On April 25, President Gnassingbé inaugurated in Gbatopé (Zio prefecture), a pineapple processing factory.

Baptized Jus Délice, the facility will help the country process the fruit and make this sector more competitive. More than eight tons of pineapple per day will be processed into organic juice. This output is to be exported to Europe, according to the ministry of agriculture.

Besides improving producers’ revenues and living standards, many jobs will be created in the process.

To ensure that the target output is reached, the ministry of agriculture will organize producers and make sure standards relating to quality and productivity are met. Also, the ministry will help condition the transformation units and commit to the respect of sanitary norms.

Jus Délice, let’s recall, benefited from a XOF1.7 billion financing from the Moringa Fund back in May last year.

Séna Akoda

Togo launched April 23 in Siké-Afidegnon, in the Yoto prefecture, the pilot stage of the “Tomorrow Connected Community” project, a project inspired from Rwanda’s “Tomorrow rural home” project. The new project leverages the technology-energy combo to benefit Togolese communities.  

It is steered by BBOXX, just like the CIZO, EDF, mobile operators Togocel and Moov, and power utility CEET. In its framework, a 30KVA mini solar plant will be set up to power one of the relay towers of Togocom in Sikpé-Afidegnan. The facility, in parallel, provides the people of this village, and surrounding localities, electricity, but also internet and derived services. Previously, it should be noted, these communities depended on Benin’s network.

“300 families, or more than 4,000 people, live in this village situated in the Southern part of the country. Soon, it will rely on solar as source of power and have access to various services and products, like clean energies to cook, internet and water pumps,” BBOXX declared.

For its part, authorities said: “The Sikpé-Afidegnon village is only the first and others will benefit from this major project. Overall, more than 315 localities across the country’s five regions will soon be electrified in line with our national electrification strategy, with similar mini solar plants built and operated by private actors.” 

Concerning the Tomorrow Connected Community, it is connected to a mini-grid developed by General Electric to meet high power consumption needs, as well as to BBOXX’s domestic solar systems to power households and SMEs. It is fully manageable remotely and all related services (power and internet) will be paid for via mobile money.

Last June, Togo adopted a national electrification strategy which aims at raising its rate of electrification to 50% in 2020, 75% in 2025 and 100% in 2030, from a little more than 40% currently. To reach this goal, Lomé intends to rely on clean power sources and expand the CEET’s network.

On Wednesday, April 24, Togo’s parliament gave its approval for the country’s adhesion to the agreement to create the Africa Trade Insurance Agency.

The country is now set to enjoy the various advantages derived from the agreement. For example, poverty will be reduced, leveraging a partnership with other African countries, multilateral development institutions and private sector.

The Trade Insurance Agency promotes insurance, co-insurance, reassurance, all to foster trade across the continent. The agreement for its establishment covers the sectors of trade, investment and other productive activities.

According to Togo’s minister of economy and finances, Sani Yaya, “adhering to the agreement aligns with the PND which aims at making Togo a more attractive country, with a strong, resilient, sustainable and inclusive economy, one that will enhance its people’s welfare.”

Séna Akoda

Togo’s new fishing port, in Gbetsogbe-Baguida (about 10km from Lomé), is officially operational.

It was inaugurated by President Gnassingbé yesterday, as part of activities planned in line with the independence celebrations.

The port was co-financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Togolese State, official sources indicate. The former provided XOF14.46 billion and the latter XOF6.23 billion. Construction works began in August 2017.

With a capacity of 300 barks, the new facility should compensate for the 30% reduction of the old fishing port’s basin, as well as contraction of the bark-parking space resulting from works to boost capacities of the port of Lomé.

With the new port, 8,000 jobs should be consolidated and 5,000 jobs, direct and indirect, created. 

Moreover, according to the ministry of agriculture, animal production and fishery, the infrastructure will foster the integration of artisanal fishing sales to the blue economy, improve quality of derived products and revenues of related actors, among others.

