A composite report from each of the contributors to the PASCAL EcCoWell 2 Recovery Programme has recently been published. In a series of postings, we are now for the convenience of subscribers, publishing each report separately with a short introduction from the programme leader, Peter Kearns.

Cotonou in Benin, a would-be learning city, illustrates the situation of learning cities in Africa. The report shows Cotonou as a potential learning city in the context of  learning cities in Africa. The work-oriented literacy program “Faire Faire” is discussed as an example of good practice. While Benin currently has a large population of adolescents in the city, as in Africa generally, the city will be challenged by demographic change with growing numbers of older people requiring new policies.