Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...
is a coastal country located in the
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian (zero degrees latitude and longitude) is in the ...
in Western Africa, which is a resource rich region. Energy in Benin has a diverse
energy mix
The energy mix is a group of different primary energy sources from which secondary energy for direct use - such as electricity - is produced. Energy mix refers to all direct uses of energy, such as transportation and housing, and should not be c ...
and takes several forms including: solar, wind, hydropower, biomass, fossil resources, and mineral resources. Out of this energy mix, about 60% of energy comes from
biomass
Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms bi ...
. Benin is also dependent on energy imports from
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
and
Côte d'Ivoire
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
.
While power plants and other energy facilities were built in the 1950s and 1960s, the lack of investment has led to deterioration over time. Similarly, its location in the Gulf of Guinea has led to an attempt of oil production starting in the late 1980s. However, due to unprofitable operations, oil production halted in 1998.
Electricity
Benin imports some of its electricity from Nigeria through the
CEB-NEPA Power Interconnection, commissioned in 2007.
Access to Electricity
There is a disparity of access between urban and rural citizens. In 2010, around 34.2% of the population had access to electricity. The urban population had significantly greater access at 65.4% while the only 13.9% of the rural population had access.
The government attempted to bridge the gap by implementing a rural electrification program that seeks to increase levels of electrification in rural areas to 36% by 2015. As of 2020, approximately 32% of Benin's population has access to electricity, leaving approximately 1.5 million citizens without access. On average, 56% of the urban population has access to electricity, while only about 11% has access in rural areas.
While the urban population has proportionally more access to electricity, they also face issues such as electricity shortage and outages. In 2016, it was reported that on average there are 28 electrical outages in Benin.
Accessibility to electricity is interconnected with the performance of the economy, and around 60% of firms state that electricity is their major constraint.
Additionally, the country's statistics show that there is a discrepancy between renewable energy consumption and renewable electricity output. In 2014, renewable energy consumption was 48.6%, while the renewable electricity output was 0.5%.
While Benin has many energy resources, it lacks the infrastructure both to convert these resources into electricity and to transport the electricity throughout the country.
Addressing Energy Resource Accessibility Challenges
Energy resources in Benin and most Western African countries are not evenly distributed.
Yet, energy services and accessibility are important factors towards economic and industrial development. Thus, in 1975 the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), consisting 15 nations, was formed. The goal of this organization was not only to promote economic growth, development, and cooperation, but also to link the power networks to ensure power security.
Under ECOWAS, the
West African Power Pool
The West African Power Pool (WAPP) is a cooperation of the national electricity companies in Western Africa under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The members of WAPP are working for establishing a reliable ...
(WAPP) was created with headquarters in Benin and the goal of furthering the goal of combining each nations power system into a regional source to provide more reliable energy services
Out of the 15 nations that are part of ECOWAS, 14 joined WAPP.
= International Support
=
Power Africa is an organization launched in 2013 by
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
through the
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...
(USAID) that brings together experts, private sector investors, and government institutions to help people gain accessibility to power. The organization's goal is to invest and develop in renewable and sustainable energy and promote greater access. The current partnership is between United States and six other African countries—Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria and Ghana—as well as banks in Africa such as the
African Development Bank Group
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) or (BAD) is a multilateral development finance institution headquartered in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, since September 2014. The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and private companies in ...
(AfDB). In dealing with the energy needs in Nigeria, Rural electrification project has been embarked on by the Government with funding from international community. The main focus of the project is to augment the energy source with solar energy, it partnered with solar companies to carry out the project.
Based on the
Human Development Index
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistic composite index of life expectancy, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income indicators, whi ...
report of 2018, Benin ranks 163 out of 189 countries as about 66.8% of the population faces poverty. Many people still have limited access to electricity and maintenance and development of utilities and services requires financial support. Power Africa has provided partnership of the Benin's government with the
Millennium Challenge Corporation
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a bilateral United States foreign aid agency established by the U.S. Congress in 2004. It is an independent agency separate from the State Department and USAID. It provides grants to countries that h ...
(MCC), which will assist in reinforcing the power sector in Benin.
The $375 million grant towards this project will assist in designing and construction of a more reliable power system as well as strengthening the infrastructure.
Oil
The company responsible for petroleum imports is
Société Nationale de Commercialisation des Produits Pétroliers
Société Nationale de Commercialisation des Produits Pétroliers (SONACOP) is a supplier of petroleum and gas products in Benin. The company was established on 4 December 1974 as a state owned enterprise after nationalization and merger of Benines ...
(SONACOP).
Benin ceased
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
production from its Seme oilfield in 1998. America's
Kosmos Energy LLC explored for petroleum in 2006.
[Omayra Bermúdez-Lugo]
"The Mineral Industry of Benin, Burkina Faso, and Sao Tome e Principe"
''2006 Minerals Yearbook
The ''Minerals Yearbook'' is an annual publication from the United States Geological Survey. It reviews the mineral
In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-def ...
''. U.S. Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and ...
(October 2007). ''This article incorporates text from this U.S. government source, which is in the public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work
A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...
.''
In recent years, there has been an attempt to revive the oil production and industry in Benin. In September 2019, Niger and China launched the construction of the Niger-Benin Oil Pipeline. This pipeline, roughly 1980 kilometers (1230 miles), will run from the
Diffa Region
Diffa is one of the seven Regions of Niger, located in the southeast of the country. The capital of the region is Diffa.
Geography
Diffa Region is situated in the extreme southeast of Niger between 10° 30’ and 15° 35’ longitude East and 1 ...
in the Southeast of Niger to the Port Seme Terminal in Benin. The projected pipeline is to have two thirds run through Niger and one third through Benin. Previously, Niger exported its oil through Chad in order to reach a Cameroon port; however, there has been much instability in the
Sahel
The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid c ...
region. The Niger-Benin Oil Pipeline project is projected to take about two and a half years. It is estimated that this pipeline will increase Niger's oil export as well as create economic traffic for Benin.
Natural gas
The company responsible for gas imports is
Société Beninoise de Gaz
Lactalis is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier SA.
Lactalis is the largest dairy products group in the world, and is the se ...
. Natural gas is supplied to Benin by the
West African Gas Pipeline
The West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) is a natural gas pipeline to supply gas from Nigeria's Escravos region of the Niger Delta area to Benin, Togo and Ghana. It is the first regional natural gas transmission system in sub-Saharan Africa.
Histor ...
.
West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP)
The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo) owns the
West African Gas Pipeline
The West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) is a natural gas pipeline to supply gas from Nigeria's Escravos region of the Niger Delta area to Benin, Togo and Ghana. It is the first regional natural gas transmission system in sub-Saharan Africa.
Histor ...
(WAGP). The pipeline transports natural gas and extends from Itoki,
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
to Benin, Togo, Ghana.
It is one of the largest projects regarding fossil fuel on the continent and the first to be constructed in sub-Saharan Africa.
Although Benin has natural gas reserves, there is no active production. The WAGP Project, started in 2004, serves as an alternative to bring more stable forms of electricity generation into the households and firms.
The development of the pipeline also brings more economic opportunities both in terms of industrial development and job opportunities.
References
{{Portal, Africa, Energy