Country Profile

Since President Thomas Boni Yayi was elected in 2006 on an anti-corruption platform, Benin has embarked on a number of legal and institutional reforms. A new anti-corruption law was passed in 2011 and a number of anti-corruption institutions have been established such as a National Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (Autorité Nationale de Régulation des Marchés Publics), a national anti-corruption authority (Autorité nationale de la lutte contre la corruption), a financial intelligence unit to fight money laundering (Cellule nationale de traitement des informations financières) and an office of the ombudsman (Médiateur de la République). Political and civil rights are also generally respected. Benin is often referred to as one of the most stable democracies in the region.

In spite of progress made, the government continues to face major governance and corruption challenges. Corruption permeates all levels of government operations, from daily interactions between citizens and low ranking civil servants to high level corruption schemes involving senior officials. Recent corruption scandals involving the highest members of government could potentially undermine the long-term credibility of the government’s anti-corruption efforts and citizens’ perceptions of its political will to effectively fight corruption.