In Togo, the price of diesel and Jet A1 has fallen slightly. For diesel, the price is down to CFA775 from CFA850 FCFA per liter. As for jet fuel which is used by airplanes, its price has dropped from CFA654.41/liter to CFA615.41.

The change was disclosed in an interministerial order dated January 28, 2023. The latter was issued by the Ministers of Trade, Energy, and Transport, respectively Kodjo Adedze and Atcha-Dedji Affoh.

Prices of unleaded super fuel, kerosene, and two-stroke fuel did not change, however–CFA700, CFA650, and CFA788, respectively per liter.

While jet fuel’s price drop is good news for the Togolese aviation sector, it should be emphasized that the government still subsidizes petroleum products, to the tune of 230 CFA francs per liter on unleaded Super, and 239 francs per liter on diesel, and 157 CFA francs per liter on kerosene.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Lomé will host the 8th edition of the UEMOA Small and Medium Enterprises and Banks fair on Feb 7-10, 2023. The event’s theme is "Financing and Investment of UEMOA Small and Medium Enterprises, amidst the crises and changes of economies."

According to recent information, participants will be able to attend in person or virtually. "In the interest of always favoring very accessible participation, and without profit, at the UEMOA Small and Medium Enterprises and Banks fair, the hybrid mode will allow many SMEs to participate, online or on-site in their country," reads an official note, relayed by several media outlets.

"Business leaders already registered will be able to participate for free at the sites of Lomé, Ouagadougou, Niamey, Bamako, Cotonou, Abidjan, Dakar, and Guinea Bissau," the note adds.

High-level panels, meetings of the heads of SMEs from the UEMOA, project pitches, and B2B meetings will be hosted during the fair.

The UEMOA Small and Medium Enterprises and Banks fair was launched in 2015. It takes place once a year and has already been hosted in Ouagadougou (2015), Bamako (2016), Niamey (2017), Bobo-Dioulasso (2018), Korhogo (2019), Cotonou (2020), Ouagadougou (2021). The Lomé edition should have taken place last November but it was postponed.

Togo obtained CFA30 billion in its second issue on the WAEMU market this year. The country retained the amount out of CFA46 billion mobilized by regional investors. 

In detail, Lomé retained CFA16 billion from the issue of fungible treasury bills with a maturity period of 182 days. The remaining 14 billion breaks into 11 billion and 3 billion raised from fungible treasury bonds, maturing respectively over 5 and 3 years. 

Togo, it should be noted, had a target of 35 billion for the issue. Adding the proceeds of this second operation to the first, the country has raised CFA46 billion so far in 2023. This is out of an annual target of CFA574 billion.

Esaïe Edoh 

The Road and Rail Transport Office of Togo (DTRF) generated over CFA3.9 billion in revenues in 2021 (by the end of November). The entity disclosed the figure last Wednesday, Jan 25, 2023. 

The DTRF attributes the mobilization to several activities such as the registration of motor vehicles, the organization of the examination and issuance of driving licenses, technical inspections of vehicles, the issuance of registration cards, and document transfers.

In 2021, precisely 93,944 vehicles were registered, 28,581 4-wheelers and 65,363 2-wheelers and similar. 29,620 licenses (renewals, international licenses, duplicates, and driving rights) were issued. In the same year, 142,873 vehicles of all categories passed the technical inspection.

Progress over the years

From 2016 to 2021, the DTRF’s earnings almost doubled, from CFA2 billion to CFA3.9 billion. Except in 2017 when they fell slightly to CFA1.9 billion, the revenues went up over the period. They stood at CFA2.1 billion and CFA3.5 billion in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Meanwhile, the number of registered vehicles rose as well, from 64,120 in 2016 to 93,944 in 2021 (+46%). 

Esaïe Edoh

The World Bank’s branch in Togo launched this week, consultations with various development actors, towards the elaboration of its new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) with the West African State. The new document will cover the years 2023 to 2027.

The recently-launched consultations involve deputies, the private sector, civil society organizations, the media, women and youth organizations, academics, and think tanks, among others. They follow the first phase of consultations launched last year. 

"During the first phase, we met with the Government, the Federation of Municipalities of Togo, and technical and financial partners. This has already allowed us to have some guidance on the major priorities to be taken into account," said Fily Sissoko, representative of the World Bank in Togo. "This time, we also intend to travel to the interior of the country to meet with all the other actors and gather their opinions on the priorities at the regional and local levels that need to be taken into account," he added.

