Many minds, one goal: the administration in Benin becomes digital—and more human
The administration of the future is being created in Benin—and it is being created together. In a country that is resolutely committed to progress, the Benin Digital Transformation Center (DTC), government agencies and local tech companies are pulling together as part of the ‘Beninnovation’ project. Their common goal: a digital administration that is secure, inclusive and user-friendly—for everyone.
Because Beninnovation is more than just a technical upgrade. It is a success story of targeted collaboration, shared learning and capacity building. As part of its broader commitment to e-governance, the Benin government sees the Beninnovation project as an opportunity to drive the national digital agenda forward. The focus is on people—both the citizens who use public services and the employees in ministries and companies who shape them.
© DTC Benin
I really appreciate the integrative approach—we were involved right from the planning and needs analysis stage.
Wilfried Gandaho, Director of Information Systems, Ministry of Labour
Practical training as a result of active listening
And that’s no coincidence: instead of making decisions over people’s heads, the focus was deliberately placed on the users’ perspectives. What do people really need? Where do things get stuck in everyday life? The project team used this information to develop practical training courses that promote new skills—from digital project management to the development of user-friendly online services.
The training was carried out in two phases: In the first, basic modules were tested with public and private stakeholders and feedback was obtained from participants. In the second part, the content was refined, focussing on the practical application of skills.
Over 205 people in the ministries’ information systems departments and 25 digital services companies have already benefited from the programme. And the results are having an impact: in the administration, processes are being rethought, methods improved, and collaboration intensified.
© DTC Benin
Following the training on call management and optimising the digital back office, we have improved the handling of user calls. We also created a team dynamic in which new methods are tested and adopted.
Ornella Semondji, Head of the Service Centre at the national digital agency
Feedback from the private sector has also been positive:
© DTC Benin
The training has strengthened our skills, which we are already putting into practice on a daily basis.
Aymar Sossou, Web developer and founder, Intside
Digitale transformationen in all areas
Back at the Ministry of Labour, it is clear that the digital transformation is not just technical—it is also cultural. Teams are reorganising themselves, incorporating user feedback better and working together more effectively. “Thanks to the training on business analysis, we can now better organise how we collect feedback from users. And the training on project management has helped us to improve the application of our methods”, says Wilfried Gandaho, Director of Information Systems, Ministry of Labour.
By strengthening trust, knowledge and shared capacities, the Beninnovation project has laid the foundation for a strong and resilient digital administration in Benin. The task now is to scale these achievements and explore new areas such as artificial intelligence, design thinking and the role of the public sector in the digital age.
The goal is clear: citizens should have access to public services without barriers—transparently, efficiently and securely. Beninnovation’s successes show this: when people design together, technology can become real progress.
