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Togo Advances Its Telecom Industry Amid Regulatory Changes
Togo's telecommunications sector, serving nearly eight million consumers, has grown by around 6% per year, on average, since 2015. The performance is attributable to government efforts to modernize and regulate the industry, which has improved connectivity across the country.
Telecommunications Revolution Since the 1990s
The Togolese telecom sector started its revolution in the late 1990s. After managing the sector until 1986, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications handed it over to the Office des Postes et Télécommunications (OPTT). In 1991, OPTT became a public company operating under private-sector rules.
In 1996, a new policy split OPTT into two companies: Société des Postes du Togo (SPT) for postal services and Société des Télécommunications du Togo (Togo Telecom) for telecommunications. Togo Telecom later became a holding company.
In 1998, Togo established a regulatory body called the Autorité de Régulation des Postes et Télécommunications (ART&P). This entity, amid market liberalization, introduced competition in the sector. Togocel, a subsidiary of Togo Telecom, lost its monopoly when Telecel Togo entered the market and underwent several rebrandings.
Two Firms at the Helm
Togo’s telecom market is dominated by two major players: Yas Togo (formerly Togocom), which held 58% of the market in 2023, and Moov Africa Togo, owned by Maroc Telecom, with 42%. While it started with telephony, competition has expanded to mobile money—where Yas Togo leads with about 60%—and mobile internet services.
New players like Café Informatique et Télécommunication, GVA Togo, and Teolis are entering the market. With operators improving their infrastructure, competition is expected to grow even more in the coming years.
A watchful eye
The telecom sector has often talked about adding a third operator, but instead, the Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et des Postes (ARCEP) has emerged and is changing the game. Founded in 2012 after the Electronic Communications Act, ARCEP's job is to promote fair competition in telecom and postal services while ensuring that quality services are affordable for everyone.
ARCEP follows a strategic plan focused on using data for regulation. This helps them understand the market better, hold companies accountable, and meet consumer needs more effectively. Since 2022, this approach has led to price caps on communications, resulting in lower costs for voice calls, messaging, and internet services across the country. Free roaming agreements with several countries have also been established. This is a big improvement for Togo, which used to have some of the highest rates. Mobile number portability was also introduced, allowing for further progress in the sector.
How Digital Trends are Reshaping the Postal Sector
ARCEP’s postal sector is struggling as traditional services decline due to the rise of the Internet and new technologies. Six main operators currently dominate the market: Société des Postes du Togo (SPT), a public operator with nationwide coverage, and private express courier services like DHL, Pako Fedex, Africa Global Logistics, UPS, and Top Chrono.
The industry is now rethinking its approach to find new growth opportunities, especially in e-commerce. This includes adopting modern solutions like geolocation for addressing and electronic payment systems. A new legal and regulatory framework could soon be set up to support these changes and guide the sector’s future.
Key Data Since 2021
Telecom Operators: 5 (YAS Togo, Moov Africa Togo, Café Informatique, Teolis, GVA)
Telephone Penetration Rate: 73%
Mobile Penetration Rate: 78%
Internet Penetration Rate: 71%
Mobile Money Penetration Rate: 60%
4G Network Coverage: Over 90% of the population
Octave Bruce
Togo: Preparations Underway for FoPAT 2025
Togo gears up for the second edition of the Forum des Producteurs Agricoles du Togo (FoPAT). In preparation for this event, which aims to modernize agriculture, the Ministry of Agriculture, Village Hydraulics, and Rural Development has started consultations in several prefectures. These meetings will assess progress made since the 2023 edition and refine strategies for the 2025-2026 agricultural campaign.
Reviewing Reforms
Recent meetings in Atakpamé, Sokodé, and Tchaoudjo brought together producers and officials to discuss commitments made during FoPAT 2023. Key topics included improving irrigation systems, promoting mechanization, increasing support for livestock farming, and strengthening agricultural value chains. The meetings aim to ensure that reforms benefit producers and are effectively integrated into the national agricultural system.
Ongoing Challenges
While FoPAT aims to adapt reforms to real conditions, producers have pointed out several ongoing challenges. These include climate issues, more technical support, and better integration of small farmers into modern value chains.
Esaïe Edoh
Togo Prepares for Gas Pipeline Maintenance Disruption
The West African Gas Pipeline is being maintained. Started on February 5, the works are set to end on March 2, 2024. They could disrupt electricity supplies in Togo, Benin, and Ghana. Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo (CEET), Togo’s power utility, is already planning measures to curb the disruption’s impact on the Togolese people.
In the event of a disruption, Togolese authorities will use liquid fuels to power thermal plants and import up to 35 MW of additional electricity. They also plan to speed up the installation of a 25 MW turbine connected to the West African Gas Pipeline (WAPG).
The gas pipeline is crucial for transporting natural gas to thermal power plants in the region, and it significantly affects the energy supply for Togo, Benin, and Ghana. Togo relies heavily on Nigerian gas for electricity, making this maintenance particularly important.
In addition to these technical solutions, authorities may introduce energy rationing to ensure fair distribution during this period. A daily rationing plan similar to those used during past disruptions in 2024 could be introduced if needed.
Esaïe Edoh
BOA Togo and Fondation Agir Ensemble pour l’Afrique Team Up to Empower Businesswomen
BOA Togo, the Togolese branch of the Bank of Africa Group, has teamed up with the Fondation Agir Ensemble pour l'Afrique (AEA) to support women entrepreneurs. This partnership is part of the "Le Bond Féminin" program, which aims to provide financial tools and resources for Togolese women in business.
The agreement focuses on three key areas: providing women entrepreneurs with training to enhance their business skills, establishing a mentoring program to connect them with experts for personalized guidance, and facilitating access to financing by helping selected participants secure loans and funding through BOA Togo.
An initial fund of CFA50 million has already been set aside to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This initiative aims to create a better environment for women to succeed in a changing economy.
This partnership reflects BOA Togo's commitment to empowering women and promoting an inclusive economy. In 2023, the bank also signed two financing agreements totaling CFA1.5 billion with the Association des Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises du Togo (AFCET) and the LIM IMPACT group, further supporting women entrepreneurs in Togo.
Esaïe Edoh
Togo: Launch of the Public Investment Program for 2026-2028
Togo has officially launched its new Public Investment Program (PIP) for 2026-2028. Disclosed on January 30, 2025, in Lomé, the initiative aims to streamline public investments and align projects with the government’s 2020-2025 roadmap and sustainable development goals.
The program was launched in the presence of Presidential Advisors, Cabinet Directors, General Secretaries of ministries, and representatives from the public and financial sectors. On the occasion, Edjéou Essohanam, Director of Cabinet at the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Cooperation, highlighted deep reforms to help better manage public investments.
These reforms will establish strict criteria for selecting and prioritizing projects to ensure they are relevant and fit within budget limits. The Togolese government wants to make public spending more effective, amid ongoing economic crises over the continent, and the world.
Tight Monitoring
The 2026-2028 PIP will use a detailed process for data collection, evaluation, and validation. By February 10, 2025, ministries and public institutions must submit feasibility reports, detailed project descriptions, and financing agreements.
Togo has committed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to keep its budget deficit at 3% of GDP. As a result, the government will focus on actions that significantly impact its citizens.
Under the 2025 Finance Act, Togo plans to allocate about CFA540 billion to investment projects.
The PIP process will continue until March 2025.
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Germany-Togo Partnership: Nearly €300 Million Mobilized Since 2021
Since 2021, Germany has provided €294.3 million (CFA193 billion) to support reforms and investments in Togo. This funding is part of the G20's Compact With Africa initiative and focuses on improving the business environment, vocational training, agro-industrial transformation, agricultural value chains, decentralization, and regional development.
The announcement was made during the Intergovernmental Consultations on Development Cooperation held in Lomé from January 27 to 30, 2025. These discussions are in preparation for bilateral negotiations planned for late 2025 in Berlin.
A Lasting Financial Commitment Until 2027
In 2024, Germany allocated €15 million (CFA9.8 billion) for projects covering fiber optics and digitizing town halls. Another €11 million (CFA7.2 billion) was provided to help improve resilience in northern Togo, including funding school canteens.
The recent meeting reviewed ongoing projects and set priorities for the future. Overall, Germany has committed €530.91 million (CFA347.75 billion) to projects running through 2027, making it one of Togo’s most important development partners.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Umoa-Securities: Togo Seeks CFA25 Billion
Togo plans to raise CFA25 billion on the West African Monetary Union’s public securities market this Friday, February 7. The country’s Treasury will issue short-term government bonds, known as fungible bills (BAT), to secure the funds.
