Togo First
Togo Launches New Diplomatic Year with Call for African Autonomy
Highlights
• Togo opens new diplomatic year under the theme of “Africa’s strategic autonomy”
• FM Robert Dussey urges the continent to define relations on its own terms amid global rivalries
• Roadmap for economic diplomacy validated to align diplomacy with national development
Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey opened the country’s new diplomatic year this Wednesday, September 3, with a call for Africa to chart its own course in global affairs, stressing the need for strategic autonomy in the face of intensifying geopolitical rivalries.
Speaking at a ceremony in Lomé under the theme “New geopolitical rivalries and Africa’s strategic autonomy”, Dussey told diplomats, academics, civil society representatives, and political leaders that Africa’s stability and development hinge on its capacity to act independently.
The keynote address was delivered by Abderaman Koulamallah, former Chadian Foreign Minister, who said Africa is now at the center of competing global interests. He noted that young, connected populations are pressing for greater sovereignty, citing political shifts in the Sahel, while new actors such as Turkey, the UAE, Qatar, India, and Brazil expand investments in Africa’s lithium, uranium, and other strategic resources.
Koulamallah urged African states to devote 5% of GDP to education and 1% to research to prepare their youth for the technological and digital age.
Beyond the geopolitical debate, Togo is also moving to make diplomacy an economic tool. In July, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs validated a roadmap for economic diplomacy, aimed at better coordinating embassies, the diaspora, and partners to advance Togo’s economic interests abroad.
Authorities say the strategy is designed to turn diplomacy into a direct lever of national development.
Côte d’Ivoire, India Remain Togo’s Top Export Markets, as Overall Trade Gap Grows in Q2 2025
Côte d’Ivoire remained Togo's top customer in the second quarter of 2025, accounting for 13.3% of exports, valued at 29.8 billion CFA francs, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics, Economic and Demographic Studies (INSEED Togo). It was closely followed by India, at 13.2% (29.4 billion CFA francs), and Burkina Faso, at 11.1% (24.8 billion CFA francs).
Benin (6.9%), Senegal (6.2%), France (5.9%), and Ghana (5.6%) completed the list of top trading partners. Overall, the top 10 clients accounted for 77.9% of Togo's total exports, highlighting the country's strong reliance on a small number of specific markets.
The primary exported goods were phosphates, at 23.1 billion CFA francs (10.3% of foreign sales), followed by "plastic bags and sachets" at 19.4 billion CFA francs (8.7%), and refined palm oil at 14.7 billion CFA francs (6.5%), according to official statistics.
Declining Exports, Widening Trade Deficit
Overall trade figures reflect a persistent imbalance. Exports totaled 223.9 billion CFA francs, a 13.6% decrease in value from the first quarter. At the same time, imports rose to 461.3 billion CFA francs, a 3.7% increase. The opposing trends resulted in a trade deficit that grew by 28% compared to the previous quarter, reaching 237.4 billion CFA francs.
On a year-over-year basis, exports saw a modest 4.1% increase, while imports grew by 4.9%.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
WAEMU: CRRH-UEMOA's 60 billion FCFA Social Bond Debuts on Regional Exchange
The Regional Stock Exchange (BRVM) welcomes the CRRH-UEMOA 6.00% 2025 - 2040 "Social Bond", a CFA60 billion bond issue dedicated to financing affordable housing.
The Social Bond, arranged by Impaxis and confirmed by Moody's with an SQS1 (Excellent) rating, is expected to boost the credibility of the regional financial market and promote sustainable, inclusive finance.
On September 3, 2025, the Regional Stock Exchange (BRVM) set a significant milestone by listing the "Social Bond CRRH-UEMOA 6.00% 2025 - 2040". This bond issue, worth CFA60 billion, is to help low and middle-income earners living in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) secure decent and affordable housing. The event took place at the headquarters of the West African Development Bank (BOAD) in Lomé, the capital of Togo.
The fundraising was arranged by Impaxis through a public offering. It was based on 60 million bonds valued at CFA10,000 each, earning 6% net per annum for a term of 15 years, with a one-year deferred period.
The bond's social objective was validated by Moody's international agency, which assigned it an SQS1 (Excellent) rating, the highest possible for a sustainable finance tool. According to the BRVM’s Managing Director, Dr. Edoh Kossi Amenounve, this rating bolsters the stock’s credibility and boosts investor appeal for products focused on inclusive and sustainable finance, which align with people’s real needs.
