Within the framework of the Kennedy Round food aid program and the 2021 economic and social development project, Japan recently donated 500 million Yen (about CFA2.5 billion) to Togo.

The grant agreement was signed on Sept. 16, between Japan’s ambassador to Togo, Hideaki Kuramitsu, and Togolese ministers of agriculture and health, Antoine Lékpa Ggbegbeni and Moustafa Mijiyawa, respectively.

The first part of the grant - 400 million Yen (about CFA2 billion) - falling under the Kennedy Round (KR) program should help Togolese authorities provide food to the poor.

“Beyond supplying food to the Togolese people, the projects helped secure counterpart funds, part of which is currently financing the project to support the development of planned agricultural development zones (zaap) in Togo, in line with the government's  2025 roadmap,” the minister of agriculture said.

The rest of the grant - 100 million Yen (about CFA500 million) - falls under the 2021 economic and social development project and will be used to support the government's anti-Covid-19 response. “This donation will help us secure medical and technical equipment essential for diagnosis and treatment,” said the minister of health.

The Kennedy Round food aid program was launched in 1968 by the UN. It aimed at developing cooperative relations between countries of the North and the South.

Mawulolo Ahlijah

Togo received 101,760 new doses of Astrazeneca from Germany, via the Covax initiative. The donation falls under the country’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign.

According to Prof. Moustafa Mijiyawa, Min. Health, the provision “will further strengthen Togo’s vaccination system,” at a time when “more people are getting vaccinated against Covid-19.” Last Thursday alone, 40,608 people got vaccinated, the Ministry of Health reported.

It is worth noting that the ongoing vaccination campaign was launched by the government to achieve herd immunity. 

The authorities plan to vaccinate 60% of the population and to do that, they need 4.5 million doses of vaccine.

Esaïe Edohd

Togolese SMEs, SMIs, and artisans will soon get part of the public procurements issued by the State. This is one of many reforms found in the public procurement draft bill examined and passed last Wednesday during the council of ministers. 

Another reform is the reduction of the time needed to provide public contracts from 180 to 90 days. 

The new law should soon be submitted to the Assembly for approval. Mainly aimed at dematerializing all procedures related to public procurements, the document, according to the council of ministers, “aligns with the government’s sustained efforts to improve the business climate.” It should also “help rapidly implement public investment projects to benefit the people.”

It is worth noting that since April 2019, young and women entrepreneurs have had access to 25% of all public procurements. 

Esaïe Edoh

The French Development Agency (AFD) has spent, so far, CFA130 billion to support projects in Togo. The information was revealed last Tuesday by the Presidency during the first review of the institution’s portfolio.

“The total amount that the AFD invested in Togo is CFA130 billion, including CFA49 billion in subsidies. The portfolio covers ten projects in agriculture, education, professional training, energy, water, and sanitation,” said Sandra Ablamba Johnson, minister secretary-general of the Presidency, while in the company of AFD’s country director, François Jacquier-Pélissier. 

The two parties said they were satisfied with the portfolio assessment but mentioned there are still challenges to overcome to better execute the projects. To tackle these, periodic reviews will be conducted,  for “more efficiency and efficacy in the execution of projects.”

The AFD, let’s recall, is one of Togo’s leading technical and financial partners. It supported the suspension of the debt service initiated by the Club de Paris in April 2020 and committed last April to back with CFA49 billion (€75 million) the PERECUT project - a project aimed at providing electricity to 50 Togolese municipalities.

Klétus Situ

Togo Invest Corporation SA and Kara Investment Fund recently signed an MoU to support Togolese businesses. 

Through the deal, the two entities will combine their efforts to “raise funds to support Togolese micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs),” especially businesses in their growing phase.

In detail, the signatories will finance agricultural, clean energy, airport infrastructures, road, telecom, and digital projects. They will also share opinions and information “frequently about the mobilization of funds from European institutional investors.”

The end goal of Togo Invest and Kara Investment Fund is to bolster the country’s economic fabric, in line with the government’s 2020-2025 roadmap.

Kara Investment Fund is a Luxembourg-based Africa-focused fund. Primarily, it backs projects that have social and economic impacts, as well as environment-friendly projects. In Togo, the Fund is engaged in agribusiness with its investments forecast at CFA5 billion.

Togo Invest, for its part, is a Holding established by the Togolese State. It supports the latter in key investment projects.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo will sign the African Medicine Agency (AMA) treaty. The country’s council of ministers recently examined and passed the draft bill that approves the treaty’s ratification. 

Through this approval, Lomé wants to “consolidate its efforts relative to the fight against fake and low-quality drugs.” This is the goal of “the Lomé initiative” launched on January 18, 2020, by President Faure Gnassingbe.

According to the government, ratifying the AMA treaty will also allow the country to reinforce its universal healthcare strategy. In this regard, last week, the ministers’ council examined and passed a draft bill establishing the Universal Health Insurance (AMU).

African States adopted the AMA treaty on February 11, 2019, in Addis Ababa. The treaty aims to facilitate a coordinated response by signatories amid health crises, monitor and mitigate the risk of shortage of drugs and other crucial products like vaccines.

Esaïe Edoh

“Congo wants to emulate the high quality of work done at the Industrial Platform of Adetikopé (PIA), with its modern technologies, to set up its own Special Economic Zones. The world’s future is in Africa, so we must focus on locally processing our products.”

This was declared by Emile Ouosso, Congolese minister of special economic zones, last Monday as he met, in Lomé, with the Togolese ministers of trade, and investment promotion, Kodjo Adedze, and Kayi Midevor.

Togolese authorities present at the meeting presented to the Congolese delegation led by Ouossou the various reforms Togo introduced in recent years. After this, they visited the PIA. 

The PIA, let’s emphasize, is one of Togo’s flagship industrialization projects. It involves the installation of several processing units.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo plans to launch its Electricity for All project (PEPT) next year. In this framework, the country’s minister of energy and mines, Mila Aziablé, was in Côte d’Ivoire on September 9 and 10 to meet with her Ivoirian counterpart, Thomas Camara. Aziablé’s goal was to learn more about Côte d’Ivoire’s experience in terms of electricity.

The Togolese on this occasion also discussed with many actors of the Ivoirian electricity sector. They talked about the level of progress of the PEPT in Côte d’Ivoire, commercial offers, costs of implementation, spending-return details, monitoring, and the power transportation and distribution system. 

Mila Aziable went to the Ivoirian power utility’s IT center and the PEPT’s development site in Anono.

Togo, let’s recall, is committed to achieving universal electricity coverage by 2030. To this end, it has taken many steps; such as the CIZO off-grid project, expanding the grid, building mini-grids, solar plants (for example Blitta’s 50 MW plant), among others.

Esaïe Edoh