By Metohuey Michael Adoglo
The Council made the following decisions;
In respect to the Health sector law n°97-020 of June 17, 1997 was reviewed with the intent of fixing the conditions of private practice of medical and paramedical professions needs to be reviewed. This review, justified by the government’s desire to reorganize the health system for more effective health coverage, will make it possible to correct the dysfunctions and other abuses observed, which compromise the availability and quality of care on the one hand, as well as patient safety on the other.
The examination report on government related assets and activities for the period from January to June 2021 was reviewed.
197 reports produced by 14 ministries were received at the Presidency of the Republic.
Their examination revealed shortcomings relating in particular to the management of state assets, performance and the administrative, financial and accounting management of the audited structures.
The irregularities noted are, among others:
1: Recruitment and training of 2,000 student police officers and 1,500 personnel of the Beninese Armed Forces, and acquisition of equipment and other supplies for the benefit of the recruits, for the year 2022.
2: The lack of inventory of materials in high schools and colleges
3: The unreliability of stock records, which are sometimes easily manipulated by the materials accountant: the case of the Project for Intensive Reforestation of the National Territory through Incentives;
(i) The existence of ineligible or unjustified expenses in most of the agricultural technical college, the lack of completeness in the payment of off-budget revenues in some ministries
(ii) The failure to respect the retrocession procedure and the distribution key for revenues generated by the activities of entities under supervision;
-the use of vouchers for purposes other than those of the services, as in the case of the head of the administrative and financial service of the Departmental Directorate of the Living Environment and Sustainable Development of Ouémé-Plateau, who spent 2,200,000 CFA francs of vouchers for personal purposes;
– the non-archiving of accounting packages
– the failure to pay out the remaining balances of activities within the time limit
– the failure of certain structures to deduct and remit VAT and AIB; etc.
These serious failures have resulted in losses to the State amounting to 1,382,177,711 F Cfa of which 88,889,578 F Cfa have already been reimbursed.
The ministers are instructed, each in his or her area of responsibility, to have the Minister of the Economy and Finance debit the persons responsible, without prejudice to the disciplinary sanctions and/or legal proceedings to which the persons concerned may be exposed.
4: International meetings and events were also reviewed by the council.
The Council authorized the organization in Ouidah, from January 3 to 27, 2022, of an artists’ residency as part of the realization of the first African work of art to be launched into space?
5: The ministers also made proposal of personal appointments to their various ministries.