• Renovations target overcrowded campuses, labs and libraries
• Government also exploring online learning solutions

The Beninese government approved contracts to rehabilitate several public university campuses during a Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday, September 24.

The project, which will cost 7 billion CFA francs (nearly $12.5 million USD), aims to renovate severely degraded academic, administrative, and ancillary buildings. Government spokesman Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji revealed the figure on Sunday, September 28, during the TVC Benin show Version originale.

Institutions set to benefit include the University of Abomey-Calavi, the Advanced Teacher Training Colleges of Porto-Novo and Natitingou, the Faculty of Health Sciences, the National University of Agriculture, the University of Parakou, and the National University of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in Lokossa.

Houngbédji confirmed that major renovations will target amphitheaters, laboratories, libraries, and administrative offices. The government aims to provide students with a suitable learning environment, as rising enrollment has severely strained existing infrastructure. The work will improve comfort and capacity while ensuring a better academic setting. Ministers will oversee the selected companies to guarantee compliance with the specifications, according to the official report.

However, the renovation plan does not fully resolve overcrowding in lecture halls, where thousands of students often share spaces designed for half the number. To tackle this, a committee is working to implement distance learning, allowing high school graduates to take courses remotely from home or from regional centers equipped with reliable internet.

This strategy aligns with World Bank recommendations, which project Africa's youth population could reach 850 million by 2050. By 2063, young people will represent half of the working-age population. These projections increase pressure on higher education, highlighting the need for innovative solutions to saturated teaching facilities.

Benin’s approach is part of a wider regional effort. Since 2023, Senegal has been implementing a major plan to modernize the Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in Dakar, including building new student housing and gradually digitizing courses to control overcrowding.

Meanwhile, Côte d’Ivoire has invested 190 billion CFA francs to reinforce university infrastructure in Yamoussoukro and Abidjan, including building residence halls with a total of 4,500 beds. In parallel, the Virtual University of Côte d’Ivoire (UVCI), founded in 2015, offers various degree programs online, providing a flexible alternative for students and helping to decongest physical lecture halls.

These initiatives reflect a shared commitment in West Africa to balance the physical rehabilitation of facilities with digital solutions to meet demographic and educational challenges in higher education.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou