Grand Nokoue Solid Waste

signed

A sovereign loan of up to EUR 35.5 million to the Republic of Benin to co-finance, alongside the European Investment Bank ("EIB"), the development and modernisation of the municipal solid waste management system in the Grand Nokoue region in southern Benin (the "Project"). The Project will support priority infrastructure aimed at improving collection, sorting, recovery and treatment of municipal solid waste across the Grand Nokoue region, which covers the administrative and economic capitals, Porto-Novo and Cotonou, as well as other relevant municipalities such as Ouidah, Abomey-Calavi and Seme-Kpodji.  Together, this region accounts for approximately 20% of Benin's population and 30% of the country's GDP, generating over 600,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste annually. The Bank's proceeds will finance investments such as the acquisition of new trucks and vehicles for waste collection and transport, the improvement of manual sorting facilities at collection points, the construction of sorting centres, the construction of composting plants, the construction of a pilot biogas plant, and the implementation of landfill gas collection and flaring systems, and an upgrade of leachate management systems at the existing landfill sites. The Project builds on preparatory work under the Clean Oceans Initiative, contributing to pollution reduction and sustainable urban development in line with Benin's National Development Plan (2018-2025).