The Forum Afrique CIAN 2021 begins today. The event is being held in Paris and broadcast on social media. 

During the forum, Togo’s minister of investment promotion, Rose Kayi Mivedor, will present investment opportunities available in Togo, economic advantages, and incentives the country offers investors. 

Midevor will do so during a panel hosted by Shegun Adjadi Bakari, Minister, and Advisor of the President of Togo. Titled Agroindustrial Transformation in Togo, this panel will focus on efforts made to advance agro-industrial transformation in the country, and investment opportunities in the sector. 

Other panels scheduled will focus on the recovery of the Togolese economy post-Covid-19, thus aligning with the forum’s main theme, which is Enterprises in Africa: A new pact for recovery.

Esaïe Edoh

In Togo, the Grand Lomé Autonomous District (DAGL) and 13 municipalities plan to soon sign a partnership agreement to boost funds mobilized for municipalities. 

Mayors and officials from this district met in this regard last week and should meet again in the coming days to seal the deal. 

Under the agreement, the DAGL will receive 10%-15% of revenues (non-tax and service revenues) collected by the municipalities concerned. Also, the project will involve implementing measures falling under the second axis of the third phase of the Urban Environment Project of Lomé (PEUL III). As part of the latter, municipalities will be addressed further and addressing-based apps will be created to improve fund mobilization.  

Klétus Situ

In Togo, the export of some consumer goods is now subject to prior authorization by the government. Yesterday, the government issued a statement in this regard, announcing the strengthening of border controls.

"The government informs economic operators that the export of consumer goods such as maize, sorghum, millet, beans, rice, yams, cassava, and cassava flour is subject, until further notice, to prior authorization from the minister of trade," reads the statement, which was jointly signed by the minister of agriculture, the minister of trade, the minister of economy, and the minister of security.

Primarily, the measure aims to curb the rise in prices of basic commodities recorded in recent months - an increase that contrasts with the food crop surplus registered in the previous season. The government holds economic operators responsible for the situation, accusing them of speculating and smuggling food to neighboring countries. In response, the operators claim there is a shortage. Last May, several experts and farmers told Togo First they expect harvest in the ongoing season to be bad, due to late rains, and the anticipated flooding of some weather systems. 

The situation, based on the BCEAO’s latest available data, is not specific to Togo alone. It spreads across the whole West African region. 

Esaïe Edoh

Togo’s tax authority, the OTR, will launch a fiscal marking campaign tomorrow, July 1st. The institution in this framework received some equipment and a software developed by Société industrielle et commerciale de produits alimentaires (SICPA).

The software will help inspect and assess the authenticity of tax stickers affixed to some products. As for the equipment, it includes SICPAMOBILE (SM45) kits and optical filter kits for validation. The equipment was made available to the OTR’s control agents by the commission set up to monitor and implement the fiscal marking project.

The optical filters are used to identify the marks or stickers affixed to goods. Products concerned by the operation include water, beer, fruit juice, wine vermouths, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and tobacco.

According to the OTR, the marking initiative aims to ensure the traceability of consumption goods circulating in the country. Another goal is to protect consumers’ health.

Esaïe Edoh

As part of its decentralization strategy, the Togolese government started a project to build city halls in 25 municipalities across the country’s five economic regions. The project will be financed under phase III of the Decentralization Support Program (PAD III), by the German development bank, KfW. The latter will inject CFA5 billion into the initiative.

Currently seeking a firm to carry out the construction works, Lomé recently launched an international tender through Agetur Togo, the agency picked to monitor the project. 

The first and second phases of the Decentralization Support Program cost a total of €17 million or CFA11 billion CFA. 

Besides this program, Germany also supports local governance in Togo, via the Decentralization and Local Governance Program (ProDeGoL); it is steered by GIZ. 

 Esaïe Edoh

Togo’s power utility, the CEET, denied that electricity costs for prepaid users were increased, contrary to what some media recently reported.  

“There has been no increase in electricity rates. Actual rates remain the same as that in effect since 2010,” the company wrote in a statement. 

The CEET was backed by the minister of energy, Mila Aziablé, who also issued a statement to inform populations that the rates were not increased. 

The country, it should be noted, just commissioned one thermal power plant and one solar PV plant. The two projects align with Lomé’s ambition to achieve universal power coverage.

Egypt’s new ambassador to Togo, Ahmed El Samawi, recently met with the President of the Special Consular Delegation of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Togo, Nathalie Bitho. During the audience, El Samawi talked about Cairo’s interest in encouraging Egyptian businesses to invest in Togo.

Covid-19 has impaired efforts and economic assets but it is time activities between our two countries resume, the Egyptian said. He committed to double down on his efforts to make Egypt one of Togo’s main economic partners. 

In response, Bitho, the CCIT’s top brass, presented investment opportunities Togo offers Egyptian businesses. 

According to the Egyptian embassy, trade between the two nations grew to nearly $60  million (about CFA33 billion), from 2018 to 2020. 

Besides trade, Egypt supports Togo in sectors like security, fighting terrorism, infrastructure, aviation, agriculture, tourism, notably by offering internship opportunities to Togolese officials. 

Esaïe Edoh

To develop the poultry, corn, rice, and tomato sectors by 2030, Togo greenlit last week a strategy that requires CFA1,800 billion. 

This plan should raise corn yield per hectare from 1.23 metric tons now to 6 metric tons while expanding cultivated areas dedicated to the crop to 35,000 ha for a yield of 211,000 t. According to the FAO which led the plan’s elaboration, this ambition requires CFA147 billion. 

Regarding rice, the country aims to increase its output to 817,004 t by 2030. To do so, it needs CFA987 billion. Outputs of tomatoes and poultry should respectively reach 234,430 t (half of which will be processed) and 30,000 t. To reach these targets, Lomé plans to mobilize CFA235 billion and 430 billion for each of these sectors. 

Raising these funds will require an exemplary public-private partnership, said Djiwa Oyetounde, FAO’s head of mission in Togo. He added that developing these four sectors “is a good approach to stimulate growth in rural areas and improve the livelihoods of populations.”

Besides aligning with the IFAD-backed initiative to support the Agricultural Financing Incentive Mechanism (ProMIFA), the project falls under the second axis of the National Development Plan (PND 2018-2022). That axis focuses on developing agricultural transformation, manufacturing, and mining activities. 

Esaïe Edoh