Benin: Government launches eleven new agricultural pathways in technical high schools for 2026-2027

The Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique, in charge of Technical Training, announced on August 18, 2026 the opening of eleven new vocational training pathways in the Lycées Techniques Agricoles of Bénin, effective as of the 2026-2027 school year, according to the ministerial press release. These courses, leading to the Diplôme de Technicien aux Métiers (DTM), cover poultry farming, cuniculture and unconventional livestock, cattle and small ruminant farming, pig farming, fish farming and aquaculture, food and ornamental horticulture, cereal and legume production, root and tuber production, textile fiber plant production, fruit and forest arboriculture, as well as oil palm and coconut. The announced career opportunities range from the management of poultry or pig farms to the processing of cassava into gari and tapioca, via fish hatcheries and the supervision of cotton value chains. Enrollment capacities per pathway and the precise registration schedule have not been detailed. For rural youth and their families, this diversification broadens qualification beyond traditional agricultural pathways and directly targets self-employment. For the State, it aims to equip with technical skills a sector that employs the majority of the country's rural active population. This announcement extends the technical education reform initiated by Bénin since 2017, which has already converted several colleges into specialized-pathway high schools. As the leading regional cotton producer in West Africa, the country is thus aligning its training offer with the local transformation and food security priorities of its Programme d'Action Gouvernemental.