Togo’s power utility, Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo (CEET), launched a tender to hire young entrepreneurs and women, for the construction of medium and low tension power lines.

The project is divided into two, covering Gbétsogbé, Totsi, Agoè Gbonvé and Plateau Bethel. The tender which closes on Sept. 26, 2019 should lead to the selection of 10 entrepreneurs.

Reaching out to this category of entrepreneurs aligns with the government’s new entrepreneurship promotion policy. 

Under the policy launched last year, initially 20% of public contracts had been set aside for young businessmen and women. As a result, the group secured contracts worth more than XOF12 billion. Earlier this year however, the share of public contracts reserved for them was increased to 25%.

Sena Akoda

On Sept. 4, 2019, some of Togo’s public audiovisual media received IT equipment from the West Africa Development Bank (BOAD). These were : Télévision Togolaise, Radio Lomé and Radio Kara.  

The provision of these equipment, laptops with installed software, should bolster the digitalization of the concerned media institutions.

According to Serge Bouah, Head of Communications, Marketing, and Public Relations at the WAEMU, the equipment should improve work conditions of journalists, especially given that “nowadays, the benefiting media have good IT and internet networks.”    

For his part, John Abalo Takou, director of Radio Lomé (left on picture) said: “this equipment adds to what we already have and will help us better do our job. We thank the BOAD for supporting our digitalization,” he added.

Séna Akoda

The government has repurchased last week, more than 200 tons of fresh tomatoes from local producers. The move, official sources indicated, aims to support farmers who intended to export to Nigeria but cannot at the moment given the closure of the Benin-Nigeria border.

The tomatoes have been bought at twice their actual market price (XOF1500 instead of XOF700).

The fruits were in effect purchased by the army which will distribute part to various garrisons, and others, and stock another part for future use.

Last year, let’s recall, Togo’s overall exports to Nigeria were valued at $35 million.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togo needs XOF38.6 billion for road maintenance next year. However, only 36% of this sum (XOF14 billion) can be mobilized by the Autonomous Company for Road Maintenance Financing, SAFER.

This was revealed by Sylvain Outchantcha, MD of Safer, during a meeting to draw the 2020 budget-programme for road maintenance.  

While resources that will be allocated to road maintenance next year are the same as this year, overall budget for the works for its part has increased from XOF30 billion to nearly XOF39 billion.

Let’s note that in Togo, 4,600 km of roads are degraded, out of the 11,777 km which makes the national road network.

Sena Akoda

Last Thursday, President Gnassingbé met with Indian minister of foreign affairs, Vellamvelly Muraleedharan.

Talks between the two men revolved mainly around ways to boost cooperation between Togo and India, especially in the power, mining and digital economy sectors.

The Indian diplomat also met with the minister of Energy and Mines, Marc Ably-Bidamon, and that of development planning, Demba Tignokpa. 

With the former, Muraleedharan reviewed bilateral relations between the two nations in the mining and solar sectors. “We dicussed about bilateral relations and coming projects, notably those relating to solar power and mining,” declared Marc Ably-Bidamon following the meeting.

India is worldwide a major promoter of clean energy. With France, the Asian mastodon founded the International Solar Alliance (ISA) which Togo is part of.

Séna Akoda

With Terreau Fertile, a local association, Togo’s chamber of commerce and industry (CCIT) will organize the first edition of the Investment Revalorization and Trade Promotion Fair (FERIN in French).

The fair which is scheduled for Oct. 10 and 11, 2019 will be held in Lomé, the capital. In its framework, a communication and sensitization meeting was organized last Wednesday at the CCIT.

The upcoming fair should serve Togo’s ambitions, under its national development plan, to become a logistics hub across the region. This plan actually depends greatly on private investments to be fulfilled.

“This initiative perfectly aligns with the PND’s ambitions,” commented CCIT’s chairman, Germain Méba, urging “all business operators to mobilize for its success.”

Regarding the FERIN, more than 3,000 participants are expected to attend the event.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) just launched, within the African Business Education for youth framework (ABE), a masters and internship scholarship program for young Togolese.

The scholarship, according to JICA, aims to support youth who are eager to contribute to African development. This program also serves as a bridge between Togo and Japan.

This will be a 1-2 year master’s followed by an internship in a private Japanese firm.

Eligible candidates must be no more than 39 years old at April 1, 2020, hold at least a bachelor’s degree and have some experience in the private sector.

Applications can be submitted either physically or as PDF, to the ministry of foreign affairs in Lomé in the first case or by mail to JICA’s office in Côte d’Ivoire in the second. Deadline for submission is October 11, 2019, at 5PM.

Last year, Togo made XOF1.5 billion exporting pineapples. This is 50% more than in 2017, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) reveals in its latest report on external trade within the WAEMU.

The increase was driven by a rise in output from 1,900 metric tons in 2017 to 3,300 tons in 2018 (+73.6%). This is a trend the sector has been recording since 2014, at the exception of 2016 when production fell.

While the BCEAO’s data suggest the country is doing well, compared to other WAEMU States, its performances remain modest. Indeed, the union exported a total of 122,800 tons of pineapples in 2018.

Let’s recall that this year, Togo commissioned an organic pineapple production unit.  

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Last Tuesday, a workshop on how to develop and expand solar power production and ease access to clean energy opened in Lomé, Togo. The meeting is an initiative of the Togolese ministry of mining and energy, and the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Six countries gathered at the roundtable, namely: Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Mali, Niger and Togo.  

In effect, these nations are working to establish a regional framework for contract provision by aggregating demand and putting in place joint guarantee mechanisms. These measures ultimately aim at dropping cost to implement clean power projects.

The recently initiated talks are based on a feasibility study carried out by Enst & Young and requested by the French Development Agency (AFD).

If effective, the projected regional framework will harmonize the respective legislations and regulations of concerned States, in relation to clean power development.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi