Between 2011 and 2019, a total of nine (9) billion CFA francs was invested in the craftsmanship sector in Togo, to create jobs and wealth. 

At the end of 2019, 11,300 projects and 10,500 young artisans were financed in this industry, under various mechanisms. Over the period reviewed, 25,000 artisans, out of 60,000 registered, received training aimed at professionalizing and developing their craft. 

An important milestone in developing the sector was the creation of centers for artisanal resources. The project which was led by the government mobilized an investment of nearly XOF950 million. 

Other initiatives include a project aimed at providing health insurance to more than 100,000 artisans and their beneficiaries by 2022, or the organization of the very first international fair for craftsmanship (Miato). The latter aimed to “foster true artisanal businesses and make Togo’s tourism industry more attractive.” 

Séna Akoda

Fenix International (acquired by French firm ENGIE in April 2018), Moon (solar kit supplier), and Solergie (partner of Total-Togo) plans to enter the Togolese energy market. 

This was disclosed in a communiqué by John van Zuylen, CEO of Africa Solar industry association, where he lauds Togo’s efforts relative to solar power. 

Let’s emphasize that some of these operators, such as Solergie, are already well-acquainted with the Togolese market. Since the end of 2018, Solergie has set up solergieboxes for homes and small entrepreneurs all over the country. 

The arrival of the new operators will surely boost rural electrification, as they will be joining Soleva and BBOXX which already operate in the country, via the CIZO project.

For the 2017-2019 agricultural campaign in the Kara region, the project to boost youth employment in profitable sectors (PAIEJ-SP) disbursed more than XOF730 million for specific projects and businesses. 

The news was disclosed during a meeting held in Kara last Friday. This was a sharing meeting organized by the regional committee for the selection of projects and partnering technical offices. 

In detail, the funds benefited 171 associations and more than 60 SMEs in the region concerned. Also, a little less than 140 young one-man startups and 337 associations of startups were able to access these funds. 

PAIEJ-SP, which closes this year, aims to promote agricultural value chains, and boost agribusiness. Just like the Agricultural financing incentive mechanism (MIFA), it is one of the tools put in place by the government to bridge the low financial and technical support that impedes the growth of agriculture in Togo.

Last week, Togo’s minister of agriculture, Noel Bataka, launched a game-like app that teaches its users good farming practices. SimulAgri Togo is the name of this app which for the moment focuses on the vegetable, cocoa and rice sectors. 

On one hand, this tool, developed by Simulgames aims at providing farmers information that can help boost their income, yield and yield quality. On another, it should change how young people perceive agricultural jobs.

This application is the second product that emerged from the 2019 Téléfood fundraising operation. The latter aimed at creating 1,000 agricultural businesses led by youths and women. This project now aims at training more than 20,000 young Togolese to agribusiness. 

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

India’s National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) was recently chosen by Togo as a consultant on a 300 MW solar project. 

Under this project, solar mini-grids will be developed. These will add to the country’s current four which are respectively located in Takpapieni in the Savanes region (100 Kwc), Kountoum in the Kara region (100 Kwc), Assoukoko in the central region (250 Kwc), and Bavou in the Plateaux region (150 Kwc). 

The project trusted NTPC falls under the government’s electrification strategy which aims to achieve universal power supply by 2030 - by raising renewables’ share in the energy mix from 3% now to 50% over the period. 

Overall, under its electrification strategy, 317 mini-grids should be set up. In parallel, Togo has decided to greatly tap into its solar potential, knowingly through the CIZO project (which involves individual solar kits) and by developing four solar PV plants. Works for the first of these plants were actually recently launched by President Faure Gnassingbe in Blitta. 

Séna Akoda

The PNUD has granted $286,000 to nine Togolese civil society organizations (CSO) to protect the environment and fight climate change. The related agreement was signed yesterday in Lomé, by Aliou Dia, Resident-Coordinator for PNUD Togo, and the heads of the nine organizations, in the presence of Togo’s minister of environment and forest resources. Koffi Dimizou. 

The monies were given as part of the Global Environment Fund’s microfinance program. The latter, which is carried out by the PNUD, aims at mitigating environmental threats by developing community projects. 

In this regard, the PNUD provides technical and financial support to civil society organizations. Its goal is to back community projects that preserve natural resources and make poor and vulnerable populations more resilient to climate change and environmental degradation.

Séna Akoda

The Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) Commission plans to open in Lomé a center to train its staff. The related communiqué was released by the Commission on February 3, 2020. 

“Centralizing training will give the staff members the chance to acquire technical skills and capacities needed to do their work at the ECOWAS,” said Prof. Dias Jeremias Furtado, human resources commissioner at the Commission. 

Let’s recall that the creation of the same center in Abuja was approved the same day the communiqué was released. In Abuja, the facility will receive all citizens of the ECOWAS. It will mostly provide intra-institutional and inter-institutional training, train newly hired employees and facilitate activities such as the training of trainers themselves. Lagos could also get a similar center.

From 2015 to 2018, the completion rate of primary school in Togo grew from 83% to 89%. According to the World Bank which disclosed the figures, the country is the best performer in the WAEMU over the period concerned.

In 2017, Togo was ahead of Cote d'Ivoire (71.6%), Burkina Faso (65%), Senegal (57%), and Mali (49.6%). Two years before, the country came before Benin (81%), Burkina Faso (62 %), Cote d'Ivoire (60%), Senegal (59.66%), and Mali (50%).

Let’s recall that over the 2008-2018 decade, primary schooling rate in Togo rose from 98% to 126.8%, recent data from the government indicates. In 2018, 155,000 children got enrolled in primary school, against about 86,000 in 2013 (this represents an average growth of 12% per year). 

The figures were bolstered among others by recent initiatives, such as the school canteen project, in the education sector.