A project to equip seventeen (17) villages with drinking water infrastructures is in the pipeline in Togo. The National Agency for Grassroots Development (ANADEB in French), which steers the project, just launched a nationwide tender to recruit contractors in this framework. 

The 17 villages are spread across the Plateaux and Maritime regions–12 in the former and 5 in the latter. The initiative is financially backed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD).

In each village, works to set up the equipment should take four months, "from the date of notification of the approved contract", ANADEB wrote in its tender notice.

Bidders have until 28 September 2023 to apply following "guidelines  for the procurement of works, goods and services financed by a BOAD loan or cash advance".

The upcoming equipment will add to others, already underway or planned, that are part of the Togolese government's efforts to improve the country's drinking water supply and distribution system. These efforts contribute to Lomé’s ambition to raise the water access rate to 85% nationwide, 95% in rural areas, 85% in semi-urban areas, 75% in urban areas outside Greater Lomé and 80% in Greater Lomé, by 2025.

Esaïe Edoh 

Togo held its first Investors Breakfast of the year last Tuesday. The event brought together the Ministry of Investment Promotion and representatives of the local business community, including lawyers, architects, notaries, and customs declarants. 

The meeting was chaired by the Minister of Investment Promotion, Rose Mivedor, and participants expressed their opinions-good and bad-on the changes in Togo’s business environment; changes induced by various reforms introduced in recent years. 

"Today's meeting, which brings together lawyers, architects, notaries and customs declarants, is an opportunity to exchange views on the progress made in terms of reforms operated by the Togolese government for the constant improvement of the business climate," said Minister Mivedor. "In addition, it will be a question of listening to you, in your capacity as interlocutors and prescribers to potential investors, and of identifying the difficulties that mark the investor's journey in our country,” she added.

During the meeting, the Business Climate Unit, attached to the Togolese Presidency, presented the latest improvements in Togo’s business environment.

Besides expressing their opinions, the actors present submitted their grievances to key stakeholders, to consolidate the reforms undertaken by the government and attract more investors. 

Collected contributions will help draw recommendations, which will, according to Kayi Mivedor,  help bolster Togo’s attractiveness. 

In the first quarter of this year, Togo validated 4 new investment projects, for a total amount of 19 billion FCFA, according to data from the Ministry. For the year 2022 as a whole, a total of 36 projects have been registered, including 18 under the Investment Code (CI) and 18 under the Free Trade Zone (ZF) status, for a total projected amount of 150.2 billion FCFA.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togo secured CFA23 billion in its latest issue on the WAEMU market. The operation–a simultaneous issue of fungible treasury bills and bonds–closed on August 25, 2023.

With the bills, Lomé raised CFA17.7 billion, and CFA5.6 billion with the bonds. Set to mature over 364 days, the former securities have multiple interest rates, while the latter mature over 5 years, at a rate of 6.25% per annum. 

According to the issue’s report, 23 investors participated in this tender. They mobilized CFA26.9 billion, marking a subscription rate of 107.63%. 

Adding the recent proceeds, Togo has raised CFA530 billion on the WAEMU market so far this year. It just needs 44 billion more to reach its annual target.

Esaïe Edoh

With the help of its partners, the government of Togo recently supported farmers in the Keran prefecture (Savanes region) with CFA613 million, as part of the Emergency Program to Strengthen the Resilience of Vulnerable Populations in the Savanes Region (PURS in French). Nearly 40,000 farmers received agricultural kits last weekend in Dapaong.

These kits, consisting mainly of certified market garden seeds, market garden tools, fertilizers (NPK 15 15 15 and Urea 46% N), and bio-pesticides, were handed over by the Ministry of Agriculture.

The equipment, according to the PURS coordinator, Gal Dadja Maganawe, will help boost incomes of beneficiaries amidst a looming terrorist threat and the adverse effects of climate change. It will mainly help to improve the productivity and production of the targeted farms.

This support for agricultural producers is part of component 2 of the PURS, and is financed by the World Bank through the West African Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP).

Launched in early 2022, the Emergency Program for the Savanes Region aims to improve living conditions for the region's population and strengthen their resilience in terms of access to drinking water and electricity. The project also includes the construction of health and education infrastructures, as well as rural tracks.

Esaïe Edoh 

Togo is updating its National Strategy for Implementing the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. This Convention, which Togo has adhered to since July 22, 2004, aims to reduce pollutants and pesticides’ impacts on people’s health worldwide. Lomé wants to amend its current policy on regulatory developments at the international level, to match updates from the Conference of the Parties (COP).

The update was launched on August 25, by the Ministry of Environment and Forest Resources. 

Asky Airlines has added the Nairobi (Kenya)-Lomé (Togo) route to its flights. The first flight on the route is scheduled for October 1, 2023. With the move, Asky, which is based in Lomé, directly connects West and East Africa. Three weekly flights are also planned, on a 154-seater 737-800 two-class aircraft.

Just a few days before the announcement, Togo acquired a 14% stake in the pan-African airlines for CFA6 billion.

Asky currently covers 26 cities in 24 countries across the continent.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Rony Yedidia Clein is Israel's new ambassador to Togo. She presented her credentials to Togo's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Robert Dussey, at the end of last week.

The Abidjan-based diplomat also represents her country in Benin and Burkina Faso. Leveraging her 30 years of experience in diplomacy, Yedidia Clein said she will help bilateral cooperation between Lomé and Tel Aviv be more "fruitful". "We had a very pleasant conversation, we talked about ways in which Israel and Togo can cooperate in the fields of health, and agriculture," said Robert Dussey.

Togo and Israel cooperate in several areas, including security, agriculture, and health. The two countries have been partners for over 60 years. Last year, they announced the updating of their cooperation, with a view to "better-adapting cooperation to the current context and strategic options of the two states, especially on the economic front."

In this framework, the two partners are planning a Togo-Israel economic forum.

Esaïe Edoh