Pan-African carrier Asky Airlines added a new Boeing ET-BAG to its fleet last Friday, October 27th.

"We are delighted to inform you that, ASKY has added on this day, October 27, 2023, a brand-new Boeing ET-BAG to its ever-expanding fleet," the Lomé-based company wrote on its social media accounts.

The new plane is "equipped with the latest technologies in terms of safety and comfort, guaranteeing flights in complete serenity". It will help the airlines connect more destinations via the Togolese capital from Gnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport. This is in a context where the Lomé airport has been morphing into the sub-region’s logistics hub in recent years.

Last September, Asky acquired two planes to expand its destinations, to Paris and Asian capitals.

Asky Airlines is a private-public company. The Togolese State owns 14% of the airlines. 

Esaïe Edoh 

The Port of Lomé’s fourth tugboat was officially commissioned last Friday, October 27th. Edem Tengue, Minister of Maritime Economy, commissioned the vessel, an ASD TUG 2312 class tug, alongside officials from the Port Autonome de Lomé (PAL).

With the boat, which has exceptional design and powerful engine, the port will be able to accommodate 400m-long ships. "The PAL can now accommodate even larger vessels than it did", said Minister Tengue.

The new tugboat, according to the PAL’s management, will be "assigned to the towing of mega-ships, and its huge container ships. This "will enable the Port of Lomé to strengthen its strategic and competitive positioning in relation to its rivals on the West African coast".

The vessel is designed for the departure, berthing, and salvaging of commercial vessels. It will enhance the port's operational capacities and keep Lomé in a competitive position vis-à-vis the ports of Abidjan and Tema in the West African region, as well as the recently expanded port of Lekki in Nigeria. The boat was acquired from the Boluda company.

Esaïe Edoh

The new master plan for development and urban planning for Greater Lomé will soon be finalized. This was disclosed by the Minister of Urban Planning and Housing, Kodjo Adédzé, at the Council of Ministers meeting held last Thursday, October 26.

This plan will help regulate Lomé's spatial occupation and put an end to structural imbalances, ultimately ensuring harmonious development of the territory.

According to the Togolese authorities, the new urbanization plan for Greater Lomé will not only facilitate the implementation of public investment projects and enhance the capital's attractiveness but also improve the living environment of its residents.

This plan is updated based on strong expansion and significant demographic dynamics.

Its elaboration is part of the pilot phase of a larger program under which urban development plans will be drawn up for the country's 117 municipalities. This pilot phase also includes the municipalities of Avé 2 and Zio 2.

Esaïe Edoh

The Council of Ministers of Togo adopted last Thursday, October 26, a decree to create and operate a national office for protected areas (ONAP).

The ONAP "will be responsible in particular for implementing national forest policy in terms of the sustainable management of national parks, wildlife reserves, habitat and species management reserves, natural resource management zones, zones of hunting interest and zoo-botanical gardens". 

Placed under the technical supervision of the Ministry of the Environment and the financial supervision of the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, the new entity will also coordinate operations, ensure the sustainability of the various achievements, and facilitate the mobilization of appropriate human, material and financial resources to fulfill its missions.

The ONAP’s creation, according to the government, stems from the findings of an institutional audit of Togo’s natural resource management. The findings underscore the importance of entrusting the management of national protected areas to an autonomous body for more effective intervention.

This body, the ONAP, could, according to Lomé, help the country expand its forest coverage to 25% by 2025.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo wants to finalize the MCC "Compact" project by the end of 2024. In this framework, Lomé chose to focus on two key sectors: energy and digital.

To this end, Togo's compact program implementation unit (CMC-Togo) seeks specialist consultants to conduct "Feasibility studies relating to Digital Services". Applications close on December 4, 2023.

Togo became eligible for the Compact in December 2022, after several years of reforms and positioning on this American funding program.

The country plans to use the funding to tackle major challenges it faces in the energy and digital sectors. These include, for example, reducing high costs, providing satisfactory energy coverage for the population, and democratizing digital services.

Road safety across Togo improved slightly in Q3 2023, against the previous quarter.

According to data released by the national police, over the quarter concerned, 117 people were killed in road accidents, against 145 deaths in the second quarter. 

The improvement is partly attributable to new safety measures, stricter surveillance of helmet-wearing by bike riders and their passengers, the respect of traffic lights, etc.

