Bénin: 8,500 Actes Naissance Écoliers Delivered in New Program

• An operation launched in Kpédékpo, Zagnanado, aims to provide 8,500 birth certificates to students in ten communes of Bénin.
• The initiative, launched on October 28, 2026, targets CM1 and CM2 students in Central and Southern regions.
• It addresses two groups: those with birth certificates but not registered with the RNPP, and those lacking any documentation.
• The goal is to provide a recognized identity, facilitate administrative procedures, and remove barriers to education and fundamental rights.
• The International Organization of La Francophonie praised Bénin's efforts to modernize its identification system, highlighting the roles of RNPP and ANIP.

The overarching goal is to diminish obstacles that could impede their educational journey and their ability to exercise fundamental rights.

An extensive program was recently inaugurated in Kpédékpo, located within the Zagnanado commune, aimed at providing birth certificates to 8,500 students across ten communes in Bénin. This significant undertaking, launched on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, seeks to ensure that thousands of Beninese schoolchildren are formally recognized with official documentation of their birth. The primary objective is to overcome administrative hurdles that have historically prevented some learners from possessing a legally established identity, thereby impacting their access to essential services and opportunities.

Presiding over the official launch of this critical initiative was Yacoubou Amadou, the Chief of Staff to the Minister of Interior and Public Security. The operation specifically targets students in the CM1 and CM2 classes within ten communes situated in the Central and Southern regions of the country. This targeted approach for the Bénin 8500 actes naissance écoliers initiative underscores a commitment to addressing a fundamental issue of legal recognition for young citizens.

The program is designed to assist two distinct groups of children. The first category includes students who already possess a birth certificate but have not yet been registered with the Registre national des personnes physiques (RNPP), which is crucial for a comprehensive national identity record. The second group comprises children who currently lack any form of official documentation, and whose status can now be regularized in strict accordance with existing legal frameworks. This dual focus ensures that both initial registration and integration into the national system are addressed.

According to Yacoubou Amadou, this intervention directly tackles the challenges faced by children whose administrative status remains irregular. The overarching goal is to diminish obstacles that could impede their educational journey and their ability to exercise fundamental rights. The successful Délivrance actes naissance Zagnanado and other targeted communes is pivotal for establishing a robust Droit à l'identité Bénin for these young individuals, facilitating their administrative procedures and ensuring their inclusion in the national identification system.

The International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) has lauded Bénin's dedication to modernizing its identification system. Thi Hoang Mai Tran, the OIF's representative for West Africa, attended the ceremony and specifically highlighted the vital roles played by the RNPP and the Agence nationale d’identification des personnes (ANIP Bénin) in constructing a secure and reliable identification framework. This recognition underscores the broader implications of the Opération actes naissance Bénin, positioning it as a key step in national development.

The implementation of this operation is supported by a technical and financial partnership with the Civil Status Directorate. Marius Abdon Mikpon-Aï, the Director of Civil Status, emphasized the indispensable involvement of local elected officials and communal services for the successful execution of this pilot phase. He urged these local stakeholders to sustain their efforts, ensuring that all eligible children fully benefit from this essential regularization process, thereby reinforcing the nation's commitment to universal legal identity.

This initiative by the Beninese government to regularize the civil status of 8,500 schoolchildren, particularly through registration with the RNPP, signifies a concerted effort to ensure legal identity for its citizens. Lawyers and compliance officers in Benin should anticipate a more robust and accessible civil registry system, potentially simplifying identity verification processes for clients, especially minors, and reducing legal complexities arising from undocumented status in areas like inheritance, education, and access to social services.

Source: Original reporting via Actu Bénin