Benin launches first open government action plan process

The Republic of Bénin has taken a decisive step toward enhancing public governance transparency by organizing a five-day national workshop in Cotonou from July 27 to 31, 2026. This gathering marked a critical milestone in the country’s ongoing commitment to the Open Government Partnership (OGP) initiative, which Bénin joined nearly 18 months prior.

The workshop brought together a diverse coalition of stakeholders, including government officials, representatives from constitutional institutions, civil society organizations, private sector entities, technical and financial partners, and media professionals. The primary focus was to deepen participants’ understanding of OGP principles and initiate a collaborative process for drafting Bénin’s inaugural National Action Plan.

Building on existing reforms through citizen engagement

Victorin Honvoh, Director of the Cabinet of the Ministry of Budget and Public Service, opened the event by framing Bénin’s OGP membership as a natural extension of ongoing governmental reforms. He highlighted key priorities such as transparency, accountability, information access, corruption prevention, and citizen participation, emphasizing that success hinges on sustained dialogue between public administrations and non-state actors.

Mireille Hortense Codjovi, Director of the Open Budget Unit and OGP National Focal Point, outlined the workshop’s role as a preparatory phase before national consultations across Bénin’s twelve departments. These consultations aim to gather public priorities, which will then be analyzed and integrated into the first draft of the National Action Plan.

The initiative enjoys robust support from international partners, including Expertise France’s PAGOF2 program, GIZ, the Swiss Cooperation, UNICEF, and the European Union.

From transparency commitments to measurable actions

Jean-Pierre Degue, Vice-President of the OGP Technical Committee, reiterated that the partnership unites states committed to strengthening public transparency, citizen participation, and institutional accountability. He noted Bénin’s existing achievements in budgetary transparency and civic engagement while stressing the need to translate these into concrete, measurable commitments under the OGP framework.

International expert Gustavo Pérez Ara reinforced this perspective by presenting the OGP’s three core pillars: citizen participation, transparency, and accountability. He commended Bénin’s existing administrative-civil society dialogue as a solid foundation for future progress.

Under the guidance of Chabi Kassim Taba, Advisor to the Court of Auditors, participants worked to identify practical ways to embed open government principles into public institutional practices. The workshop’s recommendations, combined with input from departmental consultations, will form the backbone of Bénin’s first OGP National Action Plan.