The draft 2026 budget of the Zio 1 municipality, in Togo’s Maritime region, is projected at CFA1,231,197,637. This is a slight decline of 1.2% from the CFA1.24 billion budget approved for 2025. The provisional budget was adopted on December 30, 2025, in Tsévié, at the end of the fourth ordinary session of the municipal council for the 2025 financial year.

The budget is split between operating expenditures, which account for 66.79% of the total, and investment spending, which represents 33.21% of projected resources.

On the investment side, planned actions include improving access to drinking water, upgrading urban road infrastructure, and building socio-economic facilities. These initiatives reflect priorities expressed by local communities and align with the municipality’s Communal Development Plan (PDC).

According to Kokou Toulassi, first deputy mayor of the municipality, the budget aims to ensure optimal mobilization of local resources to improve the well-being of residents. He stressed the importance of coordinated action among local elected officials, the administration, technical and financial partners, and local populations to ensure effective implementation of the projects included in the budget.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo has expanded its flagship cash transfer programme beyond the capital to four regions as part of a nationwide effort to support vulnerable households.

The rollout has begun in the Savanes, Kara, Centrale and Maritime regions, the government said. The scheme was launched in the capital, Lomé, in mid-December.

In the northern Savanes region, more than 150,000 beneficiaries have been identified. Each eligible household will receive an unconditional transfer of 25,000 CFA francs, paid via mobile money through operators Yas and Moov Togo.

The National Agency for Support to Grassroots Development (ANADEB) said beneficiaries were selected using national census data from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic and Demographic Studies (INSEED) and confirmed through field checks in more than 1,700 villages.

The programme is being extended to other regions under similar arrangements. In Kara, 19,480 vulnerable households have been enrolled, with total funding of 3.5 billion CFA francs.

In the Centrale region, 13,615 households are included in an initial phase. In the Maritime region, more than 21,000 people have already been identified to receive payments via mobile phones.

The scheme forms part of the first pillar of the National Social Protection Programme and aligns with the government’s 2020–2025 development roadmap, authorities said. It aims to cushion the impact of rising living costs and economic shocks, while strengthening household resilience and supporting local economic activity through income-generating projects.

Nearly 700,000 people nationwide are expected to benefit from the transfers, backed by 3.5 billion CFA francs in funding. The initiative is supported by technical and financial partners including the World Bank, the United Nations system, the French Development Agency (AFD) and the African Development Bank.

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Togo’s National Assembly has adopted a new law to step up efforts to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The measure was passed during the budget session.

The law seeks to bring national legislation into line with recent international and regional standards. It replaces a 2018 statute by incorporating updated recommendations from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and a 2023 directive issued by the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA).

The revised framework introduces a risk-based approach. It extends due diligence obligations to virtual asset service providers and strengthens identification requirements related to beneficial ownership.

Finance and Budget Minister Essowè Georges Barcola said the reform forms part of a national strategy to safeguard the integrity of the financial system. He said the adoption of this harmonised framework, which includes penalties, would help reduce the opacity of financial flows often linked to organised crime.

The government said the reform should ultimately improve transparency at a time of heightened regional security threats.

The legislative move comes as parliament prepares to close its budget session. Lawmakers have already approved a supplementary budget for 2025 and adopted the finance law for the 2026 fiscal year.

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Togo has revised the tax regime governing the West African Gas Pipeline, a key source of gas supply for the country.

The changes, enacted on Dec. 24, extend the tax exemption for pipeline operator West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) by five years, bringing the total exemption period to 10 years.

Under the new framework, WAPCo’s corporate tax rate is cut to 30% from 35%, aligning it with rates in other countries participating in the regional project. The law allows Togo to raise the rate if necessary, but caps it at 35%.

The national assembly approved the amendments to the pipeline’s legal and fiscal framework during a plenary session. Deputy Energy Minister Messan Eklo presented the bill to lawmakers.

Eklo said the changes were designed to ease WAPCo’s financial constraints, which have limited its ability to invest, and to reflect shifts in operating conditions. These include the opening of a second gas entry point at Takoradi in Ghana and an increase in the number of operators in the sector.

The amendments also give the West African Gas Pipeline Authority (WAPGA) regulatory oversight of gas shippers, in line with the network code.

The 678-kilometre pipeline, most of it offshore in the Gulf of Guinea, carries natural gas from Nigeria to Benin, Togo and Ghana. Operations began after a treaty signed by the four countries in January 2003. The previous legal framework dated back to December 2004.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

The Togolese government has approved plans to transfer the mandate of its youth entrepreneurship support fund to the national small business development agency, as part of a broader overhaul of public support programmes for young entrepreneurs.

At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 24, ministers approved a bill transferring the functions of the Support Fund for Youth Economic Initiatives (FAIEJ) to the Agency for the Development of Very Small, Small and Medium Enterprises (ADTPME). The bill will now be submitted to parliament before the reform can take effect.

Under the proposal, all FAIEJ staff and assets will be transferred to the ADTPME. The government said the move is intended to streamline youth entrepreneurship support and align it with updated policy instruments aimed at boosting employment and private sector activity.

The executive said the reform seeks to reduce institutional overlap and improve the use of public resources by concentrating support on the most effective programmes. It is consistent with the rationale behind the creation of the ADTPME in 2022, which was designed to professionalise and better structure the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

By integrating FAIEJ’s operations into the ADTPME, the government aims to foster innovation among young entrepreneurs and promote business solutions tailored to local needs, particularly in the energy, health and agriculture sectors. The reform is also expected to improve coordination between businesses, universities, public institutions and incubators, strengthening support networks for start-ups.

Established in 2012, FAIEJ provides technical and financial assistance to youth-led micro-projects, including loans and guarantees. The fund says it created 26,309 jobs between its launch and the end of March 2024 and disbursed a total of 8.63 billion CFA francs in financing.

Esaïe Edoh

The Togolese government has begun reforming the legal framework governing civil society organisations and associations. The cabinet adopted a draft law on freedom of association on Dec. 24, according to an official statement.

The government said the proposed legislation aims to modernise the existing framework, strengthen legal certainty for associations, and balance freedom of association with requirements related to public order, security, transparency and accountability.

Authorities said the current framework, based on France’s 1901 law on associations, is outdated and no longer suited to present conditions. Details of the proposed changes remain unclear. The draft law will be submitted to parliament for debate.

The reform comes as civil society organisations in Togo expand, particularly in local development, humanitarian work, governance and social entrepreneurship.

Officials said the overhaul would align legislation with current institutional structures while improving financial transparency and oversight of organisations.

Associations play a growing economic role in Togo, frequently implementing projects funded by international donors. These initiatives support government efforts at the local level.

The government said that once passed by parliament, the law could be supplemented by implementing regulations, improving coordination between civil society, the state and donors.

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