Benin/International Living Environment Forum (Fic 2023): Reflections in favor of a sustainable living environment

Since Thursday, September 28, 2023, Cotonou has been hosting the first edition of the International Living Environment Forum (Fic 2023). The event, which brings together experts and professionals in the living environment and housing sector, is intended to provide a forum for discussion and reflection on sustainable living. The opening ceremony took place on the Amazon esplanade in the presence of the Minister of State for Development and Coordination of Government Action, Abdoulaye Bio Tchané, and the Minister for the Living Environment and Transport, José Didier Tonato.

From September 28 to October 02, 2023, participants in the International Living Environment Forum will be harmonizing their knowledge and experience around the major challenges of housing, urban development, climate change and more. In his welcome address, Victor Ananouh, Director General of Housing and Construction, pointed out that demographic growth in Africa calls for substantial investment in terms of infrastructure and housing.This meeting should enable us to better address the issues linked to urban development, while exploring possible solutions to these challenges. The Fic is an annual meeting of experts and professionals in the living environment and housing sector, and a reference point for architecture, urban planning, affordable housing, interior design and all other themes related to spaces and their development.

Other Fic 2023 activities include the Nuit de l'Habitat, World Habitat Day, exhibition aisles, demo workshops and a round-table discussion. Taking the floor, the Minister for the Living Environment, José Didier Tonato, made it clear that the living environment sector remains a priority for the Beninese government, before mentioning the high-impact projects implemented by the government in recent years. These range from asphalt paving, urban roads and social housing to rainwater drainage programs, the construction of administrative housing estates, the National Assembly headquarters, the management of solid household waste and sludge.The era of resilient urban infrastructure is more than a reality in Benin.

According to the ministerial authority, this meeting is a response to the need for further reflection to ensure the sustainability and resilience necessary to enable the living environment to cope with various shocks. Opening the meeting, Minister Abdoulaye Bio Tchané admitted that the population is concentrated in cities, before pointing out that Benin could become a predominantly urban country by 2025. This calls for urgent, concrete action to ensure collective and individual well-being. In his view, these reflections should help to make public policies on the living environment more inclusive.

Source: matinlibre.com/