Togo First
Togo : Soon, a renewable energy development program will be created
The West African Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) submitted for validation a feasibility study for the creation of clean power development program in Togo. This was during a meeting held on Feb 27, which pooled academics, experts, and administrative authorities.
The end of the validation session comes a year after the process itself began. Dr Kokou Kouami, Head of Research, WASCAL-Togo declared : “There will be three main stages which are scaling, research and training.”
This process will involve assessing Togo’s resources in terms of clean energy, better handling, storage and distribution, and developing an appropriate economic model.
Trainings projected in the program’s framework concern not only academics, but the public also in order to better equip them to manage renewables more efficiently.
Let’s recall that this program is backed by Germany and should be discussed during bilateral talks between the two countries.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Refering to commercial courts and paying enrolment fees is now possible online
It is now possible to refer to commercial courts via lawyers and bailiffs, as well as pay enrolment fees online via Flooz and Tmoney. This was disclosed by Kossi Kutuhun, President of Lomé’s Court of Instance, in an ordinance dated January 31, 2019.
“The concerned fees can now be paid online on the platform handling commercial disputes, legally,” the judge said. Launched in 2015, this platform was recently updated and introduced to lawyers and bailiffs. Soon, payment via banking cards will be possible as announced last January by the firm in charge of developing and launching the platform.
The new functionalities integrated were to improve Togo’s business climate. In effect, they help better manage registration of commercial conflicts, speed up related procedures and efficiently solve them in commercial courts.
Tag: Recent reforms
Ecobank Foundation sponsors “Sembène Ousmane” award at FESPACO in Ouagadougou
The Ecobank foundation is sponsoring the “Sembène Ousmane” award, valued at CFA5 billion, at the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) which will end next March 2.
The foundation of the Lomé-based banking group, through the move, supports African film industry as it tries to emerge.
Carl Manlan, Director of Operations of the institution commented on the initiative saying : “It is a real honor for the Ecobank Foundation to sponsor such an important award.”
“The African film industry is getting more attention and renowned worldwide, and we give great attention to this event which portrays the best of Africa’s image. The Sembène Ousmane award will be awarded to the movie that best reflects Ecobank’s dignity, honor and good governance values.”
This year is the 50th anniversary of the FESPACO.
Séna Akoda
Roads rehabilitated and market built in Kara, under PUDC, at a cost of CFA3 billion
The Dankpen and Doufelgou prefectures, located in the Kara region (more than 450km north of Lomé) now have 79km of rehabilitated rural roads and a new prefectural market.
The infrastructures built under the Community Development Emergency Program (PUDC) were delivered last Wednesday, in the presence of President Faure Gnassingbé.
Financed by Japan (CFA470 million), the new market has modern infrastructures, hangars and slaughterhouses, as well as electric poles.
Merchants’ representatives welcome the infrastructures which will improve their businesses and boost their profits.
Regarding rehabilitated roads, the works cost CFA2.5 billion and should ease movements between Alloun, Namon, Guérin-Kouka, Kidjaboum, and Katchamba.
Séna Akoda
MIFA SA urges agricultural actors to register on its database
MIFA SA plans on putting in place a database listing the various actors engaged in Togo’s agricultural sector. This aims at structuring agricultural value chains and comes after the listing of investors involved in the scheme at the end of 2018.
Interested actors are thus urged to express their desire to be listed in the database, via mail or by sending their details to the secretariat of MIFA SA.
These include fertilizer and service providers; those ensuring primary production, collection, transformation and conditioning, in addition to market actors (consumption, industrial, export).
Request for registration should include a form to get the actor’s identity, address, entity and related date of creation, field of activity and sector. Other details related to products or services offered, production and commercialization capacity, location and zone of intervention are also demanded.
Last, part of the form will be filled with challenges faced by actors, the type of support he or she wants, skills and labor they have at their disposal, etc.
Registration will close on March 1, 2019.
