For the first time in history, in the run-up to the elections on 8 January, political parties and electoral coalitions had to have their electoral lists validated by the Autonomous National Electoral Commission in order to comply with pink quotas law

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