Last Friday, Togo again recorded an oversubscription for its issue of fungible Treasury bonds to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Lomé raised around CFA54 billion and retained CFA22 billion through the operation, according to figures released by the UMOA-securities agency. 

This is the third issue of the country as part of its post-Covid recovery plan. It confirms the country’s status as a good issuer. 

According to the UMOA-securities agency, the operation falls under the public securities issuance program launched by Togo in line with its mid and long-term debt management strategy. 

Séna Akoda

On March 18, Togo launched the 50 Million African Women Speaking Program (50 MAWSP). This is a professional social network for women entrepreneurs. 

According to the AfDB which is behind the project, it aims to contribute to the economic empowerment of women by providing a networking platform that will allow them to access information on financial and non-financial services. More specifically, the project aims to build a platform to improve the capacities of women entrepreneurs to work in a network, share information, and have better access to financial services. The Togolese ministry for social action, women empowerment, and alphabetization is also invested in the project.  

The network concerned should regroup millions of women from three regional economic communities, knowingly the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the East African Community (EAC). The latter -EAC – is in charge of coordinating the project's implementation.  

Overall, nearly $14 million was disbursed by the African Development Fund to build the platform.  

Klétus Situ

On Wednesday, March 17, Togo's foreign affairs minister, Robert Dussey, met with the German minister for economic cooperation, Gerd Müller. This was in Berlin.  

During the meeting, the two men talked about ways to strengthen economic ties between the two countries. In this framework, they signed a letter of intent to accelerate reforms falling under the G20's Compact with Africa (CwA) program.   

Launched in 2017, the CwA aims to boost private investments in Africa, especially in infrastructure. In detail, the program's goal is to attract more private investments by significantly improving financial, commercial, and macroeconomic environments, through specific reforms. In Togo, the CwA allowed the country to get around €25 million for the Cizo rural electrification project. 

It should be emphasized that in recent years, the Togo-Germany cooperation focused mainly on decentralization and local governance issues. Two flagship projects are underway in these areas: there is the Decentralization Support Project on Togo, which is led by the German development bank (KfW), and the Decentralization and Local Governance Program (ProDeGol), steered by Giz. 

Klétus Situ

In Togo, representatives of the public administration, economic operators, and trade union leaders, began on March 17 in Adétikopé (a northern suburb of Lomé), a workshop to draw a draft collective agreement for sea traders.

The works, launched by Ismaël Komi KODJO, Director of Cabinet of the Minister of Maritime Economy, Fisheries, and Coastal Protection, will last three days. Stakeholders present at the meeting should agree on a first framework document taking into account the living and working conditions, placement, contracts, vacations, training, conflict management, social guarantees, and retirement of seafarers and other workers at sea.

For the government, this is an intermediate step before the final adoption of a new legislative framework in the sector. "The collective agreement of seafarers takes into account all the problems related to marine work. The document that will come out of this meeting will be subject to another validation workshop before its final adoption by the government," said Matchonnawè BAKAI, Director of Maritime Affairs at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.

Meanwhile, unions are pleased with the recognition of status. "This is about showing respect to the maritime heritage by promoting decent living and working conditions for seafarers and improving transport at sea," said Paulin Beguedou, captain and president of UMATO (Union of Seafarers of Togo).

The collective agreement, it should be noted, will consolidate the maritime legislative framework governing the law of December 13, 2006, on the code of sea labor and that of October 11, 2016, on the code of the sea trade in Togo.

Klétus Situ

Togo's power utility, Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo (CEET), and the cement producer Cimtogo - subsidiary of the HeidelbergCement Group - have issued two separate press releases denouncing scams featuring their brands.

The CEET said some ill-intended individuals have been, supposedly on its behalf, promising people it will launch or accelerate the process to get them connected to the grid, in return for money, in cash form or via Flooz and Tmoney.  

It's a scam! warns the utility after receiving many complaints from the fraudsters' victims.  It then reminded the public that all payments relative to connection, or the installation of meters and others are made at the CEET's cash offices, with no extra fee charged. The CEET also issues receipts for all its operations.

In the same vein, CIMTOGO warned its customers against a fake promotional campaign called "Gift Cement" that is going on.

The company noted that "it is not the initiator of this campaign and is neither closely nor remotely associated with the initiators, under any partnership. Also, it stresses that it recognizes only its partners, holders of approvals for all wholesale of its products throughout the territory."

Séna Akoda

Togo is extending the State of Health Emergency, for the fourth consecutive time since it was first declared by President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé on April 2, 2020, to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The decision was approved by the national assembly after a request was submitted by PM Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé on March 16, 2021.

"We remain concerned about protecting our people and we urge everyone to make the necessary efforts to slow down the spread considerably so that our country can resume its march towards progress," said Yawa Tsegan Djigbodi, President of the National Assembly as the state of emergency was being extended.

Concretely, the measure empowers the President of the Republic to legislate by ordinance, thus assuming, for certain reasons, including the speed with which the decisions necessary to manage the pandemic are taken, the responsibility that is normally shouldered by the National Assembly.

The State of Health Emergency is extended at a time when there is a rebound in the number of cases in Lomé, the capital city.  

As of March 16, 2021, Togo has recorded 100 new cases of infection. According to data available, 127 new patients recovered on Tuesday while one new death was recorded.

Séna Akoda

The Togolese government plans to map out its fishing areas to boost industrial fishing. This was disclosed by Kokou Edem Tengue, minister of fishing and maritime economy. 

The move is part of a larger project to modernize sea fishing in Togo. In the framework of the latter, the authorities are seeking a firm to conduct related feasibility studies. 

The same project should identify the number and types of fishing ships needed to exploit fish resources available in Togolese waters. Also, it will recommend facilities for disembarking and storing fishing products. Various industrial fishing sites and their profitability threshold will be revealed by the study as well. 

The modernization project aligns with the government's ambition to boost agriculture's contribution to the GDP. This, in a context where more than 20,000 people work in the fishing sector and it contributes nearly 4.5% of the GDP. 

Séna Akoda

With support from the German cooperation GIZ, the Togolese National Administration School (ENA) will spend CFA 800 million on a strategic plan covering the 2022-2025 period to boost the performances of public officers. 

The strategy, submitted for approval on March 15, revolves around three major axes, notably: improving the governance of the ENA, improving teaching methods, and seeking partnerships and work contracts.

In this framework, the ENA will boost its institutional capacities and adapt courses to the needs of the public administration in terms of qualified human resources. “Our main mission is to provide the State with qualified and competent workers,'' said Prof Adama Kpodar, director of ENA. 

The strategic plan will be drawn by the Centre de Recherche et Ingénierie en Gestion de l’Environnement et du Territoire Consulting et Service (CRIGET-CS). The same institution was appointed to assess shortcomings in the public administration and the performance of its officials. 

Séna Akoda