Togo First
Togolese authorities organize a workshop to assess risks impairing public administration
Lomé is currently hosting a 5-day workshop on risk assessment in public administration in Togo. Participants include various auditors and managers from ministries, as well as public finance experts.
The workshop aims primarily at reinforcing economic governance in the country while enabling concerned institutions to reach their administrative goals.
It also supports reforms initiated in the framework of the Economic Governance Support Project which is backed by the World Bank and the European Union.
Participants should at the end of the meeting map risks that key ministries are exposed to, relative to governance. These ministries include those for health and public hygiene, infrastructure and transport, primary and secondary education, and the ministry of mining and energy.
Liquid Telecom lands XOF3 billion deal to manage Carrier Hotel data center in Togo
Liquid Telecom, the pan-African internet service provider, will manage the Carrier Hotel as well as the internet exchange point.
The firm has made an offer of XOF2.9 billion, excluding VAT, for the project which it said it will complete over five years. The medallion was the main competing bidder of the subsidiary of the Zimbabwean group Econet Wireless on this project.
In 2019, at the Africa CEO Forum held in Kigali, Econet Wireless had expressed interest in the Togolese market. On this occasion, the West African country was represented at the event by a delegation led by president Gnassingbé himself. At the time, the Togolese team was promoting its 2018-2022 national development plan (PND 2018-2022).
Séna Akoda
Coronavirus: Jack Ma commits 20,000 test kits and 100,000 masks to each African country
Chinese billionaire and founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma, will give African countries 20,000 coronavirus test kits and more than 100,000 masks.
The mogul made the announcement last week during an audience with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed.
‘Africa can stay one step ahead of coronavirus. To each of the 54 African nations, we will give 20,000 test kits, 100,000 masks, and 1,000 protective suits,’ Ma declared on twitter.
Togo, which is among the beneficiaries has just put in place a XOF2 billion emergency fund to fight the pandemic. It has also decided to suspend flights from high-risk countries.
The equipment donated, Ma adds, comes with a manual explaining how the infected should be treated.
To date, 28 African nations are affected by the virus, with 362 confirmed cases. Worldwide, more than 183,000 cases, over 7,000 deaths, and nearly 80,000 recovered individuals have been reported.
In Togo, the emergency number to call to report a potential case is 111.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togolese Government puts in place an emergency fund to fight coronavirus
Togo will put in place a XOF2 billion fund to fight coronavirus (Covid-19). This was disclosed after an extraordinary council of ministers held on March 16, 2020, and especially focused on the pandemic.
Other measures announced to prevent the virus from spreading in the country include suspending all flights from high-risk countries (Italy, France, Spain, Germany) for two weeks starting next Friday, canceling every international event Togo is to host for 3 weeks (Effective March 16). Also, every person who was recently in a high-risk country and presently is in Togo must isolate themselves for 14 days (failure to do so will call for sanctions); gatherings of more than 100 people have been forbidden, effective next Thursday at midnight. Last, monitoring as well as individual and collective prevention measures have been reinforced.
Let it be recalled that so far, only one case has been reported in Togo, in a context where WHO estimated that the country’s risk of exposure is very high, given that all its closest neighbors are now affected.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Coronavirus: Togo suspends all flights from high-risk countries
Amid the continued spread of the coronavirus, Togo will, starting next Friday, suspend all flights from high-risk countries. The suspension period has been set to two weeks and could be extended depending on how things progress.
Also, travelers from such countries, France and Italy for example, who came by air or land, must isolate themselves with regular medical care, while ensuring minimum contact (even with family members), over 14 days.
Regarding land borders, Togolese authorities will reinforce health controls and while they emphasized that so far Togo has kept these borders open, their closure remains an eventuality.
Another preventive measure, to be effective next Sunday, concerns the ban of a gathering of more than 100 people for three weeks. Similarly, all international events have been canceled, effective immediately.
The various measures taken by the Covid-19 crisis cell (led by president Faure Gnassingbé himself) were announced during a recent council of ministers and relayed by the embassy of France.
