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 

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

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 

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 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. 

Find more information here.

Written by: Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Translated from French by Schadrac Akinocho

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

The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) began Amnesty Month in Africa (AMA) on Monday 5 September 2022 in Lomé. At this edition, which is part of the "Silencing the Guns in Africa" initiative, experts from the Council Member States will federate their efforts to end the circulation of small arms in Africa by 2030.

Specifically, the initiative aims to sensitize and encourage civilians to voluntarily, and anonymously, hand over illicit weapons they have, without risking prosecution. 

"It also aims to promote Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) programs, as well as to encourage the participation of African civil society, including youth and women, non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations, the private sector, and the media," the organizers said. The move “will, among others, foster the surrender of illicit firearms by civilians during Africa Amnesty Month,” said Amma Twum-Amoah, president of the PSC.

This is the first time that the AMA is held outside Addis Ababa, the AU’s base. 

According to the AU, more than 40 million illicit weapons are still circulating in Africa, causing more than 500,000 deaths each year.

On the day the AMA was launched in Lomé, Togolese authorities destroyed more than 2,000 illicit weapons of various calibers that had been seized in the country.

Esaïe Edoh