Séna Akoda
Togo: Kountoum gets a mini solar power plant
A new mini solar power plant has been developed in Kountoum, 415km north of Lomé, in the Bassar prefecture.
The infrastructure which has a low tension small distribution network, will power public lighting system.
It was commissioned Feb 26 under the high patronage of President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé. This project falls under the government’s strategy to boost access to power in rural areas.
Indeed, in the past two years, Togo built many similar mini solar plants, namely in Assoukoko (250 kWc), Bavou (150 kWc), and Takpapiéni (100 kWc).
These projects are part of a larger program, the regional program for clean energy development and energy efficiency (PRODERE) which costs CFA2 billion.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
New land code introduced to local populations
Togolese populations were recently introduced to the new code on private and state-owned land. This was on the sidelines of the civil society forum on land held last Tuesday, in Atakpamé (161km north east of Lomé).
Participants learned about the new regulation, in order to prevent future land conflicts and improve land management in the country.
The meeting, its second edition, is organized by ADHD, an Ngo that works for a sustainable rural development, and the ministry of housing. It aligns with national commitment strategies for equal access to land, for rural populations mainly.
Let’s recall that the new code lists 736 articles and considers the various changes that occurred in Togo, in the recent years, in regards to land. This new regulation aims to make land legislation safer, fight speculation, land grabbing and sell-off in rural areas. It was adopted in June 2018.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Since its launch, PUDC provided access to power to 96,000 people, in Maritime and Savanes regions
Two and a half years since its launch, the Community Development Emergency Programme (PUDC) helped 96,000 people living in the Maritime and Savanes regions gain access to solar power, via multipurpose platforms.
The scheme’s beneficiaries are spread across 16 localities of the two regions.
Providing modern power services to the populations of these localities, to women especially, helped them start businesses in sectors such as agro-food.
The PUDC covers key sectors like education, agriculture, health, social protection and clean water supply. It targets communities that have little or no access to government support, with main goal being reducing social inequalities and boosting inclusive growth, at both local and national levels.
Séna Akoda
Togo counts more than 36,000 organic farmers – FIBL
In Togo, there are more than 36,000 organic farmers, according to the latest survey of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FIBL) on global organic production. This figure represents about 4.83% of all African farmers operating in this field.
According to the same survey, close to 40,000 ha of lands, which is only 1% of lands exploited in Togo, are dedicated to organic farming in the country.
While this area is modest compared to global standards, it puts Togo ahead of its WAEMU neighbors. Indeed, Benin and Burkina Faso respectively dedicate 0.5% of their arable lands to organic farming. Both nations respectively have around 4,000 and 27,000 farmers active in this field. In Africa, 0.2% of arable lands are used for organic farming and 815,070 farmers are active in the sector.
Demand for organic products has been growing substantially in the past years. In Togo for example, the organic soy market is potentially worth nine billion CFA, for the 2018-2019 season alone.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo-EU Economic Forum to focus on 7 key sectors targeted by PND
The Togo-EU economic forum will focus on promoting seven key sectors, in line with the National Development Plan (PND 2018-2022).
The first sector on which investors will focus is agriculture-agribusiness. This sector contributes 40% of Togo’s GDP and authorities plan over the 2018-2022 period to locally process agricultural products prior to their export.
The second sector is industry. The country plans in regards to the latter to create zones dedicated to the processing of agricultural products for export purpose. Also projected are special economic zones, reinforcing SMEs and SMIs, etc. Boosting the industrial sector should significantly contribute to job creation and economic growth.
Another sector is that of services which falls under axis 1 of the PND : Develop a top-class logistics hub and business center in the region. Authorities’ efforts to make the port of Lomé and the airport more competitive, paired with the valorization of ICTs, should help achieve this goal.
During the forum, empowerment of women and young entrepreneurs will also be discussed. Among others, participants will also discuss access to financing, development funds and private-public partnership.
Séna Akoda