Faced with the scale of the damage caused by climate phenomena in 2026, Benin wants to strengthen its anticipation and response mechanism. Gathered on Tuesday, October 6 in Cotonou, members of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation took stock of the situation while announcing future prospects.
More than 290 billion Fcfa are needed to finance prevention, reconstruction, and recovery actions. This is the main takeaway from the conclusions resulting from the proceedings that brought together experts in the field. Indeed, the assessment presented in Cotonou gives the measure of the challenges facing Benin. Floods, intense rains, violent winds, drought, fires, or even epidemics continue to weigh on populations and infrastructure. For the year 2026 alone, the statistics provided indicate 349,580 people affected, grouped into 52,583 households, with disasters recorded in 1,199 villages and 219 districts. In view of this situation, beyond assisting victims after a disaster occurs, the question now concerns the country’s capacity to anticipate threats, reduce the exposure of populations, and rebuild in a more sustainable manner. From this perspective, the Benin Civil Protection Agency (Abpc) has evaluated at a little over 290 billion Fcfa the resources needed to support prevention and recovery programs. This package must notably make it possible to respond to the consequences of the recorded events, but also to strengthen national capacities in the face of upcoming shocks. Presenting the damage assessment, the Director General of the Abpc, Abdel Aziz Bio Djibril, unveiled the extent of the damage recorded during the period. According to the elements presented by the official, the disasters notably led to significant floods, damage to infrastructure and crossing structures, as well as loss of life related to drownings. This situation calls for a response that combines emergency intervention, the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure, and investments aimed at reducing their vulnerability.
The urgency of anticipating rather than suffering
At the opening of the proceedings, the Minister of Interior and Public Security, Djibril Mama Cissé, recalled the diversity of threats to which the country remains exposed. Extreme rains, floods, drought episodes, violent winds, fires, and epidemics can, in a few hours, cause significant population displacements and disrupt the functioning of essential services. The minister thus invited everyone to integrate disaster management into a more global approach. According to him, risk reduction must be articulated with security, spatial planning, and sustainable development policies. In this logic, several levers were highlighted, including better information flow, coordination between intervention structures, precise identification of exposed areas, and the integration of resilience into the design of public policies. The meeting also made it possible to emphasize the need to mobilize more resources in favor of prevention. Participants were therefore called upon to take part in the search for the financing necessary for the recovery of disaster-stricken areas, the rehabilitation of infrastructure, and the implementation of actions making it possible to limit the impact of future events.
Mohamed Yasser Amoussa (Coll)
