Togo is extending the State of Health Emergency, for the fourth consecutive time since it was first declared by President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé on April 2, 2020, to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The decision was approved by the national assembly after a request was submitted by PM Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé on March 16, 2021.

"We remain concerned about protecting our people and we urge everyone to make the necessary efforts to slow down the spread considerably so that our country can resume its march towards progress," said Yawa Tsegan Djigbodi, President of the National Assembly as the state of emergency was being extended.

Concretely, the measure empowers the President of the Republic to legislate by ordinance, thus assuming, for certain reasons, including the speed with which the decisions necessary to manage the pandemic are taken, the responsibility that is normally shouldered by the National Assembly.

The State of Health Emergency is extended at a time when there is a rebound in the number of cases in Lomé, the capital city.  

As of March 16, 2021, Togo has recorded 100 new cases of infection. According to data available, 127 new patients recovered on Tuesday while one new death was recorded.

Séna Akoda

The Togolese government plans to map out its fishing areas to boost industrial fishing. This was disclosed by Kokou Edem Tengue, minister of fishing and maritime economy. 

The move is part of a larger project to modernize sea fishing in Togo. In the framework of the latter, the authorities are seeking a firm to conduct related feasibility studies. 

The same project should identify the number and types of fishing ships needed to exploit fish resources available in Togolese waters. Also, it will recommend facilities for disembarking and storing fishing products. Various industrial fishing sites and their profitability threshold will be revealed by the study as well. 

The modernization project aligns with the government's ambition to boost agriculture's contribution to the GDP. This, in a context where more than 20,000 people work in the fishing sector and it contributes nearly 4.5% of the GDP. 

Séna Akoda

With support from the German cooperation GIZ, the Togolese National Administration School (ENA) will spend CFA 800 million on a strategic plan covering the 2022-2025 period to boost the performances of public officers. 

The strategy, submitted for approval on March 15, revolves around three major axes, notably: improving the governance of the ENA, improving teaching methods, and seeking partnerships and work contracts.

In this framework, the ENA will boost its institutional capacities and adapt courses to the needs of the public administration in terms of qualified human resources. “Our main mission is to provide the State with qualified and competent workers,'' said Prof Adama Kpodar, director of ENA. 

The strategic plan will be drawn by the Centre de Recherche et Ingénierie en Gestion de l’Environnement et du Territoire Consulting et Service (CRIGET-CS). The same institution was appointed to assess shortcomings in the public administration and the performance of its officials. 

Séna Akoda

The government of Togo will organize general assemblies in the husbandry sector. These assemblies will gather all actors engaged in the sector to reflect on reforms likely to boost the country’s output, and especially tackle the 45% deficit in meat products at the national level. 

Indeed, the country records a shortfall in this area despite production in sub-sectors like poultry and small ruminants having improved with the PASA. The latter also helped increase its beneficiaries’ income by 50%. 

“Despite the special attention the State pays to husbandry, there is still much to be done,” said Antoine Lekpa, Minister of agriculture, livestock, and rural development, last week at the launch of regional workshops dedicated to livestock promotion. 

The projected assemblies will be the occasion to analyze the husbandry sector and recommend solutions to overcome the shortfall in meat production the country faces. 

They should ultimately lead to the elaboration of a development strategy for husbandry, which directly aligns with the government’s 5-year development plan (2020-2025).

Séna Akoda

The African Development Bank (AfDB) recently published its 2021 Africa economic outlook report. Titled “From Debt Resolution to Growth: the Road Ahead for Africa,” the 200-page document dives into the issue of debt and assesses the performances of African economies amid the ongoing pandemic. 

Togo, according to the report’s authors, should record a rapid economic recovery. They state that as the pandemic weakens and the economy recovers, the country’s growth was forecast at 4.3% and 5.6% in 2021 and 2022 respectively. This performance should be driven by agriculture, and increasing investments in transport, energy, and industries. 

Inflation up, public debt under control

After rising from 0.7% to 1.6% in 2020, according to the AfDB, the inflation in Togo should keep going up, reaching 1.9% this year and 2.1% in 2022. Meanwhile, the budget deficit is expected to improve slightly, from 4% of the GDP in 2021 down to 3.4% next year. 

As for the public debt, the Abidjan-based Bank does not seem concerned, asserting that the country’s risk of debt distress is moderate. The AfDB explains its projection by “the recovery of the economy and public investments as well as the payment of deferred maturities.” However, it expects a slight increase of the debt-to-GDP ratio to 60%, as against 57.8% in 2020, nearly 69% in 2019, and 80% in 2016. 

Klétus Situ

After recently making the headlines, Ghislain Awaga, the young Togolese who made a fortune with trading is “facing some economic difficulties” with his company Global Trade Corporation (GTC). 

The firm, for some months now, has stopped paying its investors. A situation which its promoter, Awaga himself, attributes to the company’s migration towards the real economy. 

The young CEO indeed recently initiated various projects in the housing and agribusiness sector. A conversion that is not going so well. Commenting on the crisis, Awaga said it is “temporary” while still considering going into “receivership.” 

“GTC is not shutting down contrary to what many people think...The staff will continue its usual work and will remain available to answer any of the investors’ concerns,” the firm indicated. 

In parallel, CACESPIC-IF, another trading firm promising huge dividends to its investors (up to 300%) was placed under receivership in January 2021, leaving its investors in total disarray. 

Séna Akoda

Last week, in Notsè (Plateaux region), local communities established the Intermunicipal Association for the Development of the Plateaux region (AIDAP). The association’s purpose is the concerted management of agro-pastoral infrastructures and the planification of joint actions to develop the region. 

“We came here to assess and adopt rules that will set up the association of municipalities concerned by agropastoralism. This is a matter of solidarity. The various municipal councils must deliberate on these rules’ content so that municipalities without agro-pastoral infrastructures can benefit from those that have them. That is the advantage of the inter-municipal association,” declared Atara Ifaraba, mayor of Anié 1 and chairman of the newly-established association. 

By promoting a strong collaboration between local municipalities, the AIDAP wishes to help make the movement of herds safer and tackle issues of herdsmen of the region, by improving their access to pastoral spaces. The inter-municipal association benefits from the technical support of Enterprise Territoires et Développement (ETD), an agricultural NGO, and the financial support of Acting for Life. 

Klétus Situ

Togo’s telecom regulator, ARCEP, plans to update the postal regulation in place in the country. 

In effect, the regulator launched a process to recruit a consultant to perform this task. The process will close on March 19, 2021. 

The current regulation, it should be noted, dates from 1999. This is in a context where the Postal Office keeps diversifying its activities. Indeed, in addition to mail distribution, it provides financial services through Postal Check Centres (CCPs), money transfer, and transportation. 

Direct rivals of the Togolese Post Office are DHL, FedEx UPS, and Top Chrono, all global leaders. 

Séna Akoda

Three Togolese were among the Top 10 bearers of the most innovative AI projects drawn by the jury of the World Africa Startups Summit (WASS) which will be held from April 8 to 10, 2021, in Lomé. 

Out of 50 projects submitted by candidates from eight countries, Dobbee Pay, Solimi Fintech, and Artybe, which are respectively spearheaded by the Togolese Kokou Nouvor, Egbidi Matina, and Nouhova Laura Kpegli, are on the shortlist drawn by the WASS’ jury. 

Zoom in on the Three Togolese projects

Kokou Nouvor and his collaborators operate in the fintech sector. With Dobbee Pay, they aim to create a platform that allows its users to receive and transfer money via mobile money, banks, and cryptocurrency platforms. This digital tool’s particularity is to “establish an interoperability link between existing payment means and enable users to make grouped payments to a maximum of one million people, in one click.”

The second project, Solimi Fintech, which was conceived by Egbidi Matina, has a mission to reduce by 40% the use of cash within five years by democratizing access to financial services. 

In the long run, she says, the project should foster “the creation, using AI, of a world where it will be possible to manage all financial or commercial transactions online.” A chatbot will be integrated into the app, according to its promoter. 

Last is Artybe. Developed by Laura Nouhova Kpegli, it is a platform that combines AI with African culture to “promote Togo as an exceptional touristic destination where the environment is preserved for future generations.” 

Beyond promoting tourism, the app will also serve as a learning platform (IT, fitness, agriculture, swimming, etc). Based on their availability, and financial capacity, users will be able to “create themselves a tailored course taking into account their wants and the country’s riches.”

Besides Togo, other projects selected came from Benin, Morocco, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Côte d’Ivoire.

Séna Akoda