News - Twelfth Regular Session of MCA-Benin Advisory Board

New recommendations for Compact implementation

MCA-Benin Advisory held its 12th Regular Session on August 24, 2010. As part of the meeting, members reviewed Program achievements and hardships, quite 13 months before Compact closure.

The opening speech by the interim National Coordinator of MCA-Benin quoted forth activities implemented by the Program since the previous gathering. As part of the achievements, Mr. Samuel Batcho mentioned the identification of areas in the selected communes to benefit from Land Titles as per the Access to Land Project. Such activity enabled the start-up collection of property papers and evidences of alledged land-owners in the various communes.

 Under the Access to Financial Services Project, Mr. Batcho insisted on the setting-up of the National Committee for Microfinance  thank to MCA-Benin's support, as well as the recruitment of sworn-in Inspectors for the Monitoring Unit for the Decentralized Financial Services (CSSFD). As for the Justice Project, the Decree on the Centralized Unit for Businesses Formalization and the launch of the construction works of 5 courts  (4 trial Courts and and 1 the Court of Appeal of Abomey) were highlighted. Dealing with the Accesss to Markets Project, the interim National Coordinator informed that the contact was signed with the firm selected out of procurement notice for the supply of a tug-boat for the Port of Cotonou. He also stressed that the works in the Lot 3 facing a cease will soon resume, and the break in the Lots 1 and 2 will be over.

Prior to the review of the Procurement Plan and the Work Plan for the Quarter 1 of the Year 5 of the Compact, Board members assess the recommendations made at the 11th Session. They thus noticed that facilities to host the Deparment Centers for Properties Affairs are not available yet. Besides, ongoing construction of Courts may stop if lawmakers fail to quickly update regulations as to enable compliance with certain Compact requirements. They thus urged that the Head of State be met soon as to ask the Parliamanet for an update of the Criminal, Social, Commercial and Civil Procedure Code.