Togo First
Togo: PIA’s soybean processing units to start operating
The construction of soybean processing units at the Adétikopé Industrial Platform (PIA) is finished and the plants should soon be operational. This was tweeted by the PIA and the Mechanism for Incentive Agricultural Financing based on Risk Sharing (MIFA).
According to the PIA, over CFA165 billion was spent on the project, which will help process around 240,000 tons of fully local soybeans every year.
The two factories, which are also equipped with refining units, will produce edible soybean oil, de-oiled cakes, lecithin, soybean pieces, roasted soybeans, and soybean flour.
The PIA says that "the production of soybean oil will replace the import of edible oils in the country," and expects more than 350 jobs for Togolese citizens.
It should be noted that the processing units were built as a result of a contract signing between the PIA and Togo Agro Resources SAU, an agri-food company involved in the refining of soybeans. According to the administrative authorities of the PIA, the facilities’ commissioning "will allow the country to position itself as an exporter of soybean oil in the sub-region.”
Written by:Esaïe Edoh
Translated from French by Schadrac Akinocho
Mutual abolition of entry visas between Togo and Morocco now effective
It is effective. Moroccans coming to Togo and Togolese visiting Morocco no more need a visa on arrival. This was confirmed on September 9, by Robert Dussey, Togo’s minister of foreign affairs.
"The agreement of July 21, 2022, on the abolition of visas for holders of ordinary passports between the Togolese Republic and the Kingdom of Morocco, has officially entered into force," Dussey wrote in a statement issued last Friday. "Consequently, holders of ordinary Togolese passports will be able to travel freely to Morocco without having to present an entry visa," he added.
Dussey and his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, signed the agreement last June.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Ecobank Group names new CEO to replace retiring Ade Ayeyemi
Jeremy Awori is soon to become the new CEO of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), the Lomé-based pan-African banking group.
The Kenyan was picked to replace Nigerian Ade Ayeyemi, according to a statement issued on September 12, 2022. Ayeyemi is retiring after heading the group for 7 years.
Awori has a 25-year career in banking, out of which he spent almost10 years as Managing Director of Absa Bank Kenya Plc (formerly Barclays Bank of Kenya, BBK).
Born in Kenya in the early 1970s to an engineer father and a lawyer mother (of British origin), the 50-year-old initially worked as a pharmacist in the UK. He later went to Canada where he obtained an MBA at McGill University. Afterward, he worked for the Standard Chartered Bank of Canada.
At the age of 28, he was appointed Head of Retail Banking, Standard Chartered Bank Kenya. In 2013, he left Standard Chartered and moved to Barclays Bank, where he served as CEO of Barclays Bank Kenya (BBK). In 2020, BBK was listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange and was renamed Absa Bank Kenya, with Jeremy Awori at its helm.
"He brings to the Ecobank Group a wealth of experience, skills, and know-how in the banking sector," ETI said in its public announcement.
Written by: Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Translated from French by Schadrac Akinocho
The Inter-African Coffee Organization will hold its annual assembly next November
The 62nd annual meeting of the Inter-African Coffee Organization (IACO) will be held from 14 to 18 November 2022 in Lomé. This was announced on September 8, 2022, by the Togolese Minister of Trade, Kodjo Adédzé, current chairman of the steering committee of the institution.
During the upcoming meeting, participants will discuss issues related to quantity, quality, and certification in the coffee value chain.
"We must work more on the aspects of quantity, but also quality and certification in the value chains of our coffee to ensure better competitiveness. The world is undergoing deep change, consumers are increasingly demanding and competitors are always in search of business opportunities," said Adédzé.
Delegations from 25 African coffee-producing countries are expected to attend IACO’s annual meeting next November.
Esaïe Edoh
Togo: Sunu Bank secures PCI DSS certification
Sunu Bank Togo recently secured Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) certification. The document was presented to the public last Friday, September 9.
The bank’s CEO, Myriam Adotevi, and other top executives were present. Also present was Ali El Azzouzi, General Manager of Dataprotect, the information security firm that helped Sunu Bank Togo secure the certification.
Sunu Bank has now joined the likes of Orabank and Ecobank which have the same certification.
"This event is the culmination of several months of work by our teams, who have worked to achieve this compliance," said Myriam Adotevi. "Sunu Bank Togo was born from the takeover of BPEC (Banque Populaire pour l'Épargne et le Crédit, ed.) and since 2019, we have begun a vast program to put us in the international standards of a major bank," she added.
VISA cards
With the PCI DSS, the Togolese subsidiary of the group founded by Senegalese Pathé Dione can now issue VISA cards, which cover more than 180 countries in the world. This is also part of the structure's plans to expand its offer.
"In terms of electronic banking, we now offer our customers GIM UEMOA cards...and very soon VISA cards. We are engaged in the process and we have almost completed it," said the manager.
