Togo has set a minimum 40-day grace period for containers in transit to Niger, effective June 1, 2024. This measure stems from recent discussions between Togolese authorities and Nigerien transporters on improving the Port of Lomé services.

The ministry responsible for maritime economy clarified that "shipping companies may, based on their tariff policies, apply a grace period longer than forty days, in compliance with prevailing competition rules." Minister Edem Tengue stated that this decision is part of ongoing maritime sector reforms to facilitate operations for landlocked countries at the Port of Lomé.

This decision complements other initiatives, such as the suspension of statistical fees on goods arriving by sea at the Port of Lomé and declared in transit to countries of the Alliance of the Sahel States (AES), including Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

The ultimate goal of Togolese authorities is to enhance the competitiveness of the Port of Lomé and facilitate trade with landlocked countries.

Esaïe Edoh

The University of Lomé (UL) has established a China-UL Cooperation Cell to strengthen collaboration with the People's Republic of China. The initiative aims to foster ties with Chinese academic institutions and facilitate the exchange of researchers and students between the two countries.

Two weeks ago, a meeting between members of the CCCUL and the Chinese Ambassador to Togo discussed future collaboration opportunities. Professor Joseph Tsigbe, director of cooperation at UL and head of the cell, presented a detailed work plan outlining priority research areas and projects for the short and medium term.

Chinese Ambassador in Togo Chao Wedong expressed support for the initiative, recognizing the significance of educational cooperation as a cornerstone of China's soft power. He also shared insights on China's international policy and its engagement with Togo.

This collaboration is expected to lead to exchanges and joint projects that will benefit both the Togolese academic community and their Chinese counterparts.

Togo's South Plateaux Region recorded a remarkable 143% increase in cotton production for the 2023-2024 campaign, reaching 15,880 tons of seed cotton compared to 6,547 tons the previous year. This progress was shared at a workshop organized by the New Cotton Company of Togo (NSCT) in Notsè, which aimed to assess the season with cotton growers and Cotton Producer Groups (GPC).

According to stakeholders, the results crown the sustained efforts of the 16,658 cotton growers and the 616 GPCs' efficiency. Crops covered a total area of 16,658 hectares, with an average yield increasing from 698 kg/ha to 884 kg/ha.

Piyabalo Yaka, the regional director of agricultural production for the South Plateaux, attributed this success to effective coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and partners in the sector, aligned to increase national production to 225,000 tons by 2025.

The NSCT encouraged farmers to increase cultivated areas for the upcoming campaigns to consolidate this positive trend. However, challenges such as climate variability and soil infertility remain, as highlighted by Matinkawé Kpessakom, the regional president of cotton producers.

Togo's cotton production rose to 70,000 tons for the 2023-2024 campaign, a 50% increase compared to the previous year's 46,500 tons, after two consecutive years of poor performance.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé, Prime Minister of Togo, recently met with Hélèna Maria José Nosolini Embalo, the new President of the Regional Chamber of Commerce of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (CCR-UEMOA). The women discussed the CCR's strategic orientations for the next three years.

During the meeting, held on May 23, Nosolini Embalo outlined her mandate's main challenges, including promoting community entrepreneurship, developing the private sector, and stimulating economic and social development within the UEMOA region. She emphasized the importance of government support to achieve these goals.

PM Tomegah-Dogbé expressed support for these initiatives, highlighting their significance in strengthening the competitiveness of the private sector and increasing regional trade.

The CCR-UEMOA was established in January 1994. It represents private sector actors across the Union. Its main mission is to ensure the private sector’s effective involvement in the Union's integration process.

Togo's Energy Minister, Mila Aziable, addressed the media in Lomé on May 25 regarding the current energy crisis and power supply issues. 

Aziable revealed the factors contributing to the crisis, including reduced electricity imports from Ghana due to maintenance work and decreased natural gas supply from Nigeria due to infrastructure repairs.

These, the official reported, have led to a significant reduction in electricity production and import capacity in Togo, resulting in unavoidable power outages. "We are experiencing an exceptional situation, marked by an energy supply deficit that has forced us to implement an electricity rationing plan," she stated.

The minister recommended various solutions to mitigate the crisis, such as diversifying energy sources, increasing domestic output, and optimizing consumption. These solutions, she claimed, should address the crisis’ effects in the short term and move Togo towards autonomy in the long term. "We are fully mobilized and doing everything in our power to quickly and sustainably resolve this situation," Mila Aziable said.

