In Togo, the project to provide basic health services of quality, under the universal health coverage target, was started yesterday, Oct. 28. The project was launched by the PM Victoire Tomegah-Dogbe, and the World Bank’s Vice President for Central and West Africa, Ousmane Diagana, who is currently in Togo.

Financed by the World Bank ($70 million), this project aims to improve access to basic health and nutrition services as well as healthcare for pregnant women, children, and poor people. 

"This new project, which will extend to all regions of Togo, with health coverage for about 60% of the population, marks a significant step forward in the government's commitment to strengthen access to equitable quality healthcare for the entire population," said Ousmane Diagana, at the launch of the initiative at the Cacaveli Health Center in Lomé

In detail, the mechanism plans to build about 100 new primary health facilities, deploy around 4,000 newly-trained health workers, and improve access to drugs, the World Bank said.

A few weeks ago, the Togolese government adopted a work plan covering the July 2021-December 2022 period. The adoption was overseen by PM Tomegah-Dogbe. According to this plan, the first step of the recently started project will take 18 months.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

The Togolese minister of maritime economy, Edem Kokou Tengué, presented during the latest council of ministers held on Oct. 27, the main functionalities of the single desk for non-tax revenues generated in the sector he oversees.

The goal of the presentation was to get the government’s approval to start drawing the draft bill that will help set up the desk. 

According to the council, this facility “will help, in the long run, simplify operations for actors of the port economy in line with the country’s ambition to become a logistics hub.”

It should be noted that the latest data made available by the government shows that 70% of Togo’s economic activity is tied to the sea. Lomé also stressed that “trade by sea, taking place via the port of Lomé, makes up a major share of the State’s revenues.” 

Esaïe Edoh

Most of the concentrated tomato imported into Togo contains too much lead and could harm consumers, according to the Togolese Association of Consumers (TAC) and the Organization for Food and Local Development (OADEL).

The two entities released, in the framework of the ongoing consuming local month, results of studies they carried out in partnership with the Togolese Institute for Agricultural Research (ITRA). 

“We worked with ITRA’s laboratories and were surprised to find that over 62% of tomatoes imported have lead levels that exceed the norm,” said Amétoégninou Tata (picture), executive director OADEL. “I believe this should alert our authorities (...) if we want to promote local products, we can’t accept low-cost imported products that compete unfairly with our local products. Moreover, they harm our health,” he added.

Based on their findings, the TAC and OADEL“made recommendations first to the director of external trade and suggested that he does everything to make sure that tomatoes that enter the territory are analyzed and get a quality certification,” said Léon Koffi Agboka, member of the TAC. According to him, the certificate will regulate the sales of imported tomatoes in Togo. 

The two parties also asked for more experts to be dispatched on the field, for better monitoring of products concerned. 

Besides warning populations about the risks of consuming imported tomatoes, the TAC and OADEL used the opportunity to encourage them to consume local products more. 

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Uber-like startup Gozem plans to expand to Cameroon. The new markets add to Togo, Benin, and Gabon.  

“We plan to launch our super application in Cameroon soon,” said Gozem. The company hence seeks a country manager in Cameroon. 

They are looking for “a leader to establish Gozem in this new country, someone who will carry out the operations and implementation strategy,” and several other workers as well. 

At the moment, the startup provides transportation, delivery, payment, and financial services, via its mobile app. In Togo where it is active, since 2019, Gozem is present in four cities: Lomé, Kara, Aného, and Tsévié.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Two coffee kiosks were inaugurated last Tuesday in Lomé, by the minister of trade, industry and local consumption, Kodjo Adédzé.

The kiosks are located respectively at the ministry of trade and the ministry of agriculture. Specifically, they will serve populations and encourage them to integrate local coffee into their diet, and consequently improve the revenues and livelihoods of coffee farmers in the country.

“One of the pillars which we must act on is the promotion of local consumption. Goods and services that are locally produced in Togo must be consumed. We must consume what we produce locally,” said Adédzé while stressing that local coffee is consumed very minimally and represents barely 2% of what the country produces.

Coffee at the newly inaugurated kiosks will be sold at CFA100 a cup. More kiosks should be set up across the country, in places like the Universities of Lomé and Kara.

The project is co-financed by the Inter African Coffee Organization (IACO), the International Coffee Organization (ICO), and the Togolese Coordination Committee of the Coffee and Cocoa Sectors (CCFCC-Togo). 

Esaïe Edoh

Lomé is hosting a 3-day workshop to assess the technical cooperation between Togo and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The meeting, started yesterday, regroups academics, government officials, and project leaders who will review all areas of the 9-year cooperation between the two parties, such as health, agriculture, environment, and energy.

Besides reviewing the cooperation, participants, including Prof. Mazamaesso Tchaou, IAEA Togo director, will present Togolese partners with new opportunities at the regional level, enabling them to better position themselves. These opportunities concern various regional projects to treat cancer, as well as water, agricultural, and mining projects.

Let’s recall that in 2020 Togo signed with the IAEA a 5-year technical cooperation. The deal covers various areas like nuclear and radiological safety, food and agriculture, water and environment, energy, and mining.

Togo received 702,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines yesterday, October 26. The vaccines were supplied as part of the Covax initiative.

The stock was received by the minister of health, Prof. Mijiyawa, at the Lomé airport, in the presence of Col. Djibril Mohaman, head of the national team in charge of countering the Covid-19 (CNGR), and Covax members, including the WHO and Unicef representatives, Dr. Binta Diallo and Dr. Aissata Sidibé, respectively. 

According to the Togolese minister of health, this is the largest batch of vaccines Togo has ever received under the UN-led initiative since the pandemic broke out. Overall, the country has secured, so far, over one million (1,027,000) doses of Sinovac vaccines from the Covax project.