Togo First
Covid-19: Togolese government to put in place special insurance for health workers
In Togo, all medical staff will benefit from special covid-19 insurance.
The news was disclosed to the press on Sept. 10, 2020, by Col. Djibril Mohaman who heads the team coordinating the Covid-19 response.
Talking about the medical personnel, he said “they are very devoted. But they need support to pursue their mission. That is why the government took exceptional measures. They concern providing special Covid-19 insurance for health workers.”
The insurance covers all those working in health centers who strive to prevent the spread of the virus.
Let’s note that the National Union of Hospital Practitioners (SYNPHOT) has reported that at least 80 health workers so far have been infected by the Covid-19 virus.
Overall, the country has confirmed 1,507 cases, 37 deaths, and 1,145 recoveries.
Séna Akoda
Coronavirus: World Bank gives Togo $70m to quicken its economy
Togo just received from the World Bank (WB) Group $70 million (around CFA38.8 billion) to restart its economy after losses incurred by the Covid-19 health crisis.
The facility is divided equally into a loan and a grant, according to a statement released by the bilateral body on Sept. 10.
“This support is significant to help Togo mitigate the pandemic’s effects on the people and carry out the national post-Covid-19 recovery plan,” commented Hawa Cissé Wagué, WB’s resident representative in Togo.
“The social protection and health measures supported by the operation should reduce the negative impacts of the crisis on the poorest by sustaining household consumption and guaranteeing access to basic services,” she added.
Besides the health aspect (testing and treatment), the move also aims at preventing the poverty rate from rising (through programs such as the Novissi cash transfer scheme) and supporting the private sector.
Let it be recalled that the Bretton Woods institutions recently published a report that expects Togo’s economic growth rate to fall to 1% this year, against 5.3% in 2019.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
ECOWAS leaders postpone the launch of ECO
The ECO, the single currency projected for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is very unlikely to be adopted this year. This is one of the conclusions of the recently ended 57th summit of ECOWAS Heads of State.
The leaders decided to follow a new roadmap whose content was not yet disclosed. The summit however informed that the launch of the single currency has been postponed to an ulterior date while taking into account the reasons that pushed the WAEMU States to switch currencies.
Adopting the ECO would prove very difficult considering that so far Togo is the only ECOWAS State to meet the convergence criteria fixed to this end. It should also be noted that non-WAMZ countries, namely Nigeria, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have initiated economic policies to meet these criteria.
What about Covid-19?
It is important here to mention the negative impact the Covid-19 had on the economies of this region and public management. Most of them will record a decrease in their growth rate this year.
As a result, the summit agreed to exempt State members from meeting the macroeconomic convergence criteria in 2020.
A new convergence pact
Regardless, ECOWAS leaders reaffirmed their “determination to meet the convergence criteria before the creation of the single currency.” In this framework, a new pact of convergence and macroeconomic stability should be drawn toward the adoption of this currency, following the announced roadmap.
The postponing of the ECO’s launch and the ECOWAS decision to maintain a gradual approach for the launching adoption should calm tensions between the different member States, especially toward Nigeria (which makes up 70% of the Community’s economy). It should be recalled indeed that President Buhari had expressed concerns over how one-sided French-speaking countries that form the West African Economic and Monetary Union were moving to adopt the ECO ahead of the rest of the ECOWAS states.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
French Ambassador Marc Vizy ends his mandate in Togo
Marc Vizy, the French ambassador to Togo has reached the end of his mandate in the country after three years of service.
On Wednesday, the emissary met with Togo’s Prime Minister to say his farewell and review major cooperation projects between the two countries. In recent years, Paris has reinforced its actions in Togo: in economic, security, and social sectors. The same goes for the French Development Agency (AFD) which launched more projects benefiting Togolese populations, in rural areas especially.
Commenting on Togo’s sociopolitical context, the outgoing ambassador declared the country has today regained certain political tranquility, after the events that occurred at the end of 2017.
Marc Vizy is the 18th ambassador of France to Togo.
MIFA and JVE support loan program aimed at providing farmers with irrigation kits
In Togo, farmers, market gardeners, cooperatives, or individuals will benefit from a project to supply and install solar irrigation kits.
The initiative is supported by the risk-sharing based Agricultural Financing Incentive Mechanism (MIFA) and the NGO Jeunes Volontaires pour l'Environnement (JVE). Its beneficiaries will get a loan ranging between CFA1.5 million and CFA3 million to purchase the equipment.
The money is to be repaid over three years at a zero interest rate if the loan does not exceed CFA1.5 million. However, if it does, an interest rate of 11% is imposed.
Those interested in benefiting from the scheme should apply by mail to the secretariat of JVE.
Séna Akoda
Facebook is the most widely used social network in Togo
Facebook is the most widely used social network in Togo. The platform garners 80% of the total social network traffic recorded in the country, between August 2019 and August 2020. The figure was released by Dublin-based firm StatCounter which measures website traffic.
