Togo exported 3,500 t and 9,000 t of coffee and cocoa, respectively, in the 2022-2023 sales campaign. The figures were disclosed last Friday, Oct. 27, by the Coffee-Cocoa Coordination Committee (CCFCC). On the same day, the Committee launched the 2023-2024 sales campaign in Kpalimé.

Compared to the 2021-2022 campaign, exports in the recent season are up by 9% and 63%, respectively. Indeed, the country had sold 3,200 t and 5,500 t of coffee and cocoa in 2021-2022. The year before that, in 2020-2021, the exports were even lower, standing at 2,000 t and 5,400 t, respectively.

For this new season, the CCFCC urged both sectors’ actors to take advantage of market diversification and better prices.

"While our ambition is to manage to consume most of it (production, ed. note) locally, it goes without saying that much of it is currently destined for export. Our aim must, therefore, be to increase our production, which is still low. To achieve this, we need to increase cultivation areas, and raise the productivity of plantations,” advised the Minister for Trade, Kayi Mivedor.

Esaïe Edoh

Lomé hosted today, October 31, a virtual meeting on “Digital strategies to boost local consumption in Togo”. The five-hour meeting was organized by the Ministry of Trade and its partners, in the framework of the “Mois du Consommer Local”. Experts and key actors in the sector took part in the event. 

Panelists included Mrs. Ameyo Adovon, Director of Local Consumption, Dr. Yao Sogadji, President of the Ligue des Consommateurs du Togo (LCT), Edem Adjamagbo, CEO and founder of Semoa, Digital Finance expert, Sitou Yibokou, Managing Partner of Made in Togo and promoter of the "Semaine du eCommerce" in Togo, and Rachid Mensah, a Consultant specialized in digital processes.

The goal of the meeting was to look at the digital strategies that can help bolster local consumption in Togo.

This year, Togo held the fourth edition of the Mois du Consommer Local (Consuming Local Month). This one-month fair promotes local products and services across the country. 

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