The government of Togo recently provided Industrie Commerce Agrochimie Investissement (ICA INVEST) a large-scale exploitation license for the clay deposit of Ledjoblibo. The latter is situated at Dankpen (417km from Lomé), in the Kara region.

Exploiting the deposit should improve the State’s mining revenues, create jobs and wealth in the area concerned.

For its part, ICA INVEST, under its social and environmental responsibility, will contribute to local and regional development by building socioeconomic and community infrastructures. This is a key component of the country’s Mining Governance and Development Project (PDGM), to reduce conflicts between mining firms and residents of mining areas (as the firms fail to be socially and environmentally responsible enough).

Séna Akoda

From 2008 to date, school feeding in Togo cost XOF19.7 billion. The information comes from the summary of the ministers’ council held last Wednesday.

The funds were invested in the school canteens project which is co-financed by the World Bank (XOF13.7 billion) and the Togolese government (XOF6 billion). This project falls under a larger scheme known as the Social nets and community development programme (PDC Plus).

The school canteens project recorded a “remarkable success”, according to authorities, helping “feed 25% of pupils living in the country’s most vulnerable areas.” Yet, challenges remain and at the recent ministers’ council, officials stressed on the need to secure more funds to establish a legal framework that would ensure an efficient monitoring of the initiative.

Séna Akoda

In line with the country’s new agricultural policy, the national school of agriculture of Tové (INFA) will be reorganized. A decree was issued to this end on July 24 during a ministers’ council.

This reform follows an audit that showed that INFA has some shortcomings, at the organizational and operational levels. This reorgarnization should in effect ensure that the school produces human resources that can meet job market standards.

Regarding the government’s new agricultural policy, it aims at fostering “a modern, sustainable agriculture, with a high added value enhancing food security, in both the country and the region, a strong, inclusive and competitive economy that will create decent and stable jobs by 2030.”  

Let it be noted that under the second axis of its 2018-2022 national development plan, the Togolese government intends to make agriculture a driver of economic growth. As a result, this sector has been recording deep transformations and attracting massive investments.

Séna Akoda

Togo’s Minister of foreign affairs, Robert Dussey, met with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian yesterday in Paris. The two discussed many issues including talks regarding a new Cotonou Agreement post-2020, in line with partnership between countries of African, the Carribean and Pacific and the European Union (ACP-UE).

According to the French diplomacy, the talks are advancing and reaching a decisive stage. Let’s recall that it is the Togolese diplomacy that has been appointed as chief negotiator of the talks for ACP countries.

Besides the new Cotonou agreement, the two officials talked about possibilities for bilateral cooperation in education, professional training, urban development and health. Le Drian especially put emphasis on France’s support for initiatives profiting the youth.

Among these are PROFAMED-Togo, a project in which France injected CFA320 million over two years. This initiative benefits local journalists and other media personalities. 

Séna Akoda

Togo is working on ways to be influential in the African Continental Free Trade Area.

On July 23, Katchaki Batchassi, Director of External Trade in Togo, and some consultants, met with private sector actors in this framework.

On this occasion, the economic operators were asked what they expect from the Free Trade Area in terms of profit, and goods and services they intend to deliver within the zone. Responses will be used to draw a new strategy to ensure Togo’s competitiveness in the area and effectively launch the related agreement’s operational phase.

Ministries, government departments, the chamber of trade and industry, SMEs and SMIs, business associations, and many others should contribute to the elaboration of this strategy.

Séna Akoda

Established since 1998, the housing tax which is about to be reintroduced has sparked some controversies over the past few weeks. As a result, the Togolese Revenue Office (OTR) organized a press conference last Tuesday to explain the relevance of the tax.

The housing tax, authorities thus indicated, is collected from all households with a residence and reallocated, in full, to local communities to use the proceeds to meet needs of grassroot populations.

“The housing tax is managed by local authorities and will help new mayors develop their municipalities,” said the general commissioner of taxes, Adoyi Essowavana. “Depending on each person’s ability and the type of housing, it ranges between CFA2000 to CFA100,000,” the official added.

Some however are exempted from the tax. These include people less than 18 years old, retirees or more than 55 years old people, invalids, the needy, students and pupils, unemployed, diplomats, etc.  

“OTR is the only collector of the tax,” emphasizes Philippe Kokou Tchodiè, general commissioner of the OTR. The tax can be paid at the cashier of competent tax offices in given regions. “In line with decentralization, local communities will need resources to handle themselves,” explains Tchodiè. Therefore, any citizen refusing to pay the tax risks losing access to civil State services.

Octave A. Bruce

In Togo, the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) just expanded e-payment of social security contributions to Ecobank, Oragroup and Union togolaise de banque (UTB). This is after a pilot stage where this payment mode was enabled on Flooz, Tmoney and Banque togolaise pour le commerce et l’industrie (BTCI).

In addition to being able to pay the contributions on the CNSS e-platform, contributors can check payments made and print corresponding receipts.

The move translates the fund’s burning desire to dematerialize all formalities relative to contributions’ collection and related payments. It aligns with the government’s recent reforms to improve business climate in Togo, says Ingrid Awadé, Director General of CNSS.  

Séna Akoda

It’s effective. The Japanese firm Mitsubishi wishes to join the CIZO program in Togo.

On July 23, Yas Doida, Director of Mitsubishi Africa, after meeting with President Gnassingbe, declared: “We wish to contribute, as a Japanese firm, to the CIZO programme launched by the Head of State with a goal of achiving universal power coverage by 2030. We talked about the various off-grid solutions we wish to introduce in the country to ease access to a quality renewable source of energy, both in urban and rural areas.”

The CIZO is a scheme under which cheap solar kits are distributed across the country, its rural areas especially. It aims at profiting more than two million Togolese by 2022.    

Already active on the project are BBOXX, a British firm, and SOLEVA with local firm KYA-ENERGY offering training for the kits’ maintenance. Mitsubishi would thus be the third to join the scheme if talks are conclusive.

Séna Akoda

In Togo, Ecobank executives met yesterday with some young local entrepeneurs to discuss possibilities for the bank to provide them institutional and financial support in their ventures.

The meeting held in Lomé was chaired by the Ministry of Youth, Victoire Tomégah Dogbé. Also present were Mamady Diakité, MD Ecobank Togo, Paul harry Aithnard, Regional Director of Ecobank in WAEMU, and Kanka Malik Natchaba, Coordinator of CPES. 

Besides providing better support to entrepreneurs in the country, Ecobank wants to support the government’s vision for job and wealth creation leaning to its national development plan. The latter indeed intends to create 500,000 decent jobs by 2022.  

Octave A. Bruce