An additional phase of Togo's second General Business Census (RGE-2) began on Wednesday, August 27, 2025. The operation, which targets areas not covered in the main phase, will continue until September 10, according to a joint statement from the Ministries of Commerce, Territorial Administration, Development Planning, and Economy.

This new stage follows the initial phase, which took place from March 3 to May 3. The current phase is divided into two parts. The first, from August 27 to September 10, covers the Maritime region (Zio prefecture), the Plateaux region (Moyen-Mono, Haho, and Anié), and the Savanes region (Cinkassé, Kpendjal, Oti, Oti-Sud, Tandjoaré, and Tône). The second part, scheduled from August 27 to September 5, will focus on the Central region (Blitta, Sotouboua, and Tchaoudjo) and the Kara region (Binah, Kéran, and Kozah).

As in the first phase, census agents will be deployed to collect information on the geographical distribution, size, and sectors of business activity. The goal is to provide public authorities and investors with reliable, updated data to guide policies and investment strategies.

The census is financially supported by the World Bank through the Harmonizing and Improving Statistics in West Africa Project (HISWA). The first census, conducted in 2017, identified 115,880 businesses throughout the country.

Esaïe Edoh

• OIF’s “D-CLIC” program will train 150 young people in Kpalimé starting September 2025.

• Courses cover Digital Marketing, Web and Mobile Development, with options for international certification.

• The program aims to boost youth employability and self-employment in Togo’s digital sector.

Kpalimé will welcome a fresh wave of young trainees in September under the “D-CLIC, digital training with the OIF” program. The International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) runs the initiative in partnership with the CUBE (Centre Urbain de Business et d’Entrepreneuriat) incubator.

The project will train 150 young people aged 18 to 35. Organisers will focus on equipping them with practical skills in two areas: Communication and Digital Marketing, and Web and Mobile Development.

The courses will run for four months in person, with personalised coaching. The most outstanding students will earn international PECB certification, in addition to national and Francophone-recognised certificates.

OIF stresses that the training is not only about skills. The initiative aims to make young Africans more employable in a digital economy that is growing fast.

In Kpalimé, where youth face high unemployment despite their dynamism, the program offers new prospects for self-employment and local value creation.

Registration remains open until September 13, 2025. Applicants must reside in the region or travel daily, and hold at least a BAC II diploma.

OIF already trained and certified 244 young people in earlier editions held in Lomé, Aného, Kara, and Dapaong. The organisation expects the Kpalimé edition to continue building this momentum.

Consult the registration form.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

• The Food Security Accelerator (FSA) Innovation Network held its inaugural technical workshop in Dzogbépimé on August 25–26, 2025.

• The event gathered micro-businesses, incubators, researchers, donors, and institutions to promote local crops, urban-adapted products, and agri-food networking.

• Authorities said the initiative complements national agriculture projects like ZAAP and PNIASAN to boost cultivated areas and yields.

Togo hosted the first technical workshop of the Food Security Accelerator (FSA) Innovation Network in Dzogbépimé, Avé prefecture. Participants included micro-businesses, incubators, researchers, donors, and institutional representatives. The Ministry of Agriculture and the African Adaptation Initiative (AIA) supported the gathering, according to the Togolese Press Agency (ATOP).

The workshop, themed “Food, Real Impact”, aimed to build a pan-African ecosystem that turns agricultural challenges into opportunities. Attendees discussed promoting local crops, crafting products for urban markets, and improving connections across the agri-food chain. An exhibition of processed goods—such as cereal crisps, oils, and creams made from local crops—showcased the value of African ingenuity.

Togolese officials emphasized that the FSA network complements existing agriculture initiatives like the Planned Agricultural Development Zones (ZAAP) and the National Agricultural Investment Programme (PNIASAN). These programs have already expanded cultivated land and increased yields.

Sandra Freitas, Managing Director of the ASF, said the workshop formed part of preparations for the African Forum on Food Systems 2025 and the Real Food 2026 international conference. She called for stronger collaboration between modern innovation and traditional knowledge to build resilient food systems.

This article was initially published in French by Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Edited in English by Ange Jason Quenum

• 150 spots available for youth aged 18–35, 40% reserved for women.

• Training covers integrated cropping systems, improved seed production, and agri-food processing.

• Applications close on September 19, 2025.

The Togolese Institute of Agricultural Research (ITRA) has launched a new call for applications to train young people in modern agriculture. The programme offers 150 places for Togolese youth aged 18 to 35, with 40% reserved for women.

The training will focus on three innovative areas: integrated cropping systems in Atakpamé, improved market garden seed production in Dapaong, and agri-food processing in Tsévié. ITRA said the objective is to give participants hands-on knowledge to strengthen agricultural value chains.

The programme, backed by the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), is part of the ECOWAS regional strategy to boost youth employability in agriculture, fisheries, and livestock. Authorities said applicants must be ECOWAS nationals, resident in Togo, and not have previously joined the programme.

Officials stressed that the initiative aims not only to train young people but also to address a shortage of skilled labour. Agriculture provides two-thirds of jobs in West Africa, according to the Sahel and West Africa Club, but struggles to attract youth.

The training complements the ECOWAS Regional Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP) and its Investment Plan (Priasan). These frameworks aim to fight unemployment, reduce rural exodus, and encourage self-employment in farming.

ITRA said applications close on 19 September 2025.

This article was initially published in French by Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Edited in English by Ange Jason Quenum

• Togo will hold the first AgTech Hackathon from September 4–7, 2025, in Tindjassi, focused on digital solutions for agriculture.

• The competition, organized by FSRP-Togo and Togo Tech, targets students from the Ecole Supérieure d’Agronomie (ESA).

• Winning projects will receive technical assistance, deployment support and funding access to strengthen food security and rural development.

Togo will organize a digital innovation competition dedicated to agriculture from September 4–7, 2025, in Tindjassi, Mô prefecture. The event, called the Togo AgTech Hackathon, will mainly gather students from the Ecole Supérieure d’Agronomie (ESA). Their mission will be to design, test and refine technological solutions that address the country’s agricultural challenges.

Organizers said projects must highlight technologies with strong potential to boost rural development and improve food security. The most promising initiatives will benefit from technical assistance, deployment support and funding opportunities. These measures aim to maximize the projects’ impact on agricultural transformation in Togo and across the sub-region.

The West African Food Systems Resilience Project (FSRP-Togo) is running the event in partnership with Togo Tech. It falls under sub-component 2.1 of the FSRP, which seeks to strengthen regional innovation systems and promote locally adapted solutions.

Bouab Kpanté, Director of Entrepreneurship and Agricultural Financing, said the initiative underscores the importance of youth engagement. The competition aims to foster the commitment of young innovators and reinforce innovation as a key lever to modernize agriculture.

Kpanté added that the hackathon is part of broader efforts to develop sustainable agriculture, resilient to climate challenges and aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This article was initially published in French by Esaïe Edoh

Edited in English by Ange Jason Quenum

• Around 60 participants met in Lomé, Kara and Sokodé to draft a national action plan for women in STEM.

• A hackathon, “Education for Her,” rewarded three winning university teams with technical support from Togo Data Lab.

• A charter was adopted to create Tech clubs in universities to guide female students into technology careers.

National Workshop in Lomé

Togo hosted a national workshop from August 19–22 at the University of Lomé to boost women’s participation in technology sectors. About 60 participants from Lomé, Kara and Sokodé took part in the event.

Agence Togo Digital organized the workshop with support from the ProDigiT project run by GIZ. The gathering provided a platform to share experiences, research and solutions to advance women’s roles in the digital economy.

Breaking Barriers

The programme featured a study on gender equality in digital industries and discussions with leading Togolese tech figures, including Sati Sai (Trankyl), Binta Barry (Semoa), Belynda Latre Lawson-Betum (CDA) and Doris Djaglo (Makifaa). Participants also worked on a national action plan to make STEM careers more inclusive for female students and young professionals.

A highlight was the “Education for Her” hackathon. ESGIS came first, followed by the University of Kara and Defitech. The three teams will receive technical support from Togo Data Lab to develop their projects.

Sustaining Efforts

The workshop concluded with the adoption of a charter to launch Tech clubs in universities. The clubs will raise awareness and guide female students toward careers in science and technology.

For participants, the event was transformative. “It helped me build my confidence and understand that real efforts are being made to improve education for young women in tech,” said Abidé N., a mobile web development student.

Togo's microfinance sector showed mixed results in the first quarter of 2025. According to regional data from the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), deposits collected by decentralized financial systems (SFD) rose by 22.9 billion FCFA (about $37.5 million), or 5.5%, to approximately 436 billion FCFA (about $714 million).

On a year-on-year basis, the increase was nearly 9%, driven by growing confidence among households and groups in these institutions, which are capturing a rising share of national savings. The structure of deposits remains dominated by demand deposits at 57.3%, while term deposits account for 22.5%. The average amount per client was an estimated 129,898 FCFA, a 1.4% increase from the end of December, indicating that savings are growing faster than the number of clients.

However, outstanding loans granted by Togolese SFDs contracted by 20 billion FCFA (about $32.7 million), a 5.2% drop, aligning with a downward trend seen across the West African Monetary Union (WAMU). This decline was accompanied by a deterioration in the loan portfolio, with the gross non-performing loan rate approaching 10%, well above the prudential norm of 3%.

In the previous quarter, outstanding loans from microfinance institutions in Togo totaled 395.6 billion FCFA. At that time, the country had stood out with stronger growth than Senegal (+4.4%), Côte d’Ivoire (+4.8%), Burkina Faso (+3.1%), and Benin (+2.5%).

For sector players, this discrepancy is a concern. The growing appetite for savings contrasts with more restricted access to credit, even though microloans remain a vital financial tool for households and small businesses. Togo's microfinance sector includes around 70 institutions, dominated by organizations such as FUCEC.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi