Mono Couffo Borgou Electrification (EBRD-56301)

Regions
  • Africa
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Countries
  • Benin
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Specific Location
Mono, Couffo and Borgou regions in western and north-eastern Benin
Whenever identified, the area within countries where the impacts of the investment may be experienced. Exact locations of projects may not be identified fully or at all in project documents. Please review updated project documents and community-led assessments.
Financial Institutions
  • European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Proposed
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
B
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Voting Date
Dec 3, 2025
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
Borrower
Government of Benin
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Energy
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Loan
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 35.19 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Currency conversion note:
Bank reported 30
Converted using 2025-09-29 exchange rate.
Loan Amount (USD)
$ 35.19 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Currency conversion note:
Bank reported 30
Converted using 2025-09-29 exchange rate.
Project Cost (USD)
$ 199.42 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Currency conversion note:
Bank reported 170
Converted using 2025-09-29 exchange rate.
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ EBRD website

Updated in EWS Oct 7, 2025

Disclosed by Bank Sep 28, 2025

Contribute Information
Can you contribute information about this project?
Contact the EWS Team

Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

According to the EBRD, the project consists of the provision of a sovereign loan of up to EUR 30 million to the Republic of Benin to be on-lent to the Societe Beninoise d'Energie Electrique, the state-owned national utility responsible for the distribution and supply of electricity in Benin.

The proceeds of the loan will be directed to finance the rural electrification of Mono, Couffo and Borgou regions in western and north-eastern Benin.

The Project is expected to be co-financed with Agence Francaise de Developpement and the European Investment Bank and is expected to benefit from EU financial support including an investment grant from the European Union Africa Investment Platform.

The proceeds will be allocated to the extension, rehabilitation and densification of low and medium voltage network and the upgrade of the national grid in the three regions. The Project will improve the integration, resilience and stability of electricity systems in Benin and allow to connect 120,000 new households to the national grid across 750 villages and cities.

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.
Private Actors Description
A Private Actor is a non-governmental body or entity that is the borrower or client of a development project, which can include corporations, private equity and banks. This describes the private actors and their roles in relation to the project, when private actor information is disclosed or has been further researched.

As stated by the EBRD, Societe Beninoise d'Energie Electrique (SBEE) is the state-owned utility responsible for electricity distribution and supply in Benin. SBEE oversees the maintenance and expansion of the low and medium voltage network. From 2024, the government delegated SBEE's operation and management through a concession management agreement to Eranove, a private Africa-focused utility service provider.

Private Actor 1 Private Actor 1 Role Private Actor 1 Sector Relation Private Actor 2 Private Actor 2 Role Private Actor 2 Sector
- - - - Societe Beninoise d'Energie Electrique Contractor Energy

Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

Contractor - Societe Beninoise d'Energie Electrique:

Hippolyte Ebagnitchie
Email: hebagnitchie@sbee.bj 
Phone: +229 01 21 31 68 77
Address: 01 BP 123 Avenue du Gouverneur Général POINTY, Cotonou- Benin

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can request information by emailing: accessinfo@ebrd.com or by using this electronic form: https://www.ebrd.com/eform/information-request

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF EBRD

The Project Complaint Mechanism (PCM) is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who have been or are likely to be adversely affected by an European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the PCM, it may assess compliance with EBRD's own policies and procedures to prevent harm to the environment or communities or it may assist you in resolving the problem that led to the complaint through a dialogue with those implementing the project. Additionally, the PCM has the authority to recommend a project be suspended in the event that harm is imminent.

You can contact the PCM at: pcm@ebrd.com or you can submit a complaint online using an online form at: http://www.ebrd.com/eform/pcm/complaint_form?language=en

You can learn more about the PCM and how to file a complaint at: http://www.ebrd.com/work-with-us/project-finance/project-complaint-mechanism.html

How it works

How it works