Togo First
Togo: Over 500 Young People Attend First Edition of Youth Delivery Lab
Togo hosted the first Youth Delivery Lab (YDL), a roundtable dedicated to the Togolese youth, last Saturday, September 9. Organized by the Youth for Youth Association (Y4Y) and chaired by the minister, secretary general of the Presidency, Sandra Ablamba Johnson, the event gathered more than 500 young people.
The meeting’s theme was "Transforming Local SMEs into National Champions: key roadblocks and potential solutions for Togo". The participants, who came from all the regions of the country talked about the key ingredients for the country’s emergence.
According to Sandra Ablamba Johnson, the roundtable aligns with the government’s vision of promoting responsible, enterprising youth, capable of building Togo’s future. She then added that authorities were determined to help the youth in their endeavors.
"Our President is ready and willing to support you, to support youth entrepreneurship through pragmatic reforms and the implementation of related mechanisms among which is the presidential program of excellence. These efforts cannot be achieved without the manifest will of young people," Johnson declared.
The official urged the Togolese youth to be patriotic, responsible citizens, excellent, and humble.
Stanislas Baba, the Minister-Counsellor to the Head of State, was also present, and on the occasion, he encouraged the Togolese youth "to make the most of their potential and creative genius".
The Youth Delivery Lab is a platform that supports young people's civic participation in the government's vision. It fosters exchange, networking, and the sharing of best practices among young people.
Esaïe Edoh
French Development Agency Loans Togo €35M to Protect the Gbodjome-Agbodrafo Coast Against Erosion
Togo secured a €35 million loan from the French Development Agency (AFD) to continue its coastal protection works along the 7km-long axis going from Gbodjome to Agbodrafo.
The related agreement was inked last Friday, September 8, by the Togolese minister of finance, Sani Yaya, and France’s ambassador to Togo, Augustin Favereau. Several important figures were present, including the Togolese minister of environment and AFD’s country director.
"I am delighted with the signing of the Credit Agreement with the Agence Française de Développement for 35 million euros, or around 23 billion CFA francs, to finance coastal protection works over 7 kilometers between the villages of Gbodjomé and Agbodrafo", said Minister Yaya.
A few days before AFD’s support, Togo had received around €23 million from Invest International, a Dutch company. The money was also to help the West African country fight coastal erosion along the Gbodjome-Agbodrafo axis.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Coastal Erosion: Togo Gets €128M from IsDB to Fight the Phenomenon
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) has approved a €128.17 million financing for Togo, to fight coastal erosion. The Bank’s Board approved the facility during its 352nd meeting held on September 9, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
No additional detail regarding the funding has been disclosed so far, but it adds to similar facilities provided by the AFD (€35 million) and Invest International (€23 million).
In Africa, the IsDB approved €61.9 million for Nigeria, to improve electricity transport and foster innovation in the energy and ICT sectors. Sudan will get $1.5 million to support people who have been affected by the conflict.
So far, the IsDB has disbursed $800 million worldwide to support its member States.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo: Local Federation of Women Unions in Kozah Municipality Loaned CFA106 Million in 2022
The Women Unions Federation of Kozah (FUGFK) in northern Togo loaned CFA106.4 million to its members in 2022. The Federation disclosed the figure last week, during its general ordinary assembly.
According to the FUGFK, the total amount breaks down into CFA75.3 million for commercial activities and CFA31.1 million for farming activities. Overall, the Federation approved 71% of the loan requests it received over the past year; these requests total CFA148.4 million.
Regarding repayment, borrowers paid 76.15% of the commercial loans and 89.55% of the farming loans. Reimbursement is one of the issues the Federation wants to solve. Some others, according to its management, include the lack of monthly meetings within the unions, and insufficient mobilization of funds for the Federation's projects.
Present at the ordinary assembly, local councilor Palanga Koloudjowo, representing the mayor of Kozah 1 municipality, praised FUGFK's efforts to foster women's economic inclusion and encouraged them to repay their loans.
Founded in 2009, FUGFK currently has around 19,000 members. They are gathered under 1,550 grassroots groups pooled into 30 cooperative unions.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo: Lomé to Host the 8th Africa SME Champions Forum Next Month
Lomé will host the 8th Africa SME Champions Forum on October 5 and 6. Organized by a Togolese, Didier Acouetey, CEO of AfriSearch, the forum aims to support SME growth in Africa. It is a platform for sharing ideas, collaboration, and exploring new opportunities for SMEs.
About 500 participants are expected this year. They include experts, business leaders, financial institutions, and startups, and together, they will look at major roadblocks hampering SMEs on the continent and ways to overcome them.
Last year, the Africa SME Champions Forum was held in Kampala, Uganda. a
Togo: Tax Office Raised CFA648 Billion in the First Eight Months of the Year
From the beginning of the year to August, revenues mobilized by the Togolese Revenue Office (OTR) stood at CFA648 billion. That is about 71% of its target for 2023, which is CFA912 billion. The OTR disclosed the progress on September 11.
