Togo will soon launch a new program to support people facing terrorism and security challenges. According to a decree issued last Thursday toward its implementation, the program is called the "Emergency Program to Strengthen Community Resilience and Security". The decree was issued during the Council of Ministers.

"The Emergency Program to Strengthen Community Resilience and Security aims to implement all actions to bolster populations’ resilience on all levels. [It] covers the whole country and specifically areas affected or threatened by acts of terrorism and violent extremism identified on the basis of threat levels,” reads the Council's report.

The program will provide social support to grassroots populations facing "grave threats", "terrorist attacks”, and "the increase in cross-border crime", in the north and Savanes regions especially. It is expected to build on existing initiatives, such as the Programme d'urgence pour la Région des Savanes (PURS). The latter recently secured CFA30 billion in funding from the Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement (BOAD).

The PURS produced promising results, including better access to water and rural electricity. In detail, the program helped extend access to drinking water to almost 80,000 new people, thus raising the rural coverage rate from 64% in 2021 to 73.5%. In the energy sector, with an average electricity access rate of 66%, rural electrification has also increased, with 15,000 additional households connected to electricity, raising the rate from 22% in 2021 to 27% in 2022. Finally, in the agricultural sector, the government claims to have developed over 1,000 hectares of lowlands, and distributed over 21,000 tonnes of food fertilizer, as well as supplying irrigation kits and building boreholes.

It should be emphasized that Togo’s Savanes region currently is in a state of security emergency, due to its exposure to terrorist attacks.

The African Chamber of Commerce and Services (CACS) of the Dakhla region (Morocco) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Togo (CCI -Togo) signed a partnership agreement on November 24, 2023. The agreement was signed by Nathalie Bitho, the president of the special delegation of the consular chamber of Togo, and Abdelmonaim Faouzi, the president of the CACS, on the sidelines of the "2nd AFRICA Executive Meeting" in Lomé, Togo.

The deal should strengthen diplomatic and economic ties between Togo and Morocco, in the Dakhla region especially. According to Nathalie Bitho, the agreement paves the way for “a better-nurtured business dynamic that is based on a win-win partnership”. 

Under the new partnership, economic operators from both countries will explore opportunities and invest in sectors like health, renewable energies, agriculture, tourism, and education.

Togo and Morocco are old-time partners. Last year, in July, the two countries reached a mutual agreement to suppress visas for ordinary passport holders. Morocco is Togo's fifth-largest trading partner in Africa. According to the CCI-Togo, in 2019, Togo imported slightly over CFA13 billion worth of goods from the Maghreb country, mainly fertilizers, electronic and electrical equipment, and agri-foodstuffs. In the same year, exports to the Cherifian Kingdom were valued at around CFA4 billion.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo should soon launch a project to build 21 bridges in its five regions, a project that aligns with the government’s strategy to open up rural areas. The project was presented last weekend at the Council of Ministers, by Kanfitine Issa Tchede, Minister of Rural Access and Rural Roads. 

Tchede, during his presentation, added that discussions were underway with companies specialized in building modular metal bridges.  The talks, according to the Minister, "have led to the identification of 21 uni-bridge modular steel-concrete composite bridges, to be built in the country's five regions".

The project, once completed, will allow people in rural parts of the country to easily access basic socio-economic services, and enable them to sell their agricultural produce.

The initiative, it should be noted, is backed by France with a €78 million financing. The related agreement was inked last June by the Togolese Minister of Economy and Finance, Sani Yaya, and the French Ambassador to Togo, Augustin Favereau.

This is in addition to €30 million from Team Europe, earmarked for the partial financing of the Programme d'Appui aux Pistes Rurales (PAPR II).

Esaïe Edoh

The AIFO–Association of Oilseed Industries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)- had their 23rd General Assembly last week in Lomé, Togo. During the meeting, the stakeholders discussed ways to make the region’s oilseed industries more competitive, dynamic, and modern. 

Among others, the participants also looked at the various bottlenecks that impede the oilseed industry’s growth. These include inter-country customs barriers, as well as the overwhelming presence of Asia-imported (legally and illegally) oils.

"There is therefore an urgent need to act and to take the necessary action to spur a new dynamic to clean up the industrial and commercial environments," alerted AIFO's first Vice President, Thierry Awesso, also Chairman and CEO of the Nouvelle industrie des oléagineux du Togo (NIOTO).

During the talks, the general managers of the AIFO's industrial units adopted strategies to tackle unfair competition. Commenting on this, Afawoubo Afi, a representative of Togo’s minister of trade said: "Togo will pay particular attention to the proposals and recommendations made". 

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the AIFO and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) as part of its large-scale food fortification project in West Africa (LSFF).

Created in 2000, the AIFO focuses on reducing poverty, supporting the oilseed processing industry, and maintaining technical cooperation between industrial companies across the WAEMU.

