Togo First
Togo: From 2008 to 2017, rice output rose by more than 64%
From 2008 to 2017, Togo’s rice output soared by more than 64%, from 85,637 metric tons to 140,519 metric tons (Mt). This was revealed July 31, 2018, during a meeting gathering various actors of the sector.
On this occasion, the actors set output target for 2018 at 232,750 Mt, including 139,650 Mt of milled rice.
In order to achieve this goal, sown areas would be increased. Meanwhile, producers are asking for tax exemptions on agricultural equipment and inputs as well as better access to bank loans.
Actors present at the meeting recommended the use of rice varieties that are more suited to rainfed farming and a better organization of the sector.
Séna Akoda
World Bank finances the creation of an agricultural research centre in West Africa
World Bank will finance the creation of an agricultural research centre in West Africa. This was announced by Pierre Laporte, the institution’s director of operations in Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire, last week during a press conference in Abidjan.
The centre which will cost $70 million should help countries in the region to better develop their agricultural policy, and “better address farming issues”, Laporte indicated.
In the long term, the project would help modernize farming and improve farmer’s connectivity, via e-farming. The latter aims to boost farmers’ visibility, both physically and virtually, thus allowing them to sell their products more easily.
In line with its vision to support Africa’s development, the World Bank actively intervenes in key sectors such as agriculture and education. The institution in Togo is engaged in many projects and plans under its new 2017-2020 partnership framework to boost its support to the country, knowingly by investing more in agriculture.
Ecowas issues recommendations to end the ongoing political crisis in Togo
During the just-ended Conference of Ecowas Heads of States and Governments held in Lomé last Tuesday, various recommendations were adopted to ensure the end of political crises in Togo.
First, the conference congratulated the crisis’ facilitators, namely Ghana and Guinea’s Presidents, Nana Akufo-Addo and Alpha Condé, for their achievements in the framework of the mission they were trusted with during the previous meeting held on April 14, 2018. It also lauded commitments of the various parties concerned, in regards to the resolution of the crisis. However, it urges Togo’s government to continue making efforts to boost trust and appease tensions, by accelerating legal procedures related to those arrested during past political protests. The conference recommends that the government looks at additional measures to favor the detained, all to ensure peace and stability in Togo.
The Conference also condemns acts of violence, urging protesters to return all weapons stolen from the police and other security forces. Still to ensure sustainable peace, the conference requested that political actors and civil society refrain from issuing any statements or taking any action that might spark new conflicts, thus impairing efforts made so far.
Similarly, Ecowas heads of States and governments’ summit “calls security forces to remain professional while working to protect goods and people”. Another point the summit insists on is the full revision of the electoral registry. It has actually urged the government to proceed to this revision before the next legislative elections on December 20, 2018.
Regarding constitutional reforms, the summit calls all political actors and the government to work to adopt the two-turn election model for Presidential elections, reduce to two the maximum number of presidential mandates, recompose the Constitutional Court, set a maximum number of terms for its members and improving electoral process.
Concerning elections, African heads of States and governments say they are happy with the “measures planned by Togo’s government” in the framework of their preparations, organization and conduct. The leaders believe the polls will take place in transparent, credible and open conditions.
Some of these measures include accelerating and finalizing electoral census to get a reliable voters list, enabling Togolese living outside the country to vote during coming elections and deploying election observers.
Ecowas leaders also congratulated opposition in Togo for its openness and sense of responsibility and for having agreed to discuss ways to meet its claims. Same goes for President Gnassingbé whom the conference applauded for collaborating with all competent authorities and institutions to end the crisis, peacefully.
Still in order to solve what Togo is going through at the moment, these leaders urged all involved parties to respect the constitution in place. To this end, the Summit requested, via a public statement, Ecowas’ support and technical expertise in the coming elections.
Ecowas leaders again pledged their support to the mediators of the political dialogue in Togo while asking these mediators to keep on going with their efforts and submit a report of their progress at the next session of the conference.
To ensure that these recommendations are followed, a follow-up committee regrouping representatives of the mediators, of the ruling party, of the opposition (a coalition of 14 parties) and of the Ecowas commission, will be set up.
“Togo’s vision regarding universal power access is a first of a kind in Africa” - IFC
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) announced its support to Togo’s national electrification strategy which aims to achieve universal access to power by 2030.
This strategy provides a roadmap to tackle issues that slow the expansion of Togo’s power grid, in remote areas especially. It also plans to involve alternative power sources such as off-grid.
It also recommends that private and viable investment projects are developed to this end. It promotes public-private partnerships and seeks to identify how public and mixed funds can be better allocated.
It should be noted that currently, only 40% of Togo’s population has access to electricity. In rural areas, this figure stands below 10%.
The new strategy was approved during a meeting held under the patronage of Togo’s Prime Minister. The document was also backed by Ségolène Royal, Special envoy of the French president’s International Solar Alliance.
