A Togolese delegation led by the minister of trade and industry, Kodjo Adedze, is currently in Istanbul, Turkey, for the 3rd Turkey-Africa Business and Economic Forum. The event which started today ends tomorrow, according to the ministry of trade which disclosed the information. 

Adedze went to promote Togo’s private sector. He is accompanied by some representatives of that sector, such as the boss of the national employers’ association, the head of Togo’s Large Enterprises Association (AGET), and the second vice-president of the special consular delegation of the chamber of commerce and industry (CCIT). 

On the sidelines of this forum, the Togolese delegation met, on October 20th, the president of Istanbul’s chamber of commerce, Sekib Avdagic. They talked about potential cooperation between the two countries’ chambers of commerce.

The forum which aims at promoting Turkish and African investments takes place two days after Turkey’s President, Recep Erdogan, was in Lomé. On this occasion, officials from the two countries looked at ways to improve their commercial and diplomatic relations. 

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Lomé will host an international summit on cybersecurity on October 25 and 26, 2021. The forum is co-organized by Togo and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and should be attended by Heads of State, top private sector actors, and leaders of the African civil society.

During the meeting, participants will explore and assess the state of cybersecurity in Africa based on five aspects (legal, technical, organizational, capacity building, and cooperation), the state of cooperation regarding cybersecurity at the regional and global level, and the commitment to the Malabo convention on cybersecurity and private data protection. 

Commenting on the upcoming meeting, Togo’s Minister of Digital Economy and Transformation, Cina Lawson, said: “This Summit, which will be attended by eminent personalities, such as the President of the Togolese Republic, H.E. Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBÉ, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Ms. Vera Songwe, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Jean Claude Kassi Brou, among others, aims to make cybersecurity a top priority for our States.” 

“Now that the regulatory frameworks have mostly been put in place, we want to propose innovative ideas for operational cooperation, to address the threats, concretely and decisively. And given that our resources are limited, we have no choice but to work together,” she added.

Many political suggestions were made to the presidents expected at the Summit, on ways to boost cybersecurity in Africa.

In this regard, Lomé, it should be noted, has been taking steps over the past few years to reinforce its legal and operational framework in the sector. One of these steps includes the progressive implementation of the National Cybersecurity Agency (ANCY).

For more information about the Summit, visit its official website here.

Today and Tomorrow (Oct. 21 and 22), Lomé will host the World Summit for Girls. This is the first time the event is being held in Africa. Its organization is steered by Plan International Togo.

The summit, which will be mainly online, aims at creating a multicultural, intergenerational, and citizen space for all girls worldwide. It will be a place where girls can interact, improve and decide deep changes they wish to see in their respective milieu. The girls will also discuss their challenges and successes in terms of leadership.

Workshops, roundtables, conferences, and training sessions will take place during the event. Young girls, as well as advocates of women and girls’ rights, will attend, among others. All African organizations are also invited.

“It is a real pleasure and great responsibility for us to host this summit which is an opportunity for girls to express their full potential, increase their voice, and initiate high-level advocacy for their equality,” Plan International Togo declared.

The summit’s holding in Lomé falls in line with the Togolese government’s efforts to promote gender equity. Recently, the country was distinguished by the UNFPA and Plan International for its commitment to fostering women leadership. 

For more information or to register, visit the Summit’s dedicated website.

Two hundred and fifty thousand (250,000) tons of soybean seeds will be put up for sale in the 2021-2022 campaign. This was recently disclosed by the Interprofessional Council of Soybean in Togo (CIFS-TOGO), as the campaign was being launched.

This volume is 40% higher than that marketed in the previous campaign: 150,000 t. 

Out of the 250,000 t that will be marketed this year, 36,000t will be processed locally. “The interprofessional council asks all operators who have an export contract to set aside a part of their stock for local processing units, to ensure they do not lack the input throughout the year. The council’s office will make sure of that,” said Komla Kadzakade, Chairman CIFS. 

In this framework, the CIFS granted local processors a two-week delay to get their soybean supplies.

