Togo’s SDG Investor Map should be ready by the end of the coming year. Gathered earlier this week in Lomé, several stakeholders of the sector (ed. Note: investment) have kicked off initiatives to achieve this goal.

Launched by the Togolese Ministry for Investment Promotion and the UNDP, the map project aims to boost access to the financial space of the country, relative to SDG implementation.

The map will provide data, and investment opportunities that are likely to contribute to sustainable growth. These investments will mostly be in the following sectors: education, health, clean energy, industry, poverty-fighting, access to clean water, environment. The data featured on the map will be integrated into the UNDP’s global SDG Investor Platform. 

"The map will help accelerate the government's objectives, and hence SDGs," said the acting director of the Investment Promotion Agency and Free Zone (API-ZF), Atsouvi Yawo Sikpa.

To date, about 40 countries worldwide (including 10 in Africa) have already finalized their map.

Octave A. Bruce

Several African countries want the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) adopted in 2000 to run for 10 years more. Togo is one of them. Representing her country at the 20th African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum, the Togolese minister of trade, Kayi Mivedor, pleaded for the extension. Held on November 2-4 in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Forum’s theme was "Partnering to Build a Resilient, Sustainable, and Inclusive AGOA to Support Economic Development, Industrialization and Quality Job Creation".

During the forum, the Togolese minister underscored how Togo benefits from the AGOA, saying: "Access to the US market under AGOA has contributed to the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly those run by women and young people in the textile and agri-food sectors."

The Act has also “helped attract investment in industrialization programs, leading to the creation of thousands of jobs", according to the official.

Mivedor then stressed that extending the AGOA would help secure “new investors, and increase investments to support various industrialization programs”.

According to the U.S. representation at the meeting, the request for extension will be "studied thoroughly " by the US Congress.

A transformative tool for strengthening inclusive prosperity in sub-Saharan Africa, AGOA offers duty-free access to the U.S. market for over 6,800 different products.

Esaïe Edoh

Nearly 240 of women living in the Greater Lomé region received CFA80,000 each from the government on November 7, 2023. The financing falls under the "Leadership, Economic Empowerment of Women and Girls, and the Fight against Gender-based Violence" project, initiated by the Ministry of Social Action and Women Promotion and the French Embassy in Togo.

The donation ceremony took place in the presence of Apédoh-Anakoma Adjovi Lolonyo, who heads the ministry, and French Ambassador Augustin Favereau.

While the funds will help beneficiaries start or grow businesses, their provision falls under a larger project to empower women and girls, economically, and fight gender-based violence. 

Overall, 500 women will receive financial support under the project. Also, 11 training workshops will be organized across the country in its framework.

Regarding monitoring, the project’s organizers said it would be handled by listening centers. The goal is to ensure the success of financed initiatives and help beneficiaries make the most of the funds received. The beneficiaries' workplaces will also be visited to make sure their businesses are viable and provide them with technical support and advice.

"You should therefore see this support as an opportunity for you to get out of your precarious situation. With this fund, you will be able to initiate an activity or strengthen the one you are already carrying out", Apédoh-Anakoma Adjovi Lolonyo, Minister for Social Action, the Promotion of Women and Literacy, told beneficiaries.

The third edition of the Marché international de l'artisanat du Togo (MIATO) (International Fair of Craftsmanship of Togo) ended on November 5, 2023. The closing ceremony was attended by Togo’s Minister of trade and local consumption, Rose Kayi Mivedor. On the same occasion, several prizes were awarded to some of the participants.

The prizes include the Special Award of the Head of State which covers the participation of recipients in any African fair of their choice outside the country. The two recipients of this award are Nadiaka and Pagne Africain–they are Togolese craft companies.

The other prize is the Innovation Award which was won by Traoré Mahamadou from Mali, Kawe Eyaheza (Togo), and Frank Adomalinkpo (Benin). The three respectively came first, second, and third in this category, grabbing CFA1 million, CFA600,000, and CFA400,000.

Under the Excellence Award category, three Togolese entrepreneurs were picked. They are Ekue Adoté, who came first and grabbed CFA650,000, Offissa Kokou Dodji who came second (CFA500,000), and Kadjala Nieky (CFA350,000).

Prizes were also given to the youngest exhibitor, Ornella Iyatan, and Gaba Ayité, who won the prize for the most beautiful stand. All Encouragement Award winners received a cheque for CFA100,000.

The Month of Local Consumption also ended the same day the MIATO did. The minister of trade, Rosa Kayi Mivedor, lauded the success of both events, which, she claimed, reinforced the ties between craftsmanship and local consumption. 

