In the 2020-2021 agricultural campaign, the State will distribute 15,000 irrigation kits starting from November this year. This should guarantee food and nutritional security for rural households, by considerably boosting the country’s agricultural output. 

The equipment should indeed enable rural farmers cultivate their crops off-season. Its provision falls under the government’s Covid-19 response launched when the pandemic broke out in the country.

This response is currently being revised by the authorities to take into account current needs arising in various sectors, including agriculture. In effect, new amendments to the response aim mostly at boosting farmers’ earnings, improving their access to massive input kits and improving their living standards. 

Let’s recall that Togo eyes for the current agricultural campaign the following outputs: around two million tons of corn, over 330,000 tons of rice, nearly 140,000 t of soybeans and 225,000 t of cotton. 

Towards achieving these goals, a digital platform was set with some private firms (selected following a tender) to efficiently support farmers in the process. 

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

“From now on, the billing of import container delivery will be done only online.” The information was disclosed by Togo Terminal, a subsidiary of Bolloré Transports & Logistics in Togo. 

While urging economic operators who are yet to have created their online account for import transactions, Togo Terminal emphasized that no direct delivery of import containers would be processed at its billing desks. 

However, online billing is not applicable to VAT-exempted importers. The latter will continue their transactions related to import containers at Ecobank. 

The reform which aims at improving the business climate should also speed up billing procedures while reducing physical contact. 

Séna Akoda

Togo’s public procurement regulatory organ (ARMP) will build in Lomé a center to provide training related to public contracts. 

The project aims at fostering economic performance by efficiently managing public procurements, and enhance skill development relative to the procurements. 

The upcoming training centre will offer certified courses in various areas related to public contracts and their regulation. 

Séna Akoda

This year, Togo will receive about XOF3 billion from the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI). The latter is a US security scheme that aims to reinforce peace worldwide (through the United Nations). 

The funds will benefit the army’s training centre for peace operations in Lomé. In detail, about $1.6 million will improve the centre’s facilities, $3.3 million will be spent on equipment and the remaining $580,000 will be invested in the training. 

The works regarding the facilities have already been started and were recently checked on by the US ambassador to Togo, Eric Stromayer.

The financing should also help military personnel dispatched across the globe for peace operations to better prepare. At the moment, around 1,500 Togolese soldiers are deployed worldwide by the UN. 

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togolese civil society organizations (OSC) will receive training to better monitor the government’s actions relative to the budget. 

This program is led by the Projet d’Appui à la Gouvernance Economique (Economic Governance Support Project -PAGE). The latter has launched a tender that closes on August 4, 2020, to hire an international individual consultant who will enhance capacities of 50 civil society actors relative to the analysis of macro-budget and sector-based data. 

The goal of the initiative is to get the actors more involved in the budget process and the monitoring of the State’s utilization of its budget. This is in line with the PAGE whose objective is to streamline public resources, boost domestic revenues, and reinforce mechanisms responsible for ensuring accountability and monitoring service provision in key sectors. 

Moreover, in the long term, the training scheme will allow citizens to better judge how the State and its institutions set and utilize their budgets. 

Séna Akoda

During the first half of 2020, more than 63,000 L of smuggled fuel was seized by Togolese security forces. This was disclosed in a recent report released by the ministry of security and civil protection. 

Over the same period, 3,630 kg of cannabis, 0.7 kg of cocaine, 1.32kg of Tramadol (which has psychotropic effects), nearly 80,000 kg of illegal drugs, more than 3,000 fake guns, and adulterated drinks were seized also. These had either been smuggled into the country or were being smuggled out. 

The minister of infrastructure and transport, Zouréhatou Kassa-Traoré who chaired the report presentation indicated that in the past semester, 17 cars and 5 bikes were seized as well, alongside two smugglers. 

Regarding security, 2,627 road accidents were registered (killing 241 people and injuring nearly 3,800 people). The figure is down 4% compared to the second half of 2019 during which 2,738 accidents were registered.

The Ecowas permanent representative in Togo, Dr. Garba Lampo, has reached the end of his five-year mandate. The Nigerien diplomat was received yesterday by the prime minister with whom he reviewed the country’s performances and key projects such as the national development plan or PND. 

Regarding the plan, Lampo declared: “The institutional facility for macroeconomic development put in place by the Republic stands out and many international organizations are learning from the Togolese model.”  

Peace and security

Togo also displays good results in terms of peace of security - it is the most stable nation across the region (least exposed to terrorism or transhumance-related conflicts). “In terms of politics, peace, and security,” the outgoing Ecowas representative said, “Togo is currently the most stable Ecowas state.”