Togo First
AfDB approves Togo’s 2021-2026 strategy to improve social inclusion and governance
The African Development Bank (AfDB) approved its 2021-2026 strategy for Togo last week, on Dec 17th precisely. The Abidjan-based Bank greenlit the document during its General Assembly.
The new framework, which should support Togo's government roadmap, focuses on two key areas: developing inclusive growth poles and social inclusion policies, and strengthening financial and sectoral governance.
"The strategy aims to support the acceleration of the structural transformation and diversification of the Togolese economy to create decent jobs with high added value. It will also build socio-economic resilience for sustainable and inclusive growth," AfDB said.
The Pan-African Bank, which is led by Adesina Akinwumi (photo), also validated two mechanisms to support Togo’s private sector. They are the Support Project for Governance and Private Sector Development and a grant to support the promotion of investment and the development of public-private partnerships.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Covid-19: Omicron represents 25% of new cases recorded in Togo
A quarter of new coronavirus cases recorded in Togo are omicron cases. The information was disclosed on Wednesday by the National Team in charge of Coordinating the Response against the virus (CNGR).
"The Omicron variant is here, and sequencing has shown that it represents 25% of cases, it is more contagious than the old Delta variant. We have gone from 2.5% positivity (number of positive results out of 100 tests performed, ed. note) to 12.5% positivity," said Col. Djibril Mohaman, who heads the CNGR.
The new strain drives an increase in the number of cases in Togo – this, after many weeks of lull following Delta wave’s ending."Through the week going from December 15 to 21, we have recorded 469 new cases, against 117 the week before, and 61 a week back. Also, we recorded three deaths this week," Mohaman added. In this context, the CNGR urges the population to get vaccinated to mitigate the virus’ impact.
Omicron: A more contagious but less severe variant?
While it appears to be more contagious than other variants, the new Omicron strain seems less deadly than its predecessors.
According to a study released by the South African Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), initial data collected shows that people infected with Omicron are 80% less likely to be hospitalized. While this study has not yet been peer reviewed, its conclusions coincide with some preliminary studies in England which suggest that Omicron is more contagious but less severe (causing mild and flu-like symptoms).
Regardless, many experts still worry that Omicron’s high transmissibility may lead to more severe forms of the disease.
To date, Togo has distributed 2.29 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, representing 28.4 doses per 100 inhabitants, and 11.5% of the population have been fully vaccinated with two doses.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
France offers study scholarships to the best Togolese students
The French Embassy launched this week a call for applications for scholarships for the academic year 2022-2023. The scholarships to study in France, granted through the Service de Coopération et d'Action Culturelle (SCAC), are intended for "the best Togolese students" wishing to pursue a Master's degree or a Doctorate in a sandwich course, according to the call for applications.
To be eligible in 2022, you must be of Togolese nationality (Franco-Togolese candidates are not eligible), be under 28 years of age by December 31, 2022, for the Master's degree, and be under 30 years of age for the Doctorate.
It is also necessary to have obtained this diploma with a minimum average of 12/20 in Master 1 or equivalent (Bac+4) for Master 2 studies; and 12/20 in Master 2 or equivalent (Bac+5) for Doctorate studies.
Deadline for applications: Friday, February 11, 2022.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Expo Dubaï 2020: Togo presents its investment opportunities
Togolese officials presented the various opportunities for investment their country has to offer last Sunday at the Expo Dubai 2020.
Rose Midevor, Togo’s minister for the promotion of investment, was among these officials. She notably talked about Togo’s business climate which is “constantly improving.”
"Improving the business climate is a top priority for the State. The business environment in Togo is increasingly attractive, with clear legislation and incentives to support the implementation of a dynamic vision of industrialization and innovation promotion," Mivedor said.
Nigeria has more influence on Togo than the ECOWAS and the AU (Survey)
A majority of Togolese citizens believe that Nigeria plays a more positive role than the ECOWAS and the African Union (AU) in Africa. This is according to a recent survey by Afrobaromètre. Conducted over Jan 2020-Jan 2021, the study’s results were released on December 17. It covered a sample population of 1,200 adults.
"On the African continent, ECOWAS (52%) and the sub-regional superpower Nigeria (64%) are seen positively by the majority of Togolese. On the other hand, just 45% rate the influence of the African Union positively,” the survey’s report reads.
In detail, more than six out of 10 Togolese (64% of those surveyed) think Nigeria has a very positive or somehow positive economic and political influence on their country’s economy. This is against “only” 52% who think positively of the ECOWAS’ actions and 45% for the AU.
Three out of 10 (27%) of the surveyed said they have no opinion about the AU’s influence in Togo.
Regarding foreign powers, the survey found that many Togolese believe Fance has a relatively negative influence on Togo, while the US and China are seen positively. The US especially is considered as a model of development by a majority of those surveyed.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
MSC gets closer to acquiring Bolloré's transport and logistics assets
Bolloré Group will sell its transport and logistics unit in Africa to MSC by the end of March 2022. The French and Italian-Swiss groups reached a first agreement on the firm’s value. "The Bolloré Group has granted exclusivity to the MSC Group until March 31, 2022, so that the latter can, at the end of an additional audit phase and contractual negotiations, give it, if necessary, a promise to purchase," the group recently wrote in a statement. For now, the deal is valued at $5.7 billion.
As Vincent Bolloré, founder of the eponymous group prepares to leave the business world next year, the changes in the group take place in a context where its activities in Africa have been drawing critics, mainly due to a growing anti-French sentiment.
