Togo First
Togo sets up new fund to accelerate universal access to electricity
The council of ministers of Togo set up last Saturday, a new fund, called Tinga, to “facilitate access for electricity to low-income households”. The project aligns with the government’s goal to achieve universal access to electricity by 2030.
In effect, the fund will provide repayable loans to households seeking electricity. "Our goal is to provide all citizens, regardless of their standard of living, access to reliable and affordable electricity by 2030," said President Faure Gnassingbé during the meeting.
Other initiatives sharing the same goal include the CIZO project—a three-year scheme under which rural households get a monthly allowance. There is also the installation of the Kékéli Efficient Power thermal plant and a solar power plant in Blitta.
Let’s not forget the PERECUT or Program for the Extension of Electricity Networks in Urban Centers of Togo, which the European Union backed last week with a CFA9.5 billion financing, the PRISET (Projet de Réformes et d’Investissements dans le Secteur de l’Énergie au Togo) and the PEREL (Projet d’Extension du Réseau Électrique de Lomé) initiatives.
Esaïe Edoh
Covid-19: Togo to administer the third dose to people over 40 years old
In Togo, people over 40 years old are to get the third dose of Covid vaccines. This was decided last Saturday, during the Council of Ministers.
“Due to the emergence of new waves and new variants, the council instructed the Minister of Health to accelerate the vaccination campaign and to administer the third dose to people over forty years,” reads the council’s statement. Incidentally, Moustafa Mijayawa, Togo’s Minister of Health, said the country has received nearly 5 million doses of Covid vaccines and has more than one million people vaccinated so far.
This update follows the recent launch of a fast-paced vaccination campaign by the government to boost immunization coverage and comes shortly after the European Union recognized the Togolese Covid health pass. It also comes a few days after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the apparition of a new variant, called “omicron.” The new strain, which raises concerns, was first identified in South Africa and has been detected in Botswana, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Australia.
At the moment, the WHO does not know if “Omicron” is more transmissible than other variants, or if it causes a more serious case of the disease.
According to WHO data, Togo reported 26,232 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 243 deaths from January 3, 2020, to November 26, 2021. Also, the country has administered over 1.5 million doses of vaccine over the period.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togolese gvt’ commits to accelerating social programs
The Togolese government will speed up the implementation of social projects for populations. The commitment was made last Friday after the second government seminar held in Kara, northern Togo.
The officials present at the seminar assessed the implementation of the 2020–2025 government roadmap, with a focus on key projects such as the universal health insurance program, universal access to drinking water, building housing units, collecting data on socio-economic infrastructure, and digitizing public administration. They also looked at Covid’s impact on the roadmap’s implementation.
According to the statement released following the meeting, President Gnassingbé, based on the assessments’ results, stressed the need to achieve the “results that the population expects.” Similarly, his ministers talked about “improving coordination, project preparation and the legibility of project achievements.” In this regard, the officials noted that a “reinforced coordination” would be crucial.
The government roadmap breaks down into three main components, namely greater inclusion, social harmony, and consolidating peace; creating jobs for the youth; modernizing Togo and improving existing structures.
Esaïe Edoh
Germany offers Togo the second batch of Covid vaccines
Germany offered Togo 633,600 doses of Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccines on November 25, 2021. The batch, which was provided under the Covax initiative, is the second that Germany gives Togo. It was received by the country's health authorities at the Gnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport (AIGE).
According to Wotobe Kokou, secretary-general of the Togolese ministry of health, the new doses come right on time. He said they would "boost the fast-paced vaccination campaign that is ongoing in Togo." Launched on November 22, the campaign will last two weeks.
Also, local health authorities said, the batch should help Togo achieve its goal of having over a million people vaccinated by the end of the year.
In response, Camilla Gendolla, Chargé d'Affaires at the German Embassy in Togo, explained that Germany, through the provision, "integrates itself into a global solidarity movement
with a contribution of one billion euros to the Covax initiative."
Let's recall that last September, Germany gave Togo 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca.
EU grants Togo CFA9.5 billion to boost electrification in urban areas
The European Union (EU) will allocate CFA9.5 billion to the PERECUT - a Togolese program aimed at boosting access to electricity in urban areas. The grant agreement was signed on November 23 in Lomé by Sani Yaya, Togo's Minister of Economy and Finance, and Rémy Rioux, Director General of the French Development Agency (AFD), on behalf of the EU.
