With decentralization, community participation should constitute not only a lever for steering the process but also a condition for evaluating local governance. Paradoxically, the assessment of the indicators makes it possible to note a lack of involvement of local communities and a weak appropriation of local public action on their part. The reasons mentioned provide information on a lack of translation of development initiatives into local vehicular languages ​​that the literacy of the popular masses would have favored. From this developmental perspective, how can functional literacy be a potential variable for the success of decentralization in Benin? To better define the problem, the methodological materials are based on a literature review combined with a semantic approach to the concepts used. The field survey is based on data collection carried out with 253 actors selected in seven (07) communes of Benin. With regard to the field corpus, it appears that community participation in development initiatives depends on their appropriation, their understanding and their support for local public action. Decentralization, while promoting action-oriented collectivism, must in this context be based on the promotion of functional literacy identified as a grafting net for all actors and their participation in the animation of community life. Decentralization reform would gain more with this option.