Togo First
Covid-19: Ghana and Nigeria report first cases of Omicron variant
Ghana and Nigeria just reported their first cases of the Covid-19 Omicron variant, which was first identified in South Africa.
Nigeria, the most populated country of the continent, made the announcement on December 1st. It confirmed three cases, among travelers who came from SA last week. The Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) revealed the information in a statement.
On the same day, Ghana, Togo's direct neighbor, announced its first Omicron variant cases in travelers from Nigeria and South Africa. This was revealed by the Ghanaian health authorities.
If these discoveries coincide with a visit of the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Abuja, Nigeria, as part of a West African tour, they also come at a time when many countries in the world are taking restrictive measures towards passengers coming from South Africa, because of the new variant.
For the time being, Togo has decided to impose a mandatory 72-hour quarantine on passengers coming from the Rainbow Nation, as the virulence of the new variant sparks debates among experts.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo: Gabonese Prime Minister meets PM Dogbé today
Togo’s Prime Minister, Victoire Dogbé, is meeting her Gabonese counterpart, Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda, today. The meeting which takes place in Lomé will be prolonged to December 3. The Gabonese official was invited by Dogbé to discuss the strengthening of bilateral cooperation and friendship between Gabon and Togo, official sources indicate.
"This visit will be an opportunity to study the possible synergies to be implemented to address common issues in the areas of economic transformation, youth training, promotion, and empowerment of women," the Gabonese primacy indicated.
Let’s recall that two months ago, on October 20 and 21, the Togolese PM was in Gabon where she met various officials, including the Gabonese PM, to discuss key topics like agricultural development, digital transformation, energy, women empowerment, and gender equality.
MCC notes satisfactory progress with regards to ICT and land reforms introduced by Togolese gvt’
A delegation from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) met with the Togolese Prime Minister. The meeting which took place in Lomé aimed at reviewing the MCC’s threshold program in Togo.
Other significant participants present included Sani Yaya (Togo’s minister of economy), Cina Lawson (minister for the digital economy), Payadowa Boukpessi (minister for territorial administration), Stanislas Baba (country coordination of the MCA in Togo), Malick Natchaba (Secretary-General of the Government). There was also the U.S. ambassador in Togo, Eric Stromayer.
"We have noted satisfactory progress by the Togolese government about the reforms made in the ICT sector and also in the land sector. We have here a government that is committed, that has introduced some reforms and can introduce even more, and we are going to work together," said Mahmoud Bah, MCC's Acting CEO.
"We have been working on the terms of reference on which the government is currently reporting and we are confident that we will have a roadmap that will lead us to concrete results in the coming months. We believe we have a strong partnership with Togo, with a government that has a clear vision of inclusive development," he added.
The MCC delegation and the Togolese government are expected to draw a roadmap to achieve concrete results relative to the implementation of the Threshold Program in Togo, especially in the land and ICT sectors.
Funded by the U.S. Department of State ($35 million or about CFA20 billion), the Threshold Program mainly aims to stimulate economic growth and reduce poverty. It has two components : the ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) reform project and the land reform project. While the former aims to improve business efficiency, productivity, investment and growth through improved access to high-quality ICT services at a reasonable cost in Togo, the latter is expected to accelerate agricultural productivity towards improving land tenure security and increasing investment in agriculture.
The grant agreement was signed on February 14, 2019, and the program started in November 2020.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Covid-19: Togolese health pass holders urged to download updated version of the document
Togo has updated its Covid health pass and urges current holders to download the new version, in order to use it in the European Union (EU) and other African countries.
The news was disclosed by the ministry for posts and digital economy which is behind the technology.
The pass, which is available for download on a dedicated website, was recently recognized by the EU and the African Union (AU).
Proparco committed to supporting Togo’s 2025 development roadmap
Proparco, the French development finance institution, recently said it is committed to backing Togo in implementing its development projects. A delegation from the institution expressed its support to President Faure Gnassingbé yesterday, in Lomé.
The Proparco delegation is presently taking part in the Rencontres Africa forum which was recently started in Lomé.
"I had the opportunity to meet the President of the Republic and I have told him about the goals we aim at in regards to our participation in the Rencontre Africa in Lomé. I believe that with PROPARCO's support, our local partners will become stronger and continue supporting the growth of startups and SMEs, thereby enabling them to play a greater role in the creation of jobs and value in Togo," said Gregory Clemente, Proparco's Managing Director after meeting with President Gnassingbé.
This commitment to supporting Togo’s economic development “perfectly aligns with the Togolese government’s development strategy”, added Proparco’s boss.
Before meeting the Togolese leader, the French delegation met with some local young entrepreneurs and they talked about the difficulties that these youths face in getting financing. Both sides then explored options to tackle the issue.
Proparco is the subsidiary of the French Development Agency (AFD). Its mission is to foster sustainable development in the economic, social, and environmental spheres. The institution intervenes mainly in the following sectors: infrastructure, renewable energy, agribusiness, financing, health, and education.
Esaïe Edoh
Togo: Tax Police Unit to soon adopt a new 5-year strategic plan
The Togolese Tax Policy Unit (UPF) - a technical team that assists the Minister of Economy and Finance in the mobilization of domestic resources - has been working since November 30 on its 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. A methodological framing meeting for the elaboration of this document was opened for this purpose, in Lomé.
