Benin’s ⁤National Workshop on Debt: ⁣A⁤ Step Towards Accountability​ and Sustainability

PH:DR: Jean-Pierre DEGUE, Executive Secretary of Social Watch Benin, ‍member of the Coalition-Benin.

Mr. Jean-Pierre DEGUE, Executive Secretary of Social Watch Benin, member of the ​Country Alliance, shares⁢ his insights on the theme of the national⁣ workshop ‍on debt in Benin.

Theme of the National Workshop on Debt

The theme of the​ national workshop on debt ‌in Benin is ⁣”Accountability as a prerequisite‌ for sustainability and debt ‍management.”‌ This theme is justified for two reasons. Firstly, Benin ⁢is considered a “good student” in terms‍ of budget transparency in 2023, ranking second after South Africa according to the report on ‍budget transparency in Africa.

Secondly, there ​is an amendment that authorizes the President of the Republic to enter the financial market ⁢without the authorization of parliamentarians.‍ “And the law obliges him to inform the Senedd within the period of three ​(3) months. ⁤And this is what is​ happening​ now. This situation is‌ beginning to worry us, which means that we have returned ⁣to questions of accountability and responsibility in terms of public debts.”

Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses

In this workshop, we identified the strengths and‌ weaknesses of the legal‍ framework. As ⁤a strength, the Government is now preparing to⁢ send ‌the⁤ Director ‌General of⁢ the ⁤Autonomous Debt Management Fund ⁣(ADMF) to this annual exercise which allows all⁣ stakeholders to come together, including representatives from the IMF, the World Bank, the‍ Regional ​Economic Communities (ECOWAS and ‍UEMOA),⁢ Managers ‌of the Court of Auditors at Parliament level, Senators,⁣ lawyers,‌ Academics,⁤ Civil Society Organizations, and ⁣media actors​ for the exercise of accountability.

As a weakness, we also noted that⁢ the ​senior debt management organization was‍ unfortunately unable to carry out any audit‍ of the debt in Benin.

A Plea for Support

The Executive ​Secretary’s plea to ⁣AFRODAD‌ (which makes it possible to organize this annual workshop) is to have the necessary means ‍to strengthen these operators in the accountability role⁤ they have. Civil society seems to be at the forefront of ‌the information ​related to the public debt and even the ⁤dysfunctions that characterize⁤ the⁤ legislative establishment.

It ‍will also develop a‌ citizen coalition on the issue of debt management. “In any case, at a⁣ national level,⁢ something is starting to move⁤ because for a long time, the issue​ of⁤ debt was not noticed and was not of interest to any citizen.” Although‍ they are the ones most affected ‍by paying off debt through taxes.