Amenounve highlighted the bond's innovative nature for the market, noting that it marks a step for the Union's countries towards inclusive and sustainable finance, especially as low and middle-income households struggle to afford decent housing.
Yedau Ogoundele, the top manager of the issuer CRRH-UEMOA, expressed pride in the bond's listing on the BRVM. The social bond was oversubscribed by 112% totaling 67.2 billion FCFA, of which 60 billion FCFA was finally taken up. "This is a first in our sub-region," she declared. She added: "What we are celebrating today is much more than a financial operation. It's the first social bond issued in the UEMOA region, fully dedicated to affordable housing and marks 13 years of reliability and trust built with investors, banks, and people."
This marks a strong endorsement of CRRH-UEMOA's commitment to facilitating access to decent housing for middle and low-income households through long-term, structured, secure, and now sustainable financing.
S.A
Togo: Faure Gnassingbé Appoints Stanislas Baba as Government Secretary General
- Togolese leader appoints former minister and close advisor as the Government Secretary General
- Official decree aired on September 3, 2025 on national television.
- This transition precedes the formation of Togo’s first parliamentary government under the Fifth Republic, highly anticipated by public opinion.
Four months after Togo's transition to the Fifth Republic, Council President Faure Gnassingbé has appointed Stanislas Baba as minister, the Secretary General of the country's first government during this parliamentary era. The official decree was broadcast on September 3, 2025, on the National Television (TVT).
This appointment is believed to be followed by the formation of the first government of the Fifth Republic, which has been keenly awaited by public opinion.
Until his recent appointment, Baba, a former minister and close collaborator of the Council president, served as a maritime security advisor to the presidency. He is a specialist in governance and development issues and had also coordinated the Millennium Challenge Account – Togo (MCA-Togo), a key cooperation program with the United States, which ended with the closure of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) by the Trump administration.
Esaïe Edoh
Togo: Local Stakeholders Learn Local Economic Development Fundamentals in Aneho
- Workshop hosted in Aneho with focus on improving capacities related to local economic development.
- The session is supported by the German cooperation through the ProDeG IV program, executed by GIZ
- Participants are learning about planning, mobilising resources, and implementing dynamic economic strategies.
Gathered in Aneho, various local Togolese stakeholders are appropriating the fundamentals of local economic development. The capacity-building workshop is organized by the Ministry of Spatial Planning and Territorial Development. It ends on September 5, 2025.
The meeting is technically and financially backed by the German cooperation through the ProDeG IV program, implemented by GIZ. It regrouped 77 trainees.
The end-goal is to equip municipalities with the tools to plan, mobilise, and implement economic dynamisation strategies suited to their realities. The session covers the conceptual framework of local economic development, sectoral and territorial approaches, as well as the stages of diagnosis, planning, and monitoring of actions.
As part of the workshop, participants will conduct a field trip in the Lacs 1 municipality. There, they will engage with technical services and the private sector.
Present at the session’s opening, the ministry’s Director of Cabinet, Lakougnon Essossima Koffi, urged participants to appropriately steer local economic planning processes. Awume Yawo, representing GIZ, stated that this assistance is intended to reduce territorial disparities and promote balanced development.
According to the Mayor of Lacs 1, Me Aquéréburu Coffi Alexis, one of the main challenges is enhancing the municipalities' ability to highlight their strengths, boost their appeal, and mobilise the necessary resources for investment.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo: New Malaria Vaccination Campaign Targets 269,000 Children
- Togo starts administering the anti-malarial R21/Matrix-M vaccine
- It is the 22nd African country to adopt the drug
- Campaign began this week, targeting around 269,000 children annually; it aims to curb malaria-related morbidity and mortality by 65% by 2030.
Togo has adopted the R21/Matrix-M anti-malarial vaccine, joining others like Ghana, Benin, Nigeria. The country, the 22nd on the continent to introduce the drug, kicked off a vaccination campaign on September 1.
Malaria is a major health and economic challenge in Togo. The disease, according to the Togolese Ministry of Health, accounts for 40% of outpatient consultations and 25% of hospital admissions, especially affecting children under five years old, who are the primary target of this campaign. In 2022, this age group represented 64% of confirmed cases and 65% of hospital deaths linked to the disease.
The vaccination schedule includes four doses between 5 and 15 months. The goal is to vaccinate approximately 269,000 children annually (simultaneously covering the country's 39 health districts), which equates to 3.1% of the population, with an intended coverage rate of 80% for the first dose and 70% for the fourth.
The campaign is bolstered by a partnership between the government, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Togo's health authorities aim to reduce malaria-related child morbidity and mortality by 65% by 2030.
To achieve this goal, authorities must tackle several hurdles, such as getting parents onboard, fighting misinformation, and securing necessary resources, sustainably.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo pays CFA26bn in social benefits in H1 2025, revenues fall behind
Togo’s Pension Fund (CRT) paid out more than CFA26.2 billion in social benefits by the end of June 2025, against total revenue of CFA24.5 billion. This left a technical deficit of nearly CFA2 billion, according to the fund’s semi-annual statistical and financial report seen by Togo First.
A total of 41,775 people received benefits in the first half of the year. Retirees accounted for the largest group with 27,991 recipients, while 7,287 received widows’ pensions and 6,206 received temporary allowances for orphans. The CRT also disbursed more than CFA1.1 billion in family benefits and CFA22 million in disability pensions.
By quarter, CFA12.9 billion was distributed in the first quarter and CFA13.2 billion in the second. The increase was mainly due to a higher number of beneficiaries, with retirees rising from 27,883 in Q1 to 27,991 in Q2. Widows’ pensions also grew from 7,159 to 7,287 over the same period.
On the revenue side, CRT collected CFA23.9 billion from pension contributions by June, representing more than 97% of total inflows. Investment income brought in CFA450 million, while other sources—such as subsidies, reimbursements, or exceptional items—added CFA220 million.
Togo Cuts Vehicle Customs Fees by 20% Through November
- Togo cuts customs fees by 20% for cars over 5 years.
- Discount runs Sept. 1–Nov. 15; payments due by Nov. 30.
- Measure aims to ease port congestion, spur imports.
Togo’s tax authority has introduced a temporary reduction in customs clearance fees for older vehicles to ease port congestion and stimulate demand ahead of year-end.
The Togolese Revenue Authority (OTR) said in a statement that duties on vehicles more than five years old will be reduced by 20% between Sept. 1 and Nov. 15. The measure applies to cars currently held under customs and aims to clear backlogs while encouraging new imports.
To qualify, owners must complete liquidation and payment of duties by Nov. 30. Any unpaid balances beyond that date will void the discount.
The OTR stressed that the rebate aligns with the national customs code and forms part of its fiscal facilitation strategy. Similar measures are often introduced late in the year. In 2021, a larger 40% cut was granted to support taxpayers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
This article was initially published in French by Esaie Edoh
Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum
Togo Opens a Sanitary-Controlled Livestock Market in Tsévié
The city of Tsévié in Togo now has a new livestock market. The facility, inaugurated on August 29, is built on a three-hectare site.
A collaboration between the Togolese government and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), the market includes an administrative building, a trading shed, a storage warehouse, watering troughs, modern latrines, a borehole, and a sanitary control post. The new infrastructure is designed to improve sales conditions, enhance food safety, and ensure the sanitary traceability of animals.
Authorities believe the project will be a driver of local and regional growth. Minister of State for Fishery and Animal Resources, Yark Damehame, highlighted that the project is part of the national strategy to modernize the livestock sector, which plays a key role in the country's agricultural GDP.
The new market is expected to facilitate trade between herders and merchants, while also improving the supply chain for slaughterhouses and butcher shops. Ultimately, it should help producers better integrate into commercial channels and increase the competitiveness of the sector.
Ecobank Partners With Togo Customs Union on Credit Facility
Ecobank Togo, a subsidiary of the pan-African banking group, has signed a partnership agreement with UPRAD, the Professional Union of Customs Agents, to support its members' operations. The deal was formalized on Monday, September 1, 2025, in Lomé.
Through the partnership, Ecobank will provide UPRAD members with several financial products designed to simplify their activities. These include customs bonds, which will be issued to all licensed brokers for managing goods.
Additionally, members will have access to credit lines, including overdraft facilities, to better meet the financial demands of their business. "Sometimes we have markets or contracts, but before we can execute them, national regulations require us to raise funds to pay duties and taxes on behalf of our clients before being reimbursed," explained Akakpo Koffi, UPRAD's secretary-general. "In these situations, a line of credit becomes essential."
The agreement also includes specific support for female entrepreneurs who are members of the union. Ecobank will establish a special credit line with flexible terms to encourage their participation in the sector. "The goal is to encourage more women to get into this business," said Ecobank Togo's Managing Director, Estelle Komlan.
The bank is also considering investing in the construction of UPRAD's headquarters, a project estimated to cost 3 billion CFA Francs. The partnership reinforces Ecobank's commitment to supporting various economic sectors in Togo while expanding its client base.
Esaïe Edoh