Togo First
Togo Inflation Falls to 0.5% in November, Stays Below Regional Cap
Togo’s inflation rate extended its decline in November 2025, easing to 0.5% from 0.6% in October, the National Institute of Statistics and Economic and Demographic Studies (INSEED) said on Thursday.
Inflation remains well below the 3% ceiling set by the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) under its macroeconomic convergence criteria and has stayed beneath the regional threshold since late 2024.
Between December 2024 and November 2025, inflation fell from 2.9% to 0.5%, pointing to a sustained slowdown in consumer price growth.
INSEED head Gently Akoly presented the figures at a press briefing on Thursday.
In November, price movements were shaped by lower supplies of certain staple agricultural products in both northern and southern farming regions. The supply shortfall pushed prices slightly higher in the “food and non-alcoholic beverages” category, a major component of household spending, contributing marginally to overall inflation.
Items pushing prices higher included yam, fresh onions, green pepper, traditional palm oil, charcoal and urban transport services.
INSEED attributed inflation’s containment to a mix of policy measures, including support for agricultural production, price-stabilisation policies for widely consumed goods and household support programmes.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
EBID, Colombia Sign Cooperation Agreement During Pan-African Congress
The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has entered into a new partnership with Colombia in a move to strengthen economic ties between West Africa and Latin America.
The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday in Lomé during a visit by Colombian Vice President Francia Elena Márquez Mina to the bank’s headquarters. The agreement provides for the development of an operational cooperation framework to formalise collaboration between EBID and Colombian authorities.
The framework is intended to support joint projects, facilitate knowledge-sharing and mobilise financial resources for priority sectors. These include high-value agribusiness, with an emphasis on climate resilience, and information and communication technologies, which are viewed as key drivers of inclusive growth.
The agreement coincided with the Colombian vice president’s participation in the ninth Pan-African Congress, currently under way in Lomé.
Vice President Márquez Mina also held talks with Togolese President Jean-Lucien Kwassi Lanyo Savi de Tové. Discussions focused on South-South cooperation, Pan-Africanism and reforms to the multilateral system.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
CNSS Promotes Universal Health Insurance Scheme at Togo 2000 Trade Fair
Togo’s National Social Security Fund (CNSS) is expanding the country’s Universal Health Insurance scheme to cover self-employed workers, a move officials say closes a long-standing gap in coverage.
The CNSS announced the new scheme, known as AMU TNS, during an information session held on Thursday at the Togo 2000 trade fair. The fund is responsible for implementing universal health insurance for the private sector, informal workers, non-salaried employees and clergy.
Universal health insurance was established by law in 2021 as a core responsibility of the state. Two bodies, the National Health Insurance Institute (INAM) and the CNSS, were appointed to manage the system in 2023, with operations beginning in January 2024. Coverage was extended to self-employed workers in October 2025.
The new scheme addresses what CNSS officials described as a widespread misconception that self-employed workers were excluded from the system. “The project has moved from development to implementation, and the feedback has been positive in all the regions we have visited,” a representative of the CNSS director general said.
Tchao Assiou, head of the AMU department at CNSS, cited Article 3 of Togo’s Public Health Code as the legal basis for the state’s obligation to provide health protection. Participation in the scheme is voluntary for self-employed workers without a fixed monthly income. Contributions are set at 10,000 CFA francs per month, 28,500 CFA francs per quarter, 54,000 CFA francs every six months, or 102,000 CFA francs annually. Payments can be made via mobile money, bank card or at CNSS offices.
Following a three-month waiting period after enrolment, coverage applies to the contributor, their spouse and up to four children under the age of 21. Medical expenses are covered at 80% by the CNSS, with the remaining 20% paid by the beneficiary, according to Claire Assima, a medical adviser with the AMU programme at CNSS.
Excluded services include cosmetic procedures, treatment abroad, non-essential comfort items, medicines not listed as essential and care provided by non-approved facilities, unless special authorisation is granted.
The information session also reviewed the history of the CNSS, which was created in 1956 as the Family Benefits Compensation Fund. Lassimalaba Gnitou, director of collections and registration, said the institution now manages seven of the nine branches of social security defined by the International Labour Organization, covering maternity, family benefits, old age, disability, death and occupational risks.
While the promotional campaign for AMU TNS is underway and coverage is set to begin in January 2026, officials said the longer-term objective remains full universal coverage, including vulnerable populations. A key challenge, they added, is safeguarding the scheme against fraud to ensure its sustainability and future expansion.
