Benin - Bénin (BJ)
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1. Language information / Données sur les langues
1.1 Languages spoken / Langues parlées
a) Official / Officielle(s)
French, as stipulated in the constitution (Aménagement linguistique)
b) National, indigenous / Nationale(s), indigène(s)
The site L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde has a page on Benin including a summary of (2.2) "Les langues nationales" at http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/benin.htm
Ethnologue has an extensive list at http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=BJ
c) Relevant pages in the Major Languages section of this report / Pages appropriées dans la section de ce rapport sur les Langues principales
Gbe (Fon), Yoruba, Songhai/Zarma (Dendi), Fula
1.2 Language policy / Politique de langue :
a) Laws/legislation / Lois/législation
The site L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde has a page on Benin including a section on (4) "La politique linguistique" at http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/benin.htm
b) Agencies / Agences :
Two institutions "involved in or responsible for African Language research" in Benin (UNESCO 1985). Updated information is needed:
- Département d'études littéraires, linguistiques et de traditions orales (DELTO), Facultés des Lettres, Arts & Sciences humaines, Université nationale du Benin, B. P. 526 - COTONOU
- Commission nationale de linguistique B.P. 348 - COTONOU
c) Languages in education/literacy / Langues dans l'éducation/l'alphabétisation :
UNDP (2006) gives a literacy figure (without reference to which language[s]) of: 34.7%
1.3 Writing in national/indigenous languages / Ecriture en langues nationales/indigènes
a) Orthographies / Orthographes :
National languages are written in the Latin alphabet with some additional modified letters (extended characters). A chart showing the extended Latin characters and diacritics used in some Beninese languages is available at: http://www.bisharat.net/A12N/BENIN-table.htm
b). Print publications / Editions imprimées :
UNESCO (1985) reported the following periodicals (name, frequency of publication, circulation, language). Updated information is needed:
- Alladjumose (Cooperation), monthly, 1,500, Yoruba
- Cookanne (Concertation), monthly, 1,000, Waama
- Fitila (Lumiere), monthly, 500, Dendi
- Inbuke (Autre nouvelle), monthly, 600, Adja
- Kparo (Crieur public), monthly, 2,000, Bariba
- Sedonyonwi (Information), monthly, 1,500, Fon
1.4 Other comments / Autre commentaire
2. ICT situation / Situation des TIC
2.1 Infrastructure / Infrastructure
a) Telephones / Téléphones
- Fixed lines:
- Telephone mainlines: 9 per 1000 people (APC)
- Telephones - main lines in use: 76,300 (2005) (CIA)
- Mobile subscriptions:
- 236,000 (3.4 per 100 people) (ITU 2004 cited in Vodafone 2005)
- Telephones - mobile cellular: 386,700 (2005) (CIA)
- GSM companies & coverage : http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_bj.shtml
b) Radio stations / Stations de radio
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) (CIA)
c). Connectivity / Connectivité
- International internet bandwidth / Bande passante internationale d'internet :
- ISPs / FSI :
- Internet hosts : 882 on .bj domains (ISC)
- Geographic coverage / Couverture géographique :
2.2 Computer & internet access / Accès aux ordinateurs et à l'internet
a) Computers & points of access / Ordinateurs et lieux d'accès
- Number of computers / Nombre d'ordinateurs: 1.3 per 1000 people (APC)
- Cybercafés / Cybercafés:
- Project telecentres / Télécentres de projets:
b) Internet / Internet
- Dial-up subscribers / Abonnés par ligne téléphonique :
- Internet users / Utilisateurs de l'internet :
- 100,000 internet users as of Sept/05, 1.3% of the population, per ITU (Internet World Stats)
- 425,000 (2005) (CIA)
c) Other / Autre
Digital Opportunity Index (DOI): 0.17 (ITU 2006)
2.3 ICT policy / Politique de TIC
Information on Benin's NICI (National Information and Communications Infrastructure) policy is available via http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/Benin/benin.htm and http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/country_profiles/benin/benab.htm
The APC page, "ICT Policy in Benin" has some information and links to documents:
- In English: http://rights.apc.org/africa/index.shtml?apc=s21822e_1
- En français: http://afrique.droits.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=s21822e_1
2.4 ICT4D/E & ICT training / TIC pour le développement/éducation, et formation en TIC
- Benin Development Gateway "Ce portail doit devenir à terme le lieu privilégié d'échange d'expérience dans le domaine du développement au Bénin" http://www.developpementbenin.org/
- WikiEducator has a table on enabling and constraining factors for ICTs in education at http://www.wikieducator.org/ICT4Africa/Country_Report_Benin
2.5 Resources / Ressources
Institutions & organisations:
- Institut Africain d'Informatique (IAI), Cameroon (also serves Benin)
- Chapitre béninois de l'Internet Society - http://www.isoc.bj/
On the web:
- Le Bénin et l'Afrique dans la société de l'information http://www.iafric.net/benin/
- Langues Béninoises et les NTIC http://www.quicktopic.com/27/H/UbEFBKa7X46Ra
3. Localisation situation / Situation de localisation
3.1 Country web content / Contenu web du pays
3.2 Web content in indigenous languages / Contenu web en langues indigènes
(See also specific language pages.)
3.3 Software localisation / Localisation de logiciel
There are some individuals in and out of Benin interested in localisation.
(See also specific language pages.)
3.4 Projects & organisations / Projets et organisations
3.5 Localisation policy / Politique de localisation
4. References / Références
APC, "ICT Policy in Benin" Africa ICT Policy Monitor, http://rights.apc.org/africa/index.shtml?apc=s21822e_1 ("Politiques de TIC en/au Benin," Observatoire des politiques des TIC en Afrique, ) http://afrique.droits.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=s21822e_1
Halaoui, Nazam. 2001. "Aménagement et politique linguistiques: La politique des langues au Bénin." Language Problems and Language Planning 25 (2): 145-166.
International Telecommunications Union (ITU). 2006. World Information Society Report 2006. Geneva: ITU. http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/publications/worldinformationsociety/2006/wisr-web.pdf
______. 2004. African Telecommunication Indicators 2004. Geneva: ITU.
Internet Systems Consortium (ISC), "Distribution of Top-Level Domain Names by Host Country, Jan 2007" http://www.isc.org/index.pl?/ops/ds/reports/2007-02/dist-bynum.php
Internet World Stats: Africa. 2006. http://internetworldstats.com/africa.htm
Leclerc, Jacques. L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde, "Bénin," http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/benin.htm
SIL International, Ethnologue: Languages of the World, "Languages of Benin," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=BJ
UNDP. 2006. ''Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis. Human Development Report 2006.'' New York: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). [Human development index Adult literacy rate (% ages 15 and older) (HDI) http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/statistics/indicators/3.html ]
UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Africa. 1985. African Community Languages and Their Use in Literacy and Education: A Regional Survey. Dakar: UNESCO.
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), "The World Factbook: Benin," https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bn.html
Vodafone. 2005. "Africa: The Impact of Mobile Phones." The Vodafone Policy Paper Series, Number 3, March 2005. http://www.vodafone.com/assets/files/en/GPP%20SIM%20paper.pdf
WikiEducator, "ICT4Africa/Country Report Benin," http://www.wikieducator.org/ICT4Africa/Country_Report_Benin
Wikipedia, "Benin," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benin
______, "Bénin," http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bénin
______, "Communications in Benin," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_in_Benin