Benin

The first edition of International Forum of African Women Leaders will be held in Cotonou next week, from 9 to 12 November; a consistent opportunity for businesswomen to share their know-how and build relationships

With a booming second-hand car market, pollution concerns cities' authorities; in Cotonou concentration of PM2.5 has been 4,4 times higher than the WHO annual air quality guideline value

Strikes in the transport, port and airport, water, hydrocarbon, rail and waterway sectors have been banned by bill approved by the parliament

At the 7th edition of the UNESCO-Hamdan Teacher Development Prize, 3 innovative programmes from Benin, Haiti and Lebanon were selected; they stress the role of teachers in transforming education in their communities

Overlooking Cotonou, the 30-metre bronze statue of a historic warrior known as the Amazon of Dahomey was unveiled a few weeks ago, inspired by the women who protected the ancient Kingdom of Dahomey and fought against French colonial troops

The country is in talks with Rwanda to provide logistical support and expertise in its fight against jihadism in the north; Benin's army is deployed in the northern region to contain jihadist groups from neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso

Djifa Constant Ayihounoun, 22, a young entrepreneur from Benin, is the CEO of a company that has created a viable alternative to chemical fertilisers, an ecological and social choice in the light of climate change and rising food prices

In the village of Atchampioun, a well built by Caritas of Djougou with the support of Jacob's Well has become a meeting and dialogue place for different religions and languages living together

The city of Cotonou will host the World Boules Championship, as announced by the president of the African boules sports confederation, explaining that the 50th edition of the World Boules Championship will take place in the first half of September 2023

In Cotonou there are over 250.000 mototaxi drivers, known as zemidjan, many of whom are now switching to electric two-wheelers because of the difficulties they have in maintaining their gas-powered motorcycles, thus also contributing to curb pollution

The first trip to Africa since French President Macron was re-elected in April will take him to the country to deal with the food crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, agricultural production problems and security issues

"The Woman King", Hollywood-produced film telling the story of the Agojie, will be released in cinemas on 14 September, but some criticise the fact that no Beninese actors are in the cast and that there are no scenes shot in the country

Canada announced over $16 million in funding to improve youth employment opportunities in Benin by supporting programmes that help young people obtain the skills they need to succeed and contribute to the economic success of their communities