Initially expected to be completed last month, the St. Pérégrin hospital should be delivered next July, according to a statement published on the official website of the Togolese presidency. Construction works for the infrastructure was launched in February by Faure Gnassingbé himself. 

The project’s commencement was delayed and later slowed by bad weather, in September 2019, as well. It is a top-class hospital that meets international standards. 

Estimated to cost XOF17 billion, provided by the national social security fund (CNSS), the hospital is built over six hectares. It is located in the northern part of Lomé. The site will also host a 4-star hotel, a heliport, among others. 

The project, for the government, falls under the third axis of its national development plan. This axis aims, it should be noted, to boost social inclusion in Togo.

Togo has launched another operation on the UEMOA market to raise XOF50 billion for its 2020 State budget. 

In detail, Lomé will issue fungible treasury bonds at a nominal value of XOF10,000 per unit. The bonds will mature over a three-year period with an interest rate of 6.15% that will be paid starting from the first year of maturity. 

Reimbursement will commence on March 16, 2023, according to the tender attached to the bond issuance process. 

Let’s indicate that so far, Togo has raised about XOF 110 billion on the UEMOA-Securities market, since the beginning of the year. Its latest operation on this market was actually oversubscribed (more than 200%), reflecting investors’ trust in the economy.  

Séna Akoda

Yesterday, March 3rd, Togo’s constitutional courts officially announced the reelection of Faure Gnassingbé as President. 

The leader secured 70.78% of votes recorded during the recent elections and will head the country for another five years. 

A new term, more social commitments

This new term will mostly focus on the national development plan. The latter, whose cost is estimated at more than $8 billion, aims to reshape the Togolese economy, towards inclusive growth and the creation of sustainable jobs. 

President Gnassingbé also announced many social projects during the campaign, with maternal health, civil status, education, and rural electrification as major areas of focus. This, in a context where terrorism keeps rising, spurring security issues in the country. 

Opposition’s claims rejected

While Faure Gnassingbé won the elections, the vote was contested by the opposition, led by Agbéyomé Codjo. However, the winning party said the claims were unfounded. 

The claims were indeed all rejected by the constitutional court for lack of proof. 

Still, the leader of the opposition who proclaimed himself as the democratically elected president of Togo ignored the institution’s decision and appointed his own Prime Minister on March 2, 2020.

After Nigeria last week, a new case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Senegal, making it the second West African country affected by the disease so far. The news was reported March 2, by the Senegalese presidency. 

The infected, a French citizen, has been hospitalized at the Institut Pasteur de Dakar. He arrived in Dakar two days ago, via an Air Senegal flight. All other passengers of the flight, authorities said, will be tracked and adequate measures will be taken to prevent the virus from spreading. 

Senegal is one of the countries, alongside others like Nigeria and Ghana, that can currently test for Covid-19 in West Africa. It is also the only WAEMU State (French-speaking West African countries) to be exposed to the disease at the moment. 

So far, only four cases of coronavirus have been identified in Africa; a situation that puzzles many given how fragile health systems are across the continent. 

In Togo, the numbers to contact to signal potential cases are +228 22 22 20 73 / +228 91 67 42 42. Health authorities in this country are on alert and have set both an isolation center and a monitoring cell at the International Airport of Lomé. 

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

As Coronavirus spreads more outside China, with new cases reported in Senegal, Nigeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, developing nations such as Togo can now rely on the World Bank’s support to fight the outbreak. 

“The IMF and the World Bank stand ready to help member countries address the human and economic challenges of the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak,” a joint statement from the two Bretton Woods institutions reads. 

“We are engaged actively with international institutions and country authorities, with special attention to poor countries where health systems are the weakest and people are most vulnerable. We will use our available instruments to the fullest extent possible, including emergency financing, policy advice, and technical assistance.”

The tools will be needed by the concerned member-States, in a context where the coronavirus threatens, not only global health but global economy as well. 

According to recent data, more than 90,000 people (90,937) have been infected at present. Besides China (more than 80,000 cases), main centers of infection are South Korea (4,800 cases), Italy (more than 2,000 cases) and Iran (1,500 cases). 

Other countries where first cases have been reported, apart from Senegal, Tunisia, and Morocco, include New Zealand and Luxemburg. 

So far, no case has been reported in Togo.

The Togolese Chamber of Trade and Industry (CCIT) will establish an industrial zone in Agbélouvé (62 km from Lomé), and exactly in Kotso-Kopé. This zone will house a 50MW solar plant. 

For the project, the CCIT is backed, financially and technically, by its German partner Sun Farming Food & Energy, as well as other institutions. 

Over a decade, after it is launched, this industrial area should lead to the creation of 50,000 jobs. It will also help improve food security and technology transfer in Togo. 

Laying of the first stone should take place on March 5, 2020.

The project, it should be noted aligns with the national development plan (PND 2018-2022) under its second axis which is dedicated to the development of the agroindustry. 

Séna Akoda

Togolese startup eConvivial is a laureate of the “Challenge des 1000” contest launched by France to enable Africans to take part in the Africa-France summit and the Cité des 1000 fair. The news was announced by the startup itself on its twitter account. 

The firm which operates in the health sector has developed a web and mobile app to boost youths’ access to healthcare and health-related information, including those related to sexual health and reproduction. 

It provides information and services to take care of sexually transmissible diseases (STDs). It helps sick people get healthcare rapidly by directing them to the closest health centers. 

The Cité des 1000 fair will take place next June in Bordeaux. A tender was launched in its framework to select innovative projects that contribute to the emergence of sustainable cities. 

Besides health, projects concerned should tackle the following: “access to basic services, feeding cities, building and developing cities, urban transportation and sightseeing, life in the cities, financing and structuring of projects, and connecting cities.” 

These projects should be related to the sectors of energetic security and efficiency, clean energies, risk management, agro-food, trade, architecture, insurance and digital innovation, housing, tourism, education, banking, etc.

Séna Akoda

“Togo has lifted bureaucratic obstacles for entrepreneurs.” This was recently disclosed by the U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo, in a speech at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. 

The diplomat was commenting on improvements made by the West African country to facilitate business creation. 

In this regard, Togo gained 69 places on the starting a business indicator of the 2020 Doing Business, due to multiple reforms. Among the latter, there is a significant reduction in the time needed to register a business at the CFE (center for business formalities), the possibility to create LLCs without a notarial deed, the liberalization of the social capital and of the nominal value of social shares, the suppression of registration fees, online creation of business, etc. 

These reforms helped boost the number of created companies in Togo (more than 11,000 in 2019).

Let’s recall that Pompeo had already congratulated Togolese authorities for their economic and political governance, on the sidelines of the 59th independence day celebration. On this occasion, he lauded their efforts at improving the welfare of the Togolese people and making it easier for business to thrive. 

Séna Akoda