Adding this facility, the EU has so far poured CFA45.6 billion in the PERECUT which was launched in 2020. In detail, the three-year program plans for the laying of 190km of medium voltage networks, 1,660 of low voltage networks, and the construction of 371 MV/LV transformer stations. "The project will also support the Electrification for All Program through the provision of 58,000 additional meters," a statement on the Presidency’s website notes.
"The grant agreement of 14.5 million euros (9.5 billion CFA francs), which we have just signed with the AFD’s Director-General reflects the excellence of cooperation relations between the European Union and the Togolese Republic," said Sani Yaya.
"This European Union grant delegated to AFD complements the concessional loan of 40 million euros (26.2 billion CFA francs) granted by AFD and a KFW grant of 15 million euros (about 10 billion euros) for the implementation of the project," Yaya added.
The new support facility was spearheaded by a group of European institutions called the Europe Team. This coalition, which includes the European Commission's Directorate for International Partnerships, the AFD and the KFW (German Development Fund), aims to better coordinate the actions of the EU and its member countries for the benefit of developing countries. It has been carrying out a mission in Lomé for some days now.
"Without electricity, society and the economy lack dynamism. I am particularly proud that the Team Europe Initiative with France, Germany and the European Union has been able to contribute to this important project," said Dénis Koen, Director of International Partnerships at the European Commission.
Klétus Situ
AfDB provides a BOAD €150M loan facility to support the private sector in WAEMU
The West African Development Bank (BOAD) will soon get a €150 million (CFA98 billion) credit facility from the African Development Bank (AfDB). The funds will support the private sector in WAEMU’s eight-member States which are covered by the BOAD. The latter made the announcement last Tuesday after its 126th board meeting.
"This facility aims to support private sector companies in the WAEMU zone across all sectors, with an emphasis on projects related to agriculture, women empowerment and the improvement of people's living conditions,” the BOAD said.
"A minimum of 10% of the resources obtained via this line of credit must be used to finance projects led by women entrepreneurs or benefit women entrepreneurs,” the Lomé-based institution added.
The new loan facility, a significant milestone in the BOAD’s DJOLIBA investment plan, also aims to rebalance support to the public and private sectors. This, in a context where the Bank has mostly backed government-led projects since it was created.
A few days ago, the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development - the other regional development bank (also based in Lomé) - secured CFA40 billion from the Bank of Africa (BOA) to support back the private sector. In that case, however, the facility covers all 15 ECOWAS countries.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Covid-19: Togo’s health pass now recognized in EU, a first in SSA region
Starting from November 25, 2021, the European Union (EU) will be allowing those with a Togolese Covid health pass to travel across the community. Togo thus becomes the first sub-Saharan African country to enjoy this status.
"The Togolese government and the European Union Delegation are pleased to announce the recognition today of the digital vaccination certificate of Togo in all 27 countries of the European Union," reads a joint statement released yesterday by Lomé and the EU delegation.
"The Togolese government has indeed implemented an effective vaccination strategy for the population that places Togo among the most vaccinated countries in the sub-region," the document indicates. Indeed, one million people (25% of Togo’s population) are already registered on the digital platform set up to enrol and monitor vaccinated people.
"The recognition of the Togolese certificate by the European system attests to the importance for our country to build interoperable digital solutions that meet international norms and standards," said Cina Lawson, Togo’s minister of the digital economy and digital transformation.
Togo, let’s emphasize, is connected to Europe’s COVID digital certificate platform. Singapore also. "I am [also] delighted that we have the first country in Southeast Asia (Singapore) and the first country in sub-Saharan Africa (Togo) that will be interconnected to the COVID digital certificate platform," said Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice.
At present, about 1.5 million doses of Covid vaccines have been administered in Togo. This translates to 18.2 doses per 100 people. Also, 6.1% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to data gathered by Our World in Data.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togolese gvt’ signs updated charter for MSMEs
The Togolese government and the private sector officially signed on Tuesday the new charter for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The agreement paves the way for the provision of this updated document to the actors of this sector.
The document was initialed by the minister for financial inclusion and the informal sector, Mazamesso Assih, representing the government, and the respective bosses of the coalition of Togolese small and medium-sized businesses (GTPME/PMI) and the national council of employers, Innocent Démanya Ayivi and Laurent Tamegnon, who represented the private sector.