Most Facebook users access it through a mobile device. Indeed, Facebook captures 84% of the mobile-based visits to social networks in the country.
After Zuckerberg’s platform, with around 9% of the overall traffic, Pinterest is the second most visited social network in Togo. This is attributable to the growing professionalization of social networks in the country, paid with the rise of new multimedia professions and an increase in sales via Facebook and WhatsApp. On the desktop, Pinterest’s traffic is 2.5 times more important than on mobile devices.
In the third position is Instagram which attracts a little more users than YouTube. Could this be explained by a difference in the content offered? A decrease in interest in acquiring new knowledge? Or simply limited resources to access the latter? Regardless of the reason, StatCounter’s figures indicate that Google’s video-sharing platform has attracted fewer users than Instagram, especially on mobile, over the period reviewed.
Despite connectivity improving with Canalbox and Togo Telecom’s fiber-to-the-home service, or Teolis’ expansion, the cost and quality of mobile data still do not push Togo’s internet users towards lengthy video content like those available on YouTube.
Regarding Twitter, though it is the preferred social network of Togolese authorities, it represents only 1% of the country’s social network traffic. LinkedIn is even less used (0.12% of total traffic since August 2019) and at the end of last month, its traffic was falling further.
Fiacre E. Kakpo
Agribusiness: Minister Bataka presents local investment opportunities at the opening of AGRF 2020 summit
Today, Togo’s minister of agriculture, Koutéra Bataka, presented to global investors the opportunities that the country’s agribusiness sector has to offer. The official did so at the opening of the 2020 African Green Revolution Summit (AGRF 2020).
This year, the annual event (10th edition) which is organized by Rwanda is held online due to the Covid-19. It regroups stakeholders from the agribusiness sector, public figures, and investors.
In the following days, M. Bataka should talk about five promising local agribusiness SMEs which specialize in the sectors of organic soya, cashew, and mango.
To participate in the meeting, visit this link.
WAEMU: Togo and Senegal are the most diversified, in terms of exports
The Togolese economy is the most diversified in terms of exports within the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).
Indeed, a recent note issued by the Banque Centrale des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (BCEAO) puts the country just before Senegal in this ranking. The least performing nation in the Union according to this release is Guinea Bissau (which mainly exports cashew). This is a trend that has been stable for many years.
Export diversification is measured using the Theil index. On this measurement tool, the lower the index the more diversified a country’s exports are. Togo’s score is 0.99 (the lowest in the WAEMU) against 1 in 2018. It is followed by Senegal whose score is 1.14, and far behind is Guinea Bissau with a score of 2.91.
For its part, Côte d’Ivoire - the Union’s economic driving force - has a score of 1.37.
Overall, in terms of export diversity, the WAEMU’s performance is relatively stable (comparing the 2016-2019 period to 2012-2015), with only Guinea Bissau and Burkina Faso having the lowest performances.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo: Stakeholders of cashew, shea, and soya sectors start 4-day entrepreneurship workshop in Kara
In Togo, the actors of the cashew, shea, and soybean sectors are attending a workshop to learn the foundations of agricultural entrepreneurship.
Hosted in Kara (412km from Lomé), the workshop began on September 8 and will end in Atakpamé (161km from Lomé) on September 11. It is being held in two stages, the first dedicated to people from the regions of Kara, Savanes, and the Centre while the second will train participants from the Plateaux and Maritime regions.
Organized by Togo's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIT), with technical support from the government, these sessions are part of the Integrated and Enhanced Framework (IEF) program. They aim to raise awareness, train and provide support and counseling in agricultural entrepreneurship to about 70 agro-entrepreneurs.
It should be noted that soya and shea are among the promising sectors for young Togolese, according to the World Bank. Organic soya in particular is highly regarded since Togo is the largest exporter of this commodity to Europe.
Togo: A campaign to distribute six million mosquito nets to be launched
In Togo, nearly 6.5 million long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) will be distributed throughout the country to fight malaria.
This marks the continuation of the country’s policy to fight the disease, which is endemic throughout the subtropical zone.
While the chronogram of the distribution campaign has not been published yet, it is the fourth of its kind. The project aligns with recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). “WHO recommends the renewal of nets every three years. Because the insecticide that is impregnated in the net has a lifespan of three years, the net deteriorates afterward,” says Dr. Tinah Atcha-Oubou, Coordinator of the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP). “In 2017, we carried out a campaign and as we are now in 2020, we want to meet this three-year rendezvous,” she added.
Overall, the distribution campaign is part of a broader project aimed at combating tropical diseases and tackling other public health issues. In this regard, it should be recalled that Togo was recently recognized by the WHO for having completely eradicated Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) or “sleeping sickness.”