From February 22-23, 2023, U.S. Ambassador to Benin Brian Shukan visited the city of Kandi in the department of Alibori to meet with the community and local authorities and see firsthand U.S. funded projects that improve security, education, and economic opportunity.
Meeting with members of Kandi’s City Council, Ambassador Shukan discussed ongoing U.S.-funded projects including the renovation of the Leman Fari Youth Center and the refurbishment of six markets, and professional development for youth.
At the Kandi Armed Forces base, he spoke with Beninese military leaders about the longstanding U.S.-Benin security partnership. On February 23, the Ambassador and UNICEF’s Resident Representative Djanabou Mahondé, visited the Tissarou public secondary school, where a UNICEF program Cash Care keeps adolescent girls in school and creates safe and inclusive spaces for students to express their views and develop life skills (including reproductive health education). Ambassador Shukan and First Deputy Mayor of Kandi Abdou Wahabou Seidou then inaugurated the Leman Fari Youth Center, renovated through U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Programme D’Appui Regional Aux Pays Cotiers (PRAPC). This program supports local efforts to promote peace and social cohesion.
He also participated in a USAID-funded educational talk about sexual and reproductive health at the Association Mairie des Jeunes de Kandi.
The Ambassador’s delegation concluded its tour by a visit of the U.S.-funded Border Security training in Parakou, which provides border security training and equipment to the Beninese Armed Forces.
