During the ministers’ council last May 15, the government of Togo approved the country’s adhesion to the London convention signed April 9, 1965 aimed at easing international maritime traffic.

In effect, the convention’s goal is to make maritime transport more accessible by simplifying related formalities for international travels.

Thus, Togo adhering to the convention should simplify administrative procedures in the sector of maritime transport and make the country more attractive. It should also help it get more partners to implement its 2018-2022 national development plan (PND).

Indeed, under the first strategic axis of the PND, Togo aims to become a logistics hub and first-class business center in West Africa. A goal that leverages the country’s good geographical situation and its deep-water port.

Séna Akoda

Lomé has put in place an inter-ministerial team to fight terrorism. This is as the terrorist threat rises and after France marked ‘red’ part of north of Togo and Benin, which shares a border with Burkina Faso where about ten jihadi groups operate. 

“The inter-ministerial committee for prevention and fight against violent extremism (CIPLEV) mainly aims at eliminating or considerably reducing the propagation of violent extremism by giving grassroots communities the tools and support they need to fight this plague,” indicates the statement of the ministers’ council held Wednesday.

The new unit will also help “boost cooperation and collaboration between the administration and defense forces, for effective prevention and fight.” It regroups representatives of the concerned ministry’s departments, opinion leaders and the civil society.

Besides the committee, the bill on internal security announced by President Gnassigbé last April 26 was adopted May 15.

“The present bill on internal security is an ordinary law aimed at giving executive power tools needed to counter new threats to security, while at the same time ensuring balance between public freedoms and preservation of public security and constitutional order,” the government said.

While Togo is so far spared by terrorists, security was reinforced following an alert given by Burkinabe authorities and as a result, last month, twenty suspected armed terrorists coming from Burkina Faso were arrested.

West African cashew exports to India have risen over the first quarter of this year, in a context where the Asian nation imported substantially less worldwide over the period.

According to N’Kalo cashew report, relayed by Commodafrica, Togo exported 1,035 tons of cashew to India in Q1 2019.

This volume makes Togo India’s seventh supplier in West Africa. It comes after Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire (its two main suppliers), Benin, Nigeria, Guinea and Burkina Faso.

India’s suppliers should brace for more orders considering that at the beginning of this month (harvest), the country’s eastern coast was hit by the Fani cyclone. The phenomenon destroyed many cashew trees in the area where production often reaches 100,000 tons.

Togo’s government is exploring ways to combine the World Bank’s school canteens project with local production by engaging small farmers.

The ministry of agriculture recently discussed the matter with a delegation from the World Food Program (WFP) led by its regional director, West and Central Africa, Christophe Niokoi.

In detail, Togolese authorities want to ensure the sustainability of school canteens by supplying them with food products from, better organized and structured, local producers. This would improve upon the quality of food eaten by the kids.

The present project falls in line with Togo’s national development plan (PND) integrating the agriculture financing incentive mechanism (MIFA).

In 2018, nearly XOF1.3 billion was secured for the school canteen project in Togo. With more than seven million meals served, it fed 91,394 pupils in nursery and primary schools, according to the national agency for support to grassroot development (ANADEB).  

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Women participating in local elections next June 30 will pay a fee of CFA10,000 to this end. This is half the amount set for male candidates.

The measure decided during the ministers’ council of May 8, 2019, aims to “promote women candidacy and their participation in local governance.”

This is part of a more general move to get women and youth more involved in governance in Togo. A point on which President Gnassingbé stressed during his speech to the nation on the sidelines of the 59th anniversary of Togo’s independence.

Let’s recall that a similar measure had been enacted during the legislative elections last December 20.

Next June 6-7, there will be a social entrepreneurship forum in Togo. The event is organized by the US embassy, Ecobank, Alafia and organizations promoting social economy in Togo.

At this occasion, issues related to the legal framework defining social enterprises and possible advantages they could benefit from will be discussed. The latter could come as tax or administrative incentives aimed at fostering the firms, not primarily to help them make profits but rather boost populations’ living standards.

The matters of Togo’s social entrepreneurship ecosystem and corporate social responsibility (CSR) will also be covered.

Let’s recall that in March this year, the US embassy and the national youth employment coalition (CNEJ) organized a 3-day training workshop on social entrepreneurship. The latter was led by Theresa Carrington, a US social entrepreneur and CEO of Ten By Three, a firm empowering rural communities through craftsmanship.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Yesterday, a four-day workshop focusing on tackling global warming and the Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) new policies and strategies was initiated in Lomé. Eight coastal countries are represented at the event which also aims at regrouping actors engaged in the environment sector and mobilize resources for environmental protection.

The workshop, it should be emphasized, takes place as environmental issues are worsening in the Gulf of Guinea region.

Indeed, according to World Bank, in 2017, environmental degradation (flooding, coastal erosion, air-water pollution) cost Togo $310 million. Coastal erosion alone accounted for $213 million thus 4.4% of Togo’s GDP that year.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togolese artisans now have access to health insurance. The mechanism put in place by the National Health Insurance Institute (INAM) and the ministries of health and social protection was launched May 14, at the Palais de congrès de Lomé.

According to the ministry of craftsmanship, the measure falls under axis 3 of the PND. In the next three years, more than 100,000 artisans should in its framework have an insurance covering non-professional health issues.

“Social protection for artisans falls under a process aimed at gradually covering all social layers in the country, after public administration,” said Victoire Tomegah Dogbé, minister of craftsmanship and youth.

Craftsmanship has for some years now been recording a rapid growth in Togo. In 2017, it represented 18% of the GDP, helping reduce trade balance by 20%, and employing more than a million people.