CHAPTER THREE: DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL GOVERNANCE __________________________________________________________________________ Box 3.8: Towards effective contribution by the diaspora to development projects It is estimated that about 3 million Beninese citizens live abroad (in 2007, the total population of Benin was estimated at 8,053,690). The contribution of this large number of people to Benin’s development needs to be organised and managed. After three decades of political instability, the ‘democratic renewal’ established by the National Sovereign Conference awakened interest in this group of citizens and in getting them to participate more in the economic development of their home country. Successive governments thus created various management and support institutions for the diaspora: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge of relations with Beninese nationals living abroad; a high commission for Beninese nationals living abroad; and a national agency for Beninese nationals living abroad. Beninese nationals in the diaspora, on their part, mobilised themselves to create three types of structures: the short visit home; the return home to seek out, and contribute to, a development project in a village, etc.; and the permanent return home to establish development projects. In addition to the repatriation of funds by individuals, the diaspora also launched the micro-finance project to grant loans to women and other creators of micro and small enterprises. However, like the rest of Africa, Benin faces another challenge – the brain drain. The APR Panel encourages the Benin government to implement a national policy aimed at including its nationals in the diaspora in the process of drafting and implementing economic and social development policies and programmes for the country. 244. Participants in country meetings also discussed the outdated tools and poor performance of decentralised institutions. This is because of the unwillingness of the central authorities to transfer human and financial resources to local authorities or to transfer some powers and competences to the decentralised agencies. iii. Recommendations of the APR Panel 245. In order to improve the performance of the civil service – in the light of the preliminary findings and recommendations of the public service reform strategy paper of July 1999 and the administrative reform framework document of June 2000 – the APR Panel wishes to recommend that government should: 102  Give clearer job descriptions in order to enhance the role of the public service in the judicial system and in the fight against judicial insecurity, in human resource development, in promoting the rule of law, in training, in education and health, in the security of citizens, and to ensure an efficient and effective public service.  Promote the development of a new administrative culture centred on the values of hard work, merit, respect for the public service, routine control at all levels, administrative management, accountability, commitment to achieving results, and discipline (positive or negative).