Togo First
Fily Sissoko now represents the World Bank in Togo
Fily Sissoko is since July 1st, 2022, the World Bank’s new resident representative in Togo. The Ivorian officially took office in Lomé this week, according to a statement released today, July 20, by the Bretton Woods institution.
"It is with great enthusiasm that I take office in Togo, to strengthen the already fruitful partnership between the country and the World Bank Group. I come to a country where the strong commitment of the leaders to structural socio-economic transformation is manifested through important actions and projects in several areas," said Fily Sissoko. "Our current portfolio is already doing well, but I will work to further boost it to provide sustainable solutions to the problems of the people," he added.
Indeed, the world bank’s portfolio in Togo has quadrupled in size in the past four years, due to better public management policies.
An audience with the Prime Minister
On July 19, 2022, the new resident representative was given an audience by PM Victoire Tomegah Dogbe.
“It was a great honor to be received by the Prime Minister at the beginning of this mission. We talked about development priorities and the WB’s support of the government. Our priority is to help the government implement its roadmap,” Sissoko said just after the audience.
A 20-year experience at the World Bank
Fily Sissoko joined the World Bank in 2002 as a financial management specialist at the Dakar branch. He has since held various positions, most recently as practice manager, global governance practice, East Asia and Pacific Region, and was based in Bangkok, the World Bank reports. He is the Bank’s 20th resident representative in Togo since 1982 when the institution opened its office in the country. Sissoko replaces Hawa Cisse Wague, whose mandate ended on June 30.
To date, the World Bank's portfolio in Togo amounts to $917.5 million, covering 19 projects and programs in key development areas, such as good governance, improved public financial management, health, environment, urban development, energy, local development, and social protection, education, and agriculture and employment for vulnerable youth.
Ayi Renaud dossavi
Togo spent around CFA206 billion on health projects in 2019-2021
In Togo, the government spent nearly CFA206 billion on health initiatives between 2019 and 2021. The figure was disclosed by the budget and finance directorate.
In detail, CFA45 billion were spent on health programs and projects in 2019, slightly over CFA81 billion in 2020, and CFA80 billion in 2021. Thus, spending on health increased by around 44% over the three years.
This year and the next three, the government plans to spend CFA104 billion, CFA115 billion, CFA63 billion, and another CFA63 billion, respectively.
Some major initiatives that Togolese authorities supported in 2019-2021 include covering c-sections and financing the Wezou program, a project that was recently launched to benefit pregnant women and newborns. Several health centers were also built and equipped across the country.
Currently, Togolese authorities are working on a universal health insurance (AMU) program which is steered by the National Health Insurance Institute (INAM).
Esaïe Edoh
Togo: Over 30% of the government’s spending in 2019-2021 went to public investments
The Togolese government dedicated nearly a third (32%) of its budget spending to public investment over the past three years, according to data compiled by Togo First.
From CFA241.2 billion in 2018, capital expenditures rose to CFA379.8 billion in 2019 and peaked at CFA394.2 billion in 2020. This represents an average increase of 59.8% over the period. It is, however, below what the government was aiming at in its 2021-2023 state program budget. In 2019, Lomé planned to devote CFA241 billion to capital expenditures, 474 billion in 2020, and 431 billion last year.
The government claims that the surge was driven mainly by “spending on the rehabilitation of health centers, the construction, and rehabilitation of roads and rural tracks, as well as on spending to get the equipment needed to fight the coronavirus pandemic.”
On its Public Investments Program (PIP), the country spent a little over CFA890 billion, with over 47% of this amount or CFA423.8 billion coming from internal resources. The remaining monies were external loans and grants (466.5 billion).
Meanwhile, spending excluding the PIP more than doubled to a total of CFA125 billion. Togolese authorities attribute this unforeseen situation to defense and security expenditures, spurred by the jihadist threat which has grown in the northern part of the county in recent years.
Fiacre E. Kakpo
Togo: Government spent over CFA25 billion on fuel subsidies so far this year
The Togolese government has spent more than CFA25 billion on fuel subsidies since the beginning of this year. Togo First obtained the information in a context where fuel prices were increased, again, in the country.