In addition to the new measures, the authorities reminded the public to keep observing recommended precautions (often wash hands with soap or use hand sanitizers, avoid handshakes, and accolades).
At present, all neighbors of Togo have declared at least a case of Covid-19. Ghana, with whom it shares a border, recorded a recent spike in the number of cases (from 2 to 6). All over the continent, more than 130 cases and 20 deaths have been reported across 26 countries (WHO).
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo: Sunu Bank issues new shares to raise its capital by XOF1.8 billion
In Togo, Sunu Bank wants to raise its capital by XOF1.8 billion. To this end, the former Banque Populaire pour l’Epargne et le Crédit (BPEC) has issued 400,000 new shares.
Each of the new shares has a nominal value of XOF4500 and “they are exclusively reserved for old shareholders who can exercise their preemptive right at a parity of 16,257 existing shares against 3,125 new ones.”
The issuance which is arranged by SGI-Togo (Société de Gestion et d’Intermédiation) has been approved by the Regional Council for Public Savings and Financial Markets (CREPMF) - the regulator of WAEMU’s financial markets.
Subscriptions will be accepted until March 26, 2020, at SGI-Togo, Sunu Bank Togo, and any WAEMU-accredited brokerage firm.
Séna Akoda
Criminal records to soon be digitized in Togo
Launched three years ago, the project for the digitization of criminal records in Togo should soon be operational with its pilot phase initiated in Lomé.
The news was disclosed on the official website of the presidency. The related communiqué indicates that those applying for their records online will do so either through the dedicated website or by using the dedicated app (which will be downloadable on the Play Store).
The initiative, according to competent authorities, is aimed at saving citizens time and money, by cutting administrative paperwork. For example, applicants will no longer have to return to their place of birth for the records, as is usually the case.
In the framework of the digitization project, a national registry for condemnations was created. Also, 18 out of the country’s 30 tribunals have been connected through a specific digital platform.
Nuclear: Togo inks technical cooperation agreement with IAAE
Last week, Togo signed a five-year technical cooperation agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The signing took place in Vienna, at the headquarters of IAEA, between Robert Dussey, Togo’s minister of foreign affairs, and Dazhu Yang, deputy managing director of the IAEA and chief of its technical cooperation division.
The country framework programme (CFP) reached between the two parties supports Togo’s development goals and covers the five following areas: nuclear and radiation safety, food and agriculture, health and nutrition, water and environment, and energy and mining.
Since 2012, Togo has been a member of the IAEA. The latter, a UN agency established in 1957, promotes the safe and peaceful use of nuclear energy in the world. To date, it has more than 170 members.
Coronavirus: Ghana reinforces security at its border with Togo and may ban circulation across it
As the number of new cases of persons infected with the coronavirus rises in Ghana (four new cases making a total of six cases detected so far), the country plans to reinforce security at its border with Togo and may even forbid the movement of people.
Regarding the ban, the Ghanaian government should soon hold a meeting to evaluate the question. In the meantime, authorities at the border will now be using a thermal scanner to detect potentially infected travelers.
In Togo, only one case has been reported so far. The latter is being treated in quarantine. Meanwhile, in Senegal, just like in Ghana, the number of cases is on the rise (mostly imported) causing authorities to initiate isolation and forbid public manifestations. This surge may debunk the hypothesis stating that the virus’ spread could be hampered in hot regions.
Indeed, while the virus had initially spared Africa, the number of affected people keeps increasing now. Yesterday, it was reported that so far 26 countries across the continent have been affected, namely: South Africa, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Morocco, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, DR Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Togo, and Tunisia.
Reminder: Numbers to call to report potential cases in Togo are +228 22 22 20 73 / +228 91 67 42 42.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togolese delivery startup Kaba seeks €10,000 to expand activities
Lomé-based delivery startup Kaba Delivery has launched a crowdfunding on Leetchi, to finance new services. The startup is looking to raise €10,000 through the operation.
Since it started operations in 2019, Kaba has recorded 6,000 orders. It has a staff of 10 people.
The monies raised will help the startup boost its financing capacities and have guarantees to show partnering banks.