Togo First
Digitalization of criminal record obtention process will be effective in April 2021
Starting next April, it will be possible for anyone to get their criminal records online. The date was set during the latest council of ministers held on December 9, 2020.
The project, which aims to modernize Togolese justice, was initiated three years ago. In effect, it will enable Togolese citizens to proceed to complete application and payment procedures necessary to obtain their record from devices such as smartphones, tablets, or computers.
This major reform will save time for Togolese citizens who had to go to their place of birth, go through lengthy processes, and suffer various costs, to get the document.
Government reviews bill to develop and protect the coastline
The Togolese government is working on a plan to develop the coastline and coastal area. A draft bill on the development, protection and enhancement of the coastline was reviewed by the Council of Ministers gathered on December 08, 2020.
Beyond developing the economic and tourist potential of the coastal strip (which spans about 50km), the authorities want to improve its management.
This requires “adapting environmental management rules to changes in the governance of coastal areas” and also “protecting and enhancing the coastline” - ambitions which will materialize through the adoption of the Master Plan for Coastal Development (SDAL).
The latter is a bill that “aims to develop the Togolese coast’s economic potential, in accordance with sustainable development standards,” Lomé indicated.
To preserve and develop its coastal area, the country is supported by institutions such as the African Development Bank (AfDB), which also backed a project to rehabilitate the Lomé-Cotonou road, linking the two neighboring countries.
BOAD approved the disbursement of CFA652 billion in 2020
This year (2020), the West African Development Bank (BOAD) approved the disbursement of CFA652.8 billion for multiple projects in the eight WAEMU states it covers.
Among others, the regional institution injected CFA20 billion in the installation and exploitation of a cement factory by CIMCO SA, provided Togo CFA25 billion to pay part of the energy debt it owes Nigeria.
The BOAD also supported the Kékéli Efficient Power plant project. Indeed, in addition to arranging, with Oragroup, an investment of CFA65 billion for the project this year, in 2019 it approved a partial financing of CFA25 billion for the plant’s construction.
The Bank also spent CFA7 billion on the construction of a 30MW PV solar power plant in Blitta (around 267 km from Lomé).
Séna Akoda
Togo: 60th ordinary session of OAPI’s administration council recently held in Lomé
On Dec. 8, the ministers of industry and experts from the OAPI’s 17 member States gathered in Lomé for the 60th ordinary session of the entity’s administration council.
The meeting was held at the 2 Février hotel. It was chaired by Togo’s minister of trade, transport, industry, private sector development and local consumption promotion, and chairman of the OAPI’s administration board, Kodjo Adedze.
The ministers debated on many technical matters including the implementation of a mechanism to finance invention and innovation, the amendment of the regulations governing the organization and the functioning of the High Commission of Appeal, the jurisdictional body of the OAPI, or the regulations implementing the revised Bangui Agreement (especially some of its annexes that came into effect last month.
At the meeting, Togo, Chad and Guinea Bissau presented texts approving the ratification of the Bangui Agreement, falling in the framework of their adhesion to the OAPI.
“Intellectual property has a key place in our 2018-2022 national development plan,” said Adedze while adding that “this vast political program cannot materialize without valorized results of research, more specifically the strategic exploitation of intellectual property, the continuous improvement of business climate and the implementation of the new investment code.”
Lastly, the Togolese minister of trade expressed his desire to witness the emergence of “a system ensuring the mutual recognition of industrial property rights similar to ZLECA, make them national priorities, and protect them.”
Let it be recalled that last week, Togo’s first documentation center for intellectual property was inaugurated. It cost CFA500 million, provided by the OAPI.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Gozem and Coris Bank partner to put in place a lending mechanism
In Togo, Gozem drivers can now get low-cost loans from Coris Bank International Togo to buy bikes.
A partnership was signed by the transport startup and the lender on December 8, 2020, in this framework. According to Gozem, it aligns with its Vehicle Financing Solutions program which makes it easier to buy new vehicles at a cheap cost.
In detail, only the best drivers will be able to buy a new vehicle, and they will repay contracted loans daily via their Gozem wallet.
The deal with Coris bank which is active in West Africa and plans to expand in Central Africa (just like Gozem) is a first of a kind.
Séna Akoda
Togo: New law on military programming adopted by the parliament
Announced a few weeks ago, the law of military programming covering the 2021-2025 period was adopted on December 8 by the Togolese assembly.
With this legal tool, Togo wants its army to adapt to new security contingencies and emerging threats.
Most importantly, the programming will involve planning on how much military expenses will amount to, over the period concerned and how these funds will be distributed for example to purchase equipment and material, improve institutional governance and staff capacities concerning training and civil-military operations. In this framework, emphasis will be put on key operational priorities and essential capability choices.
The adoption of this law is “a strong message to the men and women out there in the field, fighting day and night, putting their lives on the line to defend the country and ensure its security,” said the minister of military forces, Marguerite Gnakadè.
Over the next five years, more than CFA 700 billion will be mobilized to finance the various initiatives planned under the military programming covering the period.
Séna Akoda
BRVM plans to open a new branch in Togo soon
Abidjan-based Bourse régionale des valeurs mobilières (BRVM), WAEMU’s stock market, plans to open an office in Togo.
The news was disclosed by the institution’s director-general, Edoh Kossi Amenounve, last week after a meeting with Togolese PM Victoire Tomégah Dogbé.
“We want to make sure that the financial market can support the State and the private sector in financing major development projects,” said Edoh Kossi Amenounve.
The projected office will help the stock market better operate in Togo, and in the long run foster the emergence of popular shareholding in the country.
“We are thinking of ways to make the Togolese people, as part of the social and financial inclusion strategy, get involved in the activity of Togolese businesses by becoming shareholders and also make sure that wealth created by businesses can also be shared with the people,” Amenounve added.
Let it be noted that the BRVM already has a national stock antenna (ANB) in each of the eight countries that it covers.
Tsévié’s new market to be delivered soon
Construction works for the new market of Tsévié (around 36 km from Lomé) are 96% complete.
Progress on the project was assessed by Prime Minister Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé who carried out a field visit at the site on December 7, 2020.
The new market is built-in line with the modernity standards set by the Agence d’Exécution des Travaux Urbains du Togo (AGETUR-TOGO). It covers 10 hectares, has stalls and stores that can host up to 1,250 places.
During her visit, the Togolese PM also went to the construction site of a new youth and women center. The completion rate for these works is 88%, according to the PM’s office.
Séna Akoda
PM launches construction of 4,000 km of rural roads
Last Thursday, Togo’s PM, Victoire Tomegah-Dogbé, launched in Kpovégan (in the Haho prefecture located 100 km from Lomé) the Rural Roads Support Program (PAPR).
This is one of the flagship programs of the government’s new five-year development roadmap. In its framework, rural roads will be built to foster physical and economic integration in rural areas where cotton, coffee, and cocoa are produced across the country. Besides, the PAPR should improve the access of households and farmers to input and markets.
According to the minister in charge of rural roads, Bouraïma Kanfitine Tchédé-Issa, who was present at the PAPR’s launch, the government will build a total of 4000 km of roads across Togo’s five economic regions. Initial financing covering the 2018-2025 period was provided in this framework. However, these monies will serve to build 2,000 km.
The total estimated cost for the project is around CFA49 billion. Part of the funds will come from the State’s budget, and another part will come from KfW and AfDB. The PAPR will help fight exclusion and poverty by enabling beneficiaries, farmers mainly, to better access socio-economic infrastructures, according to the Prime Minister.
Togo inaugurates intellectual property documentation center
Togo’s new center for intellectual property documentation (CDPI) was inaugurated on December 4, 2020, by Denis L. Bohoussou, Director-General of the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI). Present at the inauguration ceremony were representatives from the ministry of trade, industry, and local consumption.
The center which cost CFA500 million was financed by the pan-African organization. It will provide the public (researchers, business owners, and students) necessary resources related to intellectual property and protection of intellectual work, be it art, scientific or technical work (invention patent, brands, drawings and industrial designs, maps, etc…).
The inauguration of the infrastructure marks the OAPI’s will to “foster the economic development of its Member States through the promotion of technological innovation, creativity, and the exploitation of intellectual property assets,” said Abé Talime, Secretary-General of the Trade ministry.
Let’s recall that the building was inaugurated a few days only after Togo ratified the Bangui agreement on the creation of the OAPI, and on the eve of the OAPI ministerial meeting which will open on December 8, in Lomé.