Togo’s annual fishery output is expected to rise to 25,000 tons. The sub-sector let it be recalled, represents about 4% of the country’s agricultural GDP and 1% of its total GDP. 

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Businesswomen in West Africa lose 38% of their profits and 34% of their monthly turnover, compared to their male counterparts. This was revealed in a recent study by the World Bank discussed at the first-ever regional financing initiative in support of businesswomen, in Côte d’Ivoire.

The situation is due to some challenges and barriers preventing women from fully participating in the economy. These include for example “access to financing, markets, technology and support or capacity-strengthening programmes.”

During the regional initiative a joint call-to-action targeting public and private actors was issued so that significant reforms and measures are rapidly taken to pull down barriers hindering the emergence of businesswomen.  

In addition, governments were urged to initiate political and regulatory reforms to improve these women’s access to financial services, public markets and infrastructures related to the digital economy. Also, the meeting’s participants asked for roadblocks impairing the activity and mobility of businesswomen as well as equal ownership rights to be quickly removed.

In this framework, Togo plans to have, by 2020, 28% of women-entrepreneurs and provide access to credit to 44% of its women population.

Séna Akoda

On April 23, 2019, President Faure Gnassingbé inaugurated a new concrete-reinforcing rods factory in Kara, Northern Togo.

The facility which is estimated to have cost CFA4.1 billion spans five hectares in the Kara free zone. Baptized Steel Cube Togo (SCT), it was built by Indian firm HCURE IMPEX LLP. According to Agence togolaise de presse (ATOP), the plant has a production capacity of 3,000 tons per month and uses 4,500 tons of scrap metal; 70% of its production will be exported. It will create 400 direct jobs and 800 indirect ones.  

Tiwari N'ripandra Oumar, MD Steel Cube Togo, said HCURE IMPEX LLP plans to build a paper package factory in Togo.  

The inauguration took place in the framework of the upcoming Togolese independence anniversary next April 27. More inaugurations and launches will follow in the period.  

In 2020, Togo will no more rely on a means-based budget rather opting for a programme-based one. The shift aims at improving the State’s performances towards achieving its goals.

The measure was taken during a meeting, called by the Ministry of Economy, on April 23, in Lomé. The latter regrouped various officials such as general secretaries and directors, and department chiefs to get them acquainted with the new budget format, its implementation, as well as mistakes to avoid while dispatching budgetary actions and programs to various ministries.

The “State budget for 2020 will be presented and adopted based on specific” programmes, instead of means which is the current format as the latter “has shown limitations,” declared Patoki Badanam, secretary general, ministry of economy.

The decision let’s emphasize aligns with public finance reforms undertaken in the member-States of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), but also with the Economic Governance Support Project (PAGE) which is backed by the European Union and the World Bank.

For 2019, the government, let it be recalled, presented two types of budget to the parliament.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

The World Bank just greenlit a $224.7 million financing to help BOAD and ECOWAS expand access to off-grid power across 19 countries, in West Africa and Sahel, therefore including Togo.

The funds fall under the off-grip power regional project. Most of these, $150 million, will be in the form of loans and grants from the International Development Association (IDA) while the remaining $74.7 million will be provided as a subsidy from Clean Technology Fund. Funds secured by the ECOWAS will be directed to its center for renewable energy and energy efficiency (ECREEE).   

Most of the funds will serve to improve power access by households, businesses and public institutions, “through a harmonized regional approach to deploy modern autonomous solar systems.” At least 1.7 million people are currently lacking access to electricity or with a poor access.

“So far, only 3% of households in West Africa and Sahel use domestic solar systems while there are still 208 million people with no access to power in the region. This project will help decision-makers lower barriers to enable the creation of a regional market for such equipment needed to reduce energy insufficiency in the region,” said Rachid Benmessaoud (photo), coordination head of regional integration in West Africa.

Countries that will mainly benefit from the funding are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Chad and Togo.