MPs endorse three draft agreements for 22 billions funds granted to Benin
MEMBERS OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MET ON TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2009, AT PALAIS DES GOUVERNEURS IN PORTO-NOVO TO PASS THREE (03) DRAFT LOAN AGREEMENTS WHICH SHOULD ALLOW THE GOVERNMENT TO IMPLEMENT ITS INFRASTRUCTURE POLICY BUT DID NOT FAIL TO VOICE THEIR GRIEVANCES TOWARDS THE GOVERNMENT.
The three draft loan agreements signed between Benin Republic and some of its partners were endorsed on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 by the National Assembly.
Most important one is the bill endorsing the loan agreement signed on May 06, 2008 between Benin Republic and Bank for Investment and Development of the Economic Community of West African States (in French Banque d’Investissement et de Développement de la Communauté Econimique des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest : BIDC) in connection with the financing of the rehabilitation project regarding the roadway which links Cadjèhoun Airport, Place de Souvenir and Africa Airline Crossroads in Cotonou worth 12.805 billion CFA francs of which 9 billion CFA francs as participation of Benin State. The particularity of this project is that it has already been implemented before its approval by the parliamentarians.
The second one is the bill approving the loan agreement signed on May 13, 2008 between the Republic of Benin and the West African Development Bank (in French, Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement: BOAD) for the partial funding of paving and streets sanitation in Abomey city worth 5.726 billion CFA francs of which 0.017 billion CFA francs as participation of Abomey Municipality.
Finally there is the bill authorizing the loan agreement signed on September 12, 2008 between Benin Republic and International Development Association (AID) as part of the Competitiveness and Integrated Growth Opportunity Project (CIGOP) worth 12.5 billion CFA francs for among other benefits: supporting the development of new businesses and creating jobs on the basis of the commercial transformation of the national resource, providing potential investors with opportunities to identify slots direct commercial transformation of the national resource, to overcome the technical barriers to trade and enable domestic companies to explore markets difficult to access, integrate all sectors investment as well as the access to market of beninese products.
The three (03) bills endorsing the loan agreements were respectively passed by 65 votes, 59 votes and 63 votes unanimously by parliamentarians present for each vote.
The Government was represented by Housing and Urban Development Minister, François NOUDEGBESSI, Small and Medium Business Minister, Léandre HOUAGA and Finance and Economics Minister, Soulé MANA LAWANI.
Despite the unanimous vote for all three (03) bills that were passed, the most of the parliamentarians were much critical about what they called the Government disrespect towards the National Assemebly. The draft that has drawn the most the attention of the parliamentarians is the one approving the loan agreement signed on May 06, 2008 between Benin Republic and Bank for Investment and Development of the Economic Community of West African States (BIDC) in connection with the financing of the rehabilitation project relating to the roadway linking the Cadjèhoun Airport, Place de Souvenir and Africa Airline Crossroads in Cotonou.
Indeed, roadway joining the Cadjèhoun Airport, Place de Souvenir and Africa Airline Crossroads has already been rehabilitated before the CEN-SAD summit held in Cotonou from 12 to 18 June 2008, nevertheless it is on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 the funding had to be approved by the National Assembly.
According to the parliamentarians, mainly Rachidi GBADAMASSI, Raphael AKOTEGNON, Jean-Baptiste EDAY, Paulin TOMANAGE, it is the disregard of the Government for National Assembly’s prerogatives on public finance management that attends to this state of things.
Some parliamentarians even uttered more serious criticisms about the Government’s handling of State finance. The MP Eric HOUNDETE said: «…I will vote for the bill …» for political reasons. According to him, if the issue were to be examined under technical ground, it would not be advisable to vote for the bill. The implementation of this project has been marked by technical failures and squander. To him, the building of this road was too expensive.
«How can one build a road 12 kilometers long by spending twelve (12) billion while the road which links Akpro-Missérété-Dango-Adjohoun-Kpédékpo long eighty nine (89) kilometers long would cost fourteen (14) billion?», wondered the MP le Kifouli CAKPO who is a PRD member.
On the contrary, most of the parliamentarians of the governmental coalition, the Head of State has been doing well. They thank him for making the Cadjèhoun Airport beautiful, but André DASSOUNDO acknowledged that the Government has not respected the National Assembly by proceeding the way it has do and invited the Speaker to forward a letter to the Head of State in order to point this out to him.
Alfred Cossi CHODATON
alf2chod@yahoo.fr
MEMBERS OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MET ON TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2009, AT PALAIS DES GOUVERNEURS IN PORTO-NOVO TO PASS THREE (03) DRAFT LOAN AGREEMENTS WHICH SHOULD ALLOW THE GOVERNMENT TO IMPLEMENT ITS INFRASTRUCTURE POLICY BUT DID NOT FAIL TO VOICE THEIR GRIEVANCES TOWARDS THE GOVERNMENT.
The three draft loan agreements signed between Benin Republic and some of its partners were endorsed on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 by the National Assembly.
Most important one is the bill endorsing the loan agreement signed on May 06, 2008 between Benin Republic and Bank for Investment and Development of the Economic Community of West African States (in French Banque d’Investissement et de Développement de la Communauté Econimique des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest : BIDC) in connection with the financing of the rehabilitation project regarding the roadway which links Cadjèhoun Airport, Place de Souvenir and Africa Airline Crossroads in Cotonou worth 12.805 billion CFA francs of which 9 billion CFA francs as participation of Benin State. The particularity of this project is that it has already been implemented before its approval by the parliamentarians.
The second one is the bill approving the loan agreement signed on May 13, 2008 between the Republic of Benin and the West African Development Bank (in French, Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement: BOAD) for the partial funding of paving and streets sanitation in Abomey city worth 5.726 billion CFA francs of which 0.017 billion CFA francs as participation of Abomey Municipality.
Finally there is the bill authorizing the loan agreement signed on September 12, 2008 between Benin Republic and International Development Association (AID) as part of the Competitiveness and Integrated Growth Opportunity Project (CIGOP) worth 12.5 billion CFA francs for among other benefits: supporting the development of new businesses and creating jobs on the basis of the commercial transformation of the national resource, providing potential investors with opportunities to identify slots direct commercial transformation of the national resource, to overcome the technical barriers to trade and enable domestic companies to explore markets difficult to access, integrate all sectors investment as well as the access to market of beninese products.
The three (03) bills endorsing the loan agreements were respectively passed by 65 votes, 59 votes and 63 votes unanimously by parliamentarians present for each vote.
The Government was represented by Housing and Urban Development Minister, François NOUDEGBESSI, Small and Medium Business Minister, Léandre HOUAGA and Finance and Economics Minister, Soulé MANA LAWANI.
Despite the unanimous vote for all three (03) bills that were passed, the most of the parliamentarians were much critical about what they called the Government disrespect towards the National Assemebly. The draft that has drawn the most the attention of the parliamentarians is the one approving the loan agreement signed on May 06, 2008 between Benin Republic and Bank for Investment and Development of the Economic Community of West African States (BIDC) in connection with the financing of the rehabilitation project relating to the roadway linking the Cadjèhoun Airport, Place de Souvenir and Africa Airline Crossroads in Cotonou.
Indeed, roadway joining the Cadjèhoun Airport, Place de Souvenir and Africa Airline Crossroads has already been rehabilitated before the CEN-SAD summit held in Cotonou from 12 to 18 June 2008, nevertheless it is on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 the funding had to be approved by the National Assembly.
According to the parliamentarians, mainly Rachidi GBADAMASSI, Raphael AKOTEGNON, Jean-Baptiste EDAY, Paulin TOMANAGE, it is the disregard of the Government for National Assembly’s prerogatives on public finance management that attends to this state of things.
Some parliamentarians even uttered more serious criticisms about the Government’s handling of State finance. The MP Eric HOUNDETE said: «…I will vote for the bill …» for political reasons. According to him, if the issue were to be examined under technical ground, it would not be advisable to vote for the bill. The implementation of this project has been marked by technical failures and squander. To him, the building of this road was too expensive.
«How can one build a road 12 kilometers long by spending twelve (12) billion while the road which links Akpro-Missérété-Dango-Adjohoun-Kpédékpo long eighty nine (89) kilometers long would cost fourteen (14) billion?», wondered the MP le Kifouli CAKPO who is a PRD member.
On the contrary, most of the parliamentarians of the governmental coalition, the Head of State has been doing well. They thank him for making the Cadjèhoun Airport beautiful, but André DASSOUNDO acknowledged that the Government has not respected the National Assembly by proceeding the way it has do and invited the Speaker to forward a letter to the Head of State in order to point this out to him.
Alfred Cossi CHODATON
alf2chod@yahoo.fr
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