Starting from December 15, 2020, quality controls for private producers of drinking water (in a sachet or bottled) will resume. 

The news was disclosed by the ministry of water and rural hydraulics which added that the inter-ministerial committee in charge of the controls will restart activities at the set date. 

The resumption comes in a context where “production and marketing of these water products by private actors are subject to prior approval by the ministry, which ensures that they are fit for human consumption.”   

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

In 2017, all 23 companies active in Togo’s extractive industry generated around CFA13.2 billion for the State. 86% of the sum came from mines (around 75%) and quarries (12%) and were allocated to the national budget. The rest (around 14%) came from the exploitation of groundwaters (6.7%), gold sales (6.5%), and artisanal mining (which represented 0.1% of budget revenues.  

The figures were disclosed in the presentation of the report on Togo’s initiative for transparency in extractive industries (ITIE-Togo) in 2017. The document, which is being validated, was presented on November 30, 2020, during the 35th ordinary meeting of the committee steering the initiative. 

On this occasion, the committee concluded that “overall, Togo has made significant progress in the implementation of the ITIE Norm.” 

“Mining contracts have been published in Togo, as well as the operating permits of mining companies, which are available on the websites of the General Directorate of Mines and Geology (...). Generally speaking, the companies have declared their real shareholders,” said Didier Kokou Agbemadon, national coordinator of ITIE-Togo.  

Moreover, “companies have published their financial statements, especially crown corporations.” 

The report was presented to the minister of energy and mines, Mila Aziable, who opened the meeting. She used the opportunity to reiterate the government’s commitment to clean up the sector and “ensure together that the ITIE becomes a model for the good management of the extractive sector, and the management of the State’s finances.”

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

On November 30, 2020, Togo received the green light to ratify the Bangui agreement on the creation of an African Intellectual Property Organization (AIPO). 

According to the national assembly, the document is “a legal tool that enables Togo to better protect inventions and creations, and to efficiently fight counterfeiting, especially that of pharmaceutical products.” 

Meanwhile, the minister of trade, industry, and local consumption, Kodjo Sévon-Tépé ADEDZE, said the permission to ratify the agreement will help achieve the second axis of the country’s 2025 strategic vision. The latter mainly aims to boost job creation by tapping into the economy’s strengths. The official added that this axis directly aligns with Togo’s ambition to attract investors. 

Besides Togo, 16 other countries adhere to the AIPO, namely: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, the Union of Comoros.

Séna Akoda

Orabank Togo partnered with Miaplenou, a local startup, to launch an e-commerce service that enables users to make purchases with their banking card (Visa or MasterCard). 

“The new service, designed for sellers who have a website, allows them to sell but also receive payments safely with Visa or MasterCard from customers,” affirmed Guy-Martial Awona, MD of Orabank Togo.  

Through the initiative, the bank wants to help online businesses reduce operating costs, enable them to process more orders, and rapidly boost their sales. 

Miaplenou is a Togolese startup specialized in IT engineering and e-commerce. Established in 2013, it aims to become a marketplace that connects sellers and buyers, through online payment collection, shipping, and parcel delivery services. 

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Ecobank announced it will launch a program to finance and support female African entrepreneurs. The program baptized Ellever mainly aims to help the businesswomen, in all 33 countries where the Lomé-based group is present, boost their turnover through financial solutions and added-value services. 

Ellever will also allow its beneficiaries to “secure loans at favorable interest rates as well as value-added services such as training and networking opportunities,” said Joséphine Anan-Ankomah, group executive for commercial banking at Ecobank. 

“We are pleased to see that Ecobank group, through the Ellever program, gives women a chance to take their rightful place in the economic development of our country, and the whole continent even. We will work with the private sector to maximize the potential of African women and create inclusive business opportunities,” said for her part Myriam Doussou-d’Almeida, minister of grassroots development, youth and youth employment, present at the program’s launching ceremony.

Let’s recall that Ecobank already runs, in partnership with AUDA-NEPAD, a project which is aimed at supporting 100,000 businesses in Africa. The latter was announced last June.  

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Last Friday, Togo’s public treasury retained CFA22 billion through the issuance of two bonds maturing respectively over 5 and 7 years. 

Overall, subscriptions to the operations exceeded CFA59 billion, marking a surge in confidence of investors in the regional market. 

The funds retained - in line with the norm forcing issuers to collect at most 110% of the initial target - will, according to the treasury, be used to meet the 2020 budgetary needs. The latter were scaled up due to unexpected spending and fiscal shortcomings resulting from the Covid-19 crisis. 

Looking at the repeated oversubscriptions, Togo, and some other WAEMU states, is performing well in the public securities market.

The Threshold program was launched in Togo last Friday, following a meeting that gathered ministers, members of the Millennium Challenge Account cell (MCA-Togo), American officials and others. 

For the program, which ultimately aims at reducing poverty and accelerating economic growth, Togo secured $35 million worth of donations. The threshold program will mainly focus on ICTs and Land issues. 

In detail, regarding ICTs, the program should help improve access to the technologies and high quality, cheap internet, promote private investments, establish an independent regulatory regime, expand related services to poorly covered areas, and train more women and small business in the usage of ICTs. 

Concerning land, part of the funds received under the threshold program will help boost access to lands, and improve the protection of legit land rights, among others. 

The program’s launch came in about three weeks after Stanislas Baba, national coordinator of MCA-Togo, reiterated the commitment to accelerate the implementation process. 

Séna Akoda

Consulting firm BAGE has received the greenlight to technically assist project carriers selected during the previous Togo-EU economic forum (FETUE). 

The firm was given approval by Minister Sandra Ablamba Johnson on Nov. 17, 2020, during a meeting held at the Togolese presidency, in the presence of the Cooperation chief of the EU delegation and BAGE’s Chief of mission.   

BAGE was selected through a tender launched by the Cell for Support to the National Authorising Officer (CAON).   

Under contract, BAGE “will set up a team of 15 experts in areas like accountability, project management, agricultural economics, and industrial engineering. In all, 125 projects were selected to benefit from its technical assistance,” said the CAON. 

Beyond helping the beneficiaries boost their capacities in terms of business management, debt management, etc, the Togolese consulting firm will also help them secure funds they need to effectively launch their projects.

Séna Akoda