Halted three months ago, the mass biometric registration campaign in the Golfe prefecture will resume next week, on May 12.

The resumption advances the e-ID Togo project, backed by INSEED and ANID, under the WURI biometric identification program. The campaign aims to assign every resident of Greater Lomé-and eventually all of Togo-a Unique Identification Number (NIU) based on biometric and demographic data.

The INSEED, Togo’s Institute of Statistics, emphasizes the strong commitment it expects from its staff to ensure the success of this sensitive phase for the public. Initially, the mass registration phase was scheduled to begin in the last quarter of 2023, but was delayed repeatedly.

The WURI-Togo project operates within a sub-regional initiative funded by the World Bank with $72 million in support.

This article was initially published in French by Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho

The Togolese government announced 40 excellence scholarships for the 2024–2025 academic year, targeting Master's and PhD students at the public universities of Lomé and Kara. The scholarships form part of the Support Project for the Reform of Higher Education in Science and Engineering (PARESI 2), an initiative to improve advanced training in technical fields critical to national development.

The University of Lomé will award 25 scholarships: 15 for doctoral candidates and 10 for master’s students. The University of Kara will distribute 15 scholarships, with 10 designated for doctorates and 5 for master's. The program focuses on disciplines such as agriculture, transport, mathematics, and information technology, sectors identified as priorities in Togo’s development strategy.

Each scholarship provides an annual award of CFA3 million, covering academic fees and institutional support. Master’s recipients receive CFA2.5 million for registration, documentation, and research expenses, plus CFA500,000 for program administration. Doctoral students receive CFA300,000 for registration, CFA200,000 for documentation, CFA2 million to support research activities, including articles and conferences, and CFA500,000 for doctoral school support.

Candidates can apply through the Ministry of Higher Education’s website. Deadline to apply is May 23, 2025.

This article was initially published in French by Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Edited in English by Ange Jason Quenum

Togo’s Parliament unanimously elected Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové as President of the Republic on May 3, 2025. The ruling Union for the Republic (Unir) party nominated the 85-year-old former opposition leader for a four-year term, renewable once. The vote count stood at 150 in favor.

The election marked a major political shift under Togo’s new Fifth Republic. The country adopted a parliamentary system that makes the presidency largely ceremonial. Earlier the same day, former President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé took office as President of the Council, the real executive power under the new constitution.

Savi de Tové, a veteran politician and former minister, holds a doctorate in political science from the Sorbonne. He survived political imprisonment in 1979 and played a key role in the 1991 Sovereign National Conference. His long career spans multiple regimes, and he has championed dialogue, stability, and republican values.

In his symbolic role, Savi de Tové will embody national unity. Meanwhile, Faure Gnassingbé will handle economic and strategic governance as head of the Council. This new power-sharing model aims to stabilize politics and boost economic appeal.

This article was initially published in French by Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Edited in English by Ange Jason Quenum

Togo will try to raise CFA20 billion on the regional market, the West African Monetary Union public securities market (WAMU Securities), next Friday, May 9. This will be Lomé’s first operation on the market this month. 

In detail, the Togolese Treasury will issue fungible treasury bills (BAT) to raise the funds. The notes will have maturities of 182 and 364 days, each with a nominal value of CFA1 million and multiple interest rates.

Proceeds will help finance Togo’s 2025 budget, which totals CFA2,397 billion in revenue and expenditure. 

This quarter, Togo plans to raise CFA75 billion on the WAMU market and CFA332 billion throughout the year. 

So far this year, Lomé has secured CFA165.5 billion on this market.

This article was initially published in French by Esaïe Edoh

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho

Togo’s National Assembly appointed Faure Gnassingbé as the first President of the Council, a new role created by the constitution adopted in May 2024. The Assembly announced this on May 3, during a plenary session in Lomé.

Gnassingbé, leader of the ruling Union for the Republic (Unir) party, secured the position after his party won 108 out of 113 seats in the April 2024 legislative elections. The new constitution grants the Council President full executive power, making the presidency a symbolic, ceremonial office.

Gnassingbé now leads the government, sets national policy, chairs the Council of Ministers, and oversees the administration, defense, and security forces. He controls foreign policy, appoints civil and military officials, executes laws, exercises regulatory power, and can grant pardons.

The constitution’s Article 47 states that the leader of the majority party or coalition in the National Assembly becomes President of the Council, following confirmation by the Constitutional Court. Unir formally nominated Gnassingbé, and the Constitutional Court validated the nomination.

This appointment signals the dawn of a new political and institutional chapter for the country under the Fifth Republic, defined by its parliamentary system. The President of the Council, now the key figure in Togo’s executive branch, will soon take the oath of office at an upcoming ceremony.

The D-CLIC program in Togo wrapped up last week with a graduation ceremony for 244 young people who completed five months of intensive digital training. 

The CUBE incubator ran the program in Lomé, Aného, Kara, and Dapaong, with support from the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) and several Togolese ministries. The program taught participants skills in web and mobile development, digital communication, and digital marketing.

Officials handed out certificates at the UniPod of the University of Lomé. Minister of Technical Training Isaac Tchiakpé and OIF regional representative Thi Hoang Mai Tran attended the event. Graduates pitched their projects to a panel of experts, entrepreneurs, and development stakeholders. Judges selected ten standout projects for further support, including Koulmed (home nursing care), ASILI Care (organic medicinal products), and ZaraGroup (import-export services).

The OIF plans to offer post-training support through an incubation process and will launch new sessions in Aného. The Togolese government reaffirmed its commitment to creating a national certification framework for short courses to better align digital skills with market needs.

Togo hosts the “Africa Leads” World Bank workshop this week in Lomé. The 3-day event gathers project leaders, technical experts, and government officials from West and Central Africa. The workshop, led by the government, aims to mobilize more resources and speed up results for World Bank-financed projects.

During the meeting, attendees will share best practices on monitoring, evaluation, and social impact. 

According to Ousmane Diagana, World Bank Vice President for West and Central Africa, development is a shared responsibility.

Meanwhile, Kodjo Adédzé, President of Togo’s National Assembly, stressed at the workshop’s launch that “monitoring and evaluation are at the heart of the government’s 2025 roadmap.”

The workshop will focus on food and water security, raising domestic revenue, education, energy, and skills development.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togo will hold municipal elections on July 10, 2025. The Council of Ministers announced the date after its meeting on April 30 in Lomé. The government issued a decree to formalize the election schedule.

The electoral campaign will start at midnight on June 24 and end at 11:59 p.m. on July 8. During these two weeks, candidates will present their programs and defend their political positions nationwide.

Authorities set the candidate deposit at CFA50,000. Women will pay CFA25,000, half the amount for men, to encourage more women to run for office.

The government allocated CFA500 million for public campaign funding. All candidates will share 65% of this budget equally. The remaining 35% will go to parties that receive at least 10% of the votes, distributed according to their results.

Security forces will oversee the election process nationwide. The government scheduled early voting for July 7 for law enforcement officers. This measure allows them to vote without interrupting their security duties on election day.

Esaïe Edoh