BENIN Country Profile

Environment, Natural Resources and Extractive Industry

Business Corruption

Many small-scale entrepreneurs and loggers at the local and regional level engage in illegal timber logging and harvesting of construction wood. Forest service personnel and loggers are organised into clientelist and corrupt networks. The foresters, who in principle should prevent illegal logging, are often corrupt and are even asked for advice and support by illegal loggers as to where to find suitable trees and how to carry out illegal transport.

Political Corruption

Corruption is prevalent both in natural forest management and in management of state plantations, and customs agents are known to issue false import certificates. Furthermore, different kinds of illegal activities are common in the cotton sector, which is Benin's primary export.