Togo First
Performances of the Togolese National Health Insurance Institute (INAM) have improved significantly in the past seven years
To date, Togo national health insurance (INAM) covers 254,844 people and has 104,288 subscribers. The numbers were reached in the past seven years.
INAM, let’s indicate, provides insurance to public workers and their relatives. The instrument covers maternity expenses as well as fees for the treatment of non-professional diseases, and accidents.
The institution is currently headed by Myriam Dossou. It has partnered with 90% of health centres and 95% of pharmacies active in the country.
Healthcare insurance
Health insurance covers 80-100% of the fees needed by beneficiaries for treatment. In detail, the INAM covers the following: consultation and hospitalization fees, drugs, surgery, and paramedical procedures.
Biological analyses and medical imaging procedures are also covered; same as pregnancy and childbirth care services; compulsory vaccines and equipment.
A step closer to universal coverage
After public officers and their relatives, the INAM plans to expand its services to the private sector, artisans and others. In this framework, it launched in partnership with the minister of craftsmanship, a health insurance product specifically for artisans.
The institution also recently launched the pilot phase of its health insurance for students; 500 have subscribed so far.
On January 21, the INAM plans to organize a meeting in Lomé to discuss its next target, the association of press people of Togo.
The national health insurance institute was created by decree in 2011. Its purpose is to ensure that its beneficiaries get the best healthcare possible.
Séna Akoda
Over the next three months, Togo, Benin, and Ghana will get fewer gas supplies from Nigeria
Throughout the current quarter, Togo, Benin, and Ghana will get fewer gas supplies from Nigeria. This is due to inspection and cleaning works which will begin on the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) from January 20th and end on, or before, March 21st.
The news was disclosed in a statement issued by the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) which operates the infrastructure. It was also confirmed by the Ghanaian Ministry of energy.
The works will limit gas supplies in Ghana and could adversely impact Togo’s power output.
So far, Togolese authorities made no comments regarding the announcement. However, let’s recall that the country highly depends on gas to produce electricity. The fuel is especially important for the Contour Global power plant as it fully runs on liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo raises XOF69 billion for its first operation on the UMOA-securities market in 2020
For its first operation on the UMOA-securities market this year, Togo recorded more than XOF69 billion of subscriptions for its fungible treasury bonds. Initially, the government was seeking XOF25 billion through the fundraising that occurred last Friday.
The performance represents a coverage rate of more than 276%. This is in a context where elections -which usually are a period of uncertainties in African nations, sub-Saharan Africa especially - are closing in.
Over the amount mobilized, the country will retain only XOF27.5 billion. This sum should support the public treasury and help meet budget needs, for 2020.
Let it be noted that the fungible bonds issued will mature in a year. Their nominal value is XOF1 million and the payment of related interests will begin today, January 20.
Séna Akoda
“2020 will not an easy year!” - Sandra Johnson, delegate minister for the business climate
Togo will intensify reforms to further boost its economy. The ambition was reiterated by Sandra Ablamba Johnson, minister delegate and advisor of the President, for business climate - in an interview with the local bi-monthly newspaper Imagine Demain which released its latest issue on Thursday, January 16.
On the occasion, the official also cited the national development plan, reforms that were undertaken in the past few years, as well as the many initiatives launched by the country to attract more investors (forums, roadshows, adhesion to international development institutions). Togo, she recalled, gained 59 ranks on the Doing Business Index in the past two years.
“The PND just closed its first year of implementation and over the first months, we focused on institutional issues and on creating projects to attract more partners or investors,” Johnson added. Among ongoing projects, she said, is the Kekeli Efficient Power project, the Blitta plant, a double partnership with the Dangote Group, CIZO, agropoles, industrial parks, and the construction of a reference hospital.
Another major event that took place last year, according to the minister, was the Togo-EU forum. “It produced many good things, both to the government and the private sector.” Actually, in the six months that followed the forum, “7,946 visits were recorded on its official website.”
“Reforms implemented by the government affect the lives of the Togolese people. Our current challenges focus on accelerating ongoing reforms aimed at cutting input costs (water, power - relative to newly built plants, telecommunication, and internet), improving tax earnings, access to loans, E-land, and E-justice especially, for a better appropriation,” Johnson told the media.
“2020 will not be an easy year because we’ll have to sustain our reforms to attract investments from the private sector, which is our most important partner.” This statement aligns with a similar one made by President Faure Gnassingbé, a week after the World Bank released its latest Doing Business report: “This is a race and we must keep up, accelerate even, the pace of our reforms. So let’s do it and let’s do it right!”
Octave A. Bruce
More than XOF500 million will be spent to build market infrastructure on the outskirts of Lomé
In Agoè-Assiyéyé, Cacavéli and Adidogomé, which are located on the outskirts of Lomé, stores, slaughterhouses, restrooms, warehouses, and stalls will be built in three markets.
The project was initiated by women sellers. It was validated by President Gnassingbé and will be financed with more than XOF500 million, according to the minister of trade, Kodzo Adedze.