In addition to the main banking players, fintech companies that offer payment solutions also hold the PCI DSS. This is the case of the Ivorian online payment aggregator Cinetpay, which has been present in Togo since 2020
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
UN Office of Counter-Terrorism to help Togo fight terrorism
The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) will help Togo better fight cross-border terrorism. The two parties inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this framework last Thursday, September 8, 2022.
The UN Office will set up a multi-agency unit in the country to collect data on travelers. The facility will allow Togolese authorities to prevent terrorists from passing through Lomé’s airport.
"Also, UNOCT will deploy and finance training for all staff of the air safety and security in Togo," said Gnama Latta, Managing Director of the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC).
Through the new agreement, “Go travel (the Platform of Travel Information Units for the Detection and Combating of Terrorist Travel, editor's note) will support Togo in the work it already does, which is to collect data from passengers from airlines and ships for analysis,” said Vladmir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office against Terrorism.
Togo -the first African country to sign such an agreement with UNOCT- has been recording terrorist attacks since November 2021.
Esaïe Edoh
China removes custom duties on 98% of products it imports from Togo
China removes customs duties on 98% of the products it imports from Togo and eight other African countries. The measure, which is effective since September 1, 2022, is part of the new tariff policy that China announced last month.
According to Ecofin Agency, which quoted Chinese customs services, the eight other countries are the Central African Republic, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Guinea, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Sudan.
The same source indicated that the move would help Beijing secure its imports of agricultural products, minerals, and hydrocarbons, as global supply chains are disrupted.
Indeed, last November, Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled his country’s ambition to import more agricultural products from Africa. The leader said so during the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC 8) in Dakar.
Cotton, cocoa, and other cash crops
In Togo, cash crop exporters will benefit most from China’s measure. The West African nation’s main exports to the Middle Empire are cotton, cocoa, and other plant and agricultural products, according to the UN's Comtrade aggregator.
In 2021, trade between China and Togo was estimated at about $3 billion, up 33% compared to 2020 when it was slightly over CFAF 2 billion. The lower figure was attributed to Covid-19 and the restrictions it induced.
Written by: Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Translated from French by Schadrac Akinocho
Togo’s Employers Association and the UN system reinforce their collaboration
The Togolese Employers’ Association (CNP-Togo) and the UN System will boost their partnership to better support the local private sector. The two signed an agreement to this end on Wednesday, Sept. 7.
Laurent Coami Tamegnon, who chairs the CNP-Togo, and Aliou Mamadou Dia, representative of the UNDP and acting resident coordinator of the UN, were both present when the document was signed.
The agreement aligns with Togo’s 2025 government roadmap and aims to speed up the achievement of SDGs in the country by 2030.
"Through joint initiatives, the two entities are committed to greater impact through private sector development, optimization of programmatic outcomes (including innovative CSR initiatives), decent work, job promotion, and protection," the two institutions said.
Founded over 60 years ago, the CNP represents more than 1,500 companies and 24 business associations. Last July, the Togolese organization also signed an agreement with IB Bank Togo (formerly BTCI), to help SMEs to get financing more easily.
Written by: Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Translated from French by Schadrac Akinocho
African designers called to design a logo for Lomés’s upcoming cybersecurity research center
African designers have until September 30, 2022, to apply in the logo-design contest that was just launched for the upcoming African Cyber Security Coordination and Research Center (ACCRC). The deadline was disclosed by Togo, where the facility will be, and the Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).
Applicants, according to the two partners’ statement, “should be aged between 18 and 35, regardless of gender.” Provided this age requirement is met, applications can be submitted individually or in a group.
“This is an opportunity for young Africans to demonstrate their abilities in the field of computer science and design. Through the competition, young developers will have the chance to showcase their creativity on the continental stage,” the statement adds.
While adding that the winner will be announced on October 31, 2022, the partners highlighted that the ACCRC should launch next December.
Written by: Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Translated from French by Schadrac Akinocho
Togo: State of emergency in Savannah region extended for 6 months
Togolese authorities extended the state of emergency in the Savannah region last Tuesday, Sept 6. Initially declared on June 13, for 3 months, the state of emergency has been extended for another six months.
The measure was declared in response to jihadist threats in the north of the country. It is intended to allow the government to freely carry out its mission: protecting the people and preventing terrorist attacks.
This response should be both military and social. In this regard, Yark Damehane, the minister of security, on behalf of the government, stressed the need to maintain collaboration between the population and the defense and security forces, but also to "strengthen access to basic social services in order to reduce their vulnerability to shocks.”
Since the State of emergency was declared last June, Togo has recorded several attempted attacks. Some of these attacks, which are mostly concentrated in the north, near the border with Burkina Faso, have been repelled.
Written by: Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Translated from French by Schadrac Akinocho