Benin: Government creates observatory to combat extreme poverty and social exclusion

Benin’s Council of Ministers, meeting on November 4, 2026, under the chairmanship of Romuald Wadagni, decided to establish the National Social Progress Observatory (ONPS), under the authority of the Presidency. It will monitor extreme poverty, sexual and reproductive health, and the circumstances of vulnerable people, while gathering social data and assessing social protection programs. An Afrobarometer survey based on World Bank data found that 41% of Beninese experience moderate poverty and 35% high poverty; a policy document estimates that one-third of the population remains in extreme poverty. The ONPS will publish an annual report on social indicators and recommend corrective measures.