The United Nations System wants to establish partnerships with travel agencies in Togo. 

To this end, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) launched a tender for firms interested in providing their services to the UN bodies in the country. Tender specifications can be consulted or obtained, freely, at the UNFPA office, or online. 

Candidates must submit their bids, sealed, latest by December 20, 2019, in person or by mail.

Last Thursday, Koosmik-Togo officially launched its App, in Lomé. This is a few months only after the fintech startup raised funds for this purpose. 

With the app, Koosmik wants to help 70% of unbanked Togolese people to make money transfers, pay bills, etc. 

"Usually, if you want to send money to a relative or a friend, you will need to deposit cash in their account. If you have this app, however, and that relative has it also, you can just access his or her Koosmik chat and send the money. Deposit and withdrawal points are geo-locatable using the app," says one the platform's users. 

"This is an innovation in the ICT sector," said Claude Grunitzky, Chairman of Koosmik. For her part, Cina Lawson, minister of the digital economy and tech innovations added that this is a great initiative under which many Togolese programmers were recruited. 

Koosmik is a free platform allowing its users to hold and manage an electronic account. It has garnered since its establishment in Togo more than 100,000 users. 

Séna Akoda

A group of Japanese firms have been in Lomé since the beginning of this week. Their mission is to explore partnership opportunities with Togo.

Togolese authorities for their part intend to build new partnerships on projects falling under the 2018-2022 national development plan.

The Japanese delegation will during its stay visit coffee and cocoa plantations, as well the power stations of the CEB and the CEET. The field visits are organized by the ministry of agriculture and energy.

The Asian group will also tour the Autonomous port of Lomé, stopping at the SEGUCE and the Lomé Container Terminal.

The Japanese mission, let's note, was organized in collaboration with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It follows the Togo-Japan business forum held last August, on the sidelines of the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development - TICAD 7.

R.E.D

Two new bridges built across the Kara and Koumongou Rivers were commissioned yesterday. With respective lengths of 120m and 160m, these infrastructures connect the localities of Sokodé, Bassar, Katchamba and Sadori to the N°17 national road.

The bridges were financed by the Japanese government (XOF16 billion) and took 30 months to be built. They were officially inaugurated by President Faure Gnassingbé, in the presence of various officials, including the minister of infrastructures, Zouréatou Kassa Traoré.

Traoré on this occasion said the infrastructures will improve the lives of surrounding populations. According to her, "this is an inclusive project with strong economic potentialities since the concerned area is a major agricultural production zone."

Moreover, she adds, "the N°17 national road, just like the N°1 national road, are part of the corridor connecting the autonomous port of Lomé to neighboring landlocked countries."

R.E.D

Over the 2014-2020 period, the European Union was Togo's largest grant provider.
The EU disbursed more than €270 million for the country, in development programmes and projects. Such projects include the water supply projects, school infrastructures, markets, dispensaries, and peripheral care units.
There are also other projects focused on gender equity and women empowerment, hygiene and public sanitation (such as the Urban Development Project in Togo - PAUT), waste water management, etc.

Séna Akoda

To make its media and communications sector more professional, the government of Togo adopted yesterday a bill establishing a new press and communication code. This was during the ministers' council held the same day.

The new code should cover online media, integrate the concept of press company, instead of press organs, and set rules for the issuance, withdrawal, renewal, and suspension of the press card. Besides, it also establishes the creation of a single self-regulatory entity for media operating in Togo, as well as that of a press support and development fund.

In the event the parliament adopts the code, it should also enable the High Authority for Broadcasting and Communication (HAAC) to "better regulate press companies," a statement from the ministers' council reads.

R.E.D

Investment spending should grow by 15.8% next year, against this year's forecast (where it slumped by 9.5% compared to 2018).

Compared to the supplementary budget issued this month, forecast difference has been reduced to 1.5%.

The government plans overall to spend XOF329 billion on key projects aimed at fostering private investment (which let's emphasize are a major component of its national development plan).

While the education sector will greatly benefit from the rise in public spending, the State also intends to double its investments in the power sector, bringing it to about XOF80 billion. Health and public hygiene will also get a particular attention, with more than XOF44 billion to be spent on productive infrastructures and services. Same goes for infrastructure and transport.

Moreover, public investments in posts, digital economy, and technological innovations could quadruple next year.

Adding up the recent facility of $131 million approved by the World Bank, the institution has disbursed so far $587 million for African Centres of Excellence.

According to Deborah Wetzel, World Bank’s Chief for Regional Integration in Africa, Middle East and North Africa, "the African Centres of Excellence are a major programme that helps African universities offer quality training and regional specializations which meet the needs of the employment market." This is in a context where "high-level skills are key to boosting productivity, fostering economic growth and creating jobs across the continent."

Under this programme, more than 70 centres of excellence have been established by 47 universities, across 20 countries.

Recently, it was announced that the University of Lomé would receive $12 million to build a regional centre dedicated to sustainable cities and another to power.

Séna Akoda