The National Employment Agency (ANPE) of Togo seeks to develop courses for youth who aspire to work in the construction and building sectors. The agency held last week a two-day workshop where the project was discussed.

"The project that brings us together for this workshop aims to develop curricula in promising trades, in the construction and agribusiness sectors. It was a long process that began two years ago, but it led to drafting a curriculum for these 10 trades," said Kossi Tsiglo, the ANPE’s new boos. "These projects are precisely in line with the strategic objectives of the ANPE to achieve the sectoral dynamics imposed by the government," he added.

Several actors of the private sector, in construction, public works, and agribusiness, attended the workshop to validate the new curricula.

"This is a huge step, and in the future, we must continue assessing the qualitative and quantitative needs of these sectors and adjust what is taugh," Tsiglo declared.

At the moment, the number of people who will be impacted by the reforms is unknown. However, the end goal of this project is to produce even more curricula that match other trades, in the same sectors - construction and agribusiness.

The Togolese government, let’s recall, in recent years, introduced new training institutions such as the IFADs which offer sandwich training in the following sectors: aquaculture (in Elavagnon), livestock (Barkoissi), and construction (Lome).

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togo’s first cancer treatment health center was inaugurated last week. The minister of health, Prof. Moustafa Mijiyawa, inaugurated the facility on Thursday, November 3. 

The center - International Cancer Center of Lomé (CICL in French) - is located at Adidogomé Amadahomé, on Ecosse street, behind the Technical High School.

The fruit of a partnership between the government and Franco-Luxembourg actors, the center has several devices, including one for radiotherapy that uses VMAT technology, a modern tool for detecting cancers. The CICL is part of an international group that focuses on cancer treatment and which is present in France and Luxembourg.

"To treat cancer, we basically have three major weapons, surgery, radiation, and chemo. We already have surgeons, and chemo is being done. Here, we do chemo and radiotherapy," said Dr. Adamah Diakité, Onco-radiotherapist and Medical Director of the CICL.

"There was no radiotherapy in Togo. Today, in this center, it is available and not just any type, it is VMAT radiotherapy but at a lower cost," said Dr. Rose Adjenou, director of the CICL. "We have taken into account the standard of living of the population and we have one of the lowest costs in the sub-region," she added.

The center’s boss then urged citizens to come get checked up at least once a year. 

In 2020, Togo recorded over 5,200 new cases of cancer. In the same year, 3,468 were killed by the disease.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

The major project aimed at protecting the Togo-Benin coast was launched on November 3, 2022, in Aného. The launching ceremony was chaired by Togo’s Prime Minister, Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé. The ministers of environment of Togo and Benin, as well as the World Bank’s head of operations in Togo, Fily Sissoko, were also there.

"The investment works that we are starting will allow the populations to restart enjoying resources that the sea offered them and which were their main source of income,” Fily Sissoko said.

Boskalis BV, a Dutch firm, carries out the works. They will, according to the mayor of the Lacs 1 municipality, protect the people of the area concerned –from Agbodrafo (Togo) to Grand Popo (Benin) – against coastal erosion.

"All the work will cost our two countries 63.48 million euros, all tax included, that is CFA41.6 billion, including 12.49 (billion) for Togo and 29.14 (billion) for Benin," said Foli-Bazi Katari, Togolese Minister for the Environment.

Big works

The works in question, according to Christian Esser from the INROS-LACKNER control bureau, include: raising seven (7) rock groins and re-filling with sand some groin-delimited areas in the Agbodrafo area. 

In Aneho, the works involve rehabilitating the six groins that were built in 2021, as part of a WAEMU-funded project. Also, 10 more groins will be added to the six that will be rehabilitated. Here also, the area delimited by the groins will be refilled with sand. Besides this, 200 m of breakwater will be rehabilitated and expanded, and a 700-m dike will be built to prevent sea flooding.

In Hilacondji (Benin),  eight (8) groins will be built; basins that were destroyed by groins will be re-filled; the same goes for the lagoon arms behind the coastal dune; and recreational and tourist infrastructures will be built as well.

Not far from there, in Agoué (still in Benin), the works involve massive sand recharging from the new spur towards the east, over a width of about 200 m and a length of about 4 km, for 6.4 million cubic meters.

The whole project should take 19 months and directly benefit around 200,000 people.

The WACA ResIP, the program under which the initiative falls, is financed by the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). It is deployed in six West African countries: Togo, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, and Senegal.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togo, a candidate for the Millenium Challenge Compact program for FY 2023, has validated 14 out of 20 indicators. The MCA-Togo Cell presented its scoreboard last Friday, November 4, in Lomé. 

In detail, the country validated 7 over 8 indicators in the “Economic Freedom” category, 5 over 6 in the “Ruling Justly” category, and 2 over 6 in the “Investing in People” category. 

This year, Togo did not do well in the following categories:  "Political Rights" (with a score of 15, against a required minimum of 17), "Immunization Rate" (with a score of 76.5, against a median of 78.5), "Fiscal Policy" (with a score of -3.7, against a median of -3.0), "Health Expenditure" (with a score of 0.86, against a median of 1. 10), "Natural Resource Protection" (with a score of 41.1 vs. a median of 41.5), and "Child Health", (with a score of 52.3, vs. a median of 59.0).

Togo, however, hopes that with the indicators it validated it is now eligible for the Compact Program. “Togo has done what it takes,” according to MCA-Togo’s coordinator, Stanislas Baba.

In the meantime, the country will keep working to validate the 6 remaining indicators over the next year and further improve those that have already been validated, Baba added.

Togo, in Africa, has the sixth-best score and it has been consistent in the past two years, with 15 indicators validated. The first three are Malawi, Cape Verde, and Burkina Faso. They respectively validated 19, 18, and 16 out of the 20 indicators.

Esaïe Edoh 

Togo’s National Fund for Sports Development (FONADES) will soon come online. The fund, which was created by a law already passed by the assembly, was presented by the Minister of Sports and Recreation, Lidi-bessi Kama, at the Council of Ministers held on November 2, 2022.

According to the official, the fund will facilitate the emergence of Togo’s sports industry, by “supporting and structuring the sports economy”. Towards its operationalization, several reforms have been introduced in the sector. These include various mechanisms that will ensure the optimal mobilization of financing.

The fund, FONADES, will also promote sports talent, said the Minister of Communication, and government spokesman, Ayewouadan Akodah, According to the Togolese authorities, its creation is in line with the government's 2020-2025 roadmap.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo will soon have a National Education Council (CNE). The project was presented last Wednesday, November 2, 2022, by the minister of primary, secondary, and technical education, Dodzi Kokoroko, during the council of ministers.

The new council will be the product of a merger between existing education councils. It will, on the one hand, ensure the coherence and good coordination of public policies related to education, and on the other hand, foster innovations that will support ongoing reforms, through the update of the legal and institutional framework.

According to the government’s spokesman, Ayewouadan Akodah, setting up the CNE will put an end to the "fragmented governance that does not allow for a clear view of the education sector.”

He added that "the CNE aims to help the government precisely assess the quality of education and its results in terms of training-employment adequacy. It will also contribute to a unitary and coherent educational policy."

According to the ministers’ council, the project adds up to several steps that Lomé has taken in the education and training sectors – actions aimed at fostering sustainable development, productivity, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Esaïe Edoh

In Togo, there will soon be a social registry for people and households (RSPM). The project was examined and disclosed last Wednesday, November 2, during the council of ministers.

Concretely, the government wants to set up a database with intel on the socioeconomic situation of people. The data will allow the authorities to better target people and/or households that benefit from the State’s social programs. Moreover, the database will make it easier to coordinate the conception and implementation of these programs by relevant administrations. 

According to Ayewouadan Akodah, minister of communication and spokesperson of the government, the latter “needs reliable data to refine social policies.”He added that “thanks to the RSPM, the government will be able to identify the beneficiary populations of social projects, according to income level and area of residence.”

During the recent council of ministers, President Gnassingbé and his staff talked about conditions for getting registered in the database, and how the information collected will be used. The project, the authorities noted, aligns with the government’s efforts to boost social inclusion. 

"This registry is a priority project in the government's 2020-2025 roadmap, especially to achieve the ambitions of greater economic and social inclusion," the Council emphasized.

Esaïe Edoh

Lome will host a national seminar on e-commerce next week, on November 10 and 11. Initiated by the Togolese trade ministry, the event will be organized in collaboration with the World Trade Organization (WTO). 

Throughout the seminar, young Togolese entrepreneurs will learn about new marketing platforms. E-commerce, let’s emphasize, is a source of business opportunities, and a tool that can contribute to the government’s digitalization ambitions, especially in public services. 

Young companies and startups are invited to register for the seminar, to which "applications from women are strongly encouraged" by the ministry of trade. The deadline for registration is November 06, 2022, at 11:59 PM.

This week, already, a similar seminar is being held for people operating in the textile sector, on the sidelines of the International Exhibition of African Textiles (SITA2022), ongoing in Lome. 

Ayi Renaud Dossavi