Benin’s Nationally Determined Contributions and its Economy

Benin has significantly increased the ambition of its NDCs between 2015 and 2021, targeting a 20.15% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 across the energy, agricultural, forestry, and waste sectors. While these goals align with national priorities like food security and electricity access, the paper finds a lack of integration between the NDCs and the government's COVID-19 macroeconomic recovery response. The author recommends aligning monetary policy and credit expansion with climate goals to leverage private sector investment and ensure long-term sustainable growth.

• Benin's revised 2021 NDCs aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20.15% between 2021 and 2030, with a projected total cost of $8.5 billion. The energy sector is expected to contribute the most to these reductions (63.62%), followed by agriculture (24.04%).
• The energy sector NDCs were significantly strengthened in 2021, targeting a 12.5% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 at an estimated cost of $5.4 billion. Key measures include increasing solar-generated energy, promoting energy-efficient technologies, and expanding electricity access to replace kerosene lighting.
• In the agricultural sector, the 2021 NDCs target a 54% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030, costing approximately $1.5 billion. Nearly all of this reduction (99.4%) is expected to result from improved farming techniques and soil fertility maintenance.
• The forestry sector NDCs aim to reduce GHG emissions by 40.64 megatons of CO2 and triple the CO2 absorption capacity of forests by 2030, with an estimated cost of $1.5 billion. This is to be achieved by reducing deforestation and developing agroforestry, specifically palm oil and cashew plantations.
• The 2021 NDCs introduced waste management as a new sector, aiming to reduce GHG emissions by 1.2% through the establishment of an energy recovery facility at the Ouèssè household waste deposit, costing approximately $20 million.
• The total cost of implementing the NDCs is estimated at $10.5 billion, with approximately half funded by the Beninese government (including $5.6 billion in unconditional funds) and the remainder provided by international organisations via official development assistance.
• While the NDCs align with the National Development Plan's goals for energy autonomy and agricultural performance, there was little overlap between the government's immediate COVID-19 recovery response and its climate goals.

APA

Heffernan, I. (n.d.). Benin’s Nationally Determined Contributions and its Economy. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/SAIIA_CoMPRA_PI_20_BeninNDCs.pdf

Chicago

Heffernan, Ian. Benin’s Nationally Determined Contributions and its Economy. South African Institute of International Affairs, n.d. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/SAIIA_CoMPRA_PI_20_BeninNDCs.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Heffernan |first1=Ian |title=Benin’s Nationally Determined Contributions and its Economy |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/SAIIA_CoMPRA_PI_20_BeninNDCs.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{heffernanndbenins, author = {Heffernan, Ian}, title = {{Benin’s Nationally Determined Contributions and its Economy}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/SAIIA_CoMPRA_PI_20_BeninNDCs.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }