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BeninCountry profile
- Area: 112,622 square kilometres
- Population: about 8.7 million
- Population density: 77 per square kilometre (cf. Germany: 229 per square kilometre)
- Official language: French
- Independence: 1960
- Capital: Porto Novo
- Form of government: Presidential republic; constitution of 1990
- Average life expectancy: 61 years
- Illiteracy rate: 59.5 % (population over the age of 15)
- Top 3 exports: raw cotton (70-80%), groundnuts, palm oil
- Number of cotton growers: 237,500 (status 2010)
- Number of “Cotton made in Africa” farmers: 20,016 (status 2010)
Cotonou, the largest city of Benin is located on the coast. It is the economic centre of the country, with a thriving trade in second-hand cars. But the impression of flourishing commercial activity in this vibrant city does not show the whole truth – neither is it representative for Benin – Benin is one of the poorest countries in the world, with about one third of its population living in extreme poverty. Agriculture is an important economic factor, built mainly on cotton.
Benin is located in West Africa. It is a small country bordering on Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Togo, and in the south the sea – the Gulf of Guinea. The climate is geographically divided into two zones, with semiarid, dry southern Sahel climate in the north and humid tropical climate in the south.
Like the other countries where Cotton made in Africa is active, Benin is among the poorest regions on Earth. About 30% of its population live in extreme poverty; child mortality is still extremely high, with about 120 out of 1,000 children dies before the age of five years. The country is heavily indebted, and suffers from poor economic infrastructure. Combating poverty and promoting economic development are therefore at the focus of government policy.
Benin’s economy is characterised by agriculture, which accounts for about one third of its gross domestic product (GDP), and trade with the neighbouring states. The city of Cotonou for example has developed into West Africa’s largest second-hand car market in recent years. The vehicles mostly come from Europe and are sold on to Nigeria. Industry, with its main sectors cement and cotton ginning, only accounts for about 14% of GDP, while services account for 50%. The government mainly focuses on the service sector for economic development of Benin. The greatest obstacle is the excessive level of foreign debt, preventing Benin from participating in major international development programmes that require the country to make a contribution of its own. This is a burden on all inhabitants of this multi-ethnic state, which comprises 42 ethnic groups with 60 different languages. But political developments could give opportunities here. The present government is trying to advance education, and to increase literacy from its current level of about 40% among the population aged over 15. Its goal is to get 100% of children into school by 2015.
Benin is located in the “Dahomey Gap”, an unforested corridor stretching from the Upper Guinean rain forests on the West Coast of the African continent to the Congolese rainforests in Central Africa. This savanna landscape is hardly suitable for agricultural use, due to its dryness. To the north of the lagoon landscape of the coast, the country rises to a plateau which is intensively used for agriculture, extending as far as the Atakora mountains. The rhythm of working the soil and planting crops is dependent on the rainy season, which is why planting is in the months from May to June, and harvesting is between October and December.
About two thirds of the population of Benin work in farming. They mainly grow maize, cassava, yams, sweet potatoes and pulses for their own needs and the local market. Cashew nuts and pineapples are important export products, but the main export from Benin is cotton. Dependence on agriculture and especially on cotton export, which accounts for up to 40% of export revenues, makes Benin sensitive to impacts of the regional climate, and also of global market prices.
Current information on Benin is available at the website of the German Federal Foreign Office.
Sources: Human Development Report 2009 (UN); Foreign Office; World Development Indicators 2009; Fischer Weltalmanach (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/Federal Political Education Centre)
