Introduction
Benin, formerly known as Dahomey, is located in West Africa with a total population estimated at 5.6 million. The official language is French and Benin's higher education system has been shaped by its French structure. It is a public system controlled by a single university system.

Historical Background
During the colonial period (1890-1960), Benin had no higher education system and colonial subjects were trained in France and later in Senegal at the Dakar University when that institution was established after World War I. After independence, Benin established a joint higher education institution with neighboring Togo in the late 1960s, with one branch in each country (arts and letters in Togo, and sciences in Benin).

In 1970, Benin decided to create its own university, the Université du Dahomey, later to became Université Nationale du Bénin (UNB) in 1975, after the country changed its name from Dahomey to Benin.

Enrollment
In 1970, Benin decided to create its own university, Université du Dahomey. It became Université Nationale du Bénin (UNB) in 1975. Benin's higher education system is centralized and is mostly public. The UNB caters to most of the demand for post-secondary education in the country. However, the late 1990s saw the emergence of private institutions, which are becoming a major feature of the system.

UNB is composed of 19 institutions scattered on 6 campuses. Enrollments at the main campus, Abomey-Calavi, have grown considerably from 350 students in 1970 to 7,253 in 1986, 11,007 in 1995, and 16,284 in 1999, including 3,346 (20.5%) women. Student enrollment in higher education represents only 1% of the age group. In 1999, the three classic faculties enrolled a total of 12,925 students, or 79% of the entire university.

Faculty
The number of academics decreased from 614 in 1992 to 559 in 1994 but remained stable until 1997, and reached 638 in 1999. Assistant professors hold the Doctorat de troisième cycle, (doctorate) and professors, the Doctorat d'Etat (doctorate). The last category (teaching assistants) is composed of those who do not have the doctorate yet, but whose responsibilities are mainly teaching.

Administration and Governance
The presidential decree that established and organized the university and higher education in Benin in 1970 was amended by another decree signed in 1973. The university and higher education fall under the responsibility of the Ministry of National Education, while the rector leads the University.

The history of governance of the university system has been closely related to the evolution of the country's political situation. The appointment of the senior management of the university (the rector and his deputy, the general secretary, and the deans and heads of specialized institutions) was the exclusive prerogative of the government. Autonomy and academic freedom were very limited, a fact that led several faculty members to leave the country.

Since the advent of the democratic process in the early 1990s, the situation has been gradually changing. The rector is still appointed by the government, but deans are now elected by their peers. Professors now enjoy substantial academic freedom, which is very conducive to the development of academic activities.

Financing and Resources
Benin's higher education system is in serious crisis today. The system lacks resources, is both internally and externally inefficient, and faces increasing demands while resources are dwindling. Economic difficulties, the requirements of a Structural Adjustment Program administered by the International Monetary Fund, and the 50% devaluation of the CFA franc in 1998 have considerably limited resources available to higher education in Benin. As a consequence, the academic environment has been weakened and there has been a climate of instability on campus. This is a multi-faceted crisis stemming from an obsolete institutional framework, uncontrolled student flow, low teaching quality, insufficient infrastructure and equipment, insufficient financial resources, and poor working and living conditions for students, faculty, and administrative staff.

Private Institutions
Technological development in Benin has generated a growing need for specialized skills that UNB cannot meet. Private institutions are filling this gap. A recent study identified 27 private higher education institutions with enrollment ranging from 20 to 521 students, even though no such institution existed in the early 1990s. Most of these schools are located in the country's major city and are rather small institutions offering two-year courses in industrial, business, and secretarial areas. Some of them are affiliated to foreign higher education institutions (mainly in France) and provide joint higher level courses. The private higher education institutions in Benin together enroll about 2,700, which represents 16% of enrollments in higher education in the country, and employ about 670 teachers and 236 administrative staff. Most of their teachers work part-time and come from the UNB or the civil service.

One burning issue is the accreditation of private higher education institutions. Debates have taken place between the university and the owners of these institutions about the quality of the education and training they provide.

Note: For detailed account on the state of higher education in Benin, please consult: Corbin Michel Guedegbe, African Higher Education: An International Reference Handbook (Damtew Teferra and Philip. G. Altbach, eds., Indiana University Press, 2003), pp. 176-181