During the 2020-2021 agricultural campaign, farmers will receive 6,500 tons of certified seeds from seed producers. This was the key outcome from the meeting held this week in Kara between the network of seed producers of Togo and heads of food-producing sectors.

Commenting with regards to the way the seeds will be distributed, president of the seed producers networt, Balintiya Konsana revealed that "talks are ongoing with the Agricultural Fertilizers Management and Supply Centre (CAGIA) to stock our seeds in stores where fertilizers are sold".

Moreover, seed producers said they took measures to facilitate the identification of seed varieties. Starting this year, the seeds sold to farmers will be labeled.

During the meeting, it was also revealed that the TGX1914F and the IR841 seed varieties were respectively picked for the soybean and rice sectors. Maize growers for their part will have the choice between short-cycle and long-cycle varieties depending on the desired yield.

Klétus Situ (intern)

After five years of negotiation, Togolese pharmacists finally inked their collective convention that will considerably improve their working and living standards. 

This was announced by Ekoué Ekoué-Bla, general secretary of the Union of Private and Wholesale Pharmacists of Togo. 

Among others, the convention also witness the increase in wages of workers in the pharmaceutical sector, a recalculation of working hours and payment of overtime. 

Both the workers in the industry and the National Order of Pharmacists of Togo rejoice over the news. Dr. Innocent Kpeto, a member of the order, said the convention is “a huge step toward the modernization of the pharmacy sector in Togo”. 

The collective convention should also improve relationships between workers and their employers, even if there is already very little friction between these two groups. 

Séna Akoda

To date, the portfolio of African Lease Togo (ALT) is valued at about 10 billion CFA. This was revealed to Togo First by the firm’s managing director, Toussaint Sossou.

Active in Togo since 2019, subsequent to the adoption of the law on leasing, the company significantly supported businesses over a short period. At the time it started activities in the country, Sossou had declared: “Through leasing, African Lease Togo will obtain professional material and equipment for very small enterprises, small and medium enterprises, and small and medium, industries, giving them the option to buy or lease over long periods of time.” 

ALT, whose operations are approved by the ministry of finance and economy, covers agriculture, agribusiness and construction. 

In tandem with the Incentive Mechanism for Agricultural Financing based on risk-sharing (MIFA), African Lease Togo arranged the purchase of tractors for farmers. The related investment was 1.5 billion CFA.

Also at the end of Q2 2020, 15 new MAN trucks and 15 SCHMITZ CARGOBULL trailers were provided to Brasserie du Bénin (BB Lomé), for nearly one billion CFA. 

It should be noted that ALT increased its capital from CFA3.1 billion to 3.5 billion in order to expand its leasing-factoring activity. 

Séna Akoda

A European cybersecurity firm, Asseco Group, and the government of Togo established a Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-TG) whose mission is to protect the Togolese cyberspace. This was announced on 3rd of February by Cina Lawson, minister for the digital economy and digital transformation. 

In effect, the purpose of the CERT consists in“identifying, analyzing, and tackling cyberattacks against the Togolese State, citizens, businesses, and its organizations,” an official source reported. The new organization will provide training in cybersecurity, digital investigation, and cryptocurrencies, among others. 

“In order to fully enjoy from the digitalization of services and the administration, the Togolese people must trust in the safety of the cyberspace. The CERT-TG is reinforcing this trust by protecting all digital actors and training local experts in cybersecurity. The launch of a CERT meets the best international standards and proves that we have the ability to achieve our ambitions,” said Cina LAWSON. 

Operations at the CERT will be led by Cyber Defense Africa (CDA), a joint venture created by Asseco and the State, under the patronage of the National Agency for Cybersecurity. 

Klétus Situ (intern)

The ministry of trade and local consumption promotion is training market women of Lomé’s Grand marché, teaching them rules for community life and accountability. 

The workshop which ends today, regroups the members of the SEFECTO (Solidarité pour l'Épanouissement des Femmes Commerçantes du Togo) association. 

Through the initiative, the government wishes to help these women move from the informal to the formal sector over time. 

“Bookkeeping is one of the major challenges of market women, most of whom work in the informal sector, due to a lack of information and of management skills”, said Aflimba JOHNSON COMLAN-CATARIA, president of the SEFECTO. “This workshop will both enable our members to move towards the formal sector and therefore benefit from the State’s incentives and support mechanisms”, she added. 

It’s worth emphasizing that the present meeting was recommended during the first edition of the Private Sector Week, held in Togo from 4th – 7th, November 2019.

Togolese authorities have initiated works to update the 2021 edition of the Municipal Development Plans (PDC) as part of the decentralization process ongoing in the country for some years now.

Municipal and regional experts in decentralization are in a two-day meeting to perfect and validate the first assessment of the plans concerned.

The assessment was launched on December 17, 2020, by the Ministry of Territorial Development, which is actively engaged in the country’s decentralization process. 

“Amid the present context, integrating a full communalization, SDGs, the national development, the new government roadmap, the digital environment (...), it is a good idea to draw a new guide taking into account the new components,” says Dr. Demakou Yendoubé, Director of Spatial Orientation of the Territory.

The meeting will help “validate PDCs based on the old and assess new ones”, so as to “design a better guide, which we will make available to all stakeholders”. 

Eventually, the update will enable the launch of a new decentralization guide for Togolese municipalities. 

The government is hiring power developers to carry out electrification works in all regions of the country except the Maritime. The related international tender was launched by Mila Aziablé, minister of energy and mine. The closing date for bid submission is March 22, 2021. 

Winning bidders will provide and set up medium-tension and low-tension equipment in the regions concerned. 

The project aligns with Lomé’s efforts to electrify the whole country. The government wants to provide electricity to the whole Togolese population by 2030. 

Séna Akoda