Togo is participating in joint military exercises with the Sahel Alliance (AES) countries, including Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Chad. In a complex security context marked by increasing terrorist activity in West Africa, the five countries launched a joint exercise named "Tarhanakale" near the Malian border in Tillia this week.

The initiative, announced by the Nigerien Ministry of Defense, is taking place at the Special Forces training center, funded by Germany and recently equipped by the United States. The training sessions, concluding on June 3, aim to strengthen the operational capacities of the AES armed forces, formed after Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso withdrew from ECOWAS.

For Togo, these exercises come in the context of combating the jihadist threat at its northern border. President Faure Gnassingbé recently called for a rethink of international and regional collaboration to better fight the terrorist challenge, particularly through a "new military cooperation organization" in West Africa.

The AES aims to consolidate a regional approach to terrorist threats while moving away from traditional French influence and turning towards new partnerships, including with Russia.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togo officially inaugurated its new embassy in Doha, Qatar, last week. The opening ceremony was attended by Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey and Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi, Secretary-General of the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The opening aligns with Togo’s efforts to have new international partners and further integrate into global trade and investment dynamics. The new embassy, Robert Dussey said, will play a crucial role in deepening bilateral relations in key sectors such as trade, investment, and culture.

Al Hammadi lauded the move, highlighting Qatar's commitment to developing friendly and mutually beneficial relations. He also underscored that the embassy opening aligns with Qatar's policy of expanding its diplomatic network and diversifying strategic alliances.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Under its new national cybersecurity strategy for 2024-2028, Togo will set up a single entity to centralize efforts against cybercrime. The body will replace the current fragmented system which regroups the National Police, National Gendarmerie, and National Cybersecurity Agency (ANCy) and is supported by Cyber Defense Africa (CDA).

The current system has been highly criticized for its inefficiency. Observers pointed out laborious investigations, a lack of cooperation between services, and increasing costs without significant economies of scale. 

The new strategy indicates: "It is very hard to collect digital evidence and avoid their modification. Some digital evidence does not occur at the 'crime scene' and must be protected on the network that connects the criminal and the victim. This network can span thousands of kilometers and be linked by thousands of IT equipment located in dozens of countries. This requires close cooperation with telecommunications companies at the local and international levels, and strengthening the capacities of digital forensic laboratories, which will enable the restoration of the utility of evidence."

The announced anti-cybercrime center should overcome these challenges by consolidating resources and expertise into a single "nodal point." This should improve response to threats and crimes, cut costs and make operations more effective and strategically coherent.

One of the pillars of this restructuring is the national digital forensics laboratory. This center will focus on scientific research and the development of new methods adapted to the specificities of cybercrimes. It will also be tasked with training agents in these new techniques and raising awareness about cybersecurity issues.

The future structure will bring together professionals from various backgrounds – police officers, gendarmes, and sworn civilians – to form a robust team capable of effectively responding to digital threats, while managing advanced tools for gathering information and combating fake news.

Fiacre E. Kakpo

The Basic Social Safety Nets (BSSN) project in Togo was officially closed on May 24, 2024, after 6 years of implementation. The project, led by the National Agency for the Promotion of Grassroots Development (ANADEB), absorbed over XOF 39 billion in funding from the World Bank, the French Development Agency, and the Togolese government.

The project provided over 15 million school meals to 52,173 students across 161 public primary schools. It also delivered cash transfers to 104,240 households in nearly 975 localities and offered business development training to 13,732 women.

The World Bank's social portfolio head, Raphaela Béatrice Karlen, commended the BSSN's results underscoring how they met beneficiaries’ expectations. "While we are pleased to have supported the government in achieving and exceeding all the objectives set by the project and successfully meeting the expectations of the beneficiary communities, we recognize that the reduction of extreme poverty and vulnerability must continue, drawing lessons from the project's experience to build a strong and sustainable social protection system," she noted.

The Minister of Grassroots Development, Myriame Dossou, highlighted the BSSN's role in strengthening resilience and social cohesion within communities through support measures, training, educational discussions, and capacity building. 

Initially scheduled to end in 2021, the project was extended until 2024 due to its importance and relevance in improving the living conditions of the most vulnerable populations.

Esaïe Edoh