Decentralized Community Driven Services Project

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The objective of the Decentralized Community Driven Services Project (APL Phase I) for Benin is to improve access to decentralized basic social services and to mainstream the Community Driven Development (CDD) approach for such services. The project has three components. (1) Service delivery grants to local governments' component will strengthen the delivery of basic services at the decentralized level. Eligible expenditures will include investment projects in the areas of education, health, water, and commerce. (2) Pilot social safety net program component will support a pilot of the safety net program recommended by the review. The objective of the pilot is to test an approach to increase income and consumption and improve the ability to cope with shocks among targeted vulnerable population groups. The program is composed of two elements: (i) a basic unconditional cash transfer to all targeted households, and (ii) labor-intensive public works for the same households to provide the opportunity to earn an additional transfer during the agricultural lean season. (3) Technical assistance and capacity building component has four subcomponents: (i) technical assistance and capacity building for Ministry of Decentralization, Local Government, and Administration and Development of the Territory (MDGLAAT) and other key ministries; (ii) technical assistance and capacity building for communes; (iii) Grassroots Management Training (GMT) for communities; and (iv) social accountability, monitoring and evaluation.