Togolese civil society organizations (OSC) will receive training to better monitor the government’s actions relative to the budget. 

This program is led by the Projet d’Appui à la Gouvernance Economique (Economic Governance Support Project -PAGE). The latter has launched a tender that closes on August 4, 2020, to hire an international individual consultant who will enhance capacities of 50 civil society actors relative to the analysis of macro-budget and sector-based data. 

The goal of the initiative is to get the actors more involved in the budget process and the monitoring of the State’s utilization of its budget. This is in line with the PAGE whose objective is to streamline public resources, boost domestic revenues, and reinforce mechanisms responsible for ensuring accountability and monitoring service provision in key sectors. 

Moreover, in the long term, the training scheme will allow citizens to better judge how the State and its institutions set and utilize their budgets. 

Séna Akoda

During the first half of 2020, more than 63,000 L of smuggled fuel was seized by Togolese security forces. This was disclosed in a recent report released by the ministry of security and civil protection. 

Over the same period, 3,630 kg of cannabis, 0.7 kg of cocaine, 1.32kg of Tramadol (which has psychotropic effects), nearly 80,000 kg of illegal drugs, more than 3,000 fake guns, and adulterated drinks were seized also. These had either been smuggled into the country or were being smuggled out. 

The minister of infrastructure and transport, Zouréhatou Kassa-Traoré who chaired the report presentation indicated that in the past semester, 17 cars and 5 bikes were seized as well, alongside two smugglers. 

Regarding security, 2,627 road accidents were registered (killing 241 people and injuring nearly 3,800 people). The figure is down 4% compared to the second half of 2019 during which 2,738 accidents were registered.

The Ecowas permanent representative in Togo, Dr. Garba Lampo, has reached the end of his five-year mandate. The Nigerien diplomat was received yesterday by the prime minister with whom he reviewed the country’s performances and key projects such as the national development plan or PND. 

Regarding the plan, Lampo declared: “The institutional facility for macroeconomic development put in place by the Republic stands out and many international organizations are learning from the Togolese model.”  

Peace and security

Togo also displays good results in terms of peace of security - it is the most stable nation across the region (least exposed to terrorism or transhumance-related conflicts). “In terms of politics, peace, and security,” the outgoing Ecowas representative said, “Togo is currently the most stable Ecowas state.”

After Lomé, where it started operations in 2018, Gozem is expanding to Kara, northern Togo. 

Initially, only the firm’s zemidjan (moto-taxi) service will be available in the city. Other offers such as taxis, tricycles (for people and goods) should follow later. 

Gozem is an uber-like startup founded by Nigerian Emeka Ajene. It operates through an app available on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. Besides Togo, the firm is also present in Benin. 

Séna Akoda

Turkey’s minister of foreign affairs, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, is currently in Lomé. 

The official’s visit aligns with the Asian nation’s will to boost its bilateral -diplomatic and economic- relations with Togo. In this framework, Ankara announced it would increase its investments in Togo in response to Lomé’s desire to build new partnerships with Turkish private businesses, in line with the Togolese national development plan. 

Other major outcomes of the meeting between Çavuşoğlu and Togolese authorities include the decision to open a Turkish embassy in Togo, and the upcoming entry of Turkish Airlines in the Togolese air transport industry. In addition to these, the two parties signed three bilateral agreements. 

The first, a memorandum of understanding, concerns the establishment of a system to handle discussions between the two countries’ respective ministries of foreign affairs. The second agreement is for the mutual visa exemption for diplomatic passport holders from both nations. With this agreement, Turkey joined countries like Morocco, Brazil, Gabon, and the Central African Republic with whom Togo has a similar deal.  

The third agreement, another memorandum of understanding, concerns cooperation between the ministry of foreign affairs in Togo and the Diplomatic Academy of Turkey.

The West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) plans to set up at the University of Lomé a state-of-the-art biogas production unit. 

A virtual workshop was held last week at the WASCAL’s headquarters, which is located at the university. The meeting focused on laying foundations for the project, which falls under the Programme de développement des énergies renouvelables in Togo (renewable energy development project in Togo) - PDERT. 

The session was officially opened by Prof. Koffi Akpagana, the minister of higher education and research. At the occasion, the official declared that “this project will contribute to the vision of the Togolese government to increase the share of renewables in the energy mix and leveraging their potential while preserving the environment, with a strong desire to save energy and achieve energy efficiency.”

This is a new milestone achieved after the release in February 2019 of a study conducted by the University of Lomé which revealed that Togo’s biomass potential could substantially help develop renewable energies. The projected biogas laboratory thus aims to experiment on the use of this source of energy in the country. 

Togo, let’s recall, wants to achieve universal electricity coverage by 2030, with renewables making up half of its energy mix by then. In this framework, the country has initiated multiple clean power projects; most of them however involve solar energy. 

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togo could lose as much as XOF200 billion of tax revenues by the end of 2020. The information was relayed by the country’s minister of finance, Sani Yaya, who indicated on the same occasion that Togo was already recording a deficit of XOF35 billion in its tax income.  

The official attributes the negative forecast to the cancellation of many taxes and customs duties in support of private businesses that struggle as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

To mitigate the potential losses and accelerate economic recovery, Togolese authorities are encouraging banks to finance the private sector, notably through the lines of credit extended by the BCEAO in this regard. Still, to speed up recovery, Sani Yaya urged the lenders to lower their interest rates, in consideration of the pandemic which is taking a heavy toll on the economy. 

Let’s recall that on the government’s side, various steps have been taken to help populations cope with the crisis. These include a money transfer initiative, free water and electricity for the poorest, and free water at public wells. 

Séna Akoda