Togo First
Coronavirus: Lébénè Hotel requisitioned as the center of quarantine for suspected cases
In Togo, all those suspected to have been infected with the coronavirus will be quarantined at the Lébénè Hotel (ex-Ibis/ Le Bénin).
The government requisitioned the building for this purpose a little after announcing that all confirmed cases will be treated at CHR Lomé Commune.
Lébénè Hotel, which is located on the coast, has more than 100 rooms and has been equipped with quality sanitary equipment and qualified health personnel, according to the official portal of the government.
So far, Togo has reported 18 infected individuals, including one recovered.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo: Public Contracts regulator, ARMP, wants to improve its digital communication
In Togo, the public contracts regulatory authority (ARMP) is looking for a consultant to help it perfect its digital communication strategy. To this end, the public body has launched a call for manifestation of interests that will close on April 21, 2020.
The selected consultant will among others assess the level of assimilation of good practices allowed relative to public contract management, recommend ways to improve communication tools, digital mainly, used by the ARMP.
Besides these, the expert will produce a 3-year roadmap for the regulator’s communication strategy, and provide measurable indicators to assess and follow up on the implementation of this roadmap.
Séna Akoda
Togo: Government halts recruitment of new public agents due to coronavirus
The government has suspended, indefinitely, all recruitment processes in the public administration due to concerns about the hike of coronavirus cases in the country. This was disclosed yesterday by the ministry of public works.
Periods for submission of applications are postponed and information relative to the new dates will be given later, reads the related statement. Submissions should have normally taken place in March-April.
The process was to allow the State to recruit 700 agents in the ministry of finance, and more than 2,000 agents in the ministry of health, education, and environment.
So far, 18 people have tested positive for coronavirus, with only one recovered.
PAEIJ-SP: Final assessment mission to begin in September
Next September, the final mission for the assessment and capitalization of the achievements of the Project for Youth Employment and their Insertion in Promising Sectors (PAEIJ-SP) will be carried out.
The mission will be led by a firm that will among others define and submit for approval a method of assessment and capitalization of the achievements, conduct meetings with key actors to look at these achievements and produce a provisional report on the project. The firm will also assess PAEIJ’s intervention mechanism, by analyzing its relevance, efficiency and how it could evolve in the future.
Last, the firm will examine the various challenges impeding the PAEIJ.
Séna Akoda
Togo: Government warns sellers against speculation
Last Saturday, the government of Togo issued a statement warning sellers against price speculation and refusing to sell some items, amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Among products concerned are milk, rice, wheat flour, vegetable oil, concentrated tomatoes, sugar, pasta, hand sanitizers, as well as gloves and protection masks.
According to authorities, "this could cause artificial shortages in markets and it goes against Togo's fair trade laws."
To end these practices, trade inspectors, health agents and police forces will be proceeding to unannounced controls across the country and all those who refuse to abide by the law will be severely sanctioned.
Besides, the government has instructed supermarkets, shops, and stores to strictly respect prevention measures including safety distance, regular hand washing, limiting the number of customers and checking body temperature.
So far, 16 cases have been reported in Togo.
Octave A. Bruce
Coronavirus: Togo reports 8 new cases
From a single case very recently, the number of people infected by the coronavirus has increased to 9 in Togo. The ministry of health indicated that the first case has recovered.
The authorities, besides setting up an emergency fund to fight the virus, have initiated some measures aligning with the same goal. This is in a context where the WHO recently revealed that the virus is being spread locally in 12 African countries.
The institution hence warned that these governments must prevent local transmission from growing as this would be challenging for countries with a weak health system.
The government of Togo, therefore, reminds the population to frequently wash their hands and stay indoors.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
EBID to pay part of its debts next March 28th
On March 28, 2020, the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) will clear part of its debts, totaling €5.487 million.
The sum corresponds to semi-annual interests on a bond named BIDC-EBID 6.50% 2014-2021. Through this operation, the bank raised a total of XOF40 billion which was partly used to finance eight projects in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo (where the monies served to build and start running a hotel).
In effect, 87.53% of the capital needed for the eight projects was secured through the bond while the remaining 12.47% were provided by benefiting companies.
Coronavirus: Ecobank-Togo urges customers to preferably use ATMs
In Togo, Ecobank has taken some preventive measures against the coronavirus outbreak, in line with the government's instructions in the same regard.
According to the related statement, the Lomé-based lender urged its clients to preferably use ATMs for cash withdrawals. This would reduce physical contact and queuing in branches, and thus slow the spread of the virus.
The ATMs, Ecobank added, are equipped with hand sanitizers, to allow customers to proceed to transactions safely.
Séna Akoda
Coronavirus: BCEAO works on ways to help WAEMU States face looming financial crisis
The Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) said it is working on ways to curb the financial and economic impact of the coronavirus (Covid-19) in WAEMU States.
A similar path was taken some years ago to cushion the impacts of the 2008 crisis. In this framework, multidisciplinary teams have been put in place to make projections and provisions for the West African economies to best face the outbreak. Primarily, the discussions will focus mainly on countries that export a lot to Europe, and China.
According to some media based in Senegal, some recommendations will be issued at the end of this week. The latter should help WAEMU States face the dawning crisis, in a context where the global economy is slowing down.
At the moment, 79 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the WAEMU: 34 in Senegal, 26 in Burkina Faso, 8 in Côte d’Ivoire, 2 in Benin and 9 in Togo. While this number may seem insignificant, the risk of a rapid spread in the region is very high.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo: Still no new case so far, WHO confirms
In its latest update on the evolution of coronavirus in Togo, the WHO reported that so far the country has one confirmed case, four tested negative, and 10 are awaiting test results. No new case of infection has been reported since the first case was identified.
The institution added that those who came in contact with the only infected are still under observation, in a stable condition, and with no symptoms.
However, the WHO has also expressed concern about the risk of spread related to the arrival of 197 people from France (a high-risk country), though they have been instructed to isolate themselves for 14 days.
In this regard, the country has recently decided to suspend all flights from high-risk countries, effective March 20.
Reminder: Call 111 to report any information on coronavirus (Covid-19).