Cotonou is the Commercial Capital City of Benin. Benin herself, a product of the balkanization of Africa in 1884 by the super powers of the globe is a 60-year old nation-state, having attained political independence on 1st August 1960. Cotonou is made up of three quarters (3/4) of a million inhabitants and it is home to all the ethnic groupings of the country. These ethnic groups number about twenty and the issue of social inclusion is not only engrained within the psyche of each one of them, it is equally one of national discourse and consciousness. It led to the change from Dahomey (the name of the country at independence) to Benin in 1975 so as to permit all living within the country to access a sense of belonging. It underpins current national broadcasting policy as national news is broadcast in all languages of the country.
Benin is a poor country devoid of heavy industries. However, the government of Yayi Boni (2006-2016) did popularize entrepreneurship and maximize the operationalization of economic tools for boosting government revenue to such an extent that the country’s economy may have begun to look upward. The government of Patrice Talon (2016-2020) has embarked on urban renewal projects with a view to attracting tourists and investors. All these efforts have led to the promotion of an abundance of entrepreneurial activities within Cotonou. Specifically, tuck-shop operation, cyber café business, auto and motor cycle mechanical works and street vending are the four most visible economic activities within Cotonou.
In addition to periodic public health enlightenment programmes, non-government organisations provide training and counselling services to these economic entities. The wish of government to rid the streets of vendors is yet to materialize because more policing than education is currently deployed within this sector.
Formal and Non-formal Learning Infra-structure
Education is not a great enterprise in Cotonou. Judging from the usual daily bustling movement of uniformed children and youths along the streets of the city, the impression might be created that many youths are at school and that Cotonou’s only public university and numerous private universities hold a substantial number of learners. However, a careful examination of the statistics would suggest that, of the about 750,000 inhabitants of Cotonou, only one third ( ⅓) is learning at any point in time. The rate of adult literacy is not great either. It is less than 30% (UNICEF, 2013).
The role of higher education within the non-formal education sector is minimal or non-existent. No university in Cotonou (as is the case in the whole country) possesses a Department of adult and lifelong learning. Some timid form of non-formal training is offered in the Département des Sciences de l’Éducation et de la Formation (Department of Education and Training) within the only public University in Cotonou. The poor performance of the formal school system (50% success rate at the primary school, about 40% success rate at the secondary school and only 1% gross enrolment at the University level) (Biao, 2015) continues to produce candidates for the non-formal, adult and lifelong learning sector. The promotion of literacy skill acquisition using national languages which received both home and international acclaim during the communist era of 1972-90 continues in Cotonou but with little tangible results. Gomez (1977) had submitted that the reading and writing skills of these campaigns have never been well attended to even during the communist era. Through an evaluation study christened RAMAA, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning is currently in Cotonou to establish whether these literacy campaigns are able to attain their own objectives.
NGOs, as few as they are, are the main drivers for action within the field of non-formal education in Cotonou.
Learning City Development
Consequently, Cotonou does learn. However, it is not quite aware of the concept known as Learning City. Yet, this concept does exist in French under the nomenclature Ville Apprenante. In fact, a few cities in Africa (Belel [Cameroun], Bafoussam [Cameroun], Mayo-Baleo [Cameroun]) did participate in the 2018 UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning sponsored Learning City Conference. As of now, only a few NGOs do approach government institutions (City Councils mainly) to propose to them, learning themes to explore with sections of the city. For example, Cotonou City Council has just concluded a health awareness campaign with the support of one NGO in February 2020.
The non-governmental organisations operating in Cotonou are not themselves necessarily aware of the concept Ville Apprenante (Learning City). They may have heard about it. Yet, they are not aware of its mechanisms, goals and dynamics. Cotonou is therefore a vast virgin area in terms of learning city activities. Some officers (Heads of sections in City Councils, ordinary officers in the same Councils) have expressed their wish to participate in activities that may enlighten in the ways and manners of Ville Apprenante.
Key Activities in the Learning City field
A list of about fourteen (14) non-governmental organisations operating in a number of cities including Cotonou may be found on the world wide web (https://www.wango.org/codeofethics.aspx?page=13&country=Benin). Apart from the fact that some of these NGOs are difficult to trace on the ground, only four (4) of them indicated URLs against their names. Some of the four URLs could not respond to clicks during a last trial. Learning City activities are therefore almost non-existent.
Key Priority Areas for Future Development
The view persists that Benin has over the years concentrated her efforts almost solely in developing the formal education sector even as this sector has failed to yield good dividends in recent times (Biao, 2015). The higher education sector remains lukewarm towards embracing the formal study of adult and lifelong learning. Yet, the action of a few beleaguered NGOs cannot free up all the energies necessary for the kind of lifelong learning that may meaningfully contribute to sustainable development in the 21st century.
Consequently, higher education should begin to show interest and take the lead in promoting adult and lifelong learning in Cotonou but also across the country. It might be wishful thinking to wait and hope that the Benin higher education sector which currently knows little about adult and lifelong learning would be able to rise and move mountain. Consequently, it is realistic to invite international organisations and experts to approach higher education in Benin with a view to assisting it to chart a path of action in adult and lifelong learning for Cotonou and the country at large.
Another area of priority concerns the creation of awareness about adult and lifelong learning among city councils and non-governmental organisations in Cotonou and Benin as a whole.