"At the end of the process, which officially begins today, it is expected that the 2022-2026 strategic plan of the Tax Policy Unit will be translated into a short-term action plan that will strongly support existing achievements related to the implementation of the reform that established the Togolese Revenue Office (OTR)," said Kossi Tofio, Director of Cabinet of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
For his part, Ahiakpor Koffi Delalom, Director of the UPF, said: "We will examine all the elements which will allow us to have a methodological framework to draw our strategic plan that will serve as a compass for 5 years.”
Established through a collaboration between the Togolese government and its technical and financial partners, including the World Bank through the Economic Governance Support Program (PAGE), the UPF is a tool that supports Togo's fiscal policy.
As such, it, among others, monitors the OTR’s activities, proposes ways to modernize, simplify and improve the Togolese tax system, and steers the strategy for international tax relations.
Togo: Deputies are reviewing the 2022 budget bill
The National Assembly has been working since Tuesday, November 30, on Togo's 2022 budget bill. The assessment was launched by the President of the National Assembly, Yawa Djigbodi Tsègan, in the presence of some government representatives, namely the Minister of Economy and Finance, Sani Yaya, and the Minister in charge of relations with the institutions of the Republic, Christian Trimua.
"Similar to the year 2021, Togo’s 2022 budget bill will take the form of a program budget. It focuses primarily on the continued structuring and approving of procurements and strengthening the role of financial controllers," said the parliament.
"In this context, Togo has chosen a recovery-oriented budget bill. The situation is good, growth is possible and within reach. This is the time to prepare Togo for economic success by 2025, amid the disturbing health and security issues we currently face. This clarity and readability of the finance bill are quite valuable for the citizen's confidence," said the President of the National Assembly Yawa Djigbodi Tsègan, while urging the members of the committee to have frank and constructive discussions, towards a thorough review of the draft bill submitted by the government.
The 2022 budget is projected at CFA1,760 billion in expenditures and revenues, according to the draft adopted by the government on November 12. This amount is 15.7% more than in 2021 where it stood at CFA1,521.3 billion. Optimistic but cautious, in a context of recovery still marked by global uncertainties, the budget bill projects growth at 6.1% in 2022, against 5.3% expected in 2021.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togolese PM presents Togo’s key assets at Rencontres Africa forum
The Rencontres Africa forum opened today in Lomé. On this occasion, Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé, Togo’s PM, presented to investors five major assets that make her country the perfect place for investments.
Tomégah-Dogbé gave her speech during a panel on climate business. Another eminent figure present on this panel was Lionel Zinsou, former Prime Minister of Benin and founder of Southbridge. Zinsou advised Togolese authorities in the framework of the transfer of the Nouvelle Société cotonnière du Togo (NSCT) and the negotiations with Arise regarding the Adétikopé integrated industrial platform (PIA).
The Togolese PM, during the opening panel, focused on her government’s vision for growth, peace, security, the youth, the country’s strategic positioning, and the commitment of local authorities to pursue reforms.
Regarding Togo’s vision, she stressed that Togo is a country whose leaders know what they are doing and where they are going, due to a clear vision. A vision which, she added, helped foster a peaceful and safe environment, “a key prerequisite for any ‘serious” investor.”
In regards to the positioning of Togo, Victoire Dogbé mentioned its access to the sea which makes the country a door to landlocked states and a regional logistics hub.
Concerning reforms, noting the significant achievements made by Togo, the Togolese official said “we will continue introducing bold reforms” to create a more attractive environment for investors.
The Rencontres Africa gathers more than 350 Togolese economic operators, over 100 French businesspeople, and around 2,000 other participants.
Togo: The National Health Insurance Institute will steer the universal healthcare project
Togo’s national health insurance institute (INAM) was selected to steer the universal healthcare (AMU) project that has been in the pipeline for some months now. A decree was adopted to this end by the council of ministers that gathered last Saturday.
"The second draft decree entrusts the management of universal health insurance (AMU) to the National Institute of Health Insurance (INAM)," says the Council’s communiqué. This follows the adoption of the AMU by the Togolese National Assembly a few weeks ago.
Established 10 years ago, INAM operates in the public sector. With the adoption of this decree, it can now deploy the tools needed to facilitate enrollment, collection of contributions and information management, towards implementing the AMU.
The AMU, let’s recall, aims to guarantee access to quality healthcare for all social layers of the Togolese population, notably through a mechanism of risk pooling and solidarity in financing.
Fiscal citizenship: 2021 Togo Top Impact is on!
The fourth edition of Togo Top Impact (2021) was launched last Saturday. The event, which celebrates a winning Togo, is promoted by the National organization for excellence and integral development (ONEDI-Togo). Held every year, it gives awards to figures or entities that have marked that particular year.
The theme picked for this year is “Fiscal Citizenship and Development: Assuming Your Role as a Citizen for Post-Covid Economic Recovery”. Togo Top Impact, in 2021, will celebrate local development and decentralization, fiscal citizenship, and women empowerment, according to ONEDI-Togo.
Two new awards were added for the new edition: Best female leader and Best municipality.
"Decentralization has been in place for two years and it is necessary to honour the communes (...) This year, we have chosen to change a little, to bring something new, ‘the best municipality’ award is part of the main innovations," said Saturday David Baini Djagbavi, one of the promoters of the event.
"Municipalities that will be nominated will be those that have contributed to boosting fiscal citizenship in their area (knowing that Togo has 117 municipalities, editor's note)," he added.
Overall, 10 categories will be awarded this year, based on the deliberations of a jury of experts and the popular vote.
Note that the TTI 2021 is sponsored by Kodjo Adedze, Minister in charge of trade in Togo, and has among other partners, the Semoa startup, and Togo First.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi