The team reviewed opportunities to scale up ongoing support from the IAEA and the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and highlighted the need to reinforce the capacities of the country’s research and regulatory institutions, including laboratory upgrades in the country.  

Through technical cooperation, Benin has introduced artificial insemination in cattle and uses nuclear-derived RT-PCR to rapidly detect diseases and pathogens such as peste des petit ruminants (PPR) and salmonella.  

With IAEA support, the University of Abomey-Calavi has developed capacity to apply isotopic techniques to evaluate breastfeeding practices and assess iron absorption from food. The team recommended strengthening capabilities to generate additional nutrition data for national initiatives.

“The IAEA remains a committed partner to help Benin leverage nuclear science to strengthen food security and drive human and economic development,” said Hua Liu, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Technical Cooperation Department.