Togo First
Lomé hosts the 2nd edition of the Pan-African Poultry Conference
Lomé is currently hosting the 2nd edition of the Pan-African Poultry Conference (PAPC). The event began on May 16th and will end on May 18th. The event, whose first edition was held in 2019, is organized by the Regional Center of Excellence on Avian Sciences (CERSA) in partnership with the World's Poultry Science Association (WPSA).
Over 300 actors from the poultry industry, from Africa and beyond, are expected to attend this year’s event. For this edition, the theme is: "Competitiveness and Inclusivity in the Value Chain of the Poultry Industry in Africa."
The conference will discuss roadblocks to poultry production in Africa, with key topics including environment and poultry production systems, feed and nutrition, reproduction and incubation, product quality and health safety, as well as the economics of poultry production.
Established in 2014, the CERSA is one of the centers of excellence at the University of Lomé. This international organization, backed by the World Bank, aims to improve food security by developing and promoting the poultry industry.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo: A biodiversity project has been launched in the central region
A biodiversity preservation project was launched in the Central region of Togo last Friday, May 12. The project, according to Agence Togolese de Presse, covers the Dibidjo mountain in Afadadè, and the Kalo River banks in Avadadè.
The project, valued at CFA21 million, is financed by the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF/SGP), as part of a collaboration between Togo and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
During the launching ceremony, parties involved and government officials presented the project’s objectives and planned activities. Regarding the objectives, the project aims to strengthen the viability of fragile ecosystems on the slopes of the Dibidjo mountain and the banks of the Kalo River, through enrichment and reforestation actions on 100 hectares.
"Decades ago, these two areas were almost the microclimates and supply areas for fruit products in these localities. But it should be noted that these lands are now experiencing extensive degradation, consequences of human activities," explains Gbele-Guewe Djobo Ousmane, coordinator of the NGO CAV which is behind the project. The coordinator added that the project will help tackle climate change and its impacts.
Under the project, beekeeping and gardening activities are also planned to enable the people of Afadadè and Avadadè to earn more revenue. The project is expected to end in April 2025.
Togo: Arcep launches an app to assess internet speed and quality
Togo's telecom regulator, ARCEP, has launched an app called My Perf to measure the quality of internet connections across the country. The app is available on Google's Play Store and aims to help users assess their internet speed and obtain clear data on their network's performance.
My Perf provides data on download speed, transfer speed, and latency. Additionally, it features an interactive map that allows users to check internet performance in a city or region.
A few weeks ago, ARCEP reported an improvement in mobile connectivity costs in Togo. In a report released at the end of April, the watchdog stated that overall costs for Moov Africa and Togocel decreased by 71% and 63%, respectively, between Q1 2021 and April 2023. The report also noted that entry-level tariffs in Togo have converged towards the regional average, but average entry-level tariffs remain high, over six times the tariffs recorded at the top end of the market. This represents the widest gap among the eight countries of the WAEMU region. The findings underscore the evolution of connectivity tariffs in Togo, amid competition between the two providers and pressure from the regulator.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
BRVM Awards: Faure Gnassingbé and Sani Yaya get special awards
Togo’s President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé received the Grand Prix d’honneur during the 4th BRVM Awards hosted in Lomé on May 10 and 11. The event’s theme was “Capital Markets and Economic Resilience”.
According to the Awards’ organizers, Gnassingbé received the prize for the several reforms that Togo adopted to achieve economic growth and modernization in recent years. He was acknowledged for his commitment to regional integration and the development of WAEMU’s financial market.
The minister of finance and economy Sani Yaya also received the “Prix Spécial” for contributing to the BRVM’s growth during his tenure as head of the WAEMU’s Council of Ministers.
Besides the two Togolese, eight more actors from the region were rewarded for their commitment and contribution to the BRVM’s dynamism.
During the 2023 BRVM Awards, several actors from the stock exchange shared insights about the stock market’s growth, and roadblocks to integration, among others
Esaïe Edoh
Togo ranks 4th on the regional market, valorization exceeds CFA1,100 billion
Togo is the fourth most important actor on the BRVM, the stock market of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). This was recently revealed by the stock’s boss, Edoh Kossi Amenounve.
According to him, the country, which has the 7th highest GDP in the WAEMU, has a market capitalization of 497 billion CFA francs in the equities segment and two listed companies, making it a significant player in the market.
In the bond segment, Togo has 17 bond lines valued at 609.9 billion CFA francs. In this segment, Togo comes right behind countries like Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Burkina Faso. Some of the bonds were issued by regional organizations headquartered in Lomé, such as the CRRH-WAEMU and the EBID.
The figures were disclosed during the opening ceremony of the BRVM Awards in Lomé on May 10th. Launched in 2020, the BRVM Awards are a joint initiative of the BRVM and the Central Depository/Settlement Bank (DC/BR). They recognize major contributions to the BRVM’s activity and growth.
During this 4th edition of the BRVM Awards, the President of Togo, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, and the former president of WAEMU’s Council of Ministers, Sani Yaya, received special honors for their contributions to Togo's economic development.
Prime Minister Victoire Dogbé, who presided over the opening of this 4th edition, underscored her government's commitment to making Togolese firms more visible on the regional exchange. A commitment that aligns with the authorities’ ambition to make Togo a financial hub in Africa. Dogbé pointed out that the BRVM must help drive inclusive growth and promote sustainable development in Togo.
The two Togolese companies listed on the BRVM are Oragroup and the Ecobank group. They are both very active on the market, and Ecobank is among the ten most valued companies on the exchange.
ECOWAS: Lomé to host a major meeting on soil fertility and fertilizer use in two weeks
On May 30 and 31, ECOWAS ministers will hold, in Lomé, a meeting on fertilizers and soil fertility. The meeting is organized by the ECOWAS Commission, and backed by the World Bank, the International Fertilizer Development Center, USAID, and the Togolese government.
The upcoming roundtable will provide a platform for participants to deliberate on the recommendations put forth during the sub-regional consultations held from April 25 to 27. The consultations involved stakeholders from the private and public sectors, as well as civil society, who offered suggestions for enhancing soil fertility and agricultural productivity in West Africa.
According to the ECOWAS, despite the progress recorded in the past decade, agricultural productivity and production in the region are still insufficient. "Fertilizer use is still at low levels, far from the adopted targets of 50 kg of nutrients per hectare," the regional organization notes, adding that the situation induces "a significant recourse to food imports, the continuous increase since 2010 of the fringe of populations affected by food insecurity and hunger."
Togo, however, has been taking several steps to tackle the issue and meet the demand for fertilizers. For the ongoing campaign, for example, the country obtained 34,000 tons of fertilizers for local farmers, and CFA2.5 billion worth of fertilizers from Japan (a donation).
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Translated from French by Schadrac Akinocho
Togo: BOAD disburses CFA10 billion to back Food Security Program
Togo will get CFA10 billion from the West African Development Bank (BOAD) for the Project 2 of the Food and Nutrition Insecurity Resilience Program in the Sahel (P2RS). The Bank’s board announced the financing on May 9, 2023.
The P2RS aims to boost agro-sylvo-pastoral productivity and output, end famine in the Sahel, and increase the revenues of agro-pastoral value chains. In Togo, the project is carried out by the African Development Bank (AfDB).
“The project aims, among others, to build, on a sustainable and resilient basis, agro-sylvo-pastoral productivity and productions, as well as income from agro-pastoral value chains. It will also help strengthen populations’ adaptive capacities for better control of climate risks,” the BOAD said.
Besides Togo, the project covers five countries. Overall, it provides direct support to 1,384,000 people, including 692,000 women (50%), with a focus on the displaced.
However, the P2RS is expected to indirectly benefit 5,96,000 people.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo: Fest’Immo kicks off in Lomé
In Togo, the international fair of housing and real estate of Lomé, Fest’Immo, officially kicked off today, May 12. Hosted at the Centre Togolais des Expositions et Foires (CETEF, dit "Togo 2000"), it will close on May 14.
Après une interruption suite à la crise sanitaire liée à la COVID-19,
— Salon Togolais de l'Immobilier (@fest_immo) February 22, 2023
le Fest’Immo fait son come-back avec sa 6e édition.?
Soyez prêt, quelque chose se prépare !☺️#TgTwittos #festimmo_6 #Immobilier #Togo pic.twitter.com/zGQaj0wGMq
The fair has not taken place for three years due to the health crisis that affected the country during that time. The upcoming event will be the sixth edition.
The Fest’Immo fair is organized by "E & K EVENT". It gathers professionals from the real estate industry who will showcase new products to consumers.
This year, organizers expect about around 50 exhibitors.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo: Participants from 40 countries attended the 2nd edition of the Festival de la Marmite African food fair in Lomé
The Togolese Prime Minister, Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé, received a delegation from the organization committee of the Festival de la Marmite (FESMA) last Tuesday, May 9. Their mission was to show her the results of the second edition of the food fair which was recently held in Lomé, the capital.
The theme picked for the fair this year was "Cooking and SDGs: Rethinking Food Culture, Sharing, and Consumption. It brought together for a week, amateurs, professionals, officials, institutions as well as the general public, to promote African gastronomy.
40 countries
"This year, we were able to see a great diversity of dishes from different parts of Africa. All the countries represented had the opportunity to exchange culinary experiences, with the participation of Togolese chefs from France and their counterparts from West, East, and Central Africa," said Olivia de Souza Paass, sponsor of the event, after the meeting with PM Tomegah-Dogbé.
Over 200 exhibitors and several thousand visitors attended the fair. They came from 40 countries out of Africa’s 54 States.
France wants to support Togolese SMEs through its Choose Africa 2 initiative
The French Development Agency (AFD) wants to support Togolese SMEs more, through the French Choose Africa 2 initiative. To this end, the Agency could set up an entity that would solely support these local businesses. The AFD’s executive director in charge of partnerships and communication, Papa Amadou Sarr, and its Country Director, Zolika Bouabdallah, discussed the project with Prime Minister Victoire Dogbé on 11 May 2023.
The entity, Sarr indicated, could be “a bank for SMEs, a bank for innovation or a structure at the central level that will back MSMEs’ initiatives with France’s support." The entity should bolster Lomé’s efforts to support local MSMEs.
The Choose Africa 2 initiative was launched on 27 February 2030 by President Emmanuel Macron. Benefiting from a €3.5 billion financing provided by the French government, the initiative targets African economies, with a focus on entrepreneurs from Africa, its diaspora, and France who operate in the informal sector but have a project and a business plan.
Esaïe Edoh
Translated from French by Schadrac Akinocho