()ncltoccrciasis Control Prograrnrnc in the Volta River Basin area Pro[rirrnnrc dc I-uttc contre l'onchocercose dans la lldgion du Bassin de la Volta JOIN'l' I)l(()CItAIvIMll C()Ntt!,tt't"l't1E, COMITE CONJOINT DU PROCITAMME ()llrcc of tlrc ('harrrrrirrr JPC.CCP I Bureau du Prisidcnt JOINT PROGRAMME COMMITTEE JPC3 .4A Third session ORIGINAL: FRENCH Bamako 7-10 December 1982 October 1982 Provisional Agenda item 9 REPORT ON THE SOC]OECONOMIC DEVEi,OPMENT OF THE ZONES FREED FROM ONCHOCERCIASIS IN BENIN a t JPC3 .4A PEO?LE,S REPUBLIC OF BENIN Original: French 0ctober 1982 I'{INISTRY OF PLANNING, STATISTICS AND ECONOMIC ANAJ-YSIS STATE PLANNTNG DIRECTORATE a REPORT ON THE ECONOI'{IC DEVELOP!'IENT OF ZONES EREED FROM ONCHOCERCIASIS SITUATION IN 1982 The present report completes and brings up to date the one produced in 1981, which was submitted to the second session of the Joint Progranrne Cormnittee in Geneva in December 1981. It consists of two main parts, namely a list of the projects in progress or planned in the zones freed from onchocerciasis (Atacora and Borgou provinces) in execution of the National plan and the specific projects carried out in the develoPment of those zones. I. LIST OF PROJECTS UNDER WAY IN THE ONCHOCERCIASIS PROGRAI'''ME AREA The provinces of Atacora and Borgou have a combined area of 81 3OO kn2, which is 72.2% of the national territory. Their land is relatively fertile, as has been shor.rn by soil assess- ment studies carried out under the Agricul-ture and Soil Science Scheme. According to the most recent population census carried out in 1979, ttre population of these provinces Ls 92L 851, which is 28% of the total population. L1ean population density is pu.t at 12 inhabitants p"t k*2, arri-ved at on the basis of L5/kn2 in Atacora province ara rcfh^z in Borgou province. These different densities i1lus- trate how thinly populated is the area, and they also reflect some inequality between Ehe two provinces. Furthermore, these two northern provinces, in vrhich the area of cultivable land is estimated at 3 754 OOO ha, or 66.9% of the country, are typified by a widely scattered Pattern of settlement leading to the internal isolation that is well knotrn to exist, and by aPpreciable under -equipment . And so the People's Republic of Benin has set itself the following priorities for its national development: - satisfaction of the basic material, social and cultural needs of the people; - achievement of self-sufficiency over food; - exploitation and development of the country's natural resources; - creation of independent bases for capital accumulation; - harmonious spatial- development of the territory; - establishment of a technologlcal infrastructure appropriate to the country's needs, etc. In the reaLization of these objectives, the National Development Plan gives high priority I to the development of these two provinces, the aim being progressively to circurmrent the main bottle-necks and to promote the tapping of the appreciable agricultural potential. I For example, several of the projects in the State Plan are in progress or under study in these provinces, and are thus contributing to the development of the onchocerciasis-freed zones. JPC3 .4A page 2 1. Agricultural projects Cost (in TiEle of project lources of i Obj ectlves Locat ion millions of S tatu s fi nance CFA francs) Alibori farm Increased production Borgou 278.4 Benin In progress of food crcps and industrial crops IntegraEed rural Improvement of seeds, Borgou 8 600 IBRD In progress development of Borgou tracks, training and IFA.D supervision, credit, Beni n eEc, Development of food Increased producEion Ou6m6 and I O72 USAID In progress crop production 1n Ou6m6 of food crops Atacora Beni n and Atacora province s Strengthening of rural Improvement of seeds, AEacora 857 EDF In progress sErucEures of Regional tracks, training and Benin Action Centre for Rural supervision, etc. Development, At.acora Bagouri -Tounga Rice growing and Malanvi 11e 1 5I8 Netherlands Under study irrigated agriculture market gardening (Borgou) Benin development 1OOO ha irrigated farm Rice growing and Atacora 695 Benin Under study at Niambouli and Porga market gardening Korea (first phase 45O ha) Development of 15OO ha Rice growing NaEional t 249 Federal Republic Under study of swamps of Germany Benin SouEhern At.acora rural Improvement of Sout hern 3 815 Benin Study development agricul Eural A Eaco ra IFAD comp 1e t ed, producEion. OPEC Fund fi nanc ia1 CaEEle and sheep negoEiations in progress Development of livestock Improvement of cattle Atacora I 562.5 Benin In progress producEion in Atacora and sheep production Federal Republic (phase I) of Germany Southern Borgou Improvement of cattle Sou thern 750 EDF In progress livestock proj ect. production, Borgou vaccinaEion, water supply Establishment of Improvement Be terou 674 Benin Under study a ranch and livestock Livestock productron (Borgou ) Li-bya fattening at Beterou Tobre catEle breeding Improvement of cattle Tobre 712 Beni n Under study and fattening projecE produc tion (At acora ) DevelopmenE of Nacional At acora 900 Benrn In progress Parks Borgou UNDP Grafted mango plantaEion Eruit production Bi rni 9l In progress aE Birni (Atacora) Trypanosomiasis conErol Na E ional 223 .7 Federal Republic In progress of Germany Beni n Development and National 323.5 Benin In progress improvement of sheep UNCDF farming I a .rPC3 .4A page 3 The list in the above table is far from exhaustive. It shows only the principal projects in progress or planned which directly or indirectly affect the mass of the people. They n concern mainly agriculture, health, village \rater supplies, education and road infrastructures. As may be noted from the table, there are several projects that are under study or have just been conrnenced in the onchocerciasis programrne area, but it is too early to assess their real impact on the living standard of the people concerned. Moreover, the si-ze and diversity of the planned acti.ons are indications of the vast cropping and cattle-raising potential of these areas. 2. Health projects The Government's policy in the health sphere is essentially directed towards the mass of the people, which is why the following objectives and priorities have been decided: to provide the country with an adequate i-nfrastructure, to build and equip medical centres especiaLly in rural zones; to give preventive medicine preference over curative medicine; to associate modern medicine and traditional medicine for the well-being of the mass of the people and for progress in medical practice, recognizing the importance of our pharmacopoeia. In pursuance of these objectives, it is planned to build and equip village health units, comune health centres, district health centres and hospitals at the provincial 1eve1. The village health units (VHU) are the leve1 at which there is major innovation. So as to attain the objectives of WHO, namely health for all by the year 2OOO, the Government, motivated by the concern to ensure essential medical and health care for all the social strata, has created the village health units, the initial link of the national medical and health system, at their level and with their fu11 participation. This experiment, which was begun in 1975 in Borgou province, has been extended to all provinces beginning with the first State P1an, which provided for the building of VHUs, and the training of village health workers (VHW) chosen by the conrnunities and funded by Lhem. The equipment of these village health units and their stocks of essential drugs are provided by the State. The fact that not all the village health units are in operation has been due to certain difficulties connected with the training and remuneration of the VHWs and vrith supervision. In the setting up of Ehese VHUs, the Government of Benin is currently receiving assistance from the Netherlands for Lhe training of the VHWs and the equipping of these units. At the level of the Onchocerciasis Progranrne area, seven districts selected on the basis of the moti- vation of the people and the availability of administrative authorities are currently affected by the pilot phase of this project. The districts concerned are Tchaourou, Bemb6r6kd and Banikoara in Borgou province and Djougou, Copargo, Mat6ri and Cobly in Atacora province. In addition, the Federal Republic of Germany is also involved in the building of the Kouand{ and Bassila district health centres, in that it is financing the setting up of the VHUs in these two districts and the training of workers for them. Health promotion connnittees have been set up at the leve1 of the vil1ages, cortrnunes and districts affected by these projects for 1 purposes of coordination and to deal with problems that arise. The overall situation of these VHUs in the onchocerciasis control zones is now as follows: JPC3 .44 page 4 Number of Number of Districts Remarks functioning VHUs VHWs trained Tchaourou 7 28 I Bemb6r6kd 10 28 Banikoara 9 36 Bassila l6 Not stated Kouand6 10 Djougou 2 C opargo 13 \TIUs will be operational C obly 4 by the end of the year Mat6r i 16 Total 54 As not all districts are yet affected by the project, it is planned to continue projects or to finance other projects to strengthen the existing VHUs. Several building projects for dispensaries, maternity centres and district health centres are in progress at the comune and district 1eve1 thanks to UNICEF, UNCDF and the Federal Republic of Germany. Owing to financial difficulties, Ehe project for the construction of district health centres and the renovation of satellite dispensaries that was to have been financed by the African Development Fund has had its targets revised, and finance will not be immediately forthcoming for the K6rou, Ouak6, KalaIE, Nikki and S6gbana health centres.