This year, the MIATO registered over 800 exhibitors, from Togo, Belgium, Tunisia, Cameroon, Gabon, Chad, Burkina Faso, Benin, Mali, and many more. Mali was the guest of honor for this edition.

Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso launched the second phase of the Support Program for the Prevention of Conflict and Violent Extremism in Border Areas last weekend in Lomé.  This is a new milestone in the neighboring countries' commitment to tackling community conflicts.

Through this project, the three countries will tackle issues contributing to fragility in border areas and make these areas more resilient to insecurity-induced shocks.

In Togo, this new phase will primarily focus on strengthening endogenous mechanisms for preventing and responding to community conflicts at local and cross-border levels. Next, it will focus on boosting the socio-economic resilience of women and young people who live in border areas, supported by the Togo office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

According to Baneto Béguèdouwè, Secretary General of the Togolese Ministry of Development Planning, this second phase will enable Togo to move forward with its strategy for creating a peaceful, just, and inclusive society, free from fear and violence.

Launched in 2020, the project is financially and technically backed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Lomé is hosting, from November 6 to 10, the Woezon Tech Week 2023 (WTW). Organized by CSquared Woezon, the firm steering Google’s Equiano submarine cable project, the event celebrates digital transformation in Togo. 

Activities scheduled during the Woezon Tech Week 2023 include a special Career Day for students, sports activities (the Fiber Cup), a two-day training course, and an incubator for digital issues (Tech Hub).

The Career Day, which takes place today, November 7, is an opportunity for students to learn about careers in technology. As for the Tech Hub, its theme will be "Entrepreneurship in the Digital Age", and it aims to highlight the importance of digital tools in business growth.

Woezon Tech Week 2023 aims to promote Togo's digital identity and strengthen collaboration between players in the Togolese digital ecosystem. "The WTW is also a framework for the exchange, and concertation of players in our ecosystem to promote Togo's digital identity, through its positioning as an indisputable platform for digital services in West Africa. Here's an overview of the main events that will take place", said Csquared Woezon's Country Manager, Eudes Gbessi.

Besides promoting C-Squared's activities, the event will underscore Equiano’s positive socio-economic impact in Togo. The submarine cable has been operational in the country since August 2023.

"New jobs have been created since March 2022, and these include jobs created with the opening of CSquared Woezon's offices here in Lomé. This should continue and 37,000 new jobs are expected to be created by 2025, inevitably transforming Togo economically and increasing its economic output by generating $351 million over the same period," said Lanre Kolade, CEO of Csquared Group.

Partners supporting the WTS include Agence Togo Digital, mobile network operators, and Internet Service Providers, such as Cafe Informatique, Moov, GVA, Teolis, and TogoCom.

Togo has made significant progress relative to the threshold program of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) which the country kicked off two years ago. This is according to the Board of Directors of the Millennium Challenge Account-Togo (MCA-Togo), which held its fifth ordinary meeting last October.

According to Bougonou N'gname Jeanne, Managing Director of MCA-Togo, the two projects launched under the Threshold program are 71% and 100% complete–The first project is the ICT project and the second is the 100% for the Land Reforms for Increased Agricultural Productivity (LRAP) project. Regarding the financial execution rate, it was at 21% at the end of September 2023.

In detail, the ICT project aims to improve access to high-quality, affordable ICT services in Togo, by stimulating competition between service providers. The project benefits from a $20.5 million financing.  The second project, the LRAP, aims to improve land tenure security to increase investment in the agricultural sector, through technical assistance based on a two-pronged approach to improve the application of the Land and Property Code.  It has been allocated $8 million. 

Despite progress made on the project, the MCA-Togo Board seeks to focus more on its MCC Threshold Monetary and Evaluation policy. The latter is a tool that tracks and evaluates the program and related progress, goals, risks, roles, and responsibilities of various actors involved, and overall aims to help the Board achieve its goals. Togo, it should be emphasized, was declared eligible for the MCC Compact Program last December.

Esaïe Edoh

A delegation of Togolese businesspeople is currently in Shangai, China. Led by the Chamber of Trade and Industry of Togo (CCI-Togo) and the Centre Togolais des Expositions et Foires de Lomé (CETEF), the group attends the ongoing China International Import Expo 2023.

According to the CCI-Togo, Togo has a pavilion where the delegation exhibits tropical products and artwork, among others. 

The fair also features B2B meetings in which Togolese operators are actively involved, helping to establish fruitful business relationships. An economic day dedicated to Togo is scheduled for November 9, providing an ideal opportunity to further promote Togo as a destination for Chinese investors.

Launched in 2018, CCI-Togo aims to promote China's domestic market to foreign companies and stimulate domestic consumption. The initiative, backed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, has already attracted thousands of foreign companies. This year, the fair runs until November 10. 

Ayi Renaud Dossavi