Esaïe Edoh

Huawei Technologies closed a one-week training workshop in Lomé on November 22.  The ICT-focused workshop aims to create an ecosystem from which Huawei and specialized technology companies can draw directly on talent and skilled labor. It falls under Huawei’s Seeds for the Future program. 

For this first edition of the workshop, 15 Togolese students, all from the University of Lomé (UL) graduated. They took practical courses in various fields, including 5G, Artificial Intelligence, and Cloud technology.

The graduates can now access Huawei’s online training platform, for free. "Given the best these young people have given of themselves, they are already being targeted by Huawei. And those who want to work with Huawei are therefore welcome as interns or employees," said Alfred Dominique Agbessi, Huawei Togo General Manager.

According to Agbessi, the next edition will extend to a larger number of Togolese students.

Commenting on the initiative, Adama Kpodar, President of the University of Lomé, said he hopes it extends to other universities, especially the Ecole Nationale d'Administration.

Launched by Huawei, Seeds for the Future is a global program that aims to provide ICT training.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo should soon have a digital hotel booking platform for big events. The project was launched on November 21, 2023, by the Ministry of Tourism. On the project, the Ministry of Tourism cooperates with the Ministry of Digital Economy via the Agence Togo Digital (ATD),

The platform will be similar to Booking.com or Expedia, but typically Togolese, and should help boost tourist inflow. It will take into account hotel information systems, and the management of registrations, reservations, cancellations, and refunds.

"The project is in line with the government's promotion of tourism through all channels of visibility and especially that of digital ", said the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Kossi Lamadokou.

As part of this drive, the Ministry of Tourism will be updating the directory of hotels, taking into account their accommodation capacity. To preserve Togo's brand image, only hotels of the highest standard will be listed on the platform.

In a bid to bolster its commitment to gender equality, the Court of Audit of Togo recently validated in Lomé a "gender strategy" and an associated action plan for the period 2024-2026.

The strategy and plan were greenlit on November 21, with the support of GIZ, the German cooperation, as part of the "Good financial governance" project. The latter is aimed at strengthening financial governance in Togo.

This strategy should help better integrate gender issues within the institution, by improving women's technical and professional skills. It involves integrating the gender dimension into performance verification criteria for the audit of public finances.

Incidentally, the institution is a member of the CREFIAF or Conseil régional de formation des institutions supérieures de contrôle des finances publiques d'Afrique francophone subsaharienne. The CREFIAF’s gender strategy was adopted by the African Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (AFROSAI) in 2018. A previous strategic plan (2021-2025) already incorporated the objectives of AFROSAI's gender strategy.

The newly adopted gender strategy is also set in a more global context, as Togo experiments with gender-sensitive budgeting.

In Togo, tax exemptions cost the State almost CFA140 billion between January and September 2023, an increase of 18% year-on-year.

The government expects to miss out on CFA146 billion for the whole year. These "illiquid" revenues, i.e. not collected, have a direct impact on public finances but are part of a government strategy to support the economy during crises.

In recent years, Lomé has introduced several major tax exemptions to make people’s lives easier and cope with inflation. The latest exemption introduced is the VAT cancellation for university and company canteens.

In the corporate world, tax exemptions are aimed at fostering investment and economic recovery. For example, construction and public works equipment are exempted from customs duties and taxes. 

Agriculture is another sector that benefits from several exemptions, especially on input costs. There are also incentives for new investors, notably in the free trade zones. Companies in difficulty receive temporary support, and NGOs and international institutions benefit from advantageous tax conditions. Customs exemptions are also targeted at certain crucial imports, supporting the local economy.

Despite the impact of these policies on public finances, the Office Togolais des Recettes (OTR) records promising results. The tax office has collected CFA590 billion between January and September 2023, up by 11% year-on-year. This represents about 77% of its annual liquid tax revenue target, CFA765 billion.

However, while the relevance of these exemptions is debated, no recent study has yet assessed their positive or negative impact on the economy. The OTR took a first step in this direction: for some years now, the OTR has been elaborating a detailed table of tax expenditure, including exemptions, reliefs, and tax breaks. This approach, essential for greater transparency, could eventually provide the data needed for an objective assessment of the real impact of these policies on the Togolese economy.

Fiacre E. Kakpo

Cotton farmers from 15 West and Central African countries have gathered in Lomé, Togo, since Tuesday, for a meeting that aims to define new strategies for improving the industry. Set to close on November 23, the meeting is organized by the African Cotton Producers Association (AProCA).

The meeting mainly focuses on issues such as the difficulty in setting international market prices and scarce funding for farmer training.

The roundtable should yield solutions for professionalizing the sector, increasing yields, and improving the socio-economic conditions of African cotton farmers.

"Associations of African cotton farmers have become aware that the problems of the cotton sector in Africa can only be resolved if all players in the sector become true professionals, each at their level..,." said Kouroufei Koussouwè, President of AProCA.

AProCA was founded in December 2004 in Cotonou, Benin, with the mission of defending African farmers’ interests in regional and international cotton bodies.

Esaïe Edoh