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Benin relies heavily on agriculture to stimulate its economy, and plans to do so through the Programme de Productivité Agricole en Afrique de l'Ouest (PPAAO).

In 2017, this West African country secured an additional $13 million loan from the World Bank as part of the PPAAO implemented by CORAF, to further develop its agricultural sector.

The program's stakeholders recently met in Cotonou to launch the new three-year phase.

The new program aims to further develop a regional market for quality seeds and technology transfer. It is also hoped that, thanks to the program, the National Corn Specialization Center will become a regional corn specialization center.

In so doing, the program will help build the resilience of communities across Benin and tackle the critical food security and livelihood issues facing the country.

Sixteen technologies were generated under the previous phase of the PPAAO in Benin, and contributed to an increase in productivity of at least 15%.

According to the country's Minister of Agriculture, Gaston Dossouhoui, WAAPP will continue to facilitate farmers' and markets' access to technologies, and improve agricultural inputs and infrastructure.

Benin's national plan for agricultural investment and food and nutrition security seeks not only to increase production but also to add value to its primary products, improve the market and strengthen the resilience of the agricultural system.

WAAPP has been instrumental in adding value to key crops such as maize, pineapple, cashew nuts and fish.