The charter defines the general framework of incentives established to foster MSMEs’ growth as well as obligations and commitments of actors concerned. Its implementation will "facilitate the formalization of informal businesses," said the minister of informal sector.
The government believes the charter is good news for Togolese businesses as it will help provide non-financial support to MSMEs, especially regarding "land and registration procedures, and also to secure financing". It "will also allow MSMEs to form a strong unit, and consequently access financing mechanisms more easily," according to the minister of communication and media, Prof Akodah Ayewouadan.
The charter takes into account four categories of enterprises, namely nano-enterprises, micro enterprises, small enterprises and medium enterprises. These should have a turnover that ranges between CFA5 million and CFA1 billion.
Esaïe Edoh
EDF Pulse Africa 2021: Sungaz and Atingan to represent Togo and Benin in Paris
Sungaz and Atingan Solutions are the two startups that will respectively represent Togo and Benin at the grand finale of the 2021 edition of the EDF Pulse Africa Contest next December in Paris. They were picked among eight other startups at the end of the Togo-Benin phase of the “EDF Africa Pulse Tour” which was hosted by the Energy Generation support structure on November 22 in Lomé.
The two startups tackle the same challenge with almost-similar products. Sungaz’s solution is a photovoltaic induction cooker that also provides access to electrical energy.
Chief of Project, Sungaz, holding his trophy
Regarding Atingan Solutions, it offers eponymous fireplaces equipped with solar panels and accumulators. It has so far sold 5,000 units of these fireplaces, which also have lamps and USB ports, in Benin. “This project has been approved by the entire jury. We are very proud of it and hope it will represent Benin well,” said Anderson Ahoua Boua, Off-GRID business manager at EDF, and a member of the jury.
Besides these two projects, the jury picked Pneumo Generator, a project which promotes an autonomous energy production and storage device for rural and semi-rural areas, as “favorite project.” The prototype will get tailored support in Lomé for its development and deployment.
From left to right, Anderson Ahoua Boua, Jocelyne Caballero (French ambassador to Togo), the representative of Atingan Solutions, and Astria Fataki
“Each of the winners for his or her country was unanimous. It must be said that the projects are of very high quality. And so we are very proud to send them to the final” said Astria Fataki, founder and CEO of Energy Generation.
The award ceremony was attended by Jocelyne Caballero, Ambassador of France to Togo and Mila Aziable, Minister Delegate, in charge of mines and energy. “The Ministry of Mines and Energy, which I head, is fully involved in the initiative that brings us together today and which aims to encourage and support local entrepreneurship in contributing to energy transition in the power sector,” said Mila Aziable before reiterating the full commitment of the Togolese government, EDF and its partners to “keep strengthening cooperation ties and coordinate entrepreneurship-supporting actions more effectively.”
Mila Aziablé during her speech
The EDF Pulse Africa Contest was launched in 2018 by Electricité de France group. Its purpose is to provide innovative African SMEs and Startups that operate in the power sector financial (cash prize of up to €15,000) and technical support via the EDF Pulse Africa Factory acceleration program. In 2019, the Togolese Adakpo Boutamekpo, who was a member of the 2021 jury for the Togo-Benin phase, won the second prize at the EDF Africa Pulse grand final.
Klétus Situ
KYA Energy teams up with education and research center 2ie
KYA Energy Group, the Togolese manufacturer and dealer of solar-powered generators and devices, has signed a collaboration partnership with Institut International d'Ingénierie de l'Eau et de l'Environnement (2IE). Under the agreement, the two partners will collaborate in many segments, notably training, research and development, and experience sharing.
The agreement, which was signed in Ouagadougou, “will facilitate recruitment of 2iE students as interns at KYA and its partner companies, the immersion of 2iE's teacher-researchers, the development of R&D activities of common interest, the co-financing of research, and more”, according the KYA Energy.
This agreement, we learn, makes KYA the focal point in Togo of all former graduates of 2iE (Alumni).
KYA Energy Group, it should be noted, is involved in the CIZO rural electrification project, as well as in another to give electricity to health centers in Togo’s rural areas.
Institut 2iE is a higher education and research center based in Burkina Faso and member of the Conférence des grandes écoles (CGE). Founded in 2006, it focuses on water and sanitation, environment, energy and electricity, civil engineering, mining, and management sciences.