Togolese President, Faure Gnassingbe, is in Seoul, South Korea. The African leader attends the first Korea-Africa Summit which began today and ends tomorrow.  

The event aims to bolster and diversify cooperation between the host and participating nations. 

On the summit’s sidelines, an economic forum will be held to deeply explore partnership opportunities between Togo and South Korea, in sectors including investment, energy, trade, infrastructure, agriculture, digital, health, and education. 

Read Also: Togo and South Korea Look to Deepen Their Cooperation

Togo and South Korea have been diplomatic partners since 1963. Over the years, they have cooperated in various areas, such as food security, health, and climate change. For example, the Asian country backs the Kara Agropole project and various projects to advance education in the Savanes region. 

Ayi Renaud Dossavi 

The Artificial Intelligence Week (AIW) is on. The event opened today and will close on June 4, 2024. It is hosted at the 2 Février Hotel in Lomé, Togo, under the high patronage of President Faure Gnassingbé.

Held under the theme "AI IN TOGO AND AFRICA: CURRENT STATE, OPPORTUNITIES, AND SOCIETAL CHALLENGES," the event promises a diverse program, including conferences led by experts, interactive workshops, technological demonstrations, and presentations by innovative companies in the field of AI.

It aims to raise awareness and educate the general public about AI and its current impacts. Professionals, academics, and tech enthusiasts will have the opportunity to exchange on the technology and better appropriate it, through practical exercises. 

This is also a networking event for participants.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Lomé will host the next Pan-African  Congress. The event will receive 20 young Africans and Afro-descendants and various delegations. The Togolese Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently unveiled the chosen 20. 

Following a call launched by the Ministry, they were picked ahead of preparations for the forum.  The youths come from different parts of Africa, its diaspora, and communities of ancestry (West Africa, Central Africa, North Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, African diaspora, and Afro-descendant communities). 

Set to take place from October 29 to November 2, 2024, the 9th Pan-African Congress aims to foster dialogue, innovation, development, and cooperation in Africa. For the coming edition, the theme is "Revival of Pan-Africanism and the Role of Africa in Multilateral Institution Reform: Mobilizing Resources and Reinventing to Act".

See the list of the 20 selected youth here.

The Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Posts (ARCEP) in Togo is launching a new satisfaction survey on June 3rd. The goal is to evaluate consumer perceptions of telecommunications operators, including mobile and fixed internet services.

The survey will cover the entire country, focusing on user satisfaction with services and customer relations. It will also identify reasons for dissatisfaction and areas for improvement.

Consumers will be notified through SMS and asked to participate in the evaluation. The aim is to gather a wide range of opinions and experiences, reflecting the diversity of telecommunications users in Togo.

This survey is part of a continuity of similar actions conducted by ARCEP in previous years to ensure the quality of telecommunications services in the country.

Previous surveys have led to specific recommendations for each operator in Togo or have paved the way for sanction procedures.

Togo has announced several projects as part of the Urban Water Security Improvement Project (PASH-MUT). The Ministry responsible for water recently launched an international call for tenders for various activities aimed at strengthening urban water security.

The announced works include improving the operational and financial performance of the Togolese Water Company (TdE). This will involve reducing non-revenue water, supported by partial rehabilitation of the distribution network. The works will also aim to increase the collection rate of unpaid bills, with the goal of ensuring the financial viability of the water sector.

The selected company will be required to implement innovative and modern procedures, ensuring knowledge transfer, to enable the Togolese Water Company to sustainably reduce the level of non-revenue water to an economically acceptable threshold.

Submissions for this call for tenders are open until July 24th. The PASH-MUT, launched in October 2023 with the support of the World Bank, aims to address challenges related to urban water security in Togo.

Esaïe Edoh

Togolese authorities launched a campaign promoting the use of standard measuring tools by businesses on May 27. This is a nationwide campaign, but it currently spans from Tsévié in the Maritime region to Atakpamé in the Plateaux region.

Organized by the Ministry of Investment Promotion and the Ministry of Commerce, the campaign aims to encourage traders to adopt standard measuring tools for transactions. Participants also discussed competition policy and the advantages of using standard measuring tools.

Laré Arzouma Botre, representing the Minister of Investment Promotion, said it is important to end practices like selling in piles or traditional measuring bowls and adopt scales instead, which are more modern.

This awareness tour will extend to other regions of Togo, including the Central, Kara, and Savanes regions.

Esaïe Edoh 

Togo recently hosted a workshop aimed at improving the management and transparency of international arms trade, particularly in relation to the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). The three-day meeting, which took place from May 28 to May 30, brought together 35 staff members from ATT implementing agencies.

Representatives from the police, customs, armed forces, and forestry departments also attended the session. The goal was to enhance the skills of personnel involved in treaty implementation, with a focus on annual reporting obligations under Article 13 of the ATT.

According to Minister of Security and Civil Protection Calixte Madjoulba, the adoption and entry into force of the ATT in 2014 marked a significant step forward in international disarmament. The meeting was also seen as an opportunity to improve interagency cooperation and coordination, which are crucial for ensuring the regularity and effectiveness of reports.

The Court of Justice of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) currently hosts a sensitization session for Togolese judicial actors in Lomé. Started on May 28, the meeting ends on 31, 2024. It aims to clarify the legal and institutional framework of WAEMU, the Court’s competencies, and its applicable procedures.

The ongoing workshop aims to increase the Court's visibility. Indeed, many stakeholders are unaware of its attributions and this can hinder its effectiveness in supervising compliance with community law and treaties.

During the workshop, local judicial actors will learn about aspects such as the mechanism of prejudicial recourse and the role of national courts in the application of community law.

The Minister of Justice and Legislation, Mipamb Nahm-Tchougli, said that Togo's participation in the meeting will help the country benefit from the Court's expertise in various areas of law, including tax, customs, competition, banking, public procurement, and accounting. This, he added, will make it easier for the country to comply with community law and treaties.

Established in 1996, the Court of Justice of WAEMU has advisory and jurisdictional functions, thus strengthening the legal framework of the Union and contributing to the harmonization of judicial practices within the region.

Esaïe Edoh