The new series of consultations will close on February 3, 2023. With them, the World Bank aims to ensure that its new country partnership framework with Togo “remains well-aligned with the government’s top priorities, now and in the future.”

Throughout the consultations, participants will discuss the new framework, toward ensuring that “the institution’s decisions meet expectations and are in line with the country’s vision of development, as set out in the government’s 2020-2025 Roadmap.”

As part of its previous Partnership Framework (2017 - 2022) with the country, the World Bank committed $1.28 billion to Togo. The funds served to finance several projects falling under three main areas of intervention in Togo’s national development strategy. These include private sector performance and job creation; inclusive public service delivery to strengthen human capital; and environmental sustainability and resilience.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

The Togolese government plans to spend CFA25 billion on water supply projects this year, according to the 2023 finance bill. The sum is 8% higher than that spent in 2022: CFA23 billion. 

Just like in 2022, several projects should be launched or accelerated this year. These include, for example, the national clean water supply plan or the Support Program for Vulnerable Populations (PAPV). 

Launched in February 2021, the national clean water supply plan involves installing over 300 hydraulic pumps in Northern Togo. This will be done via the PASSCO, a project to improve sanitary conditions in schools and rural areas of the Kara and Savanes regions.

The PAPV, for its part, is a project that aims to provide the most vulnerable people with drinking water. It should enter a new development stage, with the financial and technical support of the EU and China. 

There is also another project covering Lomé and its surroundings which should be accelerated. This is a project that was at the heart of a meeting held in December 2022 during which Togo’s financial partners committed to providing over €230 million.

These various projects align with the ambitions of the Togolese government to achieve a coverage rate of 85% by 2025 and 100% by 2030. According to recent data from the ministry of water and rural hydraulics, the supply rates in rural and urban areas are 68% and 58%, respectively.

Esaïe Edoh

In 2022, the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) portfolio in Togo stood at CFA202.12 billion, with a disbursement rate of 61.5%.

This is one of the topics discussed last week by the Togolese President, Faure Gnassingbe, and the pan-African bank’s chief, Adesina Akinwumi talked about. The two men met last week to review the Bank’s actions in Togo over the past year, as well as its investments framed by the Country Strategy Paper 2021-2026, and its critical areas of intervention for the coming years.

The AfDB’s actions are aimed at bolstering the institutional framework and economic development of Togo, by funding programs and projects in the transportation, social, energy, and agriculture sectors. The Bank wants to better support the Togolese economy, backing projects that are part of the government’s roadmap. 

Let’s recall that the AfDB’s new administrator in Togo took office in September 2022. 

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

The President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé, was in Kara last Tuesday, Jan 24. He met with the regional directors of the deconcentrated services of the Central, Kara, and Savanes regions. 

The meeting was an occasion for local actors to discuss the execution, evaluation, and monitoring of key projects that fall under the government’s 2025 roadmap. President Gnassingbe, especially, talked with actors present about the strategy and factors that will ensure the successful realization of these projects.

To accelerate their execution, the leader announced the strengthening of deconcentrated services in the regions. He added that "efficiency remains crucial, alongside delivering results that have a real and significant impact on the lives of Togolese, especially the most vulnerable.”

There should soon be a similar meeting with other regional officials, involved in projects that are part of the government’s Togo 2025 roadmap.

Esaïe Edoh 

The first edition of the Togo Youth Innovation Week was officially launched Tuesday, January 24 in Lome. The event, which runs until Friday, January 27, celebrates youth innovation. 

The event is themed: "Innovation at the heart of a strong, inclusive, and prosperous economy". On the first day, participants attended a Keynote on "the concept of innovation, related issues, and prospects". The session was led by Jonas Daou, President of the Association of Large Enterprises of Togo (AGET).

The Youth Innovation Week aligns with the government's priorities to develop human capital. "The objective is to remain competitive with a pool of human talent. The quest for this structural transformation of Togo involves focusing on innovation through knowledge, technical skills, and experience of economic actors. Innovation remains a growth lever for our country because it is a response to the rapid changes in the global economic situation," said Rose Kayi Mivedor, Minister of Investment Promotion. 

Panels, B to B exchanges, exhibitions...are scheduled with prizes for the three best projects of the competition 228 Innov. According to the national delegate of the Youth Innovation Week, Yvon Koudam, State incubators will help the winners execute their business ideas and help those with prototypes develop a finished product.