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At the halfway point, and aware of the remaining challenges to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Government of Benin asked the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) to support it in the monitoring and evaluation of the 2030 Agenda. This initial report presents an evaluation of Benin’s current performance and trends on the SDGs, as well as an analysis of its policies to achieve them through SDSN’s “Six Transformations” framework (Sachs et al, 2019). This report serves as a baseline following the first issue of the SDG Eurobond by the Government of Benin in July 2021, which demonstrates their strong commitment to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
The key findings of this initial baseline report are the following:
- Benin is halfway to achieving the SDGs with a score of 50.7 out of 100 across all 17 SDGs.
- Benin stands out from the rest of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) with progress on SDGs 2 (Zero hunger), 8 (Decent work and economic growth), 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) and 14 (Life below Water) since 2015, for which the majority of countries in the sub-region are stagnating or even regressing.
- Compared to higher income countries, Benin performs relatively well on SDGs 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and 13 (Climate Action).
- There are persistent challenges to achieving the majority of the SDGs in the region. In particular, the trends for SDGs 4 (Quality Education), 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) must be monitored and reversed.
- At the subnational level, the “leave no one behind” index covers the following four dimensions: inequalities in access to public services, extreme poverty and material deprivation, gender inequalities, and inequalities of income and wealth. The index reveals disparities between the regions of Benin.
The data used in these analyses come from international sources to facilitate comparisons with other ECOWAS countries, as well as from national sources for the subnational index. However, as in other developing countries, missing data and delays in statistical production do not allow timely and accurate measurement of the progress and efforts made by Benin. Therefore, our analysis of the government’s efforts, in terms of public policies and investment, provides additional information to assess Benin’s performance.
The 2022 Sustainable Development Report ranks Benin among the countries with “strong commitment” to the SDGs according to our global survey of government efforts. The analysis of the Government’s Action Program (PAG 2021-2026) through the framework of the “Six Transformations” shows that the PAG coherently targets Benin’s challenges in achieving the SDGs. The intensification of the government’s efforts, such as the insurance program for the reinforcement of human capital (ARCH) and its program to ensure universal access to drinking water in rural areas, will make it possible to accelerate the achievement of several SDGs and to “leave no one behind”, including in the most disadvantaged regions of the country.
Similarly, the analysis of the institutional framework for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Benin has revealed the strong institutional capacities for the achievement of the SDGs. Since 2016, Benin has appropriated the SDGs to domesticate the goals and adopt a coherent development strategy. The country has a cross-cutting institutional apparatus and strong political will that could enable it to achieve significant results in the years to come.
Furthermore, achieving the SDGs requires large-scale public and private investments. Benin must be supported in its resource mobilization to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The issuance of the SDG Eurobond by the Government of Benin in July 2021 constitutes an important turning point in the commitment and means mobilized for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