For the ongoing campaign, the interprofessional council slightly raised the price per kg of soybean, from CFA186 in 2020 to CFA205.

 Esaïe Edoh

Lomé hosted yesterday the 22nd session of the Togo-EU political dialogue. The meeting was co-chaired by the Togolese minister of foreign affairs, Robert Dussey, and the head of the EU representation in Togo, Joaquín Tasso Villalonga.

Attended by several Togolese ministers, the roundtable revolved around political, economic, social, and common interest issues.

“Togo is a reliable and strategic partner on which the European Union can count,” said Robert Dussey during the meeting. 

“We have covered many topics, such as the health situation and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, gender equity, regarding which Togo is exemplary, especially when it comes to women leadership,” commented Joaquín Tasso Vilallonga. “...We also talked about economic governance and the preparation of the next summit between the European Union and the African Union,” he added. 

The two partners looked at how Togo contributes to peacekeeping and stability in the region. 

The EU, let’s recall, is one of Togo’s biggest trade, technical and financial partners. In addition to receiving many of the West African country’s products, such as its organic soybeans, the European Union helps Togo in many aspects, such as fighting poverty, decentralization, education, and economic governance.

The Union is Togo’s second-biggest donor, CFA10 billion in 2019.

Cimtogo, a subsidiary of HeidelbergCement, increased the price of its CPJ 45 cement. The information was confirmed last Saturday by Eric Goulignac, MD of Cimtogo. 

In a note addressed to retailers dated October 13, 2021, the cement supplier announced the new price and it became effective on October 15. According to the note, the ton of cement sells for CFA79,001 at Cimtogo’s plant in Lomé, and CFA81,000 in Kara.

The surge is apparently due to shocks faced by global maritime supply chains, health restrictions, and economic recovery which is causing demand for goods to rise. These various factors, Goulignac explained, impact ships’ capacities, exacerbating containers’ shortcomings and resulting in higher freight rates. 

“This price adjustment became necessary after a 250% increase in fuel for the Scantogo plant and an increase of more than $35 per ton in sea freight on gypsum and coal. Given the actual global context, keeping old prices is no longer possible,” Cimtogo’s MD said.

This means that Togo is now among WAEMU countries - Senegal, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin - where the price of the traditional cement bag rose in 2021. However, Togo, which produces clinker, remains one of WAEMU states where cement is the most expensive. 

Yesterday, Oct. 18, certified cement retailers started selling Cimtogo’s cement at CFA80,000-CFA82,000. Meanwhile, the prices of Diamond and Dangoté cement were stable in most places.

“I sell it for 81,000 FCFA. The prices at Cimtogo changed last week. Otherwise, it was 78,000 CFA francs per ton,” a retailer in the Vakpossito district on the outskirts of Lomé told Togo First. 

Fiacre E. Kakpo

Maximilien Kaffo, the new IMF resident representative in Togo said last Thursday that the country’s economy grew over the first half of the year, despite the Covid crisis. This was also the opinion of the National Council for Credit (CNC). 

Kaffo made the statement during a meeting with the local press. He also said that the sectors of industry, trade, services, and some others, regained their pre-pandemic activity levels.

“Production’s resumption also reflects a sustained recovery of demand (internal and external),” the economist said, sharing the CNC’s views. 

Indeed, the CNC, during its third session of the year held on October 7, noted that “after nine months of activity, economic indicators point to a stronger-than-expected recovery in the service sector, which is more resilient to the negative impact of Covid-19.” 

The council also reported that the average inflation rate stood at 3.9% at the end of August 2021. Year on year, it was at 5.7% in September, which is better than the figure recorded between July and August (6.8%).

Concerning the IMF-Togo relationship, Maximilien Kaffo said talks between the two sides would continue in all serenity.

Let’s recall that last June, the Togolese side kickstarted negotiations with the Bretton Woods institution to “finalize agreements for a new Extended Credit Facility (ECF).”

Esaïe Edoh