The World Bank is preparing its next action strategy for Togo, through its 2023-2027 Country Partnership Framework. The Bank recently revealed that it is holding the first phase of consultations with Togo’s main development actors. 

The meetings, which opened on November 17 and should close on November 25, aim to have the World Bank’s future strategy align with the major, current, and future priorities of the Togolese government.

These initial consultations will involve the government, technical and financial partners, and the umbrella organizations of Togo's municipalities. A second phase, scheduled for January/February 2023, will be held with parliamentarians, the private sector, civil society organizations, the media, youth organizations, academic institutions, and other stakeholders.

The meetings will notably allow for discussion of the contours of the new strategy, to ensure that the choices made by the institution meet expectations and are in line with the country's development vision, based on Togo’s 2020-2025 Roadmap.

"The consultations reflect the World Bank's desire to involve all development actors in Togo in the choice of priorities so that its interventions best reflect the aspirations of the people," said Fily Sissoko, head of World Bank operations in Togo. "We will take into account the ideas of the country's key players as well as government programs to have an inclusive strategy to meet the dual challenge of poverty reduction and better-shared prosperity," Sissoko added.

It should be noted that in line with its 2017-2022 Country Partnership Framework, the World Bank committed $1.28 billion to Togo’s development initiatives.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

The Industrial Platform of Adetikope (PIA), located in Togo, has created over 3,000 jobs, direct and indirect, since it was commissioned in June 2021.

"The PIA has created more than 3,000 jobs for Togolese in several strategic sectors in Togo," the platform reported online.

The 3,000 jobs mark was passed with the help of the Training Center for Textile Professions, which hosts more than 500 young Togolese. These trainees, the PIA claims, "will be able to join the platform’s textile units after their training." Meanwhile, the PIA’s textile park welcomes and encourages investors to set up businesses.

Besides textiles, the industrial platform eyes food, pharmaceutical, recycling, and electric car businesses, among others.

It’s worth emphasizing that the PIA’s long-term goal is to create 35,000 jobs in Togo – a goal that aligns with the government’s ambitions for employment.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Started in 2016, the construction of Kara’s new market should be completed on November 24, 2022, according to sources close to the project.

The project should have been finalized in 2020 but was delayed for several reasons. Earlier this year, in January, the delay prompted Togolese officials, led by the minister of trade, Kodjo Adedze, to put pressure on the contractors hired to do the work. At the time, the minister urged the construction firms to have the market finished by March 2022.

The construction of a new market in Kara falls under a larger project, the PARMCO, which aims to rebuild the markets of Kara and Lomé and support their sellers. The PARMCO is financed by the Togolese State and the AfDB. It was launched after fires ravaged both markets.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togo recently adopted a strategy to get rid of mercury, in small-scale and artisanal gold mining operations especially. The document, which was on the table since 2021, was validated during a workshop held on November 14-15, in Lomé. 

By validating the tool, Togo aims to conform with the Minamata convention on mercury, which it ratified. 

The validation was presided over by Col. Konzao Daniel, head of inspection and forest resources. There were also partners from UN Environment and the African Centre for Environmental Health (CASE). The latter is in charge of implementing the strategy.

Overall, implementing the project is expected to cost around CFA8 billion. 

‘Getting adequate and sustainable financing will be a major challenge to overcome towards the modernization and elimination of mercury use in the mining of gold,’ at the small and artisanal scales, said Col. Konzoo Daniel. 

To achieve this goal, the official stressed that the State needs to be supported by private actors and financial institutions.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

In Togo, The Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor Foundation (SEA Foundation) recently launched its agribusiness incubators for young Togolese. The launch ceremony took place on November 18, in Lavié, 140 km from Lomé. The minister for grassroots development and youth employment, Myriam Dossou-d’Almeida, was present. 

The project, implemented by the football star’s foundation, aims to “create necessary conditions for promoting agricultural entrepreneurship to the youths.”

Concretely, with this project, the foundation plans to train 1,050 youths within three years. It (the project) has three components: training, building a pool of leading agripreneurs and supporting the creation of agribusinesses. 

The incubator is backed by the UNDP, as part of a partnership reached last October. 

Emmanuel Adebayor has on multiple occasions expressed his ambition to develop agriculture and tap into the sector’s potential for creating jobs for young people. Last April, for example, the ex-football player and the former advisor of Barack Obama, Thione Niang, evaluated the possibility to carry out a project similar to the one launched last week.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togo earned more last year from its goods exports than it did in 2020. The segment generated CFA748.6 billion or 7.1% more than 2020’s CFA695 billion. The figures were posted by the Banque Centrale des Etats d'Afrique de l'Ouest (BCEAO), in its latest report on external trade in the WAEMU.

