The ministers of the Beninese government gathered for their weekly conclave on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Many topics were discussed at this meeting held under the aegis of His Excellency Patrice Talon. Here is the full report of the decisions made.
The following decisions were taken:
I- COMMUNICATIONS.
I-1. Subsidizing Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) Reception Kits.
In the context of implementing the national plan for the cessation of analog broadcasting and the transition to digital, it has been envisaged to definitively stop the terrestrial analog broadcasting of television on August 15, 2024, following a progressive mechanism for switching off zone by zone, starting from April 1, 2024.
To this end, the Government has anticipated measures to accompany this transition, including capping the price of reception kits, and exemptions for these materials from customs duties and VAT. Despite this, the sales price of these kits remains a concern for the population, at the risk of becoming a barrier to their widespread adoption.
Therefore, the Council has agreed that the reception kit will be sold at the price of 5,000 FCFA instead of 18,000 FCFA, making it 3,500 FCFA for the decoder and 1,500 FCFA for the antenna and accessories. Thus, the subsidy amount for each reception kit is thirteen thousand (13,000) FCFA. This new price reduction measure will extend until the exhaustion of the equipment stocks acquired with the support of the State.
To that end, and to avoid market distortions, the Council has authorized the State to purchase the stock and ongoing orders from distributors whose decoders have been approved by the High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC). These devices will also be sold at the subsidized price.
The aim is to ensure that digital terrestrial television (DTT) becomes a reality within the planned deadlines, with an appreciable coverage rate in kits, across the entire national territory.
Report on Cardiac Surgery Missions Carried Out at the Hubert Koutoukou Maga National University Hospital Center in Cotonou from 2021 to 2023
From March 29, 2021, to September 21, 2023, twelve missions were carried out, and these provided care for 105 patients, of which 100 underwent open-heart surgery and 5 had closed-heart surgery. The total cost amounted to 1,455,098,382 FCFA, covered entirely by the State, with costs varying between 6 million and nearly 20 million FCFA per case, resulting in an average cost of 13,858,080 FCFA.
This cost is lower than the average expenditure for medical evacuations for the same interventions in Europe, which stands at 16,636,618 FCFA, for nearly identical outcomes, not taking into account the additional expenses for travel, accommodation, and other logistics costs.
At the end of this implementation phase of the center of excellence, it is clear that there is a real demand for cardiac surgery in our country. Indeed, every two months, approximately ten cases are diagnosed that require cardiac surgery, thus highlighting the importance of developing and strengthening this type of healthcare service.
For this reason, the Council has shown its favor towards continuing these missions, with a special focus on transferring skills to the local healthcare staff, who will also benefit from practical training internships in Europe.
The aimed objective is to enhance the capabilities of professionals in the field who will eventually take over and perform heart surgery interventions on-site and fully manage the specialty service that will be inaugurated in Benin without external assistance.
In this regard, during its session on November 29, 2023, the Council of Ministers decided to arrange for a six-month internship in France for the first group of 30 practicing doctors and associated paramedics from the twelve missions.
The Minister of Health will ensure the coherent implementation of the recommendations from the evaluation of these missions.
I-3. Report on the Due Diligence Conducted by the Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority (ARCEP BENIN) for the Migration of Benin’s National Numbering Plan from Eight (8) to Ten (10) Digits
The national numbering plan, which is under the jurisdiction of ARCEP BENIN, organizes the resources made up by the entirety of numbers. This system enables the identification of fixed or mobile endpoints of telephone networks and services for routing calls and accessing internal network resources.
The plan sets the conditions for the reservation and allocation related to numbering and represents a segment of the global numbering plan defined by the International Telecommunication Union. In Benin, this plan has transitioned from six to eight digits since 2005.
However, the emergence of new connected services, the launch of a new operator, and the rise of mobile financial services and machine-to-machine communications are increasing demand. It becomes imperative to create new availabilities to meet the expectations of the sector.
Furthermore, the report delivered to the Council by the Minister of Digital and Digitalization shows that the study carried out by ARCEP BENIN to determine the optimal approach to implement, concluded that a migration from an eight-digit to a ten-digit numbering plan is necessary.
Therefore, it is recommended that all actions related to the switchover of the operators’ networks to the new plan should be implemented according to the communicated schedule.
The Council took note and recommended that the Regulatory Authority, in conjunction with the operators, initiate widespread communication and awareness actions towards users of electronic communication services.
The Minister of Digital and Digitalization will ensure the proper execution of the operation.
II- INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS AND EVENTS.
Under this heading, the Council has authorized:
- the participation of Benin’s national teams in major international sports competitions for the year 2024; and the organization in Cotonou of:
- from March 7 to 9, 2024, the 6th congress of the Society of Head and Neck Specialists of Benin;
- from March 13 to 15, 2024, the second National Days of Infectious Diseases of Benin;
- from March 26 to 28, 2024, the 21st session of the Board of Directors of the International Research and Development Center for Livestock in the Subhumid Zone.
III- INDIVIDUAL MEASURES.
At the Ministry of Living Environment and Transport, in charge of Sustainable Development, Mr. Assongba Gaston KPOTIN has been appointed Director General of the Environmental Studies and Monitoring Laboratory.
Done at Cotonou, on March 6, 2024,
The Secretary-General of the Government,
Edouard OUIN-OURO.