Togo First
Covid-19: Government Keeps Price of 50-kg Fertilizer Bag at CFA12,500
The price of a 50 kg bag of fertilizer is kept at CFA12,500 for the 2021-2022 agricultural campaign. The decision was announced by the government which explained it is part of steps to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and support farmers.
As part of these measures, the ministry of agriculture distributed over 80,000 t of farm inputs. Out of these, 38,000 t have been used. The inputs are dispatched via more than 450 approved sales points across the country.
The government also mobilized certified seeds - 2,566 t of corn, rice, soybean, peanut, cowpea, and sesame seeds.
Lomé’s support to farmers drove up fertilizer consumption in the country. “The volume of fertilizer consumed at the end of the first half of 2021 exceeds by more than 21% the average volume consumed between 2015 and 2020; it reached about 60% in the Savanes,” the ministry of agriculture declared.
Agriculture contributes 40% of Togo’s GDP, and the government, with this in mind, decided to develop the sub-sectors of this industry that have great potential for job creation and export.
Esaïe Edoh
NSCT Organizes Workshop to Boost Field Agents’ Capacities
Nouvelle société cotonnière du Togo (NSCT) started last Wednesday a 3-day workshop for its new field agents. This is to reinforce their skills, according to the firm’s management.
The new agents, 82 of them in all, will be trained regarding their function - technical and commercial, and be deployed later.
Ultimately, the workshop aims to boost Togo’s cotton production, by raising the farmer-to-field agent ratio. The NSCT expects cotton output to reach 135,000 t in the 2021-2022 season after it fell by 43% from 117,000t to 66,000 t in 2020-2021.
To improve the situation, the company took many steps, such as disbursing CFA9 billion to refinance the current campaign - the money will be used to buy input for 180,000 hectares of planting areas - or setting up a weather alert system to foresee rain issues experienced in the previous season. It (the NSCT) also spent CFA4.6 billion to rehabilitate factories, replace spare parts, as well as purchase and install management software.
The NSCT, a limited company, is 51% owned by the Singaporean OLAM International Group, 25% by the National Federation of Cotton Producers Group (FNGPC), and 24% by the Togolese State.
Esaïe Edoh
WACA ResIP: First Phase to Begin in October
The first phase of the WACA ResIP (West Africa Coastal Areas Management Program) will begin next October. It will cover the towns of Gbodjomé, in Togo, and Sanvi Kondji, in Benin.
In Togo, this phase will include erecting seven groins (lines of rocks set perpendicularly to the ocean's edge or on a river bank to slow down water currents and limit sand movements) between Agbodrafo and Kpémé, and rehabilitating six groins and a breakwater previously built in Aného.
In Aneho, still, a seawall will be built to face storms recorded between June and September.
In preparation of the works, environmental and social impact studies have been carried out in concerned towns. As part of these studies, authorities and populations have been in talks since August 23 regarding the reintegration of communities affected by the project.
According to Foli-Bazi Katari, minister of environment and forest resources, protecting the coast cannot be achieved while ignoring affected communities.
“The goal of this project is, not only to stop the advance of the sea but to enhance our coastline to get all the benefits,” said Edem Kokou Tengue, minister of maritime economy and coastal protection. He mentioned the construction of a bike path in Aného.
WACA ResIP, let’s recall, is part of a larger program steered by the World Bank, and aimed at tackling coastal erosion and sea pollution in West Africa.
Klétus Situ
Gvt’ to Support Pregnant Women and Newborn Babies
During its latest council of ministers, held on Aug. 25, the Togolese government announced the creation of a program to take care of pregnant women and newborn babies. Named Wezou (or Life in English), the program is an extension of the State’s measure to subsidize C-sections in public health centers.
In detail, the State will support women; from the confirmation of pregnancy to delivery. “This will cover prenatal visits, examinations during pregnancy, some drugs, and delivery to a given extent,” said Prof. Ayewouadan Akodah, minister of communication and spokesman of the government.
This program is aimed at “lowering maternal and neonatal mortality rates, as part of the ambition to boost social inclusion and modernize the country as stated under the government’s roadmap,” the Togolese authorities said. “It integrates progressively, all the services of care for pregnant women from the confirmation of the pregnancy until the 42nd day after delivery,” reads the statement of the Council of Ministers.
According to Akodah, this measure “focuses on prevention, as women who go for medical visits are better diagnosed.”
Esaïe Edoh
Togolese Gvt’ Approves New Chart to Support Local Businesses
To help local businesses thrive, the Togolese government adopted a bill approving the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMES) chart. The document was adopted on Aug. 25 by the council of ministers.
The chart, according to Prof. Akodah Ayewouadan, minister of communication, will enable the government to “support businesses in completing land formalities, certification procedures and securing financing.” Also, it will “allow MSMES to form a unit, and access financing mechanisms more easily.”