S.A
Ecobank Togo, Five Other Group Units Win Bank of the Year 2025
Ecobank Togo was one of six Ecobank Group subsidiaries named “Bank of the Year 2025” by The Banker magazine. The awards were presented at a ceremony in London on Dec. 3.
The Togolese subsidiary was recognised alongside Ecobank units in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia and Guinea.
Organised by The Banker, a publication of the Financial Times, the Bank of the Year Awards are widely regarded as a leading global benchmark for the banking industry. They assess institutions on financial strength, operational performance, service quality and capacity for innovation within their respective markets.
The recognition comes as competition intensifies in Togo’s banking sector, driven by the rapid expansion of digital services and growing demand for financing solutions from both businesses and individuals. The subsidiary is led by Estelle Komlan.
At the group level, the awards coincide with the celebration of Ecobank’s 40th anniversary.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
API-ZF Promotes Togo’s Investment Framework at Lomé Fair
The Togo Investment Promotion and Free Zone Agency (API-ZF) outlined its role at the 20th Lomé International Fair on Dec. 11. Agency officials explained to exhibitors from various sectors how it supports the country’s economic development and attracts foreign investment.
During a public conference, discussions focused on Togo’s advantages for investors looking to expand their businesses. Officials highlighted the autonomous port of Lomé, its deep-water terminal, and the Gnassingbé Eyadema International Airport as a regional air hub. The Adétikopé Industrial Platform (PIA), the country’s legal and tax framework, and its business environment were also promoted.
According to API-ZF officials, political stability and Togo’s strategic geographic position remain key to doing business and to connecting with landlocked neighbouring countries.
The agency also encouraged investors to consider opportunities in the country’s communes, citing their natural assets and investment potential. The approach aligns with the government’s decentralisation policy and aims to stimulate local development.
The event informed visitors to the fair about Togo’s economic ambitions and the authorities’ commitment to positioning the country as a preferred destination for businesses. It also served to encourage Togolese investors to make use of government facilities for setting up companies.
“API-ZF is not only for foreign investors,” said Sikpa Yawo, the agency’s interim director general, adding that it is ready to support entrepreneurs and project developers.
Esaïe Edoh
Togo’s ‘Ekpésosso’ New Year Ritual Joins UNESCO Intangible Heritage List
"La prise de la pierre sacrée," known locally as Ekpésosso, a major New Year ritual in the Guin region of southern Togo, has been added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The inscription was approved Thursday in New Delhi during the 20th session of the UN cultural agency’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The Togolese delegation, led by Kpayé Bakayota, chief of staff to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Arts, welcomed the completion of a process launched nearly two years ago. The nomination, prepared by the cultural heritage department, was submitted to the 2003 Convention Secretariat in February 2024 and was reviewed over roughly ten months.
With this inscription, Ekpésosso becomes the third Togolese entry on the list, alongside the oral tradition ‘Gèlèdè’ and ‘Maïeutique,’ both submitted through multinational nominations. For the Guin communities, the recognition is a significant milestone. The ritual, once safeguarded locally, now holds the status of a cultural asset shared by all humanity and benefits from stronger mechanisms for protection and transmission.
The Ministry of Culture says the recognition also opens new opportunities for partnerships, promotion and international visibility, with potential gains for cultural tourism.
Ekpésosso is a key stage in the ritual cycle that marks the start of the Guin new year, Epé Ekpé. Togo aims to preserve and promote this cultural heritage with support from UNESCO and international partners.
Esaïe Edoh
Togo Watchdogs HAAC, IPDCP Agree on Framework to Curb Personal Data Misuse by Media
Togo's High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC) and the Personal Data Protection Authority (IPDCP) have signed a cooperation framework to strengthen oversight of how personal data is used in the media sector. The memorandum was signed Wednesday in Lomé.
The agreement comes amid a surge in digital content and a wider circulation of sensitive information.
The two institutions said their collaboration will focus on protecting basic rights, building professional capacity, raising public awareness and monitoring sector practices. The long-term goal is to promote compliance in the handling of images, personal accounts, identities and other private data often shared by media outlets.
According to IPDCP president Colonel Bédiani Bélei, the partnership responds to rising risks linked to data collection and dissemination in an increasingly digital environment. He noted that media organisations routinely process information that can have lasting consequences for citizens and called for strict adherence to the principles of minimisation, relevance and proportionality.
