General profile Digital profile

Benin

Digital snapshot – key policies and laws

Benin has pursued digital transformation as a state-modernisation programme, combining public-service digitalisation, telecommunications reform and shared government infrastructure. Its broad legal foundation is the Digital Code of 2018, amended in 2021, which covers electronic communications, online transactions, cybersecurity, cybercrime and personal-data protection. Implementation is concentrated in the Agency for Information Systems and Digital Services, which oversees government systems, infrastructure and digital security.

One stack, many services

On 28 May 2026, Benin joined the global 50-in-5 Digital Public Infrastructure campaign. The initiative brings the country’s digital identity, interoperable payments and public-service portal into one coordinated agenda. Rather than operating as isolated projects, these systems could form a shared foundation for services across government. Citizens could use trusted credentials to identify themselves, make payments and complete procedures through connected platforms. The model could also support services in health, education, agriculture and social protection. Benin’s Smart Gouv programme is reinforcing this architecture through common hosting, secure data exchange and digital trust services. Connecting identity, payments and administrative records also increases the consequences of data errors, exclusion and cyberattacks. Strong privacy safeguards, human oversight and clear limits on data sharing will therefore be as important as technical integration. The infrastructure can simplify access to government, but trust will determine whether people can use it safely and equally.

The Smart Gouv Phase 2 programme is extending online administration through common hosting, electronic records, secure data exchange and the national public-service portal. Benin has also begun moving digitalisation beyond central ministries through a programme for local authorities, although the government acknowledges that many communes still lack connectivity, information systems and trained personnel.

Connectivity policy centres on the nationwide high- and very-high-speed internet programme, which builds on roughly 2,000 kilometres of backbone fibre, metropolitan networks and municipal points of presence. Mobile networks remain the main route to the internet, while fixed fibre and satellite services are expanding from a smaller base. Benin has direct access to the SAT-3/WASC and ACE submarine cables, but both land around Cotonou, leaving international resilience dependent on diversified inland routes, reliable power and stronger cross-border connections.

Cybersecurity is governed by the National Digital Security Strategy 2023–2026, which seeks to protect public institutions, critical systems and the wider digital economy as online services expand. Personal information is regulated mainly through the Digital Code, under the supervision of the Personal Data Protection Authority, building on Benin’s earlier personal-data protection law. Enforcement must balance security and privacy with fundamental rights: civil-society organisations have argued that provisions on false information and electronic harassment have also been used to restrict journalism and online expression.

Benin is among the African countries with an adopted National Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Strategy 2023–2027. It links AI development to agriculture, health, education, tourism and public administration, while addressing skills, research, data infrastructure and future governance rules.

Digital trade is developing around electronic contracts, mobile money, online taxation and a national e-commerce agenda, while the National Data Centre and shared government platforms provide the beginnings of a domestic cloud environment. Benin has not published standalone national strategies for cloud computing, blockchain or the Internet of Things; these technologies remain governed through broader digital, cybersecurity and AI frameworks.

Benin’s Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva:

Benin’s Permanent Mission to the UN Office and other international organisations in Geneva represents the country in Geneva’s multilateral institutions and advances its positions on human rights, global health, international trade, labour, humanitarian affairs, telecommunications and development. The mission supports negotiations, maintains relations with international organisations and other diplomatic representations, and promotes cooperation aligned with Benin’s national priorities.

Official UNOG website: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/blue-book/missions/member-states/benin

EMBASSY AND PERMANENT MISSION TO THE UN – GENEVA

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Consult Benin’s digital strategies and regulations

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