Togo First
With UNCTAD’s help, Togo looks for ways to attract more FDIs
An investment policy review (IPR) was officially launched in Lomé on May 16, 2022.
Formally requested to the UNCTAD by the Togolese government, the review aims to draw and set up a targeted approach that will help Togo attract more FDIs and develop all the regions of the country, not only the capital.
According to Rose Kayi Midevor, the minister for investment promotion, “the IPR will identify levers that will bolster Togo’s attractiveness, and explore new development mechanisms,” in line with the national economic policy.
Over 10 days, a UNCTAD team will meet several stakeholders (public or decentralized government, local authorities, elected officials, private sector, etc.) as part of the review. The team will identify competitiveness factors and assess the country’s potential for attracting FDIs.
Subsequently, a report will be released, towards drawing a new investment promotion policy–one focused on local development.
In 2020, FDIs in Togo surged by 85% year-on-year, from CFA191 billion to more than 352.5 billion. Last year, 38 projects were approved, consequent of the opening of the Adétikopé Industrial Platform (PIA). These projects should absorb CFA277 billion of investments.
While this is good news, the main issue is that the maritime region remains the country’s most attractive region.
Octave A. Bruce
A fire broke out at Lomé’s biggest market last night
Last night, another fire broke out at Adawolato, in Lomé’s primary market. This is the third market fire in a few weeks. The first two were in Kpalimé and Hanoukopé (Lomé).
Firemen were called and able to contain the fire a few hours after it began. According to the first assessment of the incident, four big clothing stores were burnt.
At the moment, the origin of the fire remains unknown.
This is the second time that Lomé’s main market records a fire since 2013. That year, a violent fire ravaged the market.
Also, the recent incident happened only a few days after rehabilitation works at the market resumed.
Esaïe Edoh
Maritime security: A European Union delegation is in Lomé to discuss ways to bolster EU-Togo cooperation
To help Togo tackle maritime insecurity, a European Union (EU) delegation is currently in Lomé to meet with local authorities. The Europeans came to Lomé on May 17 and will leave on May 19, 2022.
They are led by Nicolas Berlanga Martinez, Senior Coordinator of the European Union for Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea and former head of the EU delegation in Togo.
According to a statement from the EU delegation, the talks will focus on ways to boost cooperation between the two sides.
In addition to the meetings planned for this occasion, the delegation will visit European vessels such as "ITS Rizzo" (Italy) and "NRP Viana do Castelo" (Portugal) at the Port of Lome. This visit is part of the European initiative of "Coordinated Maritime Presences" in the Gulf of Guinea which aims to consolidate the European Union’s position as a partner and actor in maritime security by ensuring a permanent maritime presence and coverage in the areas of maritime interest established by the EU Council.
Esaïe Edoh
Togo reopens borders to travelers
After staying closed for over two years, due to Covid-19, Togolese borders have been reopened to travelers today, May 17, 2022.
"Movement is therefore free for travelers, provided they can present a proof of vaccination," reads a government statement published on May 16.
The government said in the document that its decision was driven by “the slowdown in the spread of the Covid-19 disease.”
Togo, and the other West African countries, closed their borders after recording their first Covid-19 cases in March, to contain the virus’ spread. However, a few months ago, several countries started reopening their borders.
Esaïe Edoh
Togo begins a second assessment of public finance management using PEFA methodology
The Togolese ministry of economy and finance will assess, starting from May 17, 2022, the country’s public finance management, using the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) framework. The assessment was launched at Lomé’s 2 Février hotel.
"The PEFA is an assessment tool whose methodology was developed in 2005 and then updated in 2011 and 2016. Togo was the first sub-Saharan African country that used this new methodology in 2016," the ministry wrote in a statement. "This methodology consists of assessing a series of indicators relevant for evaluating the whole system and all processes of public finance management and it involves sharing information with the public," the statement further notes.
The goal here is to “have a picture of the public finance system and assess its performance,” towards drawing new or updating existing reforms.
This is the second time that Togo will be using the PEFA to assess its public finance system. The first time was in 2008 after economic and financial cooperation resumed with the international community.
This time, in addition to the usual survey on public finance management, the authorities will look into the issues of gender and climate change. The results of the assessment will be released at the end of the year.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
The revised update of Togo’s national trade development policy has been validated
The report of the revised update of Togo’s national trade development policy (PNDC) was validated last week. The provisional report will be supplemented by recommendations of economic operators and development partners.
The updated policy will take into account recent changes happening in the African and international economic environment and will focus on the positioning, opportunities, and capacities of trade development in Togo.
Existing since 2011, the former version of the PNDC had limitations, according to Togolese authorities. Among others, it did not take into account issues like the Covid-19-induced health crisis, or growth challenges associated with the government’s 2020-2025 roadmap. Under the latter, Togo eyes an economic growth rate of 7.5% by 2025.
The update, it was revealed, also aligns with the government’s key goals under this roadmap–such as creating more jobs by leveraging the strengths of the Togolese economy.
