that the workshop’s conclusions will help better anchor the principles of open government within the Beninese administration.

A strong political will for concrete commitments

Speaking on this occasion, Victorin Honvoh, Cabinet Director of the Ministry of Budget and Public Service, affirmed that the adherence to the OGP demonstrates the government’s commitment to strengthening reforms related to access to information, fighting corruption, and citizen participation. He urged all stakeholders to embrace the values of open government and to propose pragmatic commitments.

Although the detailed schedule for the departmental tour still needs to be specified, the final version of the National Action Plan must establish a series of precise, dated, and measurable commitments, in accordance with OGP standards.