WT/CFMC/W/63  
15 October 2015  
(15-5416)  Page: 1/3  
 Original: French  
 
  DIRECTOR-GENERAL'S CONSULTATIVE FRAMEWORK MECHANISM ON COTTON 
COTTON PROJECT 
Communication from Benin 
The following communication, dated 17 September 2015,  is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Benin.  
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  The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Benin is  submitting the project below, prepared by the 
Government of Benin, with a view to receiving technical and financial assistance from the cotton 
sector development partners in the framework of  the Director-General's Consultative Framework 
Mechanism on Cotton. 
 
1  PROJECT FOR THE CREATION OF AN AGRICULTURAL DIVERSIFICATION FUND 
1.1  Context and justification 
1.1. The Government of Benin has opted for an economic growth policy involving the 
diversification of agricultural activities. Hence the country's strategic development orientations and its growth strategy for poverty reduction in which the agricultural sector serves as a lever in the fight against poverty. The Strategic Plan to Revive the Agricultural Sector (PSRSA) 2011-2015, 
whose priority focus is the promotion of agricultural activities, calls for the development of 
13 subsectors.  
1.2. In the framework of the country's agricultural reform, this plan provides for the creation of a 
Beninese Agency for the Promotion of Agricultural Activities (ABéProFA), which will act as one of 
the main instruments for implementing the PSRSA. If ABéProFA is to become fully operational, it 
will require an agricultural diversification fund from the outset. ABéProFA's mission is to support 
the promotion and development of agricultural activities in a way that is conducive to increased production and improved competitiveness in the various areas of agriculture, livestock and fisheries and in related services. 
 
1.3. As matters stand, there are a multiplicity of structures and a variety of projects and programmes involved in the promotion of agricultural activities under different sectoral ministries, 
often without any framework for consultation, either among themselves or with other players; so 
that resources are not being used rationally and th ere is a certain amount of inefficiency when it 
comes to obtaining results. ABéProFA, with its agricultural diversification fund, needs to step in to 
remedy this situation that is so detrimental to the harmonious development of agricultural 
activities by facilitating access to funding an d by promoting agricultural entrepreneurship. 
 WT/CFMC/W/63 
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  1.2  Action areas and target groups 
1.4. The project covers the entire national territory and targets different agricultural stakeholders, 
in particular:  
a. producers and their unions; 
b. breeders and their unions 
c. fish farmers and their unions 
1.5. Processors and traders in these subsectors are also covered. 
 1.3  Objectives 
1.3.1  Overall objective 
1.6. The overall objective of the project is to secu re the development of the agricultural sector in 
Benin.  
1.3.2  Specific objectives 
1.7. The specific objectives are: 
 
a. to promote agricultural entrepreneurship; 
b. to facilitate access to funding; 
c. to build capacity and support the prof essionalization of the stakeholders; 
d. to promote public-private partnership conducive to the development of competitive and 
efficient subsectors and value chains; 
e. to support the organization of the stakeholders in the agricultural sector. 
1.3.3  Results 
1.8. The main results to be expected are: 
 
a. availability of action plans for the promotion of the different subsectors; 
b. organization of the supply of quality factors of  production (seed, fertilizers, pesticides, 
agricultural equipment, etc.); 
c. promotion of processing/storage/conservation of agricultural products; 
d. support the organization of the sale and marketing of products; 
e. facilitation of access to funding; 
f. provision of capacity building and support fo r the professionalization of the stakeholders; 
g. promotion of agricultural entrepreneurship; 
h. promotion of public-private partnership conducive to the development of competitive and 
efficient subsectors and value chains. WT/CFMC/W/63 
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  1.4  Project description 
1.9. The agricultural diversification fund will be in hands of ABéProFA, which is a corporate entity. 
 1.10. ABéProFA is under the supervision of the Mi nister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. 
 
1.11. Its headquarters are in Cotonou. It can be  transferred anywhere in the territory of the 
Republic of Benin by decision of the Council of Ministers and at the proposal of its Board 
of Directors. 
 1.12. The fund's actions will be carried out in th e framework of a partnership with the public and 
private stakeholders, on a contractual basis and respecting the principle of subsidiarity. 
 
1.4.1  Strategy for implementation, organiza tion and management of the project 
1.13. An organizational implementation mechanism will be developed with a roadmap but the 
process will be coordinated by ABéProFA. 
 1.14. ABéProFA is made up of the Board of Dire ctors, the General Directorate, and the Steering 
Committee. 
 1.15. The Board of Directors has the broadest powers to act on behalf of the Agency and may carry out or authorize any acts or transactions relating to its purpose. 
 
1.16. The Board of Directors delegates to the Director-General such powers as it deems necessary for the management of the Agency, and meets twice a year in ordinary session. 
 
1.17. The Director-General is responsible for the daily management of the Agency with the assistance of a Deputy Director-General and the technical departments and units. The 
Director-General is vested with the powers defi ned in the order relating to responsibilities, 
organization, and operation of the Agency. The Director-General is responsible for the development of the Agency within the framework of the general policy defined by the Board of 
Directors. The Director-General delegates some of his/her powers to the Deputy Director-General, 
who replaces the Director-General in the event of  absence or incapacity, except with respect to 
authorization of expenditures.  
1.18. The Technical Directors, He ads of Sub Offices and Unit Managers, in fulfilment of their 
duties, carry out the activities assigned to them by the order relating to responsibilities, organization, and operation of the Agency, together with any other duties assigned to them by 
their respective supervisors. 
 1.4.2  Costs and financing 
1.19. The activities of the Agency are financed by  capital resources, State funding in the form of 
subsidies to finance actions aimed at promoting agricultural activities of public interest, and 
resources from the technical and financial partners and private operators from the agriculture sector in the form of subsidies or loans, donations, grants or bequests, and the supply of services. 
 
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