To cover the recent price hike, the government subsidized super unleaded, kerosene, and diesel. The respective subsidies are CFA178, CF160, and CFA233 for the three products.
“The subsidy that helped mitigate the price increase has become a trap considering that it keeps rising,” and this profits foreign actors. “People come here to buy and sell elsewhere,” a source close to the matter said.
This price increase corresponds to a "technical adjustment" induced by surging global oil prices.
The government added that it largely exceeded the amount it initially planned for subsidies for the period under review.
"If we maintain this level, it will be impossible to support other sectors. Meanwhile, the subsidy on fertilizers for farmers, for example, is also necessary,” our source added.
Oil prices have been volatile in the past two months, amidst uncertainties spurred by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which gives rise to an energy crisis, in Europe especially. The Brent, one of the main indices of evaluation of the barrel price, remains above the $100 mark, and many experts expect its price to reach around $150 per barrel.
Things are particularly tense for French-speaking countries in West Africa, as their currency, the CFA, which is pegged to the Euro, has been losing ground against the dollar over the past weeks.
AfDB grants Togo $5.4 million to boost its agricultural production
Togo will get $5.39 million from the AfDB to boost its food sovereignty and help its small farmers be more resilient as the war in Ukraine continues. The grant was recently approved by the regional lender.
"The sharp rise in fertilizer prices and the difficulty for small and vulnerable producers to obtain fertilizer are likely to cause a drop in the rate of fertilizer use and affect future agricultural production," said Wilfrid Abiola, AfDB Country Manager in Togo.
With this money, 25,500 farmers, 40% of them being women, should get 500 tons of certified climate-resilient seeds and 7,700 tons of fertilizers, according to the Abidjan-based bank.
Besides, part of the funds will be used to valorize 25,500 ha of land. Also, farmers will frequently get information to cope with climate change issues, and institutions–such as the Agricultural Inputs Management and Supply Central, the Technical Support and Advice Institute, the National Agency for Food Security, and the Agricultural Financing Incentive Mechanism (MIFA)–which contribute significantly to agriculture in Togo will benefit from capacity-building missions.
Subsequently, Togo hopes to produce 37,00 tons more of grains over the current and coming agricultural seasons. The resulting output should guarantee food and nutritional security for nearly 120,000 people according to the AfDB’s forecasts.
“The budget support just approved by our Board of Directors is to assist the government in its efforts to support vulnerable small-scale producers,” Abiola said.
The grant is part of AfDB’s $1.5 billion African Emergency Food Production Facility launched on May 20, 2022. This facility aims to provide 20 million African smallholder farmers with certified seeds (wheat, rice, corn, soybean). It should enable these farmers to produce 38 million tons of food in the next two years.
Besides Togo, other beneficiaries include Chad, South Sudan, Niger, Burundi, Senegal, and Madagascar.
Ashden Awards 2022: Energy Generation among finalists
Togo-based incubator Energy Generation is a finalist of the Ashden Awards 2022, a Britsh contest that promotes access to renewables. The incubator which trains young entrepreneurs and technicians runs in the Energy Access Skills category.
Other finalists include Zimbabwe’s Zonful Energy which trains rural youths in the solar energy sector, Community Energy Malawi which creates training opportunities for locals, and Uganda’s EnergGrow, an institution that finances and teaches micro-enterprises to use energy productively.
Chaired by Prince Charles, Ashden is a British NGO that wants to accelerate climate innovation, by helping businesses, charity organizations, and governments have a greater impact in the UK and developing nations.
The winners of the Ashden Awards 2022 will be known next fall. The winner in the Energy Access Skills will receive £25,000.
In 2020, Togo’s renewable energy and rural electrification agency (AT2ER) received an award in the Systemic innovation for energy access category.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo: Minister Tengue met with Niger’s public transport council last week
On July 14, 2022, the Togolese Minister of Maritime Economy, Edem Tengue, met with the Director General of Niger’s Council of Public Transport Users (CNUT), Tchima Moustapha. The latter was in Lomé on a work trip.
During the meeting, the two officials reviewed trade relations between their countries and good transit to Niger, via the dry port of the Adétikopé Industrial Platform (PIA). This port has been operational since the beginning of the year and receives containers that go to neighboring landlocked countries.