Esaïe Edoh
Togo: In line with its systematic country diagnostic, the World Bank meets with government and other key stakeholders
The World Bank is carrying out a battery of consultations with the Togolese government and various national stakeholders. This is in line with the preliminary findings of the Bretton Woods institution’s Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) which looks at the main barriers to and opportunities for development in a particular country.
Thus, on May 10, the World Bank’s resident representative, Awa Cissé Wagué, met with the Togolese PM, Victoire Tomegah-Dogbe, and her ministers of investment, security, and human rights.
Then on May 14, Wagué met with the youth to get their feedback and recommendation on the SDC. More consultations should follow in the coming days, notably with deputies, the civil society, mayors, economic operators, academics, as well as with financial and technical partners.
The SCD’s results will serve as guidelines to draw Togo’s Country Partnership Framework.
To date, the World Bank has poured almost $400 million into 15 projects and programs in Togo, across sectors such as agriculture, health, social welfare, and telecommunications.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
West Africa: Seven out of 10 Togolese support ECOWAS’ sanctions against countries recently hit by coups (survey)
Amidst the recent coups in West Africa (Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso), Afrobaromètre recently asked Togolese citizens to give their opinion regarding the ECOWAS’s intervention in the political and diplomatic issues that followed the coups. In this article, Togo First goes over the results of this survey.
More than 7 out of 10 Togolese (72%) agree that ECOWAS should sanction West African countries where there were coups. That’s one of the conclusions of the study recently carried out by Afrobaromètre. The latter’s results were published last week.
Only 24% of those questioned oppose the body’s punitive measures. The remaining 4% include people who are neither for nor against the sanctions, and those who refused to answer.
The Plateaux region was the region with the greatest share of people agreeing with the ECOWAS’ intervention. Indeed, 83% of those surveyed there said they supported the actions of the regional institution. This is respectively against 65% and 69% in the Savanes and Maritime regions.
Also, rural people are more “severe” than urban ones;75% of the former agree with the ECOWAS against 67% for the latter.
Women (75%) and young people aged between 18 and 24 (79%) support the sanctions.
Inversely, the most educated people (people who completed high school) are less favorable of the sanctions (63%).
News outlets and social media have little influence on populations
According to Afrobaromètre, the support of most Togolese for the sanctions seems to be little influenced by social networks. This general legalism of the Togolese people, the report reads, is not correlated with the frequency of access to information through traditional media outlets or social networks.
"Thus, the frequency of exposure to information does not seem to influence support for sanctions".
At the same time, 83% of Togolese believe that ECOWAS should prevent heads of state from changing the constitution.
The opinion of most people in Togo slightly differs from that of the government which is less favorable to the sanctions, especially against Mali, and encourages, instead, dialogue. That explains why President Faure Gnassingbé was asked by the Malian junta to mediate the crisis that prevails in their country.
More recently, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation also asked the Togolese leader to mediate the political crises happening in West Africa.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Politics: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) calls on President Gnassingbé to mediate the ongoing West African conflicts
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) wants Togo’s President, Faure Gnassingbé, to act as a mediator in the political conflicts affecting the West African region. The request comes in a context where ECOWAS is yet to have officially approved the request made by Mali’s ruling junta for Gnassingbé to mediate in the crisis prevailing in the country.
On a working visit to Lomé, Nassirou Bako-Arifari, OIC’s emissary, asked the Togolese leader to help resolve socio-political crises and preserve peace and stability in West Africa, especially in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea.
“The OIC Secretary-General (Hissein Brahim Taha, Editor's note) hoped that the Togolese Head of State would put all his experience, his diplomatic genius, and his solidarity, which is a great diplomatic tradition of Togo, so that we can find consensual solutions, and reach acceptable compromises in the various crises in the sub-region, particularly in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea," said Bako-Arifari.
Since the beginning of the Malian crisis, Togo has been active on the diplomatic front, advocating the return to constitutional order and looking for ways to end the crisis that pits Mali against the sub-regional organization, ECOWAS.
To this end, an international meeting devoted to Mali had been held in Lomé, Togo’s capital, last year.
Esaïe Edoh
Business Financing: AfDB and AGF team up to boost the capacities of 80 Togolese MSMEs
The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the African Guarantee Fund (AGF) will train and provide technical support to 80 youth-led micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Togo.
This is part of a mentoring program initiated and backed by the AfDB’s Multi-Donor Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Trust Fund (YEI MDTF).
Businesses that applied and were enrolled in the mentoring program operate across a wide array of sectors, such as crafts, agriculture, service trades, renewable energy, and new technologies.
The program was launched on May 12, 2022, at AGF’s West African headquarters in Lome. The launching ceremony was attended by the selected entrepreneurs and several officials.
This technical support will be provided by Dowjil Capital (based in Abidjan), which was picked for this purpose by the AfDB and AGF. The support will focus on capacity-building, business registration towards loan obtention, and connection with financial institutions active in Togo.
Ayi Renaud Dosssavi