Alice Albright, the CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), is in Togo. She met with President Gnassingbe on June 20, 2023, in Lomé, the capital. 

Je me suis entretenu ce jour avec Madame Alice Albright, @MCC_CEO, Directrice générale du Millenium Challenge Corporation.

Nous avons, dans nos discussions, évoqué le programme Threshold qui vise à accompagner notre pays dans le domaine des Tics, les réformes foncières, ainsi… pic.twitter.com/wiJ9uJXCWb

— Faure E. GNASSINGBÉ (@FEGnassingbe) June 20, 2023

The same day, Albright met with representatives of the Togolese private sector. Present at the meeting, the Togolese minister of investment, Rose Kayi Mivedor, told the US executive that Togo would leverage the MCC’s Compact Program to develop its ICT and energy industries, especially.  The country became eligible for the Program last December.

“The challenges of energy and ICTs, especially their cost, quality, and accessibility, are undeniable and are real barriers to the growth of the Togolese economy. Therefore, it is with good reason that the projects chosen by the Togo government concern the aforementioned sectors,” said the Minister.

Two months ago, Togo landed a $12 million financing deal with the MCC for its Compact Program. The West African country, it is worth noting, already benefits from the Corporation’s Threshold program. With a value of $35 million, the latter is deployed in the land and ICT sectors. 

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Several procurement experts and stakeholders gathered in Lomé on June 20 to appraise and validate Togo’s national procurement policy. The move aligns with the Togolese authorities’ efforts to reform the procurement sector. 

This reform should, according to the country’s procurement watchdog, the ARCOP, help boost the local economy, by enhancing access to procurement and its management.

The policy "includes measures and proposals designed to strengthen the place of public procurement in the Togolese economy," said ARCOP General Manager Aftar Touré Morou.

At the two-day meeting, the minister and secretary general of the Presidency was represented by René Kapou. The policy, according to the representative, will help Togo “make procurement a major catalyst of its economic revitalization.”

The national policy’s development aligns with the government’s ambition to bolster the legal framework for public procurement and public-private partnership contracts.

Esaïe Edoh

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) will back Togo’s universal healthcare policy with CFA38 billion. The money will be devoted to the PR4SP, a project aiming to bolster the country’s health system and primary health care. The project was launched on June 20, 2023, in Lomé, by the Ministry of Health.

The PR4SP is a four-year project that involves building and rehabilitating nearly 30 maternity wards and purchasing equipment and rolling stock for health training.

The project should help Togo better fight communicable diseases, improve governance in the health sector, and help keep main communicable diseases (HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria) and snakebites under control.

According to Midamegbe Akakpo, the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Health, the project “aligns with the government's vision, which emphasizes a quality care system that is accessible to all.”

In the past few years, Lomé took several steps to improve access to healthcare across the nation. One of the other projects that aligns with this goal is the Universal Health Insurance (AMU) project, which the government is working on.

Esaïe Edoh

Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé, the Prime Minister of Togo, attended the International Labour Organization (ILO) Summit on Social Justice in Geneva, Switzerland, last week. On the occasion, she had bilateral discussions and working sessions with many key stakeholders, including Gilbert Foussoun Houngbo, the ILO's Director-General, and former Togolese Prime Minister.

While meeting his compatriot, Houngbo praised the inclusion policy initiated by the government. "It is a great and special honor for me to welcome my compatriot, Her Excellency Mrs. Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé, Prime Minister. Togo has firmly embarked on the path of sustainable development based on the values of the ILO," said Gilbert Foussoun Houngbo.

"The current preparation of a social stability pact for inclusive growth is the latest demonstration of this. The effects of this commitment at the highest level of the State are visible, with a poverty rate that has significantly declined between 2006 and 2022," he added.

PM Tomégah-Dogbé also met with Mia Seppo, Assistant to the Director-General of the International Labour Office (ILO). The two discussed Togo's commitment to the Social Protection Floor initiative.

Togo’s President, Faure Gnassingbé,  should be in Paris on June 22 and 23, for the New Global Financial Pact Summit. 

Initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron, the Summit will cover the global debt system. It will gather several African and World Presidents, senior executives from financial and development institutions such as the World Bank, and dozens of NGOs.

Mostly, the event aims to modernize the international financial architecture established by the Bretton Woods agreements in 1944, which led to the formation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. High-level debates between Heads of State and governments, international organization leaders, civil society representatives, foundations, funds, and the private sector are planned.

Overall, nearly 100 Heads of State and governments, 40 international organizations, and more than 120 NGOs and NGO coalitions are expected.

Faure Gnassingbé was in Paris a few weeks ago at Macron's invitation. The two leaders took the opportunity to discuss bilateral cooperation and security challenges in the West African region.

The Kamadama power project, under development in northern Togo, is nearly complete. Togolese Minister of Mines and Energy, Mila Aziable, after visiting the project’s site over the past weekend, made the announcement.  

"Today, the work is 90.11% complete thanks to the tireless efforts of the technical teams mobilized to finish within the scheduled timeframe," Aziable said after the visit.

La Ministre a parcouru les chantiers de construction de Kara et Mango, dans le cadre du projet Kamadama. Cette initiative d'envergure consiste à ériger une ligne de haute tension de 330 kVA sur 310 km, reliant les localités de Kara, Mango, Dapaong et Mandouri. pic.twitter.com/l35ExcEX8t

— Ministère en charge de l'Énergie et des Mines (@mineenergie_tg) June 17, 2023

Aimed at reinforcing Togo’s power grid, the Kamadama project includes a 161 KV high-voltage line spanning 310 km. It links the cities of Kara, Mango, Dapaong, Mandouri, and the Togo/Benin border. 

The project is backed by several partners, notably the Exim Bank of India, which loaned the Togolese State $52 million for its development.

Nous entamons les 2 jours de visite des #travaux de construction des 310 km de ligne Haute Tension reliant les villes de #Kara, #Mango, #Dapaong et #Mandouri et leurs postes associés (Projet Kamadama)!
Jour 1: visite du poste de Dapaong, Kara , Mango et suivi avec grand intérêt… pic.twitter.com/jqRf404xSk

— Mila AZIABLE (@MilaAziable) June 17, 2023

Dammipi Noupokou, the Deputy Director-General of CEB, which steers the project, said it will enable power supply across Togo, from the corridor of Lomé to Cinkassé, while also reinforcing and securing supply in the North.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Operating in Togo for nearly two decades, Prudential Beneficial Life Insurance has seen considerable growth, achieving a turnover of CFA5 billion in 2022 compared to less than CFA3 billion in 2015. This financial update was shared with the press in Lomé on June 19, coinciding with the company's 175th-anniversary celebrations.

Justin Quam Gbadago, the Managing Director of the Togolese branch of this British insurance company, attributed the enhanced turnover to the firm's burgeoning customer base, which now exceeds 52,000, and its comprehensive network of commercial agents, totaling 600. Prudential Beneficial has established a strong presence in Togo, with 11 branches: eight in Lomé, one in Atakpamé, one in Kara, and one in Dapaong.

The insurer currently provides a diverse range of 15 products, including savings-only options, end-of-career bonuses, combined products, and death insurance. However, Gbadago highlighted that a sixteenth product should follow soon as "We have received in 2023 authorization to market a new product, 'Pension Plus,' a basic savings plan that also covers funeral expenses."

Prudential Beneficial occupies the fourth position among the six active insurance companies in Togo, holding 14% of the market share. The firm continues to grow domestically and took a significant step forward in 2019 when it formed a joint venture with Beneficial Life.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo raised about $54 million (30 billion FCFA) on the WAEMU money market last Friday, June 16. Lomé secured the funds through a simultaneous issuance of Fungible Treasury Bonds and Bills.

According to the operation report, Lomé secured $47 million (26 billion FCFA) from regional investors with the fungible bonds, and $9 million (5 billion FCFA) with the bills. The former securities mature over 364 days, and the latter over 3 and 5 years.

While Togo retained the $54 million it was seeking for the operation, the total bid was $60 million (33 billion FCFA). This translates into a coverage rate of 110.8%.

So far this year, Lomé has raised $531 million (294 billion FCFA) on the WAEMU market, out of an annual target of $1.04 billion (574 billion FCFA). The Treasury mostly uses the proceeds to finance Togo’s 2023 budget.

Esaïe Edoh

Between September and October 2022, 1,342 Togolese received their certificate of citizenship. According to Togo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the recipients live in Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Nigeria. 

The Ministry added that more diaspora members should obtain the certificate soon. "731 applications are currently being transcribed by the technical services of the Ministry of Territorial Administration, before being processed by the Directorate of Seal, Nationality, and Civil Identity," it wrote in a statement dated June 12, 2023.

The certificate issuance operation aligns with Lomé’s policy for protecting the interests of the Togolese diaspora, and getting them to "be more involved in the country's development process."

To this end, let’s recall, the government set up, in 2019, the High Commission for Togolese Abroad (HTCE)–an organization that acts as a bridge between the government and the diaspora.

#Communiqué à l'attention de la #Diaspora en #CôtedIvoire, au #Gabon, au #Nigeria et au #Mali : 1342 certificats de nationalité togolaise produits suite aux missions foraines du 16 sept. au 05 oct. 2022 seront convoyés dans les pays concernés.@rdussey
@GouvTg @TogoOfficiel pic.twitter.com/uVF2TzGTBj

— Diplomatie Togolaise (@DiplomatieTogo) June 12, 2023

Last year, a diaspora census was also carried out, and it identified 950,436 Togolese living abroad–52.82% of the group being men and 44.18% women.

The Togolese diaspora contributed $441 million to the Togolese economy in 2020, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is down from $458 million the previous year.

Esaïe Edoh