According to IFC’s representative in Togo, Ronke-Amoni Ogunsulire, “Togo’s vision regarding universal power access is a first of a kind in Africa”. “This is because it integrates off-grid solutions and involves the private sector. It allows the government to create markets by identifying zones with a strong potential for mini-grids and by attracting top-class power providers”, she added.
In line with the government’s new vision, the power sector’s regulatory framework is being reformed. This will help organize a first tender for the installation of 60 mini solar grids before the end of 2020. These facilities will in turn allow 10,000 households to have access to power via a public-private partnership.
Togo : Minister of social action urges women to contribute more to national development
On July 30, 2018, Togo’s minister of social action, Tchabinandi Yentcharé, urged all Togolese women to get more involved in the country’s development as this would consolidate and preserve peace.
The call was issued ahead of the 56th African Women’s Day the following day. The event was themed: “Women, election and peace for a sustainable development”
According to the minister, “the theme is well chosen as it responds to a major concern of the government which is to get women to contribute more to national development, especially to public governance”.
“Gender equality is vital for efficient growth, and is not only a matter of fairness to women or political correctness. Many examples show that when men and women are treated equally, economies grow faster, poverty recedes more rapidly and welfare of men, women and children improves,” she said.
Muhammadu Buhari replaces Faure Gnassingbé as the chairman of Ecowas
Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s President, is the new head of Ecowas heads of States and Governments’ Summit.
Indeed, on the sidelines of the 53rd ordinary session of this summit which ended on Tuesday, the outgoing head and Togo’s President, Faure Gnassingbé, passed the baton to the Nigerian leader.
Congratulations to President Muhammadu Buhari for being elected the head of Ecowas. “I would like to, personally and on behalf of the Togolese people, wish him much success in his office. I strongly believe that he will successfully lead our many projects oriented towards regional integration,” the Togolese leader declared.
Buhari will indeed be pursuing the various projects started by his predecessor to solve crises in the region, in order to preserve peace and stability. The newly elected head will in this regard also look into the matter of the single currency.
Let’s recall that on July 31, the Ivorian Jean-Claude Kassi Brou was sworn in as the new President of the Ecowas Commission.
The next Ecowas summit will be held on December 22, 2018, in Abuja, Nigeria.
WAEMU and ECOWAS commit $3mln to support legislative elections in Guinea Bissau
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) just announced it would provide Guinea Bissau a $2 million financial support. This was at the end of the 53rd session of the Heads of States and Governments’ Conference held in Lomé this week.
The financing adds to others committed by the WAEMU which Togo is part of. The funds will be used to speed up preparations for legislative elections which are to take place next November 18.
Lauding various achievements recorded since the extraordinary summit held last April 14 in Lomé, the recent conference lifted sanctions issued against some political actors in order to ease tensions. Additionally, the conference invited the international community to help accelerative legislative elections in Guinea Bissau.
According to reliable sources, China should send a delegation to help with the elections’ preparations.
Fiacre E. Kakpo
Ecowas-Eccas joint summit : Heads of States adopt Lomé declaration
On July 30, 2018, the ECOWAS-ECCAS joint summit for peace, and extremism eradication ended.
The event which was hosted in Lomé, Togo, gathered the two communities’ presidents as well as other major personalities. The summit assessed security issues in West and Central Africa; also, they identified the various risks related to security, namely terrorism, arms trafficking, money laundering, cybercrime etc.
Led by Togo and Gabon’s presidents, also heads of ECOWAS and ECCAS, Faure Gnassingbé and Ali Bongo Ondimba adopted a joint declaration during the summit.
The Lomé declaration for peace, stability, fight against terrorism and violent extremism will overcome barriers opposing a broader and more efficient cooperation regarding security. The declaration aligns with the two communities’ constitutional standards.
It acts as a guide for priority measures to take in order to establish an optimal partnership framework between the two regional communities. This would subsequently help these regions better fight terrorism. In this regard, emphasis will be put on collaboration, involving both the international community and member states of ECOWAS and ECCAS, by leveraging on legal, security and defense tools, as well as on the civil society, religious communities, youth, etc.
Boosting cooperation in security sector
As part of the decisions they took during the summit, the two regions’ leaders committed to cooperate to prevent conflicts and promote peace and stability. This, they will do by implementing and reinforcing, at the national and regional levels, the early crises warning and response mechanism that engages civil society, decision-makers, women and youth.
In that same vein, the president of ECOWAS commission and ECCAS’ secretary were instructed to start, as soon as possible, talks between member states of the regions. This, in order to conclude and implement procedures for mutual aid and legal cooperation. In this regard, an agreement involving criminal police should be reached before the year ends, sources indicate.
Member States will also have to submit proposals regarding mechanisms and procedures that might enable safe data sharing before the next summit in 2020, in N’Djamena. Besides, joint information sessions will take place ; these will respect Human rights and help improve skills related to security and defense.
