Forty (40) Togolese civil servants will end today a 3-day workshop aimed at drawing rules to regulate the use of drones by civilians across the country. The event, held in Lomé, regroups some employees of the institutions in charge of implementing State decisions and laws covering the usage of drones.

"We want to adhere to the rules set by the ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organization, editor's note] relative to drones. We need regulation, rigorous management, and control of everything related to drones," said Col. Dokisime Gnama Latta, Chairman of the steering committee of drones in Togo, and Director-General of the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC).

The workshop looks at what drone technology entails, its use in everyday life, the risks, and challenges posed by drones, especially concerning the management and protection of public space.

It should be highlighted that the government has already prohibited drone flying in the airport area and other sensitive facilities. The ANAC also said that to fly the devices, civilians need the approval of the ministry of transports (MTRAF) or authorization from the ministry of defense. 

In Togo, civil servants in the public and parapublic sectors, as well as pensioners, will get a one-month salary advance this week. The wage will be reimbursed in monthly installments throughout the rest of the year. 

The instruction was given by President Gnassingbé who announced it last Thursday during his new year address to the nation. The measure aims to help public servants cope with the inflation that persisted in 2021 and increased in November.  

This is a breath of fresh air that should be accompanied by another battery of "vigorous price control actions" after the measures taken since the beginning of the second half of 2021 to curb the negative impacts of soaring prices, said the Head of State; a galloping inflation felt globally, and particularly at the regional level, attributed to the Covid-19.  

"In response to this phenomenon [the persistence of inflation induced by the Covid, editor's note], the government took urgent measures since the start of the school year, which consisted of making school fees free in secondary education and taking charge of one month's electricity bill for the social classes," Faure Gnassingbé said. 

"We have also maintained price subsidies, particularly for fertilizer, agricultural equipment, and wheat. The government has continued to reduce the cost of connection to drinking water for the most vulnerable households," he added.

Another social measure announced by the Togolese leader concerns retirement. In effect, for all those who retired from 2020, "the expected payment of allowances equivalent to three months' salaries will be made from January," Gnassingbé declared. 

Fiacre E. Kakpo

The African Development Bank (AfDB) approved its 2021-2026 strategy for Togo last week, on Dec 17th precisely. The Abidjan-based Bank greenlit the document during its General Assembly.  

The new framework, which should support Togo's government roadmap, focuses on two key areas: developing inclusive growth poles and social inclusion policies, and strengthening financial and sectoral governance.

"The strategy aims to support the acceleration of the structural transformation and diversification of the Togolese economy to create decent jobs with high added value. It will also build socio-economic resilience for sustainable and inclusive growth," AfDB said. 

The Pan-African Bank, which is led by Adesina Akinwumi (photo), also validated two mechanisms to support Togo’s private sector. They are the Support Project for Governance and Private Sector Development and a grant to support the promotion of investment and the development of public-private partnerships.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

A quarter of new coronavirus cases recorded in Togo are omicron cases. The information was disclosed on Wednesday by the National Team in charge of Coordinating the Response against the virus (CNGR).

"The Omicron variant is here, and sequencing has shown that it represents 25% of cases, it is more contagious than the old Delta variant. We have gone from 2.5% positivity (number of positive results out of 100 tests performed, ed. note) to 12.5% positivity," said Col. Djibril Mohaman, who heads the CNGR.

The new strain drives an increase in the number of cases in Togo – this, after many weeks of lull following Delta wave’s ending."Through the week going from December 15 to 21, we have recorded 469 new cases, against 117 the week before, and 61 a week back. Also, we recorded three deaths this week," Mohaman added. In this context, the CNGR urges the population to get vaccinated to mitigate the virus’ impact.

Omicron: A more contagious but less severe variant? 

While it appears to be more contagious than other variants, the new Omicron strain seems less deadly than its predecessors. 

According to a study released by the South African Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), initial data collected shows that people infected with Omicron are 80% less likely to be hospitalized. While this study has not yet been peer reviewed, its conclusions coincide with some preliminary studies in England which suggest that Omicron is more contagious but less severe (causing mild and flu-like symptoms).

Regardless, many experts still worry that Omicron’s high transmissibility may lead to more severe forms of the disease. 

To date, Togo has distributed 2.29 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, representing 28.4 doses per 100 inhabitants, and 11.5% of the population have been fully vaccinated with two doses. 

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Bolloré Group will sell its transport and logistics unit in Africa to MSC by the end of March 2022. The French and Italian-Swiss groups reached a first agreement on the firm’s value. "The Bolloré Group has granted exclusivity to the MSC Group until March 31, 2022, so that the latter can, at the end of an additional audit phase and contractual negotiations, give it, if necessary, a promise to purchase," the group recently wrote in a statement. For now, the deal is valued at $5.7 billion.

As Vincent Bolloré, founder of the eponymous group prepares to leave the business world next year, the changes in the group take place in a context where its activities in Africa have been drawing critics, mainly due to a growing anti-French sentiment.

While Bolloré group exits the transport and logistics sector in Africa, it plans to continue development in several sectors such as communication, entertainment, telecom, and publishing. The group, it should be noted, is the leading paid tv provider in French-speaking Africa and a major shareholder in Multichoice, the leader of the paid tv market in Anglophone Africa. 

Lomé wins big

In Lomé, MSC operates the Lomé Container Terminal (LCT) via its subsidiary Terminal Investment Limited (TIL). LCT has made the port of Lomé one of the best in Africa and the world, regarding container traffic. 

Besides Lomé, MSC is also present in Côte d’Ivoire (Abidjan and San Pedro). However, the Togolese capital is the shipper’s hub in the region. It committed to investing up to $500 million in the platform by 2030. 

Once the deal between Bolloré and MSC is sealed, Togo Terminal which is run by a French company's subsidiary, Bolloré Africa Logistics (BAL), will be taken over by the Italian-Swiss group.

According to many observers, Bolloré's decision to pick MSC is sound considering that in the actual geopolitical context the other available options were either DP World (Dubaï) or Chinese firms. 

Fiacre E. Kakpo