Over the past eight months, the OTR surpassed its previous year's result by 109%, with a growth of 12%. According to the Office’s Commissioner General Philippe Kokou Tchodiè, the improvement is mainly attributable to more rigor in sanctioning employees involved in acts of corruption.
In the first half of 2023, the OTR had mobilized CFA368 billion, up 5.8% from the previous year. This positive performance emerges in a context where Togo’s tax rate pressure is still below the region standard of 20%.
Africa Food Systems Forum 2023: Minister Mivedor Promotes Togo in Tanzania
The Togolese Minister for the Promotion of Investment, Rose Kayi Mivedor, is in Dar es Salam, Tanzania. She is attending Africa’s Food Systems Forum 2023 (AGRF) which started on Tuesday, September 5, and ends today, September 8.
Mivedor, on Thursday, told the forum’s participants about business opportunities available in Togo. Among others, she said her country positions itself as West Africa’s natural gateway regarding the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
According to the official, Togo is the obvious choice because of its main port, the Autonomous Port of Lomé, which is the only deep-water port in West Africa. She added that the port gave access to surrounding landlocked countries, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
“We play a pivotal role as a communication corridor between coastal countries, passing through Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Therefore, we position ourselves as a platform that facilitates the storage of goods for redistribution to other countries,” Mivedor declared.
Regardless of its strategic position, the Minister stressed the importance of adopting a complementarity approach for all countries. “I think one of the key elements lies in the ability of countries to identify their comparative advantages, concerning products on which they have good room for maneuver in terms of productivity. This enables each country to position itself well and for there to be complementarity."
An annual summit, the AGRF, Africa’s Food Systems Forum is the premier platform for advancing the agriculture and food systems agenda in Africa.
Esaïe Edoh
Togo: Rehabilitation of Avepozo-Togokome Road Complete
The works to rehabilitate the 10 km-long road going from Avepozo to Togokome are complete. The Minister of Public Works, Zourehatou Kassah Traore, visited the site on Wednesday, September 6.
The Minister, on the occasion, noted that the completed works met the specifications imposed. CRBC and Soroubat, respectively a Chinese and Tunisian firm, were in charge of these works.
"We have indeed noted that the work is well executed. There are drainage channels, sidewalks for pedestrians, and public lighting. As part of the green infrastructure program, we have opted for solar lighting. As for Togokomé, apart from the 2×2 lane road, there were several related developments. All in all, as the project owner, we are satisfied," said Kassah Traore.
Launched in 2020, the works are part of a bigger project to rehabilitate the Lomé-Cotonou road which is divided into two parts. The first, which was just completed, covers the Avepozo-Togome segment, and the second, which is underway, goes from Togokome to Aneho, spanning 20 km. In 2021, the whole project’s cost was estimated at CFA47 billion.
Esaïe Edoh
Togo: Female Ministers and Deputies Seek Greater Contribution in Political and Social Decision-Making
The Network of African Women Ministers and Parliamentarians, Togo section (REFAMP-Togo) held a General Assembly on September 6, 2023. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Tomegah-Dogbe.
During the talks, Togo’s female officials and deputies discussed current issues faced by the country and explored ways to better integrate women in decision-making processes and ensure their full contribution to the country’s socio-economic development. The participants expressed their ambition to actively participate in the political and social dialogue, and to "contribute to the emergence of a development model".
"Yes, my dear sisters, REFAMP must imperatively play its part in the formulation and implementation of public policies, development programs, and projects that structure our common destiny," said PM Tomegah-Dogbe, urging her colleagues "to be stronger, bolder, and more present to play our part, as actresses and beneficiaries."
Now, efforts are being made to include all elected women in the REFAMP Network. This would be a major development towards achieving Togo’s ambitions, especially projects falling under the government’s 2025 roadmap.
Launched 25 years ago, the REFAMP has contributed, over the period, to the development and effective implementation of public policies in Togo, through effective advocacy. Until Wednesday’s Meeting, the Network had been inactive in Togo for some years.
Esaïe Edoh
BCEAO: Benchmark Interest Rate Up to 3.25%, Effective September 16
The Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (BCEAO) raised, again, its benchmark interest rate. Effective on September 16, the rate will increase from 3% to 3.25%. The change was announced on September 6, after the regular meeting of the Apex Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).
The Committee explained that the rate was increased amid "rising regional uncertainties, persistent inflationary pressures, more expensive financial conditions on international markets and less mobilization of external resources", to “prevent and contain the impact of these risk factors on the Union's macroeconomic outlook.”
The benchmark interest rate defines the rate at which commercial banks refinance with the Central Bank, and it consequently influences how much interest rates lenders charge on loans provided in the sub-region. This is the fifth time it has gone up since the beginning of 2022, from 2% to 3%, and now 3.25%. Many observers expected the latest increase last June.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi