Togo has launched the second cohort of the Quality Boost (Q-Boost) program under the Alliance for Product Quality in Africa (AfPQ) project implemented by GIZ. Seventeen micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) were selected for the new phase.

Like the first cohort, the program aims to help MSMEs strengthen their competitiveness and improve market access by enhancing their quality management practices.

Support will include training on ISO 9001 quality management standards, assistance in obtaining international certification for export markets, support for the broader quality infrastructure, and improved access to commercial information and international market requirements.

According to Sedzom Kokou Ezin, the initiative aims to make quality management a core part of business operations, which is seen as key to improving companies’ competitiveness and credibility.

The program will be implemented with support from the High Authority for Quality and the Environment (HAUQE), the ministry of trade through the Directorate for the Promotion of Competitiveness and Exports, and the Togo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI-Togo).

The first cohort, implemented between August 2025 and March 2026, supported 21 companies across the country.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo has launched a technology hub aimed at turning innovative ideas into market-ready digital solutions. Named Djanta Tech Hub, the initiative was officially launched on Thursday in Lomé by the Ministry of Public Service Efficiency and Digital Transformation.

The center is one of the first components of a planned nationwide network of tech hubs designed to support innovators and entrepreneurs and strengthen Togo’s digital ecosystem.

Developed under the Digital Transformation Acceleration Project (PANT) with funding from the World Bank, Djanta Tech Hub will provide incubation, acceleration and mentoring services to technology-driven startups.

The hub will focus on sectors including agriculture, education, finance, tourism, logistics, trade, creative industries and productivity solutions for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

Two programs will be rolled out: “Idée-Action,” targeting early-stage projects, and “Innov’Action,” aimed at startups already active in the market.

For the first program, Djanta Tech Hub will partner with a pan-African incubator active in Nigeria, Kenya and Rwanda. The partnership is expected to support around 72 Togolese startups between June 2026 and July 2027.

The hub also plans to launch a fund called “Start” to support around 30 young entrepreneurs with innovative solutions. Grants will average 15,000 euros per project.

Minister of Public Service Efficiency and Digital Transformation Cina Lawson said the name “Djanta,” which means “lion” in a local language, reflects the courage needed to start a business.

The initiative is part of the government’s broader ambition to build a nationwide network of incubators to support local technology initiatives. More than 100 similar hubs are ultimately expected to be deployed across the country.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo's Ministry of Finance and Budget is setting up a formal framework for consultations and performance assessments for Treasury Securities Specialists (SVTs), in a move aimed at strengthening governance in the public securities market. The reform was formalized under a decree signed by Minister Essowè Georges Barcola.

The decree provides for regular meetings between the General Directorate of the Treasury and Public Accounting (DGTCP) and SVTs, which are accredited banks and financial institutions authorized by the state to act as preferred partners in issuing and placing public securities. The meetings will be held at least every six months.

They will review developments in the Treasury securities market, analyze primary and secondary market results, discuss SVT performance indicators, and identify financing challenges and opportunities.

The authorities are also introducing an annual performance assessment of SVTs. It will have two components: a qualitative assessment aligned with the regional standards of UMOA-Titres and an additional quantitative assessment at the national level. The DGTCP will define the scoring criteria, weighting system and evaluation methodology.

The results will be shared with the relevant institutions and published each year, by March 31, on the platforms of the Ministry of Finance and the DGTCP. According to the decree, publication of the results is intended to strengthen transparency and credibility in Togo's public securities market.

To oversee implementation, an SVT evaluation committee will be established within the DGTCP. It will be chaired by the director general of the Treasury and Public Accounting and include officials in charge of public debt and Treasury operations, as well as technical representatives. Experts from the central bank and the UMOA-Titres Agency may also participate in an advisory capacity.

The reform aims to improve the efficiency of Togo's domestic debt market and bolster investor confidence in government financing.

Esaïe Edoh

A project aimed at building the capacity of women’s coconut oil cooperatives in four prefectures of Togo was launched on Tuesday in Aného.

Funded by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the Togo Coastal Communities Climate Change Resilience Project (R4C-Togo), the initiative targets six cooperatives in the Maritime Region. Financial details were not disclosed.

The program will train women producers in coconut oil processing techniques, including quality control, packaging and labeling, to help improve product competitiveness.

Participating cooperatives will receive processing equipment such as grinders and kneaders, as well as technical support and training on sourcing raw materials.

Project officials said the initiative aims to strengthen the coconut value chain while improving income opportunities for rural women.

Coconut production plays an important role in several coastal communities in Togo by supporting jobs and household incomes. However, women working in the sector often face limited access to equipment and production resources.

The project seeks to improve the organization and productivity of participating cooperatives.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo has established a one-stop mechanism to mobilize climate finance, named the "Fonds Vert Togo." The project was formalized through a decree adopted during the Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, defining the mandate, structure and operations of the new mechanism, which is intended to centralize and channel funding dedicated to environmental and climate-related initiatives.

The new fund replaces the Fonds national de l'environnement and is expected to finance projects linked to renewable energy, climate resilience and the sustainable management of natural resources by leveraging public and private funding from domestic and international sources.

“This decree forms part of broader efforts to strengthen environmental governance and adapt national instruments to the growing challenges of climate change and green finance,” the Council of Ministers communiqué said.