Focus on Sahel and Chad Basin
The declaration of Lomé calls for a full support of all troops fighting terrorists who cause havoc in West and Central Africa. According to Alassane Ouattara, Ivorian President, the threat is to be taken seriously. For his part, Niger’s President, Mahamadou Issoufou, said the issue was a major challenge. It should be noted, a ministerial committee will be meeting once a year to monitor the declaration’s implementation.
Actually, both leaders’ nations were urged, in line with the document’s goal, to provide financial and material support to troops deployed to fight terrorists in Lake Chad Basin and across the Sahel. Still under the declaration, involved heads of States and governments demanded the United Nations Security Council to place the G5 Sahel force under chapter 17 of the UN charter. This would allow the task force to secure more sustainable and multilateral funds.
Issues of Migratory Flows back on the table
Besides the United Nations, the Lomé declaration which lauded efforts made by many countries, calls the African Union (AU) to adopt the UN ways to lift the weapon embargo in place in the Central African Republic. Also, though briefly, the peculiar issue of migratory flows was mentioned in the declaration.
“Heads of States and governments instruct competent ministers to assess all aspects of migratory flows and global warming in the common space and to submit a report at their next summit,” the document reads.
On another plane, ministers of agriculture and husbandry were told to organize regular meetings with farmers and breeders’ associations to find ways to solve, peacefully, conflicts between farmers and breeders which are growing considerably in number and becoming a true source of concern.
Last, the text read by Robert Dussey, Togo’s minister of foreign affairs, indicates that Ecowas and Eccas’ heads of States and governments are to meet every year, during the AU’s ordinary summit, to review the implementation of commitments taken under the declaration of Lomé.
Fiacre E. Kakpo
Togo and Central African Republic abolish visa requirements
Residents from Togo and the Central African Republic no more need visas to visit each other’s nation. The related agreement was signed last Sunday, by the two countries’ respective ministers of foreign affairs, Robert Dussey and Charles Armel Doubane.
This was on the sidelines of the just ended Ecowas-Eccas joint summit in Lomé.
Visa suppression concern ordinary, diplomatic, and service passport holders.
According to the Togolese minister, Robert Dussey, this was possible as a result of the two countries’ leaders’ will. His counterpart added for his part that the decision marks a new start for relations between Togo and the Central African Republic.
Togo: Microfinance sub-sector recorded an increase by 10.1% for deposits and 10% for loans
The Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) just reviewed microfinance activities in the WAEMU region last March 31. The document shows that the Togolese microcredit is doing well with an improvement in financial inclusion and a regional upturn. According to the report, deposits collected by decentralized financial systems (DFS) amounted to CFA1, 248.7 billion at the end of March, compared with CFA1, 166.6 billion a year earlier, thus an increase by 7%.
The good result was driven by a strong performance in all WAEMU countries except Benin. Resources mobilized by microfinance structures improved significantly in Guinea-Bissau (+45.4%), Côte d'Ivoire (+13.1%), Togo (+10.1%), Niger (+9.5%), Burkina (+7.2%), Mali (+5.6%) and Senegal (+5.2%). On the contrary, Benin recorded a decline by -5.6%. The average amount of deposits per member at the end of March 2018 was CFA83,858 against CFA88,686 at the end of March 2017. This decrease could be attributed to a 13.2% improvement in people's access to financial services offered by microfinance institutions.
The number of the service beneficiaries increased from 13,154,639 a year earlier to 14,890,244 at the end of March 2018. According to a BCEAO graph, outstanding deposits for Togo are around CFA200 billion, almost twice the volume of Benin (which falls to less than CFA100 billion) and more than three times Mali's. From this perspective, Togo which is the second worst country in terms of GDP, is ranked 4th behind Senegal (over CFA300 billion), Côte d'Ivoire (over CFA250 billion) and Burkina Faso (just under CFA250 billion).
With regards to outstanding loans granted by decentralized financial systems (DFS), the portfolio grew by 15.3% at the end of March 2017, to CFA1, 263.2 billion. This growth was driven by Guinea-Bissau (+64.9%), Côte d'Ivoire (+31.8%), Burkina Faso (+16.5%), Benin (+14.5%), Mali (+13.5%), Togo (+10.0%) and Senegal (+9.4%). However, a decrease was recorded in Niger (-2.4%). The average outstanding amount of financing per member increased to CFA84,835 at the end of March 2018 from CFA83,263 a year earlier.
According to the evolution of the outstanding loans per country, Togo would rank 4th in the face of Benin. However the volume of loans granted, the repayment of which is in progress, has slightly decreased to close to CFA150 billion compared to December 2017. Although “an analysis of DFS intermediation indicators in WAEMU reveals a relatively favorable evolution for financial inclusion”, it does not hide the portfolio’s deterioration, which rose to 8.1% against 5.6% at the end of March 2017, for a generally accepted standard of 3% in the sector. Let’s recall that in Togo, microfinance is a highly strategic part of the financial sector as a whole as it significantly contributes to financial inclusion.
Fiacre E. Kakpo