Kandi, Alibori Department, Benin

🇧🇯 Kandi is a town, arrondissement and commune in the Alibori Department of eastern Benin. Originally a market town, Kandi is now primarily a farming centre. It lies on the nation's main north-south highway, 650 km (400 mi) from Cotonou and 523 km (325 mi) north of Porto-Novo. The town is the capital of the department of Alibori. The commune covers an area of 3,421 km² (1,321 sq mi) and as of 2013 had a population of 177,683 people.

History Kandi was founded by the Bariba Kingdom, an offshoot of the Borgu Confederation. The surrounding villages are of the Bariba people in south and west, and the Mokole Yoruba in the north, who fled the wars of the foundation of the Oyo Empire.

Administrative divisions Kandi is subdivided into 10 arrondissements: Kandi I, Kandi II, Kandi III, Angaradébou, Bensékou, Donwari, Kassakou, Saah, Sam and Sonsoro. They contain 39 villages and nine urban districts.

Economy Most of the population are engaged in agricultural activities, followed by trade, transportation and handicrafts. There are notable iron deposits of high quality in the vicinity. The main crops grown are maize, cotton, kapok, millet and peanuts.

Bombax costatum ('false kapok'; 'Kapokier à fleurs rouges') is locally important as an agriforest subsistence crop: its flowers and calices are used as food; its leaves provide fodder, while kapok fibre is obtained from its seed pods. For Benin as a whole, cotton (Gossypium spp.) is the most important crop for its international trade: In 2018, ninety-five percent of the country's cotton production was exported; cotton earned eighty percent of Benin's export income. As a cash crop, it makes a crucial contribution to the incomes of local farmers. Kandi is a major centre of the cotton-growing region and cotton-ginning factories in the commune provide local employment.

Transport The town is situated on the RNIE 2 highway and is served by Kandi Airport, which is located north of the main town.

Geography The commune of Kandi is located 650 km (400 mi) from Cotonou, in the Sudanian savanna zone. Communally it is bounded to the north by Malanville, south by Gogounou, west by Banikoara and to the east by Ségbana.