Benin

The Productive Social Safety Nets "Gbessoke" program, designed to help the most vulnerable achieve independence, marks a turning point in Benin's solidarity policy; it was official launched in Cotonou earlier this week

A cross-border public health campaign was launched with Togo at Hilla-Condji and Sanvee-Condji border crossings; focused on reproduction, family planning, HIV/AIDS prevention, it gives healthcare access to remote communities where services are limited

Celebrations for the International Bamboo Day, set by the UN for 18 September, have been organized by Benin Forestry administration and the NGO Africa Bambou until today to highlight the species' importance for conservation and local economy

Potential beneficiaries of loans for farmers, or 'credit agricole', a key tool, are calling on authorities to streamline the process: some producers manage to obtain credit from decentralized financial systems, others are stuck with collateral as obstacle

American filmmaker Spike Lee and wife, producer and author Tonya Lewis Lee, have been appointed ambassadors for African-Americans in the US; their role aims to strengthen ties, promote cultural tourism and support reconnection of diaspora to their roots

American singer Ciara Princess Wilson has officially acquired Beninese nationality, becoming one of the first prominent figures to benefit from a groundbreaking citizenship program launched aimed at strengthening ties with the African diaspora

Producers, directors and other film industry professionals are setting a link between Los Angeles and Cotonou, aiming to develop Beninese cinema and hoping to make it essential across the African continent

A mobile classroom, the Blobus, is traveling across Benin upon private initiative to bring screens into school programs and promote digital education and access to technology, still a luxury for many pupils

The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, has honoured notable citizens with chieftaincy titles to strengthen traditional governance, encourage dedication, commitment, service to the community - stated Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Chief Press Secretary to the Oba of Benin

Pendjari National Park, a main biodiversity conservation area in west Africa and a World Heritage Site has seen an escalating presence of non-state armed groups: its geography facilitates movements, hiding, stock up on resources, gold and poached wildlife

A week-long workshop "Catholic Professionals and Commitment to Christian Leadership, Peace, Good Governance, and the Protection of Life" was held in Cotonou with fifty professionals from various sectors of social life from five African countries

54 soldiers were reportedly killed in the terrorist attack in northern Benin on 17 April; Beninese government spokesman Houngbedji denied rumors of over a hundred deaths spread on social networks, according to Benin's official media La Nation

A massive, door-to-door information campaign to fight onchocerciasis - the disease also known as river blindness - has been launched in Benin; the parasitic infection is caused by the roundworm Onchocerca volvulus, with damages compromising eyesight