Togo First
Togo Allocates CFA19 Billion for Food Security in 2025
In line with its 2025 Finance Law, the Togolese government plans to allocate CFA19 billion for food security and resilience this year. In 2024, Lomé had set aside CFA13 billion for the same purpose.
Antoine Gbégbéni, Minister of Agriculture, said part of the funds would help fight hunger, enhance food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable farming practices. The budget will support a seven-year food security plan from 2024 to 2030–a plan approved in July 2023.
Another part of the funds will help transform food systems in line with the government's roadmap for 2020-2025. The National Food Security Agency (ANSAT) will be a key beneficiary, focusing on grain purchasing and storage, and pre-financing for farmers to manage strategic reserves and stabilize their incomes.
Lomé has been encouraging farmers to produce more to meet national demands and reduce reliance on imports. President Faure Gnassingbé emphasized this during the closing of the Agricultural Producers Forum in January 2023, stating: “We must feed ourselves, make a living from our agricultural activities, provide for our own needs and those of our families to better invest in the economic development of the country.”
The new budget announced for food security and resilience makes up 34% of the Ministry of Agriculture’s 2025 budget, standing at CFA56 billion.
Esaïe Edoh
Togo: Over 7,000 Young People Receive Entrepreneurship Training via "Savanes Motaog" Program
Over the past four years, 7,232 youths, including 5,732 women, received entrepreneurship training through the “Savanes Motaog” program in Togo. The program was initiated in 2020, by Plan International Togo and its partners.
The training helped many participants start or improve their sustainable businesses through internships, material support, and funding for business plans. The project also created 1,018 savings groups, against 350 initially projected. The participants saved over CFA1.4 billion as a result.
The results were shared at a workshop in Korbongou attended by Minister Saad Mohamed Ouro-Sama, who praised the project's positive impact on local communities. Awa Faly Ba, the representative for Plan International Togo, emphasized how important this project is given the challenges in the Sahel region.
Overall, “Savanes Motaog” has reached 50,902 people, including 37,858 women and 273 individuals with disabilities. It has improved social cohesion and community dialogue. A major success is that more women are now involved in discussions about land rights and allocation.
A total of CFA1.76 billion was spent on the project. The European Union and Plan International Sweden were the financial backers, providing respectively 90% and 10% of the sum.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo Honors Military Heroes of Operation Koundjoaré
On January 13, 2025, Togo held a solemn ceremony to honor the heroes of Operation Koundjoaré, presided over by President Faure Gnassingbé. This operation, initiated in 2018 to combat terrorist threats in northern Togo, has been vital in safeguarding the country's territorial integrity.
The event took place at Camp Général Gnassingbé Eyadéma and was attended by top government officials, military leaders, and the families of the fallen soldiers. It served as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by these brave men and women who fought to preserve Togo’s security.
During the ceremony, President Gnassingbé posthumously awarded the fallen soldiers the rank of knights of the Order of Mono, Togo's highest honor. Additionally, wounded soldiers and those who displayed exceptional bravery received Cross of Valor medals.
These tributes come amid ongoing security challenges in Togo. Since 2020, the government has allocated approximately CFA624.8 billion to bolster the Ministry of Armed Forces and modernize and strengthen military capabilities.
This article was initially published in French by Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Public Administration: Togo to Spend CFA9 Billion on Modernization Projects in 2025
Togo plans to invest CFA9 billion FCFA in modernizing its public administration in 2025, as outlined in the 2025 budget law, which totals CFA2,397 billion in revenues and expenditures.
The funds will primarily support the Public Administration Modernization and Capacity Building Project for Service Delivery (PMAPDS). This initiative aims to enhance the country's institutional capabilities to fulfill the government's goals.
The project seeks to make public services more accessible and improve their quality through digitization. The World Bank backed with the program with over CFA45 billion.
Several public services have already been digitized. By the end of this year, Lomé expects that 75% of administrative procedures will have been dematerialized. The digitization initiative aims to simplify processes, increase efficiency, and bring citizens closer to government services.
This article was initially published in French by Esaïe Edoh
Togo to Host Festival Art et Mémoires from February 11-19, 2025
Togo will host the third edition of the Festival Art et Mémoires from February 11 to 19, 2025. The cultural event will be held in Aného, Agbodrafo, Kpalimé, and Lomé.
The festival's theme, "From Chains to Freedom: Memory, Heritage, and Hope," will delve into the history of slavery while showcasing local traditions and contemporary artistic expressions.
The festival will feature various activities, including traditional dances, concerts, craft workshops, and exhibitions. The event aims to foster discussions on pressing contemporary issues such as social justice, cultural identity, and the contributions of Afro-descendants to African development.
This article was initially published in French by Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo: Rice Imports Exceeded CFA43 Billion in 2023
Togo imported over CFA43 billion worth of rice in 2023. The figure was disclosed by Djélé Dahouda, National Coordinator of the Food System Resilience Program in West Africa (FSRP), during an event held last month. Organized by the national institute of statistics, the INSEED, the event focused on mapping the rice industry in Togo.
Value-wise, rice imports in 2023 were 150% higher than in 2019. That year, they stood at CFA16.7 billion.
According to Djélé Dahouda, the surge reflects the country’s heavy reliance on imported rice to meet its needs. “This situation calls for urgent action to overcome the constraints and achieve self-sufficiency in rice,” he noted while stressing that national production covered only 32% of domestic demand in 2023.
Togo imports most of its rice from Thaïland. According to data from Thaï exporters reported by the Ecofin Agency, the West African country bought 52,568 tonnes from Thaïland in 2023.
That year, Togo was Thaïland’s 10 biggest importer, worldwide. However, Togo imported less rice from the Asian country than its neighbor, Benin (139,206 tonnes), or other African countries like Zimbabwe (55,691 tonnes), Algeria (76,747 tonnes), or Angola (135,909 tonnes).
In 2020, Togo adopted an updated version of its National Rice Development Strategy (SNDR 2), to curb dependency on rice imports. Featuring several projects, the strategy aims to boost Togo’s output to 1,115,087 tonnes by 2030, from 145,489 tonnes in 2019.
This article was initially published in French by Esaïe Edoh
Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho
Togo: Agricultural Processing Agency Togo is Hiring 55 New Agents
The Agricultural Processing Agency of Togo (ATA) is hiring. They recently launched a campaign to recruit 55 new agents, including managers, technicians, engineers, and drivers.
Interested candidates can apply until February 9, 2025. The ATA noted that civil servants can apply, provided they first have the approval of the Ministry of Civil Service for a possible transfer to the agency if selected.
The ATA has supported over 6,000 farmers in its first two years, implementing pilot programs in 60 cantons. This initiative has helped boost agricultural productivity and improve the incomes of producers' cooperatives.
The new agents will help the agency achieve its various goals, particularly expanding the program to reach 10,000 producers nationwide by 2025 and 100,000 by 2030. The newly hired staff should start work on April 1.
Togo: 9.14 Million Seedlings Planted in 2024
9.14 million trees were planted in 2024 as part of the country's reforestation efforts. The figure was disclosed during the Council of Ministers held on January 10. These trees cover an area of 11,544 hectares and are part of a plan to increase forest cover to 25% of the country by 2030.
The government has introduced incentives to bolster the reforestation efforts, including prizes for the best planters in each region. President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé asked the government to create a map showing reforested areas. This map will help inform people and encourage them to get involved in reforestation. The goal is to improve transparency and promote shared responsibility for these efforts.
While these numbers show improvement compared to previous years, they are still far from the ambitious goal of planting 1 billion trees by 2030, which the government set in 2020. The challenge is significant since only a few million trees have been planted in past years.
However, this 10-year goal has created momentum for reforestation. For example, by 2022, Togo had planted over 5 million trees across more than 8,000 hectares, marking a 57% increase from 2021.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo: 10th Edition of Black Divinities Festival Held in Glidji and Aného
The towns of Aného (45 km East of Lomé) and Glidji are hosting the tenth edition of the Festival des Divinités Noires (Black Divinities Festival) until January 19, 2025. This festival celebrates Africa's rich and diverse cultural heritage.
This year, the festival is dedicated to Brazil and includes various activities. Highlights include the Fâ mass, a divinatory art practiced in Togo, Nigeria, and Benin.
There will also be parades from African and Afro-Brazilian initiation societies, conferences, concerts, and workshops on Samba (a Brazilian dance) and Maracatu (a Brazilian carnival procession).
The festival pays tribute to the late Nei Futuro Bitencourt, a former Brazilian ambassador to Togo, for his role in organizing the event.
Vincent Harisdo, a member of the organizing committee, said this edition aims to strengthen the historical and spiritual ties between Africa and the Americas while giving young people a chance to connect with their culture.
The Festival des Divinités Noires was created in 2006 and is organized by the Acofin Association.
This article was initially published in French by Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho
Togo Allocates CFA32 Billion for Rural Road Development
This year, the Togolese government has set aside a CFA32 billion budget to develop rural roads across the country. The Ministry of Public Works will use the funds to continue projects to improve infrastructure in rural areas.
Last year, CFA53 billion was set aside to develop rural roads–39% more than this year. One of the ongoing projects includes the construction of 21 key points. This project was 45% complete by the end of 2024. The program to build and repair rural roads aims to cover 4,550 kilometers by 2025 and has shown good progress. In his address to the nation on 31 December 2024, President Faure Gnassingbé said “More than 1,900 kilometers of roads have been opened or repaired each year since 2020.”
The government plans to finish ongoing projects this year. The main goal is to help people in rural parts of the country readily access basic services and sell agricultural products more easily.
Esaïe Edoh