Over the last two months, the country recorded an average of 37 deaths on the road. This contrasts with 47 at the beginning of the year. In September, 13 people were killed. 

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

The World Bank released the first edition of its economic outlook report for Togo last Wednesday, October 25. Entitled "Unlocking the country's growth potential", this 50-page document, which will henceforth be published annually, offers a detailed analysis of Togo's current economic situation and outlook.

The report was unveiled by Marc Stocker, Senior Economist and Amevi Rocard Kouwoayé, Economist at the World Bank. It highlights Togo’s solid strategy of trade openness and the implementation of targeted and ambitious structural reforms, which put the country on an upward growth trajectory.

The study forecasts that Togo should achieve economic growth estimated at 5.2% for the years 2023 and 2024, underpinned by consumer spending and private investment. The latter could increase by 10 percentage points by 2030. Looking further ahead, the report expects the country to record a growth of 5.8% in 2025, and reach around 7% in the longer term; provided that structural reforms are implemented.

"The main reforms concern the agricultural sector. One of the priorities is securing access to land, a lever for stimulating investment, improving productivity and increasing the sector's competitiveness. In addition, the development of irrigated agriculture is essential and requires substantial investment," Marc Stocker told Togo First in an interview.

The World Bank economist underscored Togo's resilience, pointing out that despite challenges, the country has significant growth potential. However, private investment is key to exploit this potential and develop sustainably.

One of the report’s main findings concerns the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The authors believe it has the potential to make Togo attract more international investors. This, they claim, could cause foreign direct investment in the country to rise by about 135% by 2035. However, for the prediction to materialize, more regulatory reforms and trade facilitation are needed, according to the report.

"The implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area is an important opportunity for Togo, as it could lead to a doubling of the stock of foreign investment by 2035. It is also an opportunity to develop cross-border trade, which plays a crucial role, particularly in the agricultural sector," said Fily Sissoko, World Bank Resident Representative for Togo.

The report also recommends greater social inclusion and more support for vulnerable people. Reducing socio-economic disparities and guaranteeing equitable access to basic services are essential to the well-being of all Togolese, said the World Bank authors.

"A major challenge facing the government is being able to sustain this growth while bringing back fiscal balances. This is a priority to avoid increasing the debt burden at the expense of social programs", noted Marc Stoker, Senior Economist at the Bretton Woods institution.

Fiacre E. Kakpo

ARISE IIP, the firm that operates Togo’s Industrial Platform of Adétikopé, may get €250 million to support the development of four industrial platforms in Africa, including Togo and Benin.

The International Finance Corporation is examining the financing project, with its board set to deliberate next December 22.

According to IFC information, the funds will be allocated to the development of special economic zones (SEZs) and industrial parks, notably the Industrial Platform of Adétikopé (PIA) in Togo, the Glo Djigbé industrial zone (GDIZ) in Benin, the Industrial Platform of Congo (PIC) in the Republic of Congo, and Special Economic Zone of Bugesera (BSEZ) in Rwanda. The total investment is €870 million, including €30 million for Togo.

PIA Phase II

In Togo, phase II of the PIA will be developed in Zio, a municipality located around 27 km from Lomé (and about 9.7 km east of where Phase I was deployed). The second phase will be deployed over 328 hectares; under this phase, a 260m-wide industrial zone will be built)

The IFC’s support–capped at €250 million–includes a loan of €63 million, €107 million in parallel loans, and a loan of €80 million from the IDA. It is worth recalling that last June, ARISE IIP secured $400 million from Afreximbank, a credit facility.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Mauritania’s telecom regulator, ARE, closed a two-day workshop with its Togolese counterpart, ARCEP, on October 24. The meeting was an occasion for the ARE to learn from the Togolese watchdog. 

During the two days, the Mauritanian delegation looked at how the ARCEP handles data-based regulation, with a focus on monitoring and measuring the quality of service (QoS) of mobile networks and the quality of customer experience (QoE) of users of said networks. They also covered the regulatory framework and digital transformation in Togo.

Based on what it learned from the ARCEP, the ARE should implement similar solutions in Mauritania.

The two regulators, after the meeting, announced an upcoming partnership agreement to “continue discussions on other relevant regulation issues.”

This is the third time that a foreign telecom regulator has sent a delegation to Togo. The first two were from Côte d’Ivoire and Comoros.

Esaïe Edoh