Adopting the chart, the government said, aligns with the implementation of the R4 reform related to mechanisms to support MSMES, under the Lomé’s development roadmap. The document will “help togolese businesses to be more competitive, and keep up with the regional and global environments which are becoming more and more competitive.”
According to Togolese authorities, MSMES constitute the foundations of Togo’s economic fabric. They significantly contribute to economic growth, job creation, innovation, local and regional development, and better social cohesion.
The updated chart, let’s note, covers four groups of business: nano-enterprises, micro-enterprises, small enterprises and medium enterprises. They should have a turnover ranging between CFA5 million and CFA1 billion.
Togo adopts bill to regulate transport of hazardous goods at sea
The council of ministers adopted, on August 25, a bill to regulate the movement of hazardous goods and waste in Togolese waters. This is two weeks after the document was presented by the minister of maritime economy and fishery.
Besides setting terms for transporting and handling the concerned products in ports and across the country, the bill should, according to official sources, “help significantly reduce accidents at sea and while storing hazardous goods in ports and related areas.”
By adopting the new law, Togo also hopes to attract international carriers, shipowners and logisticians - in line with its ambition to become a key logistics hub in Africa.
“It will also better protect people, the environment, equipment and serve as a guarantee of safety and security which is important for people and international shipowners while choosing a destination port,” reads the communiqué at the end of the Council of Ministers.
Klétus Situ
China engaged in major satellite TV project in Togo
China will help Togo deploy satellite television in 200 villages. This was disclosed last Monday by Qian Keming, China’s deputy minister of trade.
Keming said the two countries are moving well with signing letters of exchange to launch the project. “The Chinese side is committed to helping implement this project after the letters are signed,” the Asian official said.
Providing 200 Togolese villages with the equipment to access satellite TV is part of a large program deployed in Africa by the Chinese government. In all, 10,000 villages in 20 countries will be covered by the project.
Similar projects - aimed at facilitating the transition from analog to digital terrestrial television (DTT) - have been developed by StarTimes, the Chinese giant media group, in Benin (200 villages) and Uganda (400 villages). In these two countries, the company equipped public areas, enabling the reception of over 20 channels, including public TV stations. Besides, satellite reception kits were distributed, and local technicians were trained.
In Togo, the project to switch to DTT, which was scheduled to start in 2019, is stalling. This is despite the fact that in October 2019, one of the most important obstacles to the project - the lack of a legislative and regulatory framework - was removed as the country adopted a law approving transition to DTT.
Fiacre E. Kakpo
Gvt’ Seeks Consultant to Assess PIDU’s Implementation
The Togolese government is looking for an individual consultant to monitor and assess the implementation of its Infrastructure and Urban Development Project (PIDU). Candidates have until September 2, 2021, to submit their applications.
The related call for expression of interest, read by Togo First, states that “the monitoring and evaluation specialist will take care of everything concerning the operationalization of the project's monitoring and evaluation system. He or she will also play a major role in managing and assessing the PIDU's impacts.
Under the project, roads will be rehabilitated and built, drainage systems and clean water terminals also. In addition, there will be socio-educative and economic infrastructures, such as schools, health centers, and markets.
Launched in 2018, the Infrastructure and Urban Development project is set to end in 2023. The project cost CFA16 billion and was financed by the World Bank’s International Development Association. According to Togolese authorities, it will help end "extreme poverty and share wealth".
The PIDU covers Lomé, Kara, and Dapaong.
Esaïe Edoh
Rehabilitation of Presidential Palace to Start Soon
The rehabilitation of the presidential palace should begin before the end of the year. This was announced by Qian Keming, China’s deputy minister for trade, during the second session of the joint commission for cooperation between Togo and the Middle Empire.
The infrastructure was designed by the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design (BIAD). The first stone was laid by the late President Eyadéma Gnassingbé in 2003 and construction began in 2004. It was inaugurated on April 24, 2006, by Faure Gnassingbé, just after he came to power.
Located on the northern outskirts of the Lomé II district, which is destined to become an important administrative and financial hub in the sub-region, the presidential palace, more commonly known as the “palace”, is the seat of power in Togo.
Fiacre E. Kakpo
The US gives Togo around 200,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines
Togo received 188,370 doses of Pfizer vaccines from the US last Sunday. This aligns with a promise Joe Biden made to 92 countries last June.
The vaccines were received by the minister of health, Prof Moustafa Mijiyawa, and Dr. Fatoumata Binta Diallo, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Togo. According to Mijiyawa, the shots will help Togo continue its vaccination campaign, aimed at achieving collective immunity against Covid-19.
Let’s recall that Togo received 200,000 Sinovac doses from China last Friday; after getting the first batch, also 200,000 doses, in April.
Togo launched a vaccination campaign against Covid-19 on March 10, 2021. By August 3, the government indicates, 337,820 people had received at least one dose. That represents 4.2% of the country’s population.
Esaïe Edoh