Besides turning them into modern business centers, the project should boost capacities of the markets concerned, “enabling sellers to work in very good conditions,” the official said.
The project was effectively launched on January 16, 2020.
ECOWAS: English-speaking countries and Guinea reject the Eco
Yesterday, in Abuja, the ministers of finance and central banks’ governors of the ECOWAS’ five English-speaking countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and The Gambia), together with Guinea, rejected the ECO - which is supposed to become the single currency used by all ECOWAS member states.
The six members of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) strongly oppose the “unilateral” decision to rename the CFA franc to Eco, by July of this year. Indeed, this announcement was made last December, just after a meeting in Abidjan between French president, Emmanuel Macron, and Ivorian leader, Alassane Ouattara.
Nigeria, let’s recall, had always been reluctant regarding the Eco. However, it is surprising to see Ghana join its side, as it recently adopted a more favorable stance towards the currency.
The new turn of events restarts the debate surrounding the Eco, in a context where all WAEMU States (all of which use the CFA) agreed to the switch.
Now, the six countries that rejected the Eco are calling for an urgent meeting of ECOWAS States, to discuss the currency which should regroup all 15 of them.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo among top economies in terms of gender equality in Africa
Togo is one of the best-ranked countries in the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law 2020 report.
The report measures how laws affect women, professionally mostly, in 190 countries. It also looks at reforms undertaken by businesses between June 2017 and September 2019, across eight areas that are associated with women’s economic empowerment.
According to the World Bank report, Togolese women enjoy 84% as much rights as men benefit from. This is above the average in sub-Saharan Africa. However, while more reforms to enhance gender equality have emerged in the region, in recent years, women still suffer a lack of political will in this regard.
In Togo, women and men enjoy the same rights, relative to freedom of movement, employment, wages, and retirement pensions.
In regards to property and inheritance however, women in this West African country only have 80% of the rights men have.
The gap is far wider for marriage, maternity, and entrepreneurship. Legal constraints regarding the first have increased over the period reviewed. For the second - maternity - the World Bank reports that many laws keep impacting, negatively, the work-life of mothers.
In the area of entrepreneurship, there are still barriers impeding business creation and management by women. According to data from the Togolese center for business formalities (CFE), women held only 27% of businesses created in 2019. This is slightly above what was recorded the year before; In spite of the government’s promise to set aside 25% (up from 20% previously) of procurements for youths and women.
At the regional and global levels, laws enhancing women’s economic empowerment have improved in the past two years, the Bretton Woods body notes.
In Africa, Togo is behind Mauritius, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Cape Verde, Sao Tomé and Principe, and Tanzania.
Fiacre E. Kakpo
MIFA raised more than XOF8 billion last year, creating nearly 140,000 jobs over the period
In 2019, the Incentive Mechanism for Agricultural Financing (MIFA) raised more than XOF8 billion for agricultural actors (76,000 overall).
The beneficiaries, farmers mostly, could boost their activities using the funds. Also, nearly 140,000 jobs were created over the period, according to Aristide Agbossoumonde, director-general of MIFA, who recently met with the press.
Agbossoumonde also said these performances exceeded initial expectations for 2019. Indeed, the mechanism hoped to raise XOF7 billion.
Based on these achievements, MIFA expects to raise this year, six times more (XOF50 billion) funds than it did during the previous one.
Séna Akoda
Togo: EU disburses the first tranche of funds to support the 2019-2020 budget
The European Union (EU) just granted €16 million to Togo’s treasury. The sum is part of a €33 million facility to support the country’s budget for 2019-2020.
The disbursement “was driven by Togo’s sustained efforts, its recent reforms which pushed up its ranking in the Doing Business report, economic performances and the macroeconomic policy that are focused on achieving fiscal consolidation and cutting public debt.”
The funds also reward the country’s achievements in key sectors, such as improvements relative to decentralization - it will capture 33.3% of the €33 million committed by the EU. Other achievements include better economic stability, introducing public finance reforms, and kicking off the national development plan.
The €16 million grant, let’s indicate, counts for the 2019 budget. However, the next, which will be disbursed in December this year, will count for 2020.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo to benefit from a $3.6mln regional program launched by the Global Shea Alliance, GSA
The Global Shea Alliance, GSA, has launched a program to boost the exports of quality shea and its derivatives produced in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Togo.
This is a $3.6 million program launched in partnership with the Enhanced Integrated Framework, (EIF). Its programs is “Supporting the Inclusive Commercial Development of the Shea Value Chain” (PRADCIFK).
Besides boosting exports, the program will bolster access to international markets for small and medium enterprises (2,180 of them overall). It will also increase the capacities, thus the earnings, of shea processors and collectors (including 30,660 women).
In effect, volumes of shea traded annually in the countries concerned are expected to grow by 28,880 tons, due to the initiative.
Togo, let’s note, is the world’s 7th biggest shea producer. Last October, the country established the national inclusive federation for shea which regroups planters, collectors, and processors.
R.E.D