While Bolloré group exits the transport and logistics sector in Africa, it plans to continue development in several sectors such as communication, entertainment, telecom, and publishing. The group, it should be noted, is the leading paid tv provider in French-speaking Africa and a major shareholder in Multichoice, the leader of the paid tv market in Anglophone Africa.
Lomé wins big
In Lomé, MSC operates the Lomé Container Terminal (LCT) via its subsidiary Terminal Investment Limited (TIL). LCT has made the port of Lomé one of the best in Africa and the world, regarding container traffic.
Besides Lomé, MSC is also present in Côte d’Ivoire (Abidjan and San Pedro). However, the Togolese capital is the shipper’s hub in the region. It committed to investing up to $500 million in the platform by 2030.
Once the deal between Bolloré and MSC is sealed, Togo Terminal which is run by a French company's subsidiary, Bolloré Africa Logistics (BAL), will be taken over by the Italian-Swiss group.
According to many observers, Bolloré's decision to pick MSC is sound considering that in the actual geopolitical context the other available options were either DP World (Dubaï) or Chinese firms.
Fiacre E. Kakpo
The Togolese corridor is the second-best performing in the WAEMU, after Benin’s
In the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), Togo’s road corridor is the second-best performing. This is according to the 2020 report of Observatoire des pratiques anormales (OPA) released last Thursday in Lomé.
The document was published during a workshop organized by the National Committee for Facilitation (CNF), under the chairmanship of the Ministry of Road, Air, and Rail Transport. In effect, the meeting helped share the report’s content with concerned actors, collect testimonies and recommend solutions to abnormal practices observed along the corridor.
The study is based mostly on the number of control stations on the corridor, illegal fee payments, and delays at the stations.
"This 46th report of the observatory of abnormal practices summarizes the data collected during the year 2020, indicating a persistence and especially an intensification of abnormal practices on some corridors and an improvement on others," said the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Road, Air, and Rail Transport (MTRAF).
In detail, for the Lomé-Ouaga Corridor, "illicit collections fell from 12,185 FCFA in 2019 to 8,598 in 2020. Border control time improved from 163.1 minutes in 2019 to 154.1 minutes in 2020. The number of checkpoints decreased from 20.6 in 2019 to 17.6 in 2020. Looking at these figures, we must continue working to improve these indicators, in line with the government’s objectives," he added.
Tadjudini Dermane, Director of road and rail transport in Togo, declared based on the information found in the report: “the Togolese corridor is in a good place behind the Benin corridor, but ahead of other corridors of the union.”
Let’s recall that Lomé and the World Bank signed a $120 million financing agreement to ease movement along the Lomé-Ouagadougou-Niamey corridor.
Togo and Benin recently carried out a joint operation to fight illegal fishing
To fight illegal, unreported, and unregistered fishing (IUU) fishing, Benin and Togo surveyed their respective waters last week. The three-day operation closed on Tuesday and led to the interception of a vessel and four pirogues which were diverted to the Port of Lomé.
The move is part of the PESCAO project, which is backed by Norway. PESCAO aims to help improve fishing governance in West Africa while detecting possible infractions related to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU).
At the closing of the operations, the Minister of Maritime Economy, Fisheries, and Coastal Protection, Edem Kokou Tengue, thanked the different actors involved and promised the support of the government in the fight against illegal fishing.
"The damage caused by IUU fishing to the economy and the environment is enormous. The figures of the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture of the FAO are frightening, but should not make us give up," Tengue said, assuring the commitment of his ministry to the fight against illegal fishing.
As a reminder, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, illegal fishing represents 37% of the catches in the Gulf of Guinea and generates costs of $1.3 billion each year. Globally, these losses are estimated at $23 billion.
Togo launches road security project to significantly reduce accidents
Last Tuesday, the Ministry of Transport launched the pilot project for road security PPRSR in Kpalimé. Through the project, the ministry intends to boost road security by organizing driving license examinations for over 7,000 two and three-wheeler drivers nationwide. It will also raise users’ awareness about traffic regulations and the consequence of some of the driving behaviors. The ultimate goal is to significantly reduce road accidents by 2025.
The project supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) was initiated because of the worrying spike in road accidents with its related consequences, Minister of Trasport Affoh-Atcha-Dédji explains.
Indeed, according to figures from the Ministry of Security and Civil Protection, 3,815 road accidents were recorded in the first half of 2021. Those accidents claimed the lives of 346 residents and left 4,721 injured. During the same period a year earlier, only 2,627 road accidents were recorded with 241 deaths and 3,734 injured.
Esaïe Edoh
Togo unveils mobile health pass management app PassCovidTG
Last Wednesday, Togolese authorities unveiled a digital platform to facilitate and improve the management of health passes.
The mobile platform baptized PassCovid19TG allows residents to have documents like Covid-19 Vaccination Certificates, proof of Covid-19 recovery, and PCR test results in their phones everywhere.
To input his/her data into the app, the user will just scan the QR code on the physical certificates and results. The data will be stored on the platform and at every place when the pass is needed, when the data is checked, the mobile platform will inform whether they are valid or not.
According to the Ministry of Digital Economy, PassCovid19TG can be useful for travel arrangements. For the Ministry, travelers can check whether their passes are valid in their countries of destination, in the European Union zone notably.
The app complies with the confidentiality and data security provisions of Togo’s personal data protection law,” the government assures.
Let’s note that in Togo, access to public buildings and places of worship is subjected to the presentation of a health pass.
Esaïe Edoh