Yesterday, May 25th, President Faure Gnassingbe took part in the 38th Session of NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee. The meeting took place on the sidelines of Africa Day, which is celebrated on that date, by videoconference.

During the talks, the Togolese leader asked for a partnership to be established between AUDA-NEPAD, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) and the institutions of the African Union (AU). These entities are in charge of Africa’s development and integration. 

“This strategic meeting is an opportunity to discuss how to address common challenges in the context of Covid-19 and build the Africa we want,” the Head of State tweeted.

Among other subjects covered by the African President are development policies, sustainable energy, gender, resource mobilization, the health crisis, and key projects for regional integration falling under the 2063 Agenda. 

As a reminder, NEPAD is a project focused on the development of Africa through infrastructure. It was initiated in 2001 by the African States. On May 27, 2021, in partnership with the Ecobank Group, the NEPAD will launch the financing component of the “100,000 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)” program. A billion CFA will be injected into this component.

Last Thursday, the Togolese parliament voted a law to protect and valorize the coastline, in a context where it is endangered by natural and human factors. 

The law, deputies said, aims to sustain environmental balance, slow erosion, preserve the integrity of some sites, as well as landscapes and marine heritage. It should also protect the coast against pollution and degradation, regardless of its origin. 

Commenting on the law, Yawa Tsegan, President of the National Assembly, said it should “ensure a sustainable development and preserve and leverage the country’s riches.” The latter, she adds, are the sources of Togo’s economic attractiveness, as well as of its social and cultural development.

For his part, Edem Tengue, Minister of Maritime Economy, said “the law opens up the path for the government to act against threats facing the coastline”. 

Over the past 10 years, the sea has gulped a significant part of Togolese coast. A study conducted in 2015, by the West African Coastal Observation Mission (WACOM), reported that the coast’s withdrawal was about 20 m per year, at key beaches such as the Baguida-Katanga beach, Agbavi and Doèvikopé.

Ousmane Sonko, leader of the Senegalese opposition party PASTEF, will not be in Lomé for the coming summit on the Eco. Due to a decision of the Senegalese justice, he will take part in the event via videoconference. 

Sonko, who was released from prison on March 8th, under judicial supervision, was expected to attend the event alongside other major actors of the African economy. These include Cape Verdean Cristina Duarte, the special advisor for Africa to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Carlos Lopes from Guinea Bissau, Benin’s former Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou, and AfDB’s chief economist, Emmanuel Pinto Moreira. 

Ousmane Sonko came third in Senegal’s 2019 presidential elections. His criticism of the CFA was one of his main focuses during these polls. 

The Eco Summit is set to commence tomorrow, May 26, 2021, at the University of Lomé (UL), and end on May 28. An initiative of the Togolese economist Kako Nubukpo, the event’s driving theme is “From CFA to ECO: Which currency for which development in West Africa?”

To valorize its peanut sector, Togo adopted earlier this year, new, more productive varieties. A total of 13 varieties from the Mali-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), and four from the Senegalese Institute for Agricultural Research (ISRA) were in effect introduced and tested in Togo. 

These varieties’ seeds are certified and have a guaranteed 45% yield rate, according to the Togolese Institute of Agronomic Research (ITRA). The institute also notes that “peanut varieties grown in Togo give low yields.” For the 2020-2021 agricultural campaign, it adds, the country had a low output, which stood at 43,407 tons.

As part of efforts to modernize the sector, twenty (20) processing units have been installed and are operational; they produce an average of 15 t of oil per month.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) announced on May 18, 2021, the disbursement of $2 billion to support small businesses and boost trade in Africa. The support will, according to the World Bank’s arm, help African economies recover post-Covid. 

In detail, a billion dollars will directly finance micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and the other half will finance international trade for Africa, to ease the import and export of essential goods - notably, food and medical products. 

“To create the conditions for an inclusive and sustainable recovery, it is essential to increase and adapt our financing to small and medium-sized enterprises and to secure the trade flows that drive economic activity,” said Makhtar Diop, IFC Director-General. “This is a critical time for people, businesses, and economies across Africa,” he added while emphasizing that “long-term recovery depends on financing the pillars of the economy that need it most today.” 

This financing is one of the most important commitments the IFC ever made for Africa. It comes as Africa faces the impact of the pandemic, which provoked its first recession in 25 years, slowing the private sector’s growth and cutting by 18% foreign direct investments in Africa. 

By March 2022, Togo should have a national strategy to fight corruption and relation offenses more efficiently. Last Friday, the elaboration of this document was started by Christian Trimua, Minister of Human Rights and Spokesperson of the government. 

Three years ago, the Higher Authority for Prevention and Fight Against Corruption and Related Offenses (HAPLUCIA), an institution for which the government had high hopes, started operations. Yet, Togo’s performances in terms of corruption were relatively modest, as attested by various global rankings and the Transparency International report. 

Indeed, in the latter, the country scored 29 points in 2019, 30 points the year before that, and stagnated at 32 points from 2015 till that year. 

Contrasting with the government’s objectives, the HAPLUCIA, in a recent poll, revealed that 58.1% of the Togolese think corruption increased in the past 12 months, while only 18.4% of them think it reduced. 

To improve the situation, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) decided to partner with HAPLUCIA. Wiyao Essohana, Head of UNDP Togo, said in this regard: “UNDP's support to Haplucia is part of a holistic approach to supporting the transformation of public administration, promoting transparency, efficiency and accountability of institutions.”

It should be recalled that Christian Trimua previously noted that, in line with the government’s 2020-2025 roadmap, the HAPLUCIA would be recomposed. 

In parallel, Lomé doubles down on efforts to keep corruption to the minimum. Recently, a project was announced to foster the declaration of goods and assets by officials, and another to democratize digital payment within the administration was launched. 

Daniel Agbenonwossi (intern)

Last Wednesday, May 19, PM Victoire Dogbé visited the water tower sites of Bè, Nyékonakpoè, and Adougba. The projects were started less than a year ago, under the Program to Support Vulnerable Populations (PAPV). 

Once operational, the towers, with a total capacity of 4,000 m3 of water, should boost access to water in Lomé. Up till now supply to the capital is ensured by a plant in Cacavelli.  

“For these projects, we trusted local experts who led the works with brio. I urged the teams to double down on their efforts to deliver within the best delays,” said Dogbé.