From secondary school‘Never-Semester at the Injeps campus in Adjarra, via the strategic construction site of the Vêdoko interchange, Japanese cooperation illustrates, on the ground, its commitment to the human and economic development of Benign. The field visit organized as part of Japanese Development Cooperation 2025, which took place on Friday, December 19, allowed journalists to measure the real impact of projects financed by Japan in Benign.
Three emblematic sites were visited: the Okoun-Sèmè CEG in Sèmè-Podji, the National Institute of Youth, Physical Education and Sport (Injeps) in Adjarra, and the Vêdoko crossroads in Cotonou, where a national-scale project is being built.
On each of these sites, the same reality emerges. Useful infrastructure, most of which is visible and already integrated into the daily lives of the beneficiary populations, but also persistent needs in the face of demographic growth and training requirements.
At Injeps, a gymnasium that has become too narrow for a large number of young people
Created in 1974, Injeps trains Beninese sports and physical education professionals. Long established on a borrowed site in Porto-Novo, the institute is gradually occupying a new 20-hectare campus in Adjarra, expected to welcome all learners from next year.
At the heart of this dynamic, the judo gymnasium, built thanks to a donation from Japan, occupies a strategic place. Commissioned in 2017, following a contract signed in 2015 for an amount of 45.5 million CFA francs, the structure is equipped with tatami mats to international standards and accommodates both general courses and specialty teaching in judo.
“This gymnasium has made it possible to improve the level of practice of our students and their recognition within the federation,” explains Gbaguidi Arnauld, deputy director in charge of academic affairs. But the infrastructure, designed for 100 to 150 students, is now struggling to contain numbers which fluctuate between 200 and 400 learners per session.
With nearly 2,000 students registered at Injeps and training based on personalized learning, the pressure is high. “It’s an appeal that we are making to the Japanese embassy,” confides the manager, who is pleading for the construction of a new gymnasium, but also additional infrastructure: changing rooms, showers, toilets and classrooms.
Despite these challenges, the results are there. “There is almost no unemployment at the end of Injeps,” he emphasizes. These results illustrate the external effectiveness of the institution.
At the CEG of Okoun-Sèmè, classrooms for learning with dignity
In Okoun-Sèmè, in the commune of Sèmè-Podji, the impact of Japanese support is just as palpable. The project to build and equip four classrooms, financed to the tune of 41.7 million CFA francs, was inaugurated on September 2, 2020, after the signing of the donation contract in October 2019.
For Salomon Zannou, director of the college, this module marked a turning point. “Before, we had a severe shortage of classrooms. The numbers were overflowing and sometimes classes were held under trees,” he recalls. Today, teaching conditions have clearly improved, even if needs remain significant.
The CEG has around 1,500 students in 17 classrooms, of which only 12 are in permanent materials. Added to this is the absence of a fence, which exposes the establishment to security risks.
The students’ voices convey both gratitude and hope. In front of Japanese officials, the beneficiaries of this donation thanked Japan for offering them classrooms that allow them to breathe, while requesting additional support for the construction of new rooms and a fence.
The Vêdoko interchange, a strategic project for Cotonou
Last project highlighted during this field visit, the Vêdoko interchange. At the Vêdoko crossroads, Japan is financing, in the form of non-repayable aid, the construction of a modern interchange for an amount of 4.71 billion Japanese yen, or approximately 15.28 billion CFA francs.
Officially launched on October 28, 2025, the project aims to streamline traffic, reduce transport times and costs, stimulate trade and strengthen regional integration. It will be carried out by Japanese companies in collaboration with Beninese partners.
Long-term cooperation
Closing the visit, the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Benin, Uezono Hideki, recalled the symbolic significance of these projects, as 2025 marks the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. From education to youth, from sport to road infrastructure, Japanese cooperation aims to be a sustainable lever for development.
While calling on the media to support this dynamic, the diplomat reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to working alongside Benin for projects with strong human and economic impact.
On the ground, between full classrooms, a lively dojo and a large-scale project, cooperation is not an abstract concept. It is lived, measured and continues to be written, to the rhythm of the needs and hopes of the Beninese populations.
