The World Bank’s branch in Togo launched this week, consultations with various development actors, towards the elaboration of its new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) with the West African State. The new document will cover the years 2023 to 2027.

The recently-launched consultations involve deputies, the private sector, civil society organizations, the media, women and youth organizations, academics, and think tanks, among others. They follow the first phase of consultations launched last year. 

"During the first phase, we met with the Government, the Federation of Municipalities of Togo, and technical and financial partners. This has already allowed us to have some guidance on the major priorities to be taken into account," said Fily Sissoko, representative of the World Bank in Togo. "This time, we also intend to travel to the interior of the country to meet with all the other actors and gather their opinions on the priorities at the regional and local levels that need to be taken into account," he added.

The new series of consultations will close on February 3, 2023. With them, the World Bank aims to ensure that its new country partnership framework with Togo “remains well-aligned with the government’s top priorities, now and in the future.”

Throughout the consultations, participants will discuss the new framework, toward ensuring that “the institution’s decisions meet expectations and are in line with the country’s vision of development, as set out in the government’s 2020-2025 Roadmap.”

As part of its previous Partnership Framework (2017 - 2022) with the country, the World Bank committed $1.28 billion to Togo. The funds served to finance several projects falling under three main areas of intervention in Togo’s national development strategy. These include private sector performance and job creation; inclusive public service delivery to strengthen human capital; and environmental sustainability and resilience.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

The Togolese government plans to spend CFA25 billion on water supply projects this year, according to the 2023 finance bill. The sum is 8% higher than that spent in 2022: CFA23 billion. 

Just like in 2022, several projects should be launched or accelerated this year. These include, for example, the national clean water supply plan or the Support Program for Vulnerable Populations (PAPV). 

Launched in February 2021, the national clean water supply plan involves installing over 300 hydraulic pumps in Northern Togo. This will be done via the PASSCO, a project to improve sanitary conditions in schools and rural areas of the Kara and Savanes regions.

The PAPV, for its part, is a project that aims to provide the most vulnerable people with drinking water. It should enter a new development stage, with the financial and technical support of the EU and China. 

There is also another project covering Lomé and its surroundings which should be accelerated. This is a project that was at the heart of a meeting held in December 2022 during which Togo’s financial partners committed to providing over €230 million.

These various projects align with the ambitions of the Togolese government to achieve a coverage rate of 85% by 2025 and 100% by 2030. According to recent data from the ministry of water and rural hydraulics, the supply rates in rural and urban areas are 68% and 58%, respectively.

Esaïe Edoh

In 2022, the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) portfolio in Togo stood at CFA202.12 billion, with a disbursement rate of 61.5%.

This is one of the topics discussed last week by the Togolese President, Faure Gnassingbe, and the pan-African bank’s chief, Adesina Akinwumi talked about. The two men met last week to review the Bank’s actions in Togo over the past year, as well as its investments framed by the Country Strategy Paper 2021-2026, and its critical areas of intervention for the coming years.

The AfDB’s actions are aimed at bolstering the institutional framework and economic development of Togo, by funding programs and projects in the transportation, social, energy, and agriculture sectors. The Bank wants to better support the Togolese economy, backing projects that are part of the government’s roadmap. 

Let’s recall that the AfDB’s new administrator in Togo took office in September 2022. 

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

The President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé, was in Kara last Tuesday, Jan 24. He met with the regional directors of the deconcentrated services of the Central, Kara, and Savanes regions. 

The meeting was an occasion for local actors to discuss the execution, evaluation, and monitoring of key projects that fall under the government’s 2025 roadmap. President Gnassingbe, especially, talked with actors present about the strategy and factors that will ensure the successful realization of these projects.

To accelerate their execution, the leader announced the strengthening of deconcentrated services in the regions. He added that "efficiency remains crucial, alongside delivering results that have a real and significant impact on the lives of Togolese, especially the most vulnerable.”

