AED, EU establish 655 mln CFA franc revolving fund for aquaculture entrepreneurs in Togo

Economic governance

Thursday, 04 June 2026 11:11

AED, EU establish 655 mln CFA franc revolving fund for aquaculture entrepreneurs in Togo

(Togo First) - Agence Éducation-Développement (AED) and the European Union signed an agreement Tuesday in Elavagnon, in Togo's Plateaux region, to establish a one-million-euro revolving fund -equivalent to roughly 655 million CFA francs- to support IFAD-Aquaculture graduates in launching aquaculture businesses.

The fund will be deployed over five years and is designed to address one of the main obstacles to aquaculture entrepreneurship in Togo: access to financing.

Under the mechanism, an initial cohort of graduates will receive funding to establish and develop fish-farming operations. Beneficiaries will repay the funds after use, and those resources will then be reinvested to support subsequent graduates. The arrangement means the 655 million CFA francs can continue to benefit successive cohorts of graduates over the five-year life of the project.

The initiative aims to improve access to financing in the aquaculture sector and help young graduates create and grow profitable, sustainable businesses. It is open to both former IFAD-Aquaculture graduates who have not yet received start-up funding and future graduates of the institution.

"Without adequate financing, many promising projects never get off the ground, depriving the country of talent, jobs and economic value. To help address this challenge, the European Union has decided to support the creation of this revolving fund," said Gwilym Jones, EU Ambassador to Togo.

In addition to financial support, beneficiaries will receive comprehensive assistance, including training in financial management and business structuring, as well as ongoing technical assistance and business mentoring aimed at strengthening the viability and sustainability of their activities.

The project ultimately aims to establish a sustainable financing mechanism for aquaculture entrepreneurship in Togo. According to stakeholders, it is expected to result in the creation of at least 50 new businesses, the generation of more than 100 sustainable jobs, and additional annual fish production of more than 500 tonnes by the young entrepreneurs supported.

Esaïe Edoh

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