Benin

Benin, the Francophone former West African colony of Dahomey, achieved independence in 1960, [Page 135]when it ceded from France; 13 other French African colonies became independent nations that same year. The Republic of Benin is neighbored by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, and Niger and Burkina Faso to the north. The political system in Benin is a multiparty republic. Thomas Yayi Boni was elected president in 2006 and has worked to combat problems with the national cotton industry and the electrical grid structure as well as using more than $300 million in funds from the 2006 Millennium Challenge Account. With a quickly expanding population of more than 9 million people residing on a landmass slightly smaller than Pennsylvania, Benin is a nation ...