Togo and Rwanda have signed a reciprocal visa waiver agreement covering all passport types. The deal was signed late last week in Lomé by the two countries’ foreign ministers, Robert Dussey and Olivier Nduhungirehe.

The agreement aims to ease travel, boost economic exchanges, support tourism, and strengthen people-to-people and cultural ties between Lomé and Kigali. It comes as both countries seek to deepen cooperation in strategic areas including digital technology, agriculture, trade, investment, green finance, and energy, an ambition they reaffirmed in January 2025.

The visa waiver is expected to help turn those plans into action by cutting red tape for businesspeople and investors. It also builds on talks held in August 2024 in Kigali during President Paul Kagame’s inauguration, when Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé urged both sides to diversify their partnership and seize opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Togo and Rwanda have also been linked since 2018 by an air services agreement allowing RwandAir and Lomé-based ASKY Airlines to operate direct flights between the two capitals with no limits on frequency.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo will standardize its climate and environmental response frameworks after a high-level meeting of key institutions held in Lomé on Thursday.

The initiative aims to introduce shared tools and indicators to ensure more consistent and effective implementation. It is expected to strengthen national environmental policy and underscore the government’s commitment to protecting natural resources as climate pressures intensify.

Officials say the harmonization will help avoid fragmented efforts and improve policy coordination. It is also intended to ensure that actions remain aligned with national priorities, including the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and sector-specific strategies.

The Ministry of Environment said the approach will improve the management of fragile ecosystems and promote the sustainable use of forests and coastal areas. It is also expected to strengthen trust between public institutions and local communities.

Backed by the European Union, the initiative aims to boost credibility with development partners. Climate financiers increasingly require clear implementation frameworks, harmonized indicators and reliable data to support mitigation efforts effectively.

The Togolese government is seeking mentors to coach project teams selected during the incubation phase of the Tech Santé Challenge.

The initiative aims to strengthen Togo’s digital health innovation ecosystem, the ministries in charge of digital transformation and health said in a statement, with support from the Togo Data Lab.

Mentors will work from Feb. 1 to March 15, 2026. Their role will be to help teams develop and refine digital solutions to address key challenges in the healthcare system, including secure and interoperable medical records, access to care for uninsured and underserved communities, hospital overcrowding, the monitoring of patients with chronic diseases and early detection of health crises.

The Tech Santé Challenge is open to multidisciplinary Togolese teams combining skills in health, software development, data and design. Selected projects will receive workshops, conferences and tailored support ahead of a final pitch scheduled for March 2026.

Backed by GIZ through the ProDIGIT project and the RASNuT network, the programme is part of Togo’s national digital transformation strategy. Officials say it aims to embed innovation in health policy, with a focus on real-world impact and long-term viability. Applications close on Jan. 22, 2026.

R.E.D

Togo plans to supply equipment to youth and women’s cooperatives in the Savanes region. SP-EAU, the Urban and Semi-Urban Water and Sanitation Asset Company, has issued an open tender to procure production and processing equipment kits.

The procurement is part of the Social Cohesion Strengthening Project and is financed by a grant from the African Development Fund (ADF), part of the African Development Bank Group.

The contract is valued at 245.44 million CFA francs (excluding tax) and is divided into four lots. Lot 1 includes agricultural equipment for rice and vegetable farming worth 112.57 million CFA francs. Lot 2 covers processing kits for agricultural products, including African locust bean, soybean, shea and rice parboiling, worth 78.68 million CFA francs. Lot 3 includes the purchase of cargo tricycles valued at 29.7 million CFA francs, while Lot 4 covers livestock equipment and inputs worth 24.5 million CFA francs.

Eligible bidders must demonstrate recent experience supplying similar equipment, adequate financial capacity and valid administrative compliance. Bids must be submitted by Feb. 6, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. and will remain valid for 120 days, according to AfDB tender documents.

SP-EAU is a state-owned company created in 2011 under reforms in the water sector. Alongside TdE, it serves as a public concessionaire responsible for planning, financing and building drinking water and sanitation infrastructure, including boreholes, treatment plants and distribution networks.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togo’s Ministry of Urban Planning, Housing and Land Reform plans to begin road upgrading, drainage and paving works on several urban streets in Lome in 2026. The projects have been allocated a budget of 1.2 billion CFA francs, according to budget estimates.

The ministry, now led by Kodjo Adedze, completed detailed preliminary designs in October 2025 for two priority roads, covering a total length of 10.2 km.

The sections include the 2-km Carrefour Y-Adidogome Massalassi stretch along the RN5, and a 7.2-km section of CEDEAO Street between Grand Contournement, Entreprise de l’Union and RN5 Adidogome. The roads are located in the southwest of the capital, Lome.

The ministry said the works should help improve urban mobility and strengthen connectivity between neighbourhoods. They are also expected to reduce transport costs and improve road safety, while supporting the capital’s economic development. While financing has been identified, implementation has yet to begin.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo plans to raise 463.5 billion CFA francs on the WAEMU regional debt market to finance its 2026 budget. The budget is balanced, with revenue and expenditure set at 2,751.5 billion CFA francs.

The planned borrowing represents about 17% of the total budget and will be a key pillar of the government’s financing strategy.

The amount is a sharp increase of nearly 40% from 2025, when the planned figure stood at 332 billion CFA francs. By the end of the 2025 fiscal year, the country had raised 325 billion CFA francs, meeting 97% of its initial target, according to calculations by Togo First.

The government plans to raise the funds in 2026 through the issuance of Treasury bills (BAT) and Treasury bonds (OAT) over a 12-month period. A provisional issuance calendar will be published to give investors clearer visibility on the programme.

In recent years, Togo’s borrowing on the regional market has attracted strong demand from WAEMU investors, allowing the country to generally exceed its fundraising targets.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo’s biometric ID card registration drive is continuing in the Maritime region, with enrollment starting in Zio prefecture on Jan. 19, 2026. The launch follows a workshop held earlier this week in Tsévié on the grievance redress mechanism, organized by the Ministry of Public Service Efficiency and Digital Transformation and carried out by the National Identification Agency (ANID).

As in other prefectures where the programme has already been rolled out, the initiative aims to issue each resident a Unique Identification Number (NIU). The NIU will eventually be used to access public, private and social services, including education, social security, pensions, finance, health, vaccination and cash transfers. The system is also expected to support the creation of a centralized, secure and reliable national database.

ANID is implementing the programme under the e-ID Togo biometric identification project, with support from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic and Demographic Studies (INSEED), which is responsible for staffing registration teams on the ground.

All residents are eligible to register, including children aged 0 to 5, who can be enrolled using a parent’s NIU. The move comes as fewer than 15% of Togolese hold a national identity card. Funded by the World Bank, the biometric registration drive is part of the WURI-Togo project, supported by $72 million in financing.