What works in Benin

Benin has undertaken several digital and governance reforms documented in the evidence. Community Digital Points deployed 43 subsidised internet and training centres across communes, with a government estimate of over one million people reached (though not independently audited). A 2019 electoral code reform expanded parliament and reserved 24 seats for women, raising women's representation from 7.2% to 25.7% in the 2023 election—an 18.5 percentage-point increase, though the reform passed through an opposition-free legislature. In primary education, the STEPS project produced 28 curriculum-aligned science textbooks piloted across 18 schools and reaching over 6,000 students, with 94% of participating teachers reporting increased confidence in teaching science and adoption commitments from the Ministry of Education and partner networks.