Each bond will have a nominal value of CFA1 million, a three-month maturity period, and varying interest rates. The money raised will help finance Togo’s 2025 budget, which amounts to CFA2,397 billion.
This year, Togo aims to raise a total of CFA332 billion from the regional financial market. So far, it has already secured CFA44 billion through two earlier operations in January, achieving 13% of its annual goal.
Esaïe Edoh
Faure Gnassingbé: “Economic Integration Alone Won’t Solve Africa’s Problems”
Economic integration is important for Africa to build a common market, but it is not enough to fix the continent’s deeper challenges. This was the core message Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé shared at the Dialogues on Prosperity in Africa (APD 2025), held on February 1, 2025, in Accra, Ghana.
President Gnassingbé, a key advocate for the Single Market for Air Transport in Africa (MUTAA) since 2018, shared a three-part plan to make Africa’s economy stronger and more independent.
Beyond Trade
Gnassingbé claimed that regional integration should be a leverage that helps Africa be more resilient to external shocks and become self-sufficient. Setting up a common market, he stressed, should not just be about opening up trade. The move should pair with a balanced model, which ensures a fair distribution of profits among concerned economic stakeholders while integrating key disparities that exist between African countries.
“Economic integration alone won’t solve Africa’s structural problems, like economic inequalities or geographical disparities,” the Togolese leader said. These disparities, he noted, should be integrated into regional development strategies.
To make integration work, Gnassingbé recommends drawing practical solutions that consider these differences and provide support for weaker economies. “The idea is not just to liberalize trade but to build a sovereign economic ecosystem,” he said.
Infrastructure Is Key to Reducing Inequalities
Better infrastructure—roads, ports, railways, and digital networks—is primordial for efficient economic integration and bridge inequalities, Togo’s n°1 said. He thus called for substantial investments in crossborder infrastructure, to link rural and landlocked areas to major economic hubs, and facilitate the movement of goods, services, and capital across the continent.
President Gnassingbé also pushed for creating economic corridors that link industrial and agricultural zones, and he suggested simplifying customs procedures with one-stop shops. In this regard, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA seems ideal to coordinate these projects and bolster the continent’s economic cohesion.
Esaïe Doh
Togo Plans Subcontracting Exchange to Support SMEs
The Togolese government and private sector are working together to improve cooperation between large companies and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). At the Subcontracting and Partnerships Forum in Lomé on January 30, 2025, they discussed creating a subcontracting exchange to help SMEs connect with larger companies.
This forum was part of the second edition of the Private Sector Days which gathered government officials, business leaders, financial institutions, and SME representatives. The theme was "Partnership between large companies and SMEs: a lever for economic development." The discussions highlighted the need for a structured system to help SMEs access the markets of larger firms.
On the occasion, Rose Kayi Mivedor, the Minister of Commerce, stressed the importance of supporting the private sector for sustainable development. “Given the private sector’s importance for our country's development, its promotion must remain a priority,” she said.
The proposed subcontracting exchange could be a digital platform where large companies post their subcontracting needs, and qualified SMEs offer their services. Aboki Vignon, President of the Groupement Togolais des Très Petites, Petites et Moyennes Entreprises (GTPME)(Micro, small, and medium-sized business group), pointed out that while SMEs make up 90% of businesses in Togo, they often struggle to join larger value chains. Jonas Daou from the Association des Grandes Entreprisesdu Togo (AGET)(Large business association) added that issues like governance, access to financing, and human resource management hinder the growth of private businesses.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo: Kifema Capital Funds Sports Complex in Golfe 7
Kifema Capital is funding a new sports complex at Adidogomé High School in the Golfe 7 commune. Construction started recently and is expected to be completed in three months.
The sports complex will include soccer pitches, basketball courts, tennis courts, children's play areas, and a restaurant.
Arthur Trimua, Managing Director of Kifema Capital, explained that the project aligns with Kifema’s ambition to secure investments for key infrastructure. The complex aims to help young people engage in sports and keep them away from idleness and crime. While the project’s cost is unknown, similar complexes are projected in other schools across Togo.
The Togolese government set up Kifema Capital to form strategic partnerships in key development areas. Part of Togo Invest, Kifema was involved in several projects, including a 65 MW Kekeli Efficient power plant.
Esaïe Edoh