Togo will soon have a National Land Use Strategy (SNAT). Last Tuesday, Feb 28, Prime Minister Tomegah-Dogbe kicked off its elaboration in Lomé. 

The SNAT will help map out the country’s disadvantaged areas and enable the government to invest in their development, matching their realities and needs.

The plan will also foster the intensification of social programs across the country. Such programs include the Social Safety Net and Basic Service (FSB) project, which is being extended to the Greater Lomé area, and the school canteen project, which should also be extended to other parts of the country.

"Thanks to the SNAT, we will be able to tackle concrete issues such as refining school and health maps, improving road infrastructure coverage, and facilitating the development of productive activities by exploiting the potential of each region," the Prime Minister said.

The SNAT’s elaboration aligns with the government’s ambition to bolster decentralization and improve its land use planning strategy, in connection with the National Land Use Planning Policy (PONAT).

Esaïe Edoh

The Togolese parliament unanimously passed, on Feb 28, a new law that prohibits the development, production, stocking, and use of chemical weapons in the country. Also, the law attaches the National Authority for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (ANIAC) to the Presidency.

According to Prof Moustafa Mijiyawa, minister of health, the adoption marks a "critical development" for Togo. The new law, other officials claimed, provides the ANIAC with the necessary resources to effectively perform its role.

In effect, the law will help prevent the re-emergence of chemical weapons in Togo, through a continuous monitoring mechanism, a plan to protect the population and the environment against chemical weapons, and the possibility of receiving international assistance and expertise in the event of a chemical attack. It should have a significant impact on Togo's efforts to promote peace and security in the region.

The new law is complementary to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which Togo ratified in 1996. Togo is one of the 52 African countries (out of 54) to have ratified this Convention.

Sandra Ablamba Johnson, the Secretary General of the Togolese Presidency, won on Feb 17 the Gold Medal of the 'Universal League of Public Good'. This is an NGO attached to the UN since 1949 and focused on the promotion of public action and humanitarian values.

A linchpin of Togo's public administration since her appointment in 2020, Johnson received the award in Paris for her contribution "to the creation of positive values related to work as well as to the improvement of public services", and "to making Togo attractive to foreign investment in recent years".      

"This award,” Johnson said during the ceremony, “encourages me to better serve my fellow citizens and humanity as a whole.”

Sandra Ablamba Johson is an economist who worked for the IMF and the World Bank. Before becoming Secretary General of the Presidency, she was in charge of the Business Climate Unit set up by the Togolese authorities. Last December, she won two African awards for her work to improve the image of Togo as a business haven. 

Octave A. Bruce

Bank of Africa (BOA) Togo and Yayra Estate signed yesterday a financing agreement for a social housing project. The project, located in Djagblé (15 km north of Lomé), will cover 25 ha and house 2,500 high-standing but affordable apartments.

As part of their agreement, BOA will provide loans to those interested in buying apartments. “Under this partnership, we are willing to grant these credits and repayment will be made over 15 or 20 years,” said the Director General of BOA Togo, Youssef Ibrahimi.

On the other side, King Akoete Dodjro, Managing Director of Yayra Estate, said they have“negotiated the best terms to ease access to these loans.”

According to both parties, the new deal is a significant milestone for the development of social housing in Togo and a major support to the government’s efforts to bolster this sector for the good of low-income households."The BOA supports this project because it is very ambitious and it is part of the government's policy to promote access to decent housing at a very affordable cost," said Youssef Ibrahimi.

The government, let’s recall, expected 20,000 social housing units to have been built by 2022 but this date was extended to 2025 due to the Covid-19. In line with this objective, Shelter Afrique had committed to funding the construction of 3,000 units and should mobilize other investors to finance the project.

Esaïe Edoh

Seven out of 10 Togolese approve of how the government handled the Covid-19 outbreak. This is the conclusion of a survey that Afrobaromètre conducted in March 2022 and whose results were released on February 27. The survey covered 1,200 people. 

The majority of the surveyed are satisfied with the government’s efforts in mitigating disruptions in the education sector and providing adequate resources to health centers. 

Corruption

However, only 42% of the sample population is fine with how the government supported vulnerable households during the crisis. Also, two-thirds of the surveyed believe that funds dedicated to the pandemic’s management were embezzled. 

A few days before Afrobaromètre released its note, government representatives were at the national assembly to give explanations regarding the 2020 report of the Court of Audit on the management of Covid funds. 

Regarding the use of security forces to make sure that populations comply with health measures that were imposed during the crisis, most citizens approve but denounce the censorship of media coverage at the time. 

Better prepared for upcoming pandemics? 

Most Togolese citizens, according to the survey, believe that the government will be better prepared if a similar health crisis were to occur. Still, they wish for more resources to be dedicated to preparations, the report’s authors Hervé Akinocho and Komi Amewunou indicated in Afrobaromètre’s note.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

The Togolese government organized last week a meeting with local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Launched in partnership with the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the two-day meeting aimed to get the businesses more acquainted with trade agreements ratified by Lomé.

Sharing information with the MSMEs should, according to the organizers, enable them to secure more investments and access international markets more easily. 

For some months now, the government of Togo has been taking steps to help SMEs grow; among others, it has updated the charter of SMEs, a document through which it redefines the support of the government for these companies.

In November 2022, Lomé also announced some facilities for companies, including SMEs. These facilities included setting aside 25% of public contracts reserved for young entrepreneurs and access to financing at a reduced rate of 4.5% as provided by the FAEIJ for entrepreneurs.

Esaïe Edoh 

The fourth stage of the Farmers Forum of Togo (FOPAT) ended last Saturday, Feb 25. The event lasted three days and was held in Sokodé, Central Region. On the occasion, farmers of the region reviewed with President Gnassingbe the 2020-2025 government roadmap and its actions to develop agriculture, in the Central region in particular.

In line with the roadmap, various measures were taken to make life easier for farmers, such as measures to improve their access to fertilizers, loans, and machinery. 

While the farmers lauded the efforts, they deplored the unequal access to the input. President Gnassingbe, however, reassured them, claiming the government was making sure to deal with the issue. 

There were a little more than 400 farmers who attended the forum. They came from all 61 districts of the Central region, to discuss the government’s vision for agricultural transformation. 

The first three stages of the FOPAT took place in the Savanes, Maritime, and Plateaux regions. 

Esaïe Edoh 

Togo’s treasury raised CFA14 billion on the WAEMU market last Friday, Feb 24. The amount is less than half of what the country was seeking–CFA35 billion.

The operation was a simultaneous issue of fungible bonds and bills. The fungible bills, which yielded CFA6.5 billion for the country, mature over 364 days while the bonds have two maturities, some maturing over 3 years and the others over 5. The first group (3 years) also produced CFA6.5 billion, and the second group (5 years) produced CFA1 billion. 

While the treasury retained CFA15 billion, the issue brought CFA16 billion from regional investors. 

Since the year began, Togo has secured CFA94 billion on the regional market, out of an annual target of CFA574 billion. The funds will serve to finance the country’s budget for 2023.

Esaïe Edoh