International trade firm, Zhejiang Native Produce & Animal By-Products I/E Group Co., said it plans to set a tomato processing plant in Togo to serve the ECOWAS region.

Indeed, due to the high costs incurred by its product and international trade chain, the Chinese firm wants to strengthen its footprint in West Africa where it already exports food products (Togo, Benin, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso). The group thus eyes Lomé as base, due to the Togolese capital’s stability and security.

“We are already exporting food products to Benin, Togo, Nigeria, Ghana, Niger and Ivory Coast. However, we have issues related to heavy costs. We therefore wish to assess the possibility to set a plant in Lomé so as to better sell our products and serve the region’s other countries,” Franck Qian, Head of the group’s Market Development Division, told Togo First, during Togo’s first Business Forum in Hangzhou.

First, the Hangzhou-based company intends to set a small packaging unit in Togo and progressively move to a bigger infrastructure. It will then transfer its whole production chain for the West African region to the country.  

“We export mostly tomato paste to West Africa. First, we will proceed to packaging on site. Later, if things go well, we will directly process fresh tomatoes, into purée sold in tins or sachets,” Qian declared. “We will…later, think about the possibility to start production from scratch to end-product,” he added. In the long run, Togo could become the group’s supply station for the raw materials.

Established in 1975, Zhejiang Native Produce & Animal By-Products I/E Group Co exports food and rich textile to more than 100 countries around the world.

In the first half of this year, the group’s import-export transactions were valued at $411 million, up 5% compared to the same period the year before. In detail, exports amounted to $348 million (+2.5%) while imports stood at $62 million (+21.5%).

Fiacre E. Kakpo

Invited by Togo’s Head of State, Afreximbank’s president, Benedict Oramah was in Hangzhou last Friday, for Togo’s first Business Forum.

The Nigerian executive came to support Togo in showcasing its 2018-2022 national development plan to Chinese investors.

More effectively, his presence could translate into a financial support from Afreximbank to Togo. Indeed, last July, Oramah had announced during the last African Union’s summit, that the Cairo-based bank would disburse a financing for some African countries, including Togo.

Besides Oramah were also present Ecobank’s CEO, Ade Ayeyemi, and the institution’s head for WAEMU, Paul-Harry Aithnard. Another important figure present was Carlos Lopes, Guinea Bissau's economist, who came to boast of Togo’s assets to Chinese investors.

Regarding the latter, more than 30 Chinese firms as well as many actors of Togo’s private sector attended the forum in Hangzhou.

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From October 3 to 6, 2018, the third Chicago Economic Forum will take place. Ahead of the event, its promoters on September 6, gave some reasons why Togolese businessmen should attend the forum.   

First, Togo is the event’s guest of honor. The second is the event’s theme which is “Digitizing Companies: An asset for the future”. Togolese businessmen should thus leverage the event to learn more about various challenges opposing firms’ digitalization and its importance for the future.

Planned during the forum are B2B meetings, workshops, panels and debates. There will also be networking and training sessions, all with exhibition stands installed all over the site. These will allow Togo’s business operators to build new partnerships and attract new investments in their country.

The forum, let’s note, aims as its theme indicates, to digitize management systems of firms and help increase financing capacities of participating nations, helping them attract more investments. It also aims at supporting the financing of digital infrastructures worldwide.   

Last Thursday, top executives from Chinese firm Andaz Group met with President Faure Gnassingbé to discuss investment opportunities in Togo.

The group which invests mainly in infrastructures, energy, real estate and agricultural development, in Africa and elsewhere, eyes Togo’s transport and power sectors.

If concretized, the project would significantly boost Togo’s electrification strategy, contributing to a rapid realization of the government’s goal to achieve universal access to power by 2030.

Besides sectors mentioned earlier, the Chinese group invests also in oil, gas, cement, heavy machinery and chemicals. According to a press statement released by Togo’s presidency, so far the overall value of its transactions is close to a billion dollars.

Last Thursday, Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé visited Alibaba’s Xixi campus, in Hangzhou.

The African leader and his delegation had the chance to, in the presence of tech mogul Jack Ma, be introduced to Alibaba’s major projects.

The various projects cover smart logistics, financial and agricultural inclusion, and artificial intelligence. Following the introduction, Gnassingbé applauded Ma for his vision and humanism.

Moreover, in line with Togo’s vision to become a logistics and digital hub, the country will enter into partnership with Alibaba Group. Under this partnership, young Togolese will be able to benefit from various trainings provided by Ma’s group.

In the same vein, Ma expects young Togolese to join one of his e-commerce promotion and incubation programs in Africa. 

This program which was announced last year by the Chinese billionaire is backed by a $10 million support.

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In Togo, the national programme for investment, food and nutritional security (PNIASAN) is bearing fruits.

Only a few months after its launch, this programme has registered 147,235 direct beneficiaries already out of a target of 150,000 by end-2018. This was revealed by the minister of agriculture, Ouro-Koura Agadazi, as he reviewed the Agriculture Support Programme (PASA) which falls under PNIASAN.

According to the official, so far “20.55% of people who benefited from the program are women, over a forecast of 18%. It also enabled the processing of 24,526 tons of agricultural products, over 27,070 tons targeted; that represents an achievement rate of 98.16%”.

In addition, the programme also helped boost husbandry in the country. “The size of livestock owned by beneficiaries grew by 245,084 herds, over a forecasted 271,943 herds. This represents an achievement rate of 90.93%. For agricultural products, corresponding volume soared by 30,765 tons, against 28.2 tons expected,” the minister added.

Ahead of the Togo-China Business Forum taking place today, in Hangzhou (China), Togo’s president, Faure Gnassingbé, chaired Sept 6 a roundtable gathering Chinese and Togolese business operators.

Present at the meeting was the chairman of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products. There were also the president and vice-president of Togo’s chamber of commerce and industry (CCIT), as well as managing director of Togo Invest Corporation.

At the end of the meeting, CCIT and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products signed a partnership agreement to attract private investments from China for the 2018-2022 national development plan (PND). The move aligns with the government’s ambition to raise 65% of funds required for the PND from private sector. The agreement will also spur skill transfer between Chinese and Togolese business operators.

The China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products has more than 10,000 members and regroups various major commercial and manufacturing companies, as well as firms engaged in electronics and mechanical industries.

On September 6, President Faure Gnassingbé signed with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping various bilateral cooperation agreements. The signing ceremony was held in Beijing and comes at the end of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Gnassingbé took this occasion to congratulate Jinping for having successfully organized FOCAC. The African leader lauded the eight initiatives that Beijing announced it would engage in Africa.

For his part, Xi Jinping invited Togo to take part in the Belt and Road project. He also said his nation is ready to boost cooperation with Togo in sectors such as agriculture, energy and infrastructures.

Togo’s President is now in Hangzhou where a Business Forum is being held.

Vlisco, the Dutch Wax Hollandais manufacturer has launched its yearly competition VLISCO FASHION FUND  aimed at emerging African fashion designers. The competition is open to passionate young designers with less than three years experience.

At the end of this competition, the jury will choose the seven most creative and innovative designers who will receive funding equivalent to €5,000 (CFA3 million) each and fly for a two-week masterclass at “Meester Coupeur”, a renowned Amsterdam-based fashion designing school where big names of the Dutch fashion industry had been trained.

With this competition, Vlisco which also owns Woodin, Uniwax, and GTP wants to support African fashion designers, provide them an increased visibility internationally and ultimately help them promote their fashion label.

Registration is open till September 16, 2018, on this link:

https://www.vlisco.com/fashionfund/pitch/