• 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

Toyota Tsusho Corporation has announced plans to establish a new distribution hub at the Port of Lomé, marking a significant investment in Togo’s port sector. The project is set to begin in October 2025.

The decision was confirmed to Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé,  President of the Council of Ministers, by the group's CEO, Ichiro Kashitani, on the sidelines of the TICAD 9 conference in Yokohama last week.

The agreement covers several strategic sectors, with a primary focus on the automotive industry. The Lomé logistics hub will serve as a regional entry point for the importation, distribution, and after-sales service of Toyota vehicles. The partnership also includes projects in renewable energy and healthcare.

"We will increase our investments and develop our activities in the country," Kashitani said, highlighting the central role of the Port of Lomé as West Africa's only deep-water port.

The establishment of this distribution hub aligns Togo’s ambition to position itself as the gateway to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The move is intended not only to strengthen its role as a transit platform but also to act as a catalyst for local industries, in line with the "co-creation of value chains" strategy promoted by Gnassingbé during the TICAD 9 conference.

Togo has launched the operational phase of its Urban Centers Electrical Network Extension Project (PERECUT) in the Centrale region. Officials announced the development last weekend at a meeting focused on implementing the project across five prefectures: Blitta, Sotouboua, Tchamba, Mô, and Tchaoudjo.

The project will cover eight towns: Blitta and Pagala-Gare in Blitta prefecture; Sotouboua and Adjengré in Sotouboua prefecture; Tchamba and Kaboli in Tchamba prefecture; Sokodé in Tchaoudjo prefecture and Djarkpanga in Mô prefecture. The work involves building 290.2 kilometers of low voltage (LV) power lines, 21.1 kilometers of medium voltage (MV) lines, and installing 36 transformer substations.

PERECUT also includes connecting new customers to the grid, transitioning existing subscribers to upgraded networks, and fitting prepaid meters. The project will also install streetlights to improve public lighting in the targeted communities.

Aboulaye Abbas, Chief of Staff to the Minister of Mines and Energy, explained the initial focus involves expanding the existing grid into new peri-urban neighborhoods. “Other projects are underway to electrify areas still without coverage,” he said.

This regional phase forms part of a larger national plan to build 1,681 km of LV lines, 200 km of MV lines, and 371 transformer substations. The project costs CFA46 billion and receives funding from the French Development Agency (AFD), Germany’s KfW, and the European Union (EU).

PERECUT aims to boost electricity access and coverage significantly in Togo’s interior cities. Officials expect the project to contribute directly to the country’s goal of achieving universal electricity coverage by 2030.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo is set to introduce the malaria vaccine into its public health system, becoming the 21st African country to do so. President Faure Gnassingbé discussed this plan last week in Yokohama, Japan, with Sania Nishtar, Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Vaccines (Gavi), at the 9th TICAD conference.

Gavi will back Togo’s rollout by funding the purchase, transportation, and storage of malaria vaccine doses. It will also train the health workers who will administer the vaccine. Officials haven’t yet disclosed the total cost of this support.

Fidèle à sa vision d’une diplomatie proactive au service du bien-être des populations, le Président du Conseil, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, a accordé une audience ce 21 août 2025 à Yokohama au Japon à une délégation de l’Alliance mondiale pour les vaccins et la vaccination… pic.twitter.com/byaDcAmpHc

— Présidence du Conseil du Togo (@presidencecstg) August 22, 2025

This move will strengthen Togo’s existing fight against malaria, which already includes the regular distribution of insecticide-treated nets. Health authorities expect to distribute nearly 530,000 long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) free to the population in 2025.

Gavi’s director applauded Togo’s vaccination efforts, noting the country’s coverage exceeds 90% for basic childhood vaccines. She said this step “supports the progress made by Togo in vaccination.”

Malaria remains a leading cause of death in Africa, especially among young children. The World Health Organization’s 2023 report recorded 249 million malaria cases worldwide in 2022, with over 94% occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.

Since 2024, several African countries have started malaria vaccine programs, including Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Benin, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, South Sudan, Mozambique, the Central African Republic, Niger, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Nigeria, and Burundi.

Esaie Edoh