Environmentally friendly dredging The construction and manufacturing industry in Benin is in need of raw materials as sand and gravel. Sand winning from ocean shores is banned in 2007 by the Government. Since the ban the construction and manufacturing industry has a shortage of sand supply.The applicant Van der Laan B.V. and the local partner Sokodo Sarl will set up a joint venture to establish a dredging company to produce high quality sand products, sorted by granulate size. The products are delivered on demand in bulk quantities. The first production site will be set up near Cotonou along the river Ouémé. The project introduces new dredging technology and sets international quality standards in Benin’s construction sector.The project professionalises the construction sector with a steady supply of locally produced high quality basic material. Indirectly, the project contributes to the sustainability and reliability of building works.Impact•	Employment and working conditionsThe minimum wage in Benin is 47 euro. Employees will be paid at least 60% more or 76 euro. Permanent contracts will be offered after a trial period. Overtime will be voluntarily, no longer than twelve hours and paid at a premium rate. Health insurances and pension will be taken care of. Fringe benefits are meals and a sixteen weeks’ maternity leave. All workers receive safety clothing equipment and a “personnel and protective equipment training” (PP and E) and weekly briefings on the safety situations will be held. Employees will be educated on disease prevention and symptom recognition of water-borne diseases. The intensive technical training will add skills and increase the level of education and employability for the workers. The joint venture wants to set an example in the construction sector in terms of treatment of personnel, quality and safety standards comparable with Dutch standards. There will be a zero tolerance to discrimination and corruption.•	Innovation / Transfer of knowledgeThe product quality and production methodology is new for the country. The modern machinery with filters and profound suction will be innovative and have less impact on water quality and environment compared with the current way of sand winning.•	Chain effectsThe joint venture will source all local services such as transport, smaller production tools, protective gear, office equipment, fuel and financial services.The availability of quality sand affects intermediate businesses and end-users. On B2B level the constant quality is a useful tool for reliability engineers in pre-calculations of different types of constructions and creates possibilities for new products, for example the production of tiles, (pre-fab) concrete blocks and better quality concrete. Construction companies can rely on sufficient input and improve the reliability and durability of their intermediate and end-products such as roads, bridges, buildings. Finally end-users and different consumers can rely on products with a longer life span, what contributes to the sustainability in the whole sector.•	Impact on the sectorThe joint venture will affect the sector by introducing new international quality standards as an example in Benin’s construction sector and have a positive influence on sustainability of building works. The project is an example and the business can be replicated while the market is broad. Knowledge sharing is done by a public sand testing laboratory, internships for students and in time a further collaboration with schools and local universities.The availability of quality sand can have a spin-off and lead to new local businesses with the production of products as concrete blocks, paving stones, lintels, prefab concrete.•	EnvironmentThe project sets an example in the sector. Collaboration with a local NGO “Nature Tropical” (member of IUCN) that focuses on the environment and protection of species in Benin's rivers, especially the manatees, will take place (collaboration letter). An environmental impact assessment will be done preliminary per sand winning site and concession. ‘Le Ministère de l’Environnement et Mines’ will do measurements in this specific part of the river on sediments on the river bed, protected fauna and flora and the thickness of the layer of sand. Each concession is therefore limited in volume and time and is required by each new extraction site.The production method gives some turbulence in the water. This is environmentally more friendly then dredging with a cutter head suction with a moving arm that cuts chunks of earth with waste (clay, sludge, peat etc) out of the river. The hydraulic system under water can cause leaks in case of bad maintenance.In some places the river beds need deepening, especially for the migration of the manatees to small lakes. Additionally, dredging in particular places can decrease shallow waters and spreading of pathogenic bacteria. Installation of a mobile dredging machine and a sorting and cleaning facility to produce 242,000 m3 of high quality sand and gravel per year for the local construction industry.