Beyond Infrastructure: JEFIC's bet on Human Capital in Benin
May 14, 2026
This article was written by Fabrizio Arena, a student at the Walter Tobagi School of Journalism in Italy.
Within the framework of European cooperation aimed at supporting emerging economies, strengthening education systems in African countries has become a key pillar of Europe’s strategic agenda. In Benin, one of West Africa’s most dynamic yet fragile contexts, the Joint European Financiers for International Cooperation (JEFIC) network is spearheading an initiative designed to have a lasting impact on the country’s economic and social structure: the expansion of technical and vocational education and training.
The project has, since 2023, marked Phase 3 of Benin’s national strategy for technical and vocational education and training (TVET), a critical driver of economic development, youth employment, and job creation. With a total commitment of €165.75 million, co-financed alongside by Agence française de développement (AFD) and Germany’s KfW, the initiative involves the construction, rehabilitation, and equipping of ten technical and agricultural institutes, with the aim of modernising educational provision and aligning it with international standards.
The programme unfolds against a complex demographic and economic backdrop. Benin has a young and rapidly growing population, with a median age of around 20 and more than half of its citizens of working age. As such, it faces one of the most pressing challenges confronting emerging economies: facilitating the transition of young people from education into the labour market. Here, however, the situation remains critical, with youth unemployment standing at 29% and underemployment reaching as high as 72%, much of which occurs within a widespread informal sector.
This is where the JEFIC-backed initiative intervenes. Strengthening technical and agricultural institutions goes beyond infrastructure alone, encompassing the upgrading of equipment, the revision of curricula, and the expansion of access to training, particularly with a view to enhancing female inclusion. The objective is to build a skilled workforce capable of meeting the needs of local businesses while supporting long-term processes of productive innovation.
This effort runs in parallel with reforms undertaken by the Beninese government, which has launched a structural overhaul of the education system. The goal is to raise the share of students enrolled in technical and vocational pathways to 70% by 2030, up from less than 30% today. This shift reflects the central role of agriculture in the national economy, which accounts for around 70% of employment but remains characterised by low productivity and limited industrial processing capacity.
The JEFIC-supported project thus forms part of a broader development strategy. In a country where roughly 40% of the population lives below the poverty line, and where the economy remains heavily reliant on informal trade and the export of unprocessed raw materials, upgrading human capital is a decisive lever for structural change. The construction of new agricultural institutes, already under way in several regions, responds to this need: training a new generation of operators capable of moving up the value chain, improving productivity, and strengthening the competitiveness of the economic system. In this sense, technical education emerges not merely as an educational tool, but as a fully-fledged national industrial policy.
The initiative also underscores the growing role of the “Team Europe” model, one of the network’s key pillars. Under this approach, European financial institutions and governments coordinate resources and expertise to maximise the impact of their interventions. JEFIC is positioning itself as a leading player within this architecture, making a significant contribution to the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy. Launched in 2021, the strategy not only enhances the EU’s international engagement but also aims to mobilise up to €300 billion in investments for sustainable, high-quality infrastructure worldwide. The project in Benin stands as a clear example, where education is intrinsically linked to social stability and economic growth.
Fabrizio Arena