Partnership will scale up access for lifesaving health and nutrition services
 

October 1, 2026—This week Benin officially launched its partnership with the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents (GFF), making it the first new country to join under the GFF’s TRANSFORM 2030 strategy. Through this collaboration, the GFF will support the government of Benin in mobilizing and aligning domestic and external resources behind a national plan to increase access to quality, integrated health and nutrition services for women, children and adolescents and to reduce child stunting.

The event in Cotonou brought together representatives from the government, civil society, private sector and development partners to establish a shared vision and identify priorities for accelerating progress. This was an important milestone to kick-start the development of Benin’s investment case, a country-led strategic plan, to help align financing and partnerships around national priorities to improve health outcomes for women, children and adolescents.

“Benin is committed to improving the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents by expanding access to affordable, quality care and strengthening our health system. We are bolstering primary health care, focusing on community health, improving the quality of se vices, and investing in health workers, infrastructure and essential medical supplies. Our partnership with the GFF will help us accelerate progress, particularly for communities with the greatest needs,” said Professor Benjamin Ignace Bodounrin Hounkpatin, Benin’s Minister of Health.

Benin is the 37th partner country to join the GFF. With full financing of the GFF's new strategy, by 2030 the GFF will expand its reach to at least 50 partner countries, which together represent 80 percent of the world’s burden of maternal and child deaths.

“The Global Financing Facility welcomes Benin’s leadership and commitment to prioritize maternal and child health and looks forward to partnering to scale up access to quality, affordable health and nutrition services for the most vulnerable populations,” said Monique Vledder, Director of Health, World Bank Group, and GFF Director. “Benin is taking an integrated approach that connects women’s, children’s and adolescent health and nutrition with early childhood development, and the GFF is pleased to support these national priorities by helping align resources, expertise and partnerships.”

In June 2026, the World Bank Group’s Board of Directors approved the ALAFIA I: Nourishing Benin’s Future program, the first phase of a 10-year national plan to improve the health of women, children, and adolescents. The GFF is co-financing the program with a US$20 million grant alongside US$150 million from the World Bank Group’s International Development Association (IDA) and in support of a US$750 million government program.

Benin has a high level of maternal mortality, with an estimated 391 deaths per 100,000 live births. Newborn, infant and child mortality are also significant concerns along with persistently high rates of child stunting, which is linked to poor nutrition and illnesses during the first 1,000 days of life. Stunting in Benin rose from 34 percent of children under age 5 in 2014 to 36.5 percent in 2022.

The ALAFIA I program, to be implemented from 2026 to 2031, aims to boost the use of integrated nutrition, health and early child development services to help reduce child stunting in targeted areas of Benin, while also addressing the broader health needs of women, children and adolescents. The initiative will help improve access to nutritious diets by engaging the private sector, strengthening community participation and multisectoral coordination, and building stronger governance, data systems, and local service delivery capacity. This first phase will cover at least 46 of Benin’s 77 communes, focused on the highest needs and critical bottlenecks to primary health care.

About the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents (GFF) 

The GFF is a country-led partnership, hosted by the World Bank Group, which was established in 2015 to end preventable deaths of women, children, and adolescents. The GFF provides catalytic grant financing and technical assistance to low- and middle-income countries to strengthen their health systems and improve the quality of and access to health and nutrition services through better use of data, prioritized plans, aligned financing, and policy reforms. The GFF’s collaborative model brings together partner countries, bilateral and multilateral funders, philanthropies, global health institutions, civil society organizations, youth-led organizations, and the private sector to align their support around nationally-owned priorities for women, children and adolescent health and nutrition. 

Media Contact 
Richa Bhattarai
rbhattarai@worldbankgroup.org
+1 202.243.9219