Attracting More Climate Finance

Through this mechanism, authorities aim to strengthen the country’s credibility with donors and investors specializing in green finance. The decree comes as Lomé intensifies efforts to secure greater access to international climate funding.

Togo recently secured 15.3 billion CFA francs in financing from the West African Development Bank (BOAD) for a climate resilience project backed by the Green Climate Fund, notably aimed at strengthening early warning systems and disaster risk management.

In 2025, the country also secured a 200-million-euro financing facility with support from the African Development Bank (AfDB), Deutsche Bank and Legal & General. The funds are intended to support green and social projects in sectors including sustainable agriculture, clean energy, climate adaptation and biodiversity.

Toward a Sustainable Finance Market in Togo

Togo is also developing sustainable financing instruments aligned with international standards. The country has adopted a sustainable finance framework consistent with the principles of the International Capital Market Association (ICMA), with the longer-term objective of facilitating future green bond issuances.

The establishment of the "Fonds Vert Togo" therefore marks another step in the government’s strategy to mobilize larger volumes of climate-related financing.

According to the government, “the adoption of this decree reflects the government’s commitment to creating a credible and attractive instrument that meets international standards, with a view to facilitating access to climate finance and supporting sustainable and inclusive growth.”

R.E.D

Young women in Togo have until May 20, 2026, to apply for École de la Chance (“School of Opportunity”), a free government vocational training program targeting 1,500 beneficiaries in the Autonomous District of Greater Lomé.

The program was launched under SWEDD+, a regional initiative supported by the World Bank. It is led by the Ministry of Development Planning, with support from the ministry responsible for Youth and Sports and the Union of Regional Chambers of Trades.

Applications are open to Togolese women aged 18 to 24 who are unemployed, seeking vocational retraining, or left school before completion. Registration is available at several centers across Greater Lomé and online via QR code.

The training will last three to six months and focus on trades considered to have economic potential. Courses will cover traditional African dressmaking, sewing-related trades, embroidery, hair braiding and styling, wig-making, and beauty services, including manicure and pedicure.

Authorities said the program aims to strengthen beneficiaries’ technical skills and improve their chances of finding work or starting income-generating activities.

The program also includes the recruitment of vocational training centers and workshops to deliver the courses. Eligible institutions must have at least five years of experience, adequate equipment, and facilities accessible to people with disabilities.

The first phase will focus on Greater Lomé before a possible rollout to other regions. The initiative forms part of SWEDD+, which seeks to strengthen women’s empowerment and support the demographic dividend in sub-Saharan Africa. Officials said SWEDD+ ultimately aims to reach more than 105,000 girls and young women in Togo.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Cyril Segonds was appointed general manager of Brasserie BB Lomé in Togo on Monday, May 4, 2026, succeeding Victoria Diogo after her 18 months at the helm of the Castel subsidiary.

Castel said the appointment marks a new stage in the company’s growth. Segonds is expected to drive expansion at the brewer, one of Togo’s key industrial companies.

Amid rising demand for locally produced consumer goods and agricultural processing, Brasserie BB Lomé plans to strengthen its local sourcing efforts. The company aims to increase its use of domestically sourced raw materials, including rice and maize, to support local supply chains.

Segonds brings nearly 30 years of experience in sub-Saharan Africa. Since 2023, he has headed SOLIBRA in Côte d’Ivoire, a beverage producer. Before that, he led BRACONGO, Castel’s Congolese beverage subsidiary, from 2019.

A 50-year-old engineer by training, Segonds has also worked in industrial equipment. In 2006, he joined Tractafric Equipment in Libreville, Gabon, before becoming general manager of CFAO Automotive Equipment & Services in 2015, overseeing several markets in Central and West Africa, including Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Esaïe Edoh

Experts from the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA) began talks in Lomé on Monday on reforming the institution’s funding model, ahead of a special session of finance ministers scheduled for later this week.

The meeting is the first of its kind in nearly two decades and is focused on finding a more sustainable way to finance the organization.

Founded in 1993, OHADA brings together 17 member states to improve the business climate and strengthen legal certainty across the region. Although primarily a legal body, it also supports economic policy by improving market governance and helping create a more predictable business environment. The organization is facing funding constraints that have limited its effectiveness.

“This is a very important organization that does not concern only the ministries of Finance and Justice. It concerns all ministries involved in economic and social development,” said Prof. Mayatta N'Diaye Mbaye, OHADA's Permanent Secretary.

He said time spent securing funding was reducing the organization’s operational capacity. OHADA must be “responsive,” “effective,” and “efficient,” he said, adding that these goals require adequate resources.

Experts are reviewing proposals drawn from a study financed by the French Development Agency (AFD). The aim is to define a more stable funding model that can support the institution’s autonomy and effectiveness.

Opening the proceedings, Akou Mawussé Adetou Afidenyigba, representing Togo’s Minister of Finance and Budget, Essowè Georges Barcola, said OHADA had strengthened the legal environment for businesses and helped boost investment.

Despite those achievements, existing funding mechanisms, including the capitalization fund and member state contributions, have proven insufficient. The expert committee’s conclusions will be submitted to finance ministers, who will decide which reforms to pursue.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi