The Kéran 1 municipality plans to spend CFA144.2 million on its development projects this year. The provisional budget was presented to the municipality's constituents and various partners on February 13, 2024, at the first ordinary session of the Kéran 1 Municipal Council in Kantè (460km north of Lomé).

The 2024 budget exceeds 2023’s by 6%. According to the municipality’s administration, the funds will primarily be invested in projects set out in the Communal Development Plan (PDC).

To effectively secure the funds, the Keran 1 management is considering deploying new strategies. These include tax collection and new ways to manage funds earned from building permits, parking lots, and public parking spaces. The Municipal Council also announced the updating of the taxpayers' directory, and the launch of the renewal process for market spaces and sand and gravel quarry permits.

The Kéran 1 municipality is located in the Kéran prefecture in the country's north-east. It is home to around 94,000 people.

Esaïe Edoh

The University of Lomé (UL) in Togo signed a new two-year partnership agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO). The new agreement was signed on February 13, by Adama Kpodar and Fatoumata Binta Tidiane Diallo. Kpodar chairs the UL and Diallo represents the WHO in Togo.

The deal supports the construction of the public health research and training center at the UL. It will also help bolster West African countries’ capacities in the public health sector. 

Regarding the training and research center; it is under construction and should be completed next year.

As for the reinforcing of capacities, the WHO will help local health agents better prevent, monitor, investigate, and tackle public health emergencies.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

An official delegation from Niger was in Lomé, Togo, on Tuesday, February 13, 2024. The delegation met with Edem Tengue, the Togolese minister of maritime economy. They talked about transporting Niger’s goods via the port of Lomé. 

Niger is a landlocked country. As such, access to the sea, via Lomé’s port, is crucial. Even more so given the possible reconfiguration of trade in the sub-region consequent with Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso’s decision to exit ECOWAS.

"The sister Republic of Togo has already done a lot, and we thank them for it. Thanks to Togo, since July 26, the people of Niger have continued to be supplied," said Colonel-major Salissou Mahman Salissou, Niger's Minister of Transport and Equipment, at the end of the meeting. "However, several concerns were raised by economic operators through the Chamber of Commerce, notably the problem of processing at a certain level of the corridor and the security problem. Instructions will be given to subordinate structures to think things over. Many solutions will be adopted for the well-being of our populations.

In response, Minister Tengue said: It's a meeting that stems from the desire of our country's highest authorities to smooth the passage of goods through the port of Lomé for our brothers in Niger."

This means ‘"Ensuring that trade between these two countries is [..] as fluid as possible, thus contributing to the proper functioning of their economies."

During the meeting, both sides addressed an invitation to economists who would like to be more invested in the Lomé-Ouaga-Niamey Corridor. Edem Tengue, in this regard, suggested investing in a fleet that will help cut costs which can be "a little prohibitive”.

Besides meeting Minister Tengue, the Nigerien delegation visited the port of Lomé.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togo earned CFA19.84 billion from its mining industry in 2021. The figure was disclosed in the 2021 report by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative in Togo (EITI Togo).

The mining revenues are up by 13% compared to 2020. That year, they stood at CFA17.53 billion.

Most of the 2021 revenues were generated by large-scale operations. They earned the country CFA16.88 billion, against CFA14.68 billion in 2020 (+15%). Groundwater mining brought in CFA1.19 billion, as in the previous year. Building materials operators paid the State CFA880 million compared with CFA1.17 billion, while small-scale miners paid almost CFA900 million.    

In Togo, most of the mining revenues come from phosphate. The sector’s leading export product, phosphate contributed 63% of the country’s export revenues - CFA 60.29 billion –in 2021. Clinker and raw limestone followed. They generated CFA 32.53 billion and 2.41 billion, respectively, in export revenues in 2021.

According to the EITI 2021 report, the extractive sector accounted for 1.4% of Togo's GDP in 2021, compared with 1.5% in 2020.  

Esaïe Edoh

The HAHO 3 municipality in the Haho prefecture mobilized CFA157.2 million in revenues in 2023. This includes 101.8 million which was allocated to the construction of the Kpédomé livestock market and culverts, the Haho mayor, Adaisso Kossi, disclosed on the sidelines of the municipality’s first ordinary session of 2024. The meeting focused on reporting administrative and management accounts for the 2023 financial year. Started on February 12 in Kpédomé, the session ends on February 16.

Participants will review ongoing projects and assess upcoming ones, as well as draw strategies to raise funds. They will also determine the responsibilities of stakeholders involved in the municipality’s development.

Mayor Kossi, in this regard, pointed out that these stakeholders need to commit to this goal. For his part, the Secretary General of the Haho prefecture, Assila Koudjina Komla, urged the people of Haho to monitor progress made on implemented projects, as indicated by Agence Togolaise de Presse.

Located in the Plateaux region, the Haho prefecture has a population of 165,000.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Spain wants to improve its relationship with Togo. Spanish Ambassador to Togo Javier Gutiérrez unveiled the ambition last week while meeting with Togo’s Prime Minister, Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé. 

“Togo is an attractive country for Spanish companies,” said Gutiérrez before adding, “I think we need to work together to promote trade between the two countries.”

Besides economic opportunities, Spain eyes Togo’s education sector. “I also noticed that there were a lot of opportunities in the education sector,” the European ambassador added. He informed PM Tomegah-Dogbe that Spain is preparing a new cooperation strategy with Togo in agriculture, social, and other key sectors.

Towards drawing and implementing this strategy, the two officials discussed the possibility of organizing forums with Spanish companies in Spain, so they know more about the investment opportunities in Togo.

Esaïe Edoh 

Lomé, the capital of Togo, currently hosts a forum on security in the ECOWAS region. The meeting is organized by the Centre d'Études Stratégiques de l'Afrique (CESA), and backed by the U.S. Embassy in Togo. Started on February 12, the forum ends on February 15.

Several security experts of the ECOWAS are gathered at the event. They will learn how to better manage resources related to security. "We address the issue of resource management in the security sector, with a particular focus on West Africa and Togo. Participants will have the opportunity to examine the resource utilization situation in their respective countries, in the face of intersecting development and security needs. This will enable them to gain an understanding of the strategic management of these resources and the decisions that flow from it," said CESA Director, Amanda Dory.

Topics discussed at the forum include the changing security landscape in Africa; trends in resource availability and spending in the security sector; aligning security sector resources with national strategies; and strategic planning, budgeting, and resource mobilization.

"The security issues in West Africa affect us all", stressed Shannon Ritchie, Director of Public Affairs at the US Embassy in Togo. She then pointed out the importance of the forum for the Embassy, amidst the rising threats in the region. 

Last year, the USA announced $100 million in conflict prevention support for Togo and four other countries in the sub-region.

Togo will undertake big works this year, as part of the West Africa Coastal Areas Resilience Investment Project (Waca-Resip). The team steering the project announced Friday, February 9, to the press in the framework of a radio program aimed at communicating more on the Waca-Resip.

Protecting Gbodjome-Agbodrafo coast

The first phase of the coming works covers the Gbodjome-Agbodrafo coast which spans 7 km. In this phase, 22 groins with lengths ranging between 65 to 75 meters, will be built on the axis to curb coastal erosion. Two more projects are planned under this phase. The first is a beach nourishment project with 450,000 m³ of sand. The second aims to stabilize lagoon areas by planting 10 hectares of coconut trees.

Gbaga channel to be restored 

Another project announced last week is the cleaning of the Gbaga channel. The project should help preserve biodiversity and improve movements on the water surface, subsequently bolstering the local economy. 

According to Adewole Cesar, a civil engineer working on the project, it involves removing invasive water plants and dredging the channel. Indeed, excessive exploitation of natural resources, human developments such as hydropower dams and port facilities, and climate change, pose a major threat to the region’s biodiversity and sustainability. They have sped up erosion, water contamination, and sediment accumulation on the floor of the channel. 

The Gbaga channel spans 23 km and connects Togo to Benin. In addition to dredging which will boost movement along the channel, a plan to restore the surrounding ecosystems, notably the mangroves which act as a natural barrier against erosion, is also planned. This should preserve biodiversity and the livelihoods of local communities.

The flooding equation 

The last part of the recent announcements covers the Lacs and Vo prefectures, and the floods affecting these areas. 

According to the local Waca-Resip steering committee, several measures will be implemented this year to tackle the issue. For example, over 4,000 linear meters (ml) of gutters of various sizes should be built to facilitate stormwater runoff and reduce the risk of flooding. 

The WACA, the same source added, will close the year with the cleaning of existing basins and the protection of Aného's banks, extending over 2,000 ml,

In Togo, the Waca-Resip fights coastal erosion, and floods, while focusing on restoring ecosystems. The program is backed by the World Bank. In 2023, it secured additional funding from the French Development Agency (AFD).

Fiacre E.  Kakpo