In the recently-ended agricultural campaign, Togo had a rice deficit of 88,000 t. In this context, the country received 3,000 t of rice from Japan on May 12. The donation was received in Lomé by the Director of Cabinet of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, Dindiogue Konlani.

The estimated cost of the rice given under the Kennedy Round 2020 project is CFA1.5 billion. According to Togolese authorities it will help ease the shortage affecting the Togolese population. Also, they added, revenues obtained from selling the product will serve to set up a counterpart fund that will finance socio-economic development projects. 

On the other hand, Shuji Shimizu, head of economic cooperation of the Japanese embassy in Togo, said the donation aims to help Togo reduce poverty.

This is the second time this year that Japan donates rice to Togo. In March, it had shipped a similar quantity to Lomé.

Esaïe Edoh

OMOA Group, a company specialized in digital payment, officially started operations in Togo on May 12, 2022. The group’s subsidiary, Operator Payment System, will contribute to Togo becoming an innovative service hub for digital skills and a reference in Africa.

OMOA will take steps to boost financial inclusion and bridging the gap between people and banks. It has committed to “foster inclusive economic growth by enabling consumers to carry out all their monetary transactions safely, across all supports, anywhere in Africa.”

The firm explained its decision to expand to Togo by the arrival of major African financial entities, and the country’s national policy which spurs the growth of digital payment and activities.

OMOA group is well-known as a technology hub and the only private processing and card center in sub-Saharan Africa for more than 20 years. Its arrival in Togo will surely lead to more competition in the fintech market, a market where firms like SEMOA and Cinetpay already operate. 

 Esaïe Edoh

The Togolese ministry of trade has fixed a new ceiling on prices of necessities–VAT-exempt local and imported goods. The move follows the new increase in the price of petroleum products, due to a shift in oil and dollar rates, according to the government.

In detail, a 2.5 kg bowl of corn will now sell for 650 CFA francs in Greater Lomé and the Maritime region, 550 CFA francs in the Plateaux, 700 CFA francs in the Central region and Kara, and 600 CFA francs in the Savanes.

As for imported products exempt from VAT (vegetable oil, condensed milk, concentrated tomatoes, wheat flour, imported rice), their price remains the same throughout the country. 

The changes are part of the government’s recently-adopted measures (April 28) to tackle inflation and bolster the purchasing power of residents. The regular price update was announced by the ministry of trade.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Soon, the Togolese Public Procurement Regulator (ARMP) could oversee even Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). A draft decree was adopted by the council of ministers on May 11 in this framework. The decree covers the attributes, structure, and functioning of the new form of the regulator, the ARCOP. 

Sources close to the matter told Togo First that the transformation should expand the ARMP’s field of action, now covering PPP contracts issued by the State or its arms.

“This reform increases the autonomy of this institution and improves its mode of operation to meet the challenges, such as processing speed, transparency, and efficiency, hampering public procurement,” the council’s statement reads. 

It should be emphasized that in September 2021, two laws on public procurements and PPPs, respectively were adopted as part of the public procurement reform. 

Now, the upcoming changes within the ARMP align with similar reforms undertaken across the WAEMU, notably in Senegal and Burkina.

Aftar Morou Touré currently heads the ARMP.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Gathered for their weekly council on May 11, Togolese ministers issued a decree that defines the structure and functioning of the new National Fund for Culture Promotion  (FNPC), formerly the Culture Support Fund or FAC launched in 2013.

The fund will aim “to bolster the cultural value chain through the professionalization of the sector and the emergence of true cultural and creative industries, sources of wealth and employment,” the council’s statement reads.

In the long run, the new fund which will finance cultural actors, rather than “support” the sector, should help establish a real cultural industry in Togo. It will do so by, notably, focusing on initiatives that have socioeconomic potential.

Moreover, the FDNC, designed a few weeks ago, should have a wider range of interventions, and more resources for its operations.

The FAC was established to rehabilitate and reinforce cultural equipment and infrastructure in Togo. In 2019, it allocated CFA600 million to nearly 250 projects and 300 million in 2021 for 512 projects.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Lomé currently hosts the first edition of the Festival la Marmite (FESMA). The culinary event is organized by Focus Yakou Communication. Started on May 10th, it aims to get one or more Togolese meals on the UNESCO’s heritage list, like Senegal’s most famous meal, the Tiep Bou Dien. 

The fair was officially launched by the minister of tourism, Kossi Lamadokou. It gathers cooks from all five Togolese economic regions. “The goal here is not to valorize these meals, but to get one of them or more on UNESCO’s heritage list,” declared Jean-Paul Agboh, who is behind the event.

For its part, the ministry of culture said the festival lines up with the government’s efforts to valorize local cultural tourism, and boost the consumption of local products.

There will be a food fair,  exhibitions, tasting, B2B sessions, masterclasses, and training workshops. 

About ten well-known Togolese chefs are attending this first edition of the FESMA. 

Esaïe Edoh

The Togolese state will spend 17.68 billion CFA on fertilizer subsidies in the 2022-2023 agricultural campaign. The figure was disclosed on May 9, by the Center for Input Supply and Management (CAGIA).

Already, the government said it has purchased 76,000 t of fertilizer for the campaign. It will pay a CFA13,000 subsidy for the 50-kg fertilizer bag which will thus cost farmers CFA18,000. "Today, the unsubsidized fertilizer bag costs CFA31,000. But the state subsidizes each bag to keep the price at an acceptable level,” said Nana Adam Nanfamé, general manager of CAGIA.

During the past season, the same bag was sold at CFA12,500. Authorities attribute the price increase to higher input costs at the global level, noting the fertilizer price surged from $290 to $1,000 between 2020 and 2022 due to Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine.

Esaïe Edoh

GIZ, the German Cooperation Agency, will map out Togo’s digital actors. To this end, it has launched a project to collect data on key components of the Togolese digital entrepreneurship ecosystem, reads a statement released on May 10, 2022. On the same day, surveys related to the project were started and should cover the whole country.

The project, according to Urbain Amoussou, Mission Manager at GIZ, targets primarily startups, support entities, financing institutions, service providers, big companies, public authorities, universities, and international organizations. He said it will help identify key actors around whom to build a strategy for supporting the digital sector.

The ongoing survey will help get “relevant and precise data on shortcomings and obstacles in the Togolese digital ecosystem and list the main actors or leaders of the Togolese digital ecosystem by digital category.” The map should enable GIZ and its partners to better formulate and target their support to digital entrepreneurs in the country. 

Digital actors can participate in this mapping of the Digital Ecosystem initiated by the GiZ, by filling out an online form, for start-ups and SMEs, or consulting the complete dossier of this mapping.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi