The government through the Minister of the Economy and finance Romuald Wadagni signed the contract for financing between Germany and Benin for the fifth phase of its Support program for the Municipal Development Fund (FADeC). The ceremony took place this Friday, June 12, 2020 at the Ministry of economy and finance. This additional financial support from Germany, which amounts to to 10,000,000 Euros or approximately 6.5 billion FCFA, will be transferred entirely in 2020 to local authorities for funding socio-economic infrastructure. Unlike other contracts, this has a peculiarity since it occurs at a period where the whole world is facing an unprecedented health crisis: the coronavirus. As a result, in addition to the supports already in progress, part of these resources granted, 6 million euros (or 3.9 billion FCFA), will be used by the municipalities for the prevention and response against COVID 19. It will be: -help the population to keep the required distance between people, build in locally available materials display shelves and hangars additional market and, in all service establishments (town halls, prefectures), additional waiting seats with weather protection. -construct reception facilities for patients entry to health centers to safely separate those suffering from COVID-19. -rehabilitate public drinking water connections and implementation of mobile hand washing systems in the markets and schools to ensure the availability of drinking water for the population. This funding will be implemented through cooperation German financial institution (KFW-Benin) under the direction of Günter Roos. A a large part of the resources will be used through the approach “cash for work” and / or labor-intensive HIMO (in consultation with municipalities). These measures help reduce the economic shock of the crisis to citizens. According to Achim Tröster, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Benin, the FADeC is an instrument which contributes to the harmonization of financing of municipalities. It is intended for the transfer of resources from the government and the TFPs to the municipalities. As such, he makes it possible to mobilize resources intended for the development of the offer municipalities and inter-municipal structures, to contribute to the correction of imbalances between municipalities through a system of equalization, and to transfer the additional resources required to the municipalities to exercise their powers. The municipalities have an important role to play. Hence this peculiarity in this financing from Germany for the FADeC. Romuald Wadagni on behalf of the government thanked Germany for the orientation of this support also in the support to the response against the Coronavirus. With the new generation of elected officials after the last elections, the minister reassured that there will have a real evolution in the way of managing these funds allocated to local communities. “It is thanks to decentralization that we can move towards a real democracy at the base. It is above all and thanks that we can have a balanced development of the country ”suggested the Minister of the Economy and Finance to justify the importance of this financial support. It should be noted that the total volume of German Cooperation (technical and financial bilateral), since its launch in 1960, amounts to approximately 1.1 billion euros (720 billion FCFA) while that the programs underway at the Development Bank – KFW (Financial Cooperation) amount to 195 Million Euros (128 Billions of FCFA). PFC-DirCom / PR-MEF