There should soon be a similar meeting with other regional officials, involved in projects that are part of the government’s Togo 2025 roadmap.

Esaïe Edoh 

The first edition of the Togo Youth Innovation Week was officially launched Tuesday, January 24 in Lome. The event, which runs until Friday, January 27, celebrates youth innovation. 

The event is themed: "Innovation at the heart of a strong, inclusive, and prosperous economy". On the first day, participants attended a Keynote on "the concept of innovation, related issues, and prospects". The session was led by Jonas Daou, President of the Association of Large Enterprises of Togo (AGET).

The Youth Innovation Week aligns with the government's priorities to develop human capital. "The objective is to remain competitive with a pool of human talent. The quest for this structural transformation of Togo involves focusing on innovation through knowledge, technical skills, and experience of economic actors. Innovation remains a growth lever for our country because it is a response to the rapid changes in the global economic situation," said Rose Kayi Mivedor, Minister of Investment Promotion. 

Panels, B to B exchanges, exhibitions...are scheduled with prizes for the three best projects of the competition 228 Innov. According to the national delegate of the Youth Innovation Week, Yvon Koudam, State incubators will help the winners execute their business ideas and help those with prototypes develop a finished product.

A week ago, on Jan 19, Togo and UNICEF discussed their upcoming 2024-2026 cycle program. In detail, they talked about speeding up the elaboration of a new country program focused on the major issues that children face in Togo. This program will be developed based on lessons drawn from the 2019-2023 country program.

The development of this new cooperation framework will also take into account the priorities of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2026 and the Government Roadmap 2020-2025.

"Our common vision is to ensure that every child enjoys their rights and that no child is left behind. As long as children suffer deprivation and lack access to education, health, water, hygiene and sanitation facilities, protection from exploitation and abuse, and social protection, our common task will remain unfinished," said UNICEF Representative in Togo, Aissata Ba Sidibé.

The 2019-2023 cooperation program is in its final year of implementation.

Esaïe Edoh 

Lomé will host the next Entente Council summit. The organization’s executive secretary, Marcel Amon-Tanoh, confirmed the news last Friday, Jan 20, after an audience with Togo’s President, Faure Gnassingbé who happens to be the current chair of the Entente Council summit. 

When they met, Amon-Tanoh presented President Gnassingbé the annual report of his activities since he was elected as executive secretary of the Entente Council.

"I gave the President of the Republic, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, current chair of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Entente Council, an update after one year of activities. We talked about the reforms, as well as the decisions that the Heads of State of the Council will have to take during the next Conference of Heads of State which will take place in Lomé," said the executive secretary, after the audience.

Established in 1959, the Entente Council has five member States, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, and Niger. The first West African institution ever set up, it strives to consolidate peace and stability in member states, but also promote economic, political, and cultural integration and the well-being of their populations.

Lomé, Togo’s capital, will host the second edition of the pan-African Poultry Conference (PPC) on May 16-18, 2023. The theme picked by the organizers–the Regional Center of Excellence on Poultry Science (CERSA) and the World Poultry Science Association (WPSA)-is “Competitiveness and inclusiveness of the poultry value chain in Africa”.

The forum will bring together over 300 stakeholders in the poultry sector from several African countries, including specialists, industrialists, trainers, and researchers. They will mainly discuss the challenges of poultry production in Africa and define strategies to make the sector more competitive.

According to the organizing committee, “this conference will allow poultry industry professionals, researchers, and governmental actors to share their knowledge and experiences to strengthen the competitiveness and inclusiveness of the poultry sector.”

Specifically, participants will address key issues such as environment and poultry production systems; feeding, nutrition, and metabolism; reproduction and incubation; product quality, processing, and health safety; and the economics of poultry production.

CERSA is a center of excellence based at the University of Lomé. The World Bank funds its poultry-related activities aimed at improving food security.

It is worth noting the first edition of the PPC was also held in Togo, in 2019.

Esaïe Edoh