Covering 20 hectares, the PIA’s dry port can house up to 12,500 containers. Its objectives include accelerating transit and centralizing container-related formalities at the PIA’s single window. Another objective that the government has with the infrastructure is to reinforce its position as a supplier of Sahel countries and to become a logistics hub in the region.
Tunisia to carry out an economic mission in Togo next September
The Tunisian-African Business Council (TABC), which supports Tunisian investments and businesses in Africa, will dispatch a delegation to Togo from September 11 to 15, this year. The news, disclosed by the organization on July 12, was relayed by several Tunisian media.
The delegation will be carrying out an economic mission, the first of its kind. This mission will be organized in partnership with the Togolese Ministry of Investment Promotion, the Agency for the Promotion of Investment and the Free Trade Zone, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Togo.
It will assess Togo’s strengths for investment and explore the opportunities the West African country has to offer.
According to the TABC, Togo is “a dynamic destination” with many assets and great opportunities for investors; especially because of “its advantageous geostrategic position in West Africa”. Togo, indeed, connects the coast to many of its landlocked neighbors, such as Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali. Its position on the Abidjan-Lagos axis also facilitates exchange with other coastal countries (Benin, Nigeria, Ghana, and Côte d'Ivoire).
"Togo also has a growth rate of 5.3%, a port, and a world-class airport–which make the country a reference regional hub, political stability and leads West Africa’s banking sector, in terms of hosted headquarters,” the Tunisian council noted.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Margba attack: The Togolese army admits to having wrongly shot civilians
Seven civilians were killed and two injured on the night of July 9 to 10, 2022, in Margba, a village located in the Tône prefecture, northern Togo. Subsequently, the Togolese army announced it would investigate the incident.
The investigation revealed that it was the army that accidentally shot the civilians, mostly teenagers, mistaking them for terrorists. “An aircraft on night patrol hit a group of people who were thought to be a column of jihadists on the move,” reads a statement from the army.
“The Togolese army deeply regrets this tragedy and again extends its sincere condolences to the grieving families, and wishes those injured a speedy recovery,” the note adds, while stressing that “necessary measures will be taken to avoid such drama in the future”.
A government delegation visits grieving families
Yesterday, July 14, a delegation from the government visited the grieving families to also extend their condolences and wish a quick recovery for the two who were injured.
Brigadier General Dada Maganawé, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Togo, in an official note addressing the incident, has reiterated the commitment of his men to serve and protect the people and country, while emphasizing the need to better cooperate with local populations to better protect them.
The Commonwealth has a lot to offer Togo (Robert Dussey)
Joining the Commonwealth is interesting for Togo on three levels: commercial, diplomatic, and political. That is what the country’s minister of foreign affairs claimed in a recent interview.
More Business
"On the commercial level first, given the Commonwealth’s two billion inhabitants, Togo gains in terms of business, and export of its products," Dussey said.
The country will, however, need to expand beyond its traditional Francophone sphere.
"We have a greater openness, we are no longer restricted only to the Francophone world, but while being in the Francophone area, we benefit by having more economic partners in the Commonwealth."
Diplomacy
Regarding diplomacy, one of the expected benefits of this membership is the expansion of Togo's sphere of influence, especially in the English-speaking world where it is less known: "In a diplomatic framework, Togo's influence in West Africa, at the level of ECOWAS, and especially in the resolution of Sahel issues, allows Togo to have more influence in this region where it wasn’t known.”
Togo will also strengthen its relationship with the UK, in a context where the latter has left the European Union and needs stronger diplomatic channels.
"Today, Britain is no longer a member of the European Union, with which Togo has a very strong partnership. It should develop a special relationship with Britain," he said. "So, Togo, as a member of the Commonwealth, will bolster this political, economic, and commercial partnership with Great Britain, an important actor in Europe.”
At the language level, joining the Commonwealth will help Togo better master English, a language considered the language of business and science.
For Robert Dussey, "Togo can gain so much considering the capacity of the Commonwealth; this membership is a great satisfaction for the government. And the government is now working to ensure that the Togolese people are impacted by this membership.”
Ayi Renaud Dossavi