• Summit gathers African leaders to boost investment in key infrastructure
• Event focuses on trade corridors and integration under the AfCFTA
• Togo seeks to attract investors and expand transport and logistics projects

The 3rd Luanda Summit on Infrastructure Financing in Africa opened on October 28, 2025, in the Angolan capital, bringing together several African heads of state, including Togo’s President of the Council, Faure Gnassingbé.

À l’invitation de Son Excellence João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, @jlprdeangola, Président de la République d’Angola, et Président en exercice de l’Union africaine, Son Excellence Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, @FEGnassingbe Président du Conseil, participe ce 28 octobre 2025 au 3ᵉ… pic.twitter.com/qUuainJ5Rw

— Présidence du Conseil du Togo (@presidencecstg) October 28, 2025

Jointly organized by the African Union Commission and the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), the event is held under the theme “Capital, Corridors, Commerce: Investing in Infrastructure for the AfCFTA and Shared Prosperity.” Discussions aim to shape strategies for infrastructure development, a key driver of intra-African trade and economic integration.

According to a statement from the Togolese Presidency, African leaders will explore strategic investment opportunities aligned with the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) and the African Union’s Master Plan for Regional and Continental Connectivity.

For Togo, this participation is particularly significant as the country steps up efforts to modernize its transport and logistics infrastructure, enhance investor appeal, and fully leverage opportunities created by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

• Former Prime Minister succeeds Kodjo Adédzé as head of Parliament
• Klassou becomes the 15th speaker in Togo’s political history
• His election follows the formation of the first government of the Fifth Republic

Sélom Klassou, a member of the Union for the Republic (UNIR) and former Prime Minister from 2015 to 2020, has been elected speaker of Togo’s National Assembly. He succeeds Kodjo Adédzé, who was appointed Minister of Territorial Planning, Urban Development, and Housing on October 8, 2025, in the country’s first government under the Fifth Republic.

Klassou was elected on October 28, 2025, during the second plenary session of the ordinary sitting held at the Parliament’s headquarters. A native of Notsè in the Haho Prefecture, he becomes the 15th speaker of the Assembly in Togo’s history.

A veteran politician who has served under both Eyadéma and Faure Gnassingbé, Klassou previously held the position of deputy speaker before becoming Prime Minister in 2015. Under current parliamentary rules, he will lead the legislature for a three-year term, supported by a bureau comprising six deputy speakers, three financial officers, and three parliamentary secretaries.

With the recent adoption of a bicameral system under the new parliamentary regime, Togo now has a Senate chaired by Barry Moussa Barqué and a National Assembly led by Sélom Klassou. According to a political analyst specializing in the country, “institutionally, everything is now in place for Togo to launch the major projects of the Fifth Republic.”

Fair trade-certified cocoa cooperatives in Togo are now eligible for a new financing mechanism launched under the Équité 3 program, cofinanced by the French Development Agency (AFD) and the French Global Environment Facility (FFEM).

The call for proposals, coordinated by Agronomes et Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (AVSF), seeks to support agroecological transition and combat deforestation within fair trade sectors in West Africa, specifically in Togo, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire.

Cooperatives have until November 12, 2025, to submit their concept notes. Each selected project will be eligible for a grant of up to €60,000 for a period of 24 to 36 months.

Eligible activities include “zero-deforestation” traceability, crop diversification, adoption of sustainable processing technologies, and greater inclusion of women and young producers.

According to the call document, at least six cocoa cooperatives and eight cooperatives from other sectors—such as cashew, shea, fruit, and crafts—will be selected. The goal is to strengthen the economic and environmental sustainability of farmers’ organizations and promote replicable regional models.

For Togolese stakeholders, the mechanism offers an opportunity to boost the competitiveness of a small but promising cocoa sector. Although modest in scale and still facing structural challenges like aging plantations, the industry is recovering. Cocoa exports rose by 50% in the 2024–2025 season, reaching 4,400 tons compared with 2,618 tons in 2023–2024.

The country’s new national strategy is geared toward quality, emphasizing organic and fair trade production, local value addition, and market diversification for exports.

Prices in Togo continued to stabilize in September 2025. According to recent data from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic and Demographic Studies (INSEED), the inflation rate fell to 0.8%, down from 1.1% in August. This is seen as positive news for households, as price stability remains a priority for economic authorities.

The decline confirms a trend that began at the end of 2024. Over the first nine months of 2025, inflation has stayed below the 3% threshold set by the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) as part of its convergence criteria. In December 2024, inflation stood at 2.9%, showing a steady decrease throughout the year.

The easing is mainly due to falling food prices. September marks the start of the harvest season, particularly in agricultural areas in both the north and south. Markets recorded notable price drops for several staples, including yam, cassava, tomato, pepper, maize, and local rice.

According to INSEED, some price variations were substantial: yam for fufu dropped by more than 40% in one month, local tomatoes by nearly 20%, peppers by 25.2%, cassava by 15.3%, and white maize by 9.7%. Traditional dishes such as fufu and wokoumé, a maize paste, also saw price decreases of 5–7%.

This trend also reflects the Togolese government’s measures to curb consumer prices through agricultural production support, favorable tax policies, and targeted household assistance. The goal is to preserve purchasing power and prevent spikes in staple food prices, while several neighboring countries continue to face inflation rates above 5%.

With an average inflation rate below 3% since January, Lomé is reinforcing its economic stability, enhancing the country’s credibility with lenders and investors. The drop from 2.9% in December 2024 to 0.8% in September 2025 shows nearly continuous disinflation over nine months, following the peaks of 2022 and 2023.

It remains to be seen whether this trend will hold toward the end of the year, a period often marked by seasonal increases in demand and prices.

Togo has taken a major step toward strengthening technical and vocational training. The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) and Planet One Education Togo signed a €50 million (32.79 billion XOF) financing agreement on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, confirming a commitment initially announced in July.

The loan will finance the construction and outfitting of six new technical and vocational training centers in Tandjouaré, Danyi Akpéyémé, Kougnohou, Guérin-Kouka, Agoé-Nyivé, and Tsévié.

The centers aim to strengthen human capital by providing training for 3,481 students each year. Initial plans include laboratories, workshops, and student housing to support hands-on learning.

Dr. George Agyekum Donkor, EBID President, said the signing represented “a tangible step forward in the regional strategy to invest in human capital,” describing it as key to enhancing ECOWAS’s industrial competitiveness.

Deepak Balaji, Director of Planet One, called the agreement “a decisive partnership to train the skilled workforce driving Togo’s growth.”

With this agreement, EBID’s commitments in Togo now total nearly $362 million.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togo became the first African country to launch health insurance specifically for self-employed and informal sector workers (TNS) on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. This initiative is a key component of the country’s Universal Health Coverage (AMU) program, which was fully rolled out in January 2024.

The official enrollment of this category was launched following the commissioning of a digital platform designed by the National Social Security Fund (CNSS). This online tool allows artisans, merchants, farmers, and other actors in the informal sector to join the CNSS-AMU insured base by submitting personal information and selecting a contribution plan.

Workers can contribute under various formulas: 10,000 XOF per month, 28,500 XOF per quarter, 54,000 XOF per semester, or 102,000 XOF per year.

Once enrolled, the insured will receive their card, granting them access to the benefits provided under the AMU across the entire national territory.

"This initiative will allow every non-salaried worker, regardless of their income or sector of activity, to benefit from basic care without fear of financial ruin," said Health Minister Jean-Marie Tessi.

According to Ingrid Awadé, CNSS Director General, the extension of the AMU to informal workers "marks the fulfillment of the promise of a supportive, equitable, and sustainable social security system." She assured that her organization would ensure that no independent worker is left out.

This stage follows the recent expansion of the AMU to include widows, widowers, and orphans. The CNSS plans to progressively extend the scheme to other socio-professional categories in the coming months.

Esaïe Edoh

The Fund for Regional Stabilization and Development (FRSD), a regional program launched by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in May 2024, has helped more than 130 young Togolese—men and women alike—gain hands-on skills in processing and marketing agricultural and livestock products over the past 18 months.

Among the beneficiaries, 65 received direct funding to expand their businesses in the dairy, horticulture, fisheries, and poultry sectors.

The FRSD operates in some of the country’s most vulnerable rural regions, including Kara, Savanes, and Centrale. The project’s outcomes were reviewed during a lessons-learned workshop held on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Kara, where beneficiaries, local officials, and implementation partners assessed its impact.

Participants praised the program’s contribution to job creation, skills training, social cohesion, and reduced economic vulnerability in rural areas.

According to Francis Nadjombé, GIZ regional coordinator for Kara and Savanes, these results “show that economic stabilization and vocational training can serve as lasting tools for peace and development in West Africa.”

The FRSD is financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ in partnership with VSF-Suisse and GEVAPAF. The initiative also covers Benin and Guinea-Bissau, following a pilot phase in Gambia, with total funding of €25.2 million.

R.E.D

Togo officially launched the 2025-2026 soybean marketing season on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. The launch event in Lomé also featured the signing of new agreements among industry stakeholders on export conditions for Togolese soybeans.

The agreements were signed by the National Federation of Soybean Producer Cooperatives (FNCPS), the Togolese Association of Soybean Processors (ATTS), and the National Association of Soybean Traders-Exporters (ANCES). They cover marketing volumes, sales prices, transport procedures, inspection points, and technical measures to ensure a successful 2025–2026 season.

Stakeholders set the farm-gate price of soybeans at 220 XOF per kilogram, down from 250 XOF in the previous season. According to Koriko Mounirou, President of the Interprofessional Committee for the Togo Soybean Sector (CIFS-Togo), the reduction reflects recent declines in global soybean prices. The total volume set for commercialization this season is 200,000 tons.

With these new agreements, CIFS-Togo aims to bring long-term stability to the national soybean market through fair and transparent mechanisms. Key objectives include protecting farmers’ incomes, expanding access to financing for traders and processors, and improving sector governance through a more unified and proactive structure.

Togo’s national soybean production for the recently concluded 2024–2025 season was estimated at just over 260,000 tons. Industry players are now targeting an ambitious 500,000 tons for the upcoming agricultural cycle, aiming to strengthen Togo’s position as one of West Africa’s leading soybean producers.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo raised 27.5 billion XOF on the UMOA public securities market on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, after a dual auction of Treasury Bonds (OAT) and Treasury Bills (BAT). The issuance exceeded its initial target of 25 billion XOF.

According to a report from the UMOA-Titres Agency, total bids reached 53.3 billion XOF, translating into a bid-to-cover ratio of 213.31%.

After the selection process, the Togolese Treasury accepted 8.1 billion XOF out of 32.2 billion XOF in bids for the 364-day, multiple-rate Treasury Bills (BAT). For the three-year Treasury Bonds (OAT) carrying a fixed rate of 6.25%, Togo retained 19.4 billion XOF of the 20.1 billion XOF offered.

This was Togo’s first issuance on the regional market for the final quarter of 2025, during which the Treasury plans to raise a total of 100 billion XOF.

With this successful auction, Togo’s year-to-date issuance stands at 292 billion XOF, about 88% of its 332 billion XOF annual target. The result reflects continued investor confidence in Togo’s sovereign credit and sound debt management strategy.

Esaïe Edoh