Benin launches Cotonou Stormwater Sanitation Program

The government of Benin has launched the Cotonou Stormwater Sanitation Program (PAPC) aimed to provide a concrete response to the vulnerability of the city of Cotonou to flooding.

The US $423M project targets the 1st and 6th districts of the economic capital and will extend until 2025. It being financed through loans from the European Investment Bank (EIB), the French Development Agency (AFD), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank.

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Scope of work

The project involves the construction of 90 km of secondary collectors and street side gutters, the development of 7 retention basins, the development and paving of 49 km of streets as well as the acquisition of equipment for solid waste collection. This initiative will also allow the reconstruction and equipping of the school for the deaf and the public elementary school of Vêdoko 2, which were exposed to flooding.

According to the Beninese government, this sanitation program also aims to reduce the number of houses regularly flooded during the rainy season in Cotonou, and to improve the urban environment to facilitate the movement of goods and people in areas affected by Stormwater drainage. The authorities said, the PAPC will create 4,000 direct jobs and 16,000 indirect jobs for young Beninese.

Generally in Benin, and particularly in the city of Cotonou, flood constitutes a serious issue every year. A survey has been implemented and, it shows that, households living in flood-prone zones are exposed to risk level that is greater than the maximal risk they accept. An econometric analysis of the maximal acceptable risk is carried out in order to find out its main explanatory factors. Among other, the results show that the households whose heads are men are willing to bear more risk that those that are headed by women.