HAAC president Pitalounani Télou said the authority will integrate personal-data considerations into its regulatory work and make its digital expertise available to the partnership. HAAC will support the IPDCP in prevention, investigations and enforcement efforts related to violations.
R.E.D
Togo Introduces 'Code 26' to Track Free Zone Imports, Improve Data
Togo's revenue authority, the Office Togolais des Recettes (OTR), has introduced a new customs code known as “Code 26” to regulate goods imported into the country’s free trade zone. The measure, announced in an official notice in early December, aims to improve the tracking of goods flows and enhance the reliability of collected data.
According to OTR Commissioner General Yawa Djigbodi Tsègan, the new code will automate the processing of shipping manifests through the single window for foreign trade (GUCE), ensure compliance with filing deadlines, limit manual corrections, speed up the clearance of advance declarations, and generate more accurate statistics on imports intended for the free zone.
The free zone operates under special customs and tax regimes, including exemptions or suspensions of duties and taxes, designed to promote investment, industrial development, and exports. With Code 26, the OTR will be able to more clearly distinguish goods covered by this regime from ordinary imports, which improves tracking, strengthens oversight, and reduces risks of error, fraud, or misuse.
The measure also benefits businesses by clarifying procedures and streamlining customs operations.
It forms part of a broader effort to modernize and streamline the framework governing the free zone in order to enhance both business competitiveness and the state’s fiscal security. In the long term, it may help attract more investment, support industrialization, and strengthen the country's export capacity.
Esaïe Edoh
Kako Nubukpo Advocates African Currency, Greater Fiscal Mobilization to Help Africa Move Beyond Aid
Togolese economist Kako Nubukpo renewed his call for a common African currency on the second day of the 9th Pan-African Congress in Lomé, arguing that such a project is essential to speed up the continent’s economic integration. Speaking on a panel on Africa’s economic challenges, the former minister highlighted the shortcomings of the current monetary system and the reforms needed to support long-term growth.
He said the absence of a shared currency continues to hold back intra-African trade. “The first reason is to expand our trade flows. We need an African currency to achieve what we expect from the Continental Free Trade Area,” he said. He added that a monetary union would strengthen the competitiveness of African economies. “We need a currency that allows us to compete with the rest of the world.”
Nubukpo also linked monetary reform to the continent’s demographic outlook. “We need a currency capable of financing the entry of 600 million young people into Africa’s labor market over the next 40 years,” he said, stressing the urgency of mechanisms adapted to this structural shift.
While debates around the CFA franc have already prompted reforms at the Central Bank of West African States, particularly on foreign-exchange reserves, the launch of a regional currency, the Eco, still appears distant. The long-discussed project has stalled, hampered by structural and political obstacles.
For Nubukpo, mobilizing resources through a pan-African approach is another strategic lever. He advocated the creation of an African central bank with a mandate centered on employment and development financing. “Our states need resources. We need a central bank that finances governments,” he said.
He further proposed pairing these reforms with a Pan-African Fund to support the budgets of the most vulnerable countries. “If we increase Africa’s tax-to-GDP ratio by two percentage points, we would no longer need external aid,” he said, calling for stronger domestic resource mobilization.
Such proposals could widen countries’ fiscal space, which is currently constrained by low public revenues that average 16 percent of GDP in sub-Saharan Africa according to the World Bank. However, they would face significant hurdles. The instruments could strengthen intra-African solidarity, but would require robust governance and agreement among more than 50 states with diverse tax systems. Convergence efforts remain limited despite initiatives by blocs such as UEMOA and ECOWAS.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo’s Year-End Trade Fair Set for Dec. 18-Jan. 4
Togo’s annual Grande Quinzaine Commerciale (GQC) trade fair will take place from Dec. 18, 2025, to Jan. 4, 2026. The Togo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI-Togo), which organizes the event, announced the dates on social media.
The year-end marketplace will start the day after the Lomé International Fair (FIL) ends.
Over two weeks, the fair will bring together businesses, buyers and thousands of visitors. CCI-Togo describes this edition as a special 40th-anniversary event that will keep the fair’s usual format and give merchants an opportunity to clear leftover inventory before year-end.
The initiative is meant to help businesses boost sales and offer consumers a single venue for holiday shopping.
The Grande Quinzaine Commerciale also serves as a key showcase for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), allowing them to promote their products and raise their profile.
Esaïe Edoh