WASHINGTON, April 30, 2025 - The World Bank Board of Directors today approved two International Development Association (IDA) financings totaling $180.7 million to help Benin improve land tenure security and strengthen the integrated management of classified forests.
The first financing will be in the form of a $100 million Performance for Results (PforR) operation to support Benin’s national land tenure management program – Terra Benin – by prioritizing efficient land administration services and simplifying and speeding up land registration. The Terra Benin program will register land rights in 14 municipalities, covering 124 rural and urban districts in 11 departments. It will map about 1.5 million parcels, of which 1 million will be registered through the use of improved technology and procedures. Terra Benin will also benefit from additional support from the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) to improve e-Foncier Benin by integrating disaster risk data.
"This program will have large-scale impact by using technology to accelerate the electronic issuance of land certificates in both rural and urban settings. Secure access by every citizen to an official land document is the foundation for all economic development, particularly in the agricultural sector, which employs the most people," said Marie-Chantal Uwanyiligira, World Bank Division Director for Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea and Togo. "This transformative agenda has the potential to be replicated in other countries as well."
The second credit of US$80.7 million will support the second phase of Benin's Gazetted Forests Management Project. It aims to strengthen integrated and sustainable forest management through the development of agroforestry, sustainable agricultural intensification, reforestation, and maintenance of the forest plantations. In addition to the 26,000 ha planted with fuelwood and timber during the first phase, phase 2 of the project will reforest an additional 20,000 ha of fuelwood and timber plantations in degraded lands of classified forests. The project will also leverage financing opportunities and support the government's priority of accessing carbon credits.
"Sustainable forest management supports economic development and reduces poverty. It preserves the environment while generating income for communities through reforestation and seedling maintenance. The production of timber and fuelwood provides investment opportunities and strengthens the economy," said Nestor Coffi, World Bank Country Manager for Benin. "This project will also strengthen the synergies between improved agricultural management and forests to reduce deforestation and enhance carbon sequestration, while benefiting local communities through revenues generated from the sale of emission reductions."
The first phase of Benin's Gazetted Forests Management Project improved integrated management of 63% of the total gazetted forest area, increased access to sustainably produced fuelwood, and strengthened selected non-timber forest products value chains for forest-dependent communities. Through project investments, 26,000 ha of fuelwood and timber plantations were established and 3 million tons CO2-eq sequestered. 50,660 people, 32% of whom were women, benefited from improved access to income sources through non-timber forest product value chains, reforestation, and agroforestry activities. The reforestation works have led to the transfer of approximately US$36 million to the communities involved in the reforestation works by the innovative financing mechanism.
