The use of bioindicators is a widely used approach to assess the ecological status of aquatic ecosystems with respect to its many benefits. This work provides a literature review on the state of knowledge on the development of multimetric index based on benthic macroinvertebrates in West Africa. Thus, after a brief definition of benthic macroinvertebrates, the reasons for the use of benthic macroinvertebrates in bioindication were presented. This was followed by a presentation of the different methods of water quality assessment based on benthic macroinvertebrates. Finally, the different multimetric indexes based on benthic macroinvertebrates developed in West Africa were summarized. The development of multimetric index based on benthic macroinvertebrates is a recent approach in West Africa. African researchers have therefore adopted this approach, which can be used for the assessment of aquatic ecosystems in sub-Saharan Africa. This innovative approach opens the prospect of the elaboration of Beninese multimetric index based on bio-indicators present in the waters of coastal lagoons and channels of Benin in the perspective of a better knowledge of the richness of these environments. published by the Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences | JBES