Thus, last year’s performance sustains a growth trend that started since 2017; that year, Togo’s goods exports revenues stood at CFA591.5 billion.

Last year, Togo mostly exported raw materials and intermediate goods, earning CFA158.6 billion from them (+23.4% compared to 2020). Revenues from capital goods exports also rose in 2021, from CFA47.1 billion to CFA66.7 billion (+41.6%).

Growth was more moderate for food exports. Over the year under review, they generated CFA118.5 billion for Togo, which is 1.3% more than in 2020 when they stood at CFA116.9 billion.

The main food products exported by Togo in 2021 were Chocolate and Cocoa, which earned the country CFA10.6 billion, Cereals and Flour (CFA11.1 billion), and Fats and Oils (CFA45.5 billion).

Togo also improved its share in the WAEMU’s overall goods exports. From 3.2% in 2020, this share rose to 3.7% in 2021. Overall, the Union’s eight (8) member States earned, last year, 20,466 billion CFA from exporting goods.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togo earned CFA111.1 billion from exporting transport services (by land, sea, and air) in 2021, or 6% more than it did in 2020 (CFA104 billion). The WAEMU’s Central Bank, the BCEAO, recently released a report where the figure was disclosed.

According to the Bank, Togo and Côte d’Ivoire, in the WAEMU, are the biggest winners in this segment. Mostly, revenues generated by land and sea transport are the highest. This is explained by port activities, service offered to shipowners, and supply to landlocked countries of the region. 

"Indeed, services provided to foreign shipowners and land transport are the main source of revenue from transport services for the Union's member countries," wrote the BCEAO’s experts in their report – a document that covers the Union’s exports in 2021.

Togo and Côte d’Ivoire took advantage of the borders’ reopening. The latter fluidified trade within the WAEMU and led to a 3.6% increase in transport revenues. 

"Transport revenues increased by 3.6% to CFA520.9 billion against CFA502.7 billion in 2020, due to the reopening of borders which was spurred by a mitigation of the effects of the health crisis,” the report notes.

While revenues from exporting transport services grew in 2021, the share of this segment in overall exported services was lower than the previous year. From 23.1% in 2020, this share stood at 20.8% in 2021. However, Togo and Côte d’Ivoire were still the top providers of transport services over the period concerned.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

The European Union and Germany announced on November 18, 2022, additional financing to support the Emergency Program for the Savannes Region (PURS) in Togo. 

In detail, the EU will disburse €5 million while Germany will increase bilateral funds for its ProEnergie project.

The EU allocation, a grant, will be mobilized under the crisis response component of the new "Global Europe" tool. As for Germany, it will disclose the exact amount during bilateral negotiations at the end of November 2022 in Berlin.

The new financing should help extend access to basic social services for the most vulnerable population in the Savanes region, which is facing a terrorist threat.

Specifics

Over 2,500 households, across 17 localities in the Savannes region, will have access to power as a result of the project. A statement also claims that about 10 peripheral health care units will be electrified by solar technology and get medical equipment such as autoclaves for sterilization, blood analyzers, centrifuges, microscopes, and other ICT equipment (laptops, printers).

Part of the new funds will also finance vocational training for youth and women on entrepreneurship and the productive use of electricity.

It should be noted that last January, the EU signed with the Togolese authorities the joint document of multi-year programming (DCP) which provides for the actions it will carry out to support Togo’s development over the period 2021-2027.

Esaïe Edoh 

Togolese soybean actors officially launched the 2022-2023 sales campaign last Tuesday, November 15. The campaign will end on June 30, 2023.

This season, over 200,000 tons of soybeans will be sold, according to the national federation of soybean producers.

"We have agreed to set up a safety stock for the benefit of processors. The moratorium period that was given last year will not be granted this campaign, but all buying traders will put in place a safety stock for processors," said Komlan Kadzakade, President of the Interprofessional Council of the soybean sector (CFIS).

This season, the on-field purchase price at the field is up by about 7%. –CFA280 to CFA300 per kg.

Let’s note that soybean has performed well in the past few years. During the 2016-2017, 2018-2019, and 2019-2020 campaigns, respectively, the sector posted an output of 39,000 tons, 44,700 tons, and 46,700 tons.

Esaïe Edoh