Togo First
Togo and India to boost bilateral relations in energy, mining and digital economy sectors
Last Thursday, President Gnassingbé met with Indian minister of foreign affairs, Vellamvelly Muraleedharan.
Talks between the two men revolved mainly around ways to boost cooperation between Togo and India, especially in the power, mining and digital economy sectors.
The Indian diplomat also met with the minister of Energy and Mines, Marc Ably-Bidamon, and that of development planning, Demba Tignokpa.
With the former, Muraleedharan reviewed bilateral relations between the two nations in the mining and solar sectors. “We dicussed about bilateral relations and coming projects, notably those relating to solar power and mining,” declared Marc Ably-Bidamon following the meeting.
India is worldwide a major promoter of clean energy. With France, the Asian mastodon founded the International Solar Alliance (ISA) which Togo is part of.
Séna Akoda
France, Belgium and Holland were Togo's first export destinations in the Euro zone, in Q1 2019
In Q1 2019, Togo exported nearly XOF6 billion worth of goods (about 18,000 tons) to the Euro zone. Year-to-year, this represents a 17.5% decrease.
The exports’ value during the period reviewed makes up only 5.1% of total value of Togo’s exports; this is against 6.4% in the first quarter 2018.
Over the period, the first three buyers of Togo within the Euro zone were France, Belgium and Holland.
On the contrary, Lomé imported nearly XOF60 billion of goods from the aforementioned economic zone. Here again, France was the country’s first supplier in Europe (and the second worlwide, after China). Imports from the European country amounted to XOF22 billion in Q1 2019, which equals 8.3% of all Togolese imports over the period, down from 10.6% in Q1 2018.
From France, Togo mostly imported “drugs and vehicles.”
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo: Chamber of commerce and industry to sponsor upcoming FERIN fair next month
With Terreau Fertile, a local association, Togo’s chamber of commerce and industry (CCIT) will organize the first edition of the Investment Revalorization and Trade Promotion Fair (FERIN in French).
The fair which is scheduled for Oct. 10 and 11, 2019 will be held in Lomé, the capital. In its framework, a communication and sensitization meeting was organized last Wednesday at the CCIT.
The upcoming fair should serve Togo’s ambitions, under its national development plan, to become a logistics hub across the region. This plan actually depends greatly on private investments to be fulfilled.
“This initiative perfectly aligns with the PND’s ambitions,” commented CCIT’s chairman, Germain Méba, urging “all business operators to mobilize for its success.”
Regarding the FERIN, more than 3,000 participants are expected to attend the event.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
JICA launches masters and internship scholarship for Togolese youth
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) just launched, within the African Business Education for youth framework (ABE), a masters and internship scholarship program for young Togolese.
The scholarship, according to JICA, aims to support youth who are eager to contribute to African development. This program also serves as a bridge between Togo and Japan.
This will be a 1-2 year master’s followed by an internship in a private Japanese firm.
Eligible candidates must be no more than 39 years old at April 1, 2020, hold at least a bachelor’s degree and have some experience in the private sector.
Applications can be submitted either physically or as PDF, to the ministry of foreign affairs in Lomé in the first case or by mail to JICA’s office in Côte d’Ivoire in the second. Deadline for submission is October 11, 2019, at 5PM.
Togo: Pineapple exports stood at XOF1.5 billion in 2018
Last year, Togo made XOF1.5 billion exporting pineapples. This is 50% more than in 2017, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) reveals in its latest report on external trade within the WAEMU.
The increase was driven by a rise in output from 1,900 metric tons in 2017 to 3,300 tons in 2018 (+73.6%). This is a trend the sector has been recording since 2014, at the exception of 2016 when production fell.
While the BCEAO’s data suggest the country is doing well, compared to other WAEMU States, its performances remain modest. Indeed, the union exported a total of 122,800 tons of pineapples in 2018.
Let’s recall that this year, Togo commissioned an organic pineapple production unit.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
In partnership with ISA, the Ministry of Mining organized a regional meeting to boost solar power production
Last Tuesday, a workshop on how to develop and expand solar power production and ease access to clean energy opened in Lomé, Togo. The meeting is an initiative of the Togolese ministry of mining and energy, and the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
Six countries gathered at the roundtable, namely: Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Mali, Niger and Togo.
In effect, these nations are working to establish a regional framework for contract provision by aggregating demand and putting in place joint guarantee mechanisms. These measures ultimately aim at dropping cost to implement clean power projects.
The recently initiated talks are based on a feasibility study carried out by Enst & Young and requested by the French Development Agency (AFD).
If effective, the projected regional framework will harmonize the respective legislations and regulations of concerned States, in relation to clean power development.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
Togo : Government to close and rehabilitate various mines and quarries
Togo’s government will rehabilitate some mines and quarries under its mining governance and development project (PDGM).
Lomé plans on having a guide dedicated to the project and has actually just launched, through the ministry of mines and energy, a tender to hire a consultant for it.
In effect, the hired consultant will visit some active mines and quarries, meet with surrounding populations, economic operators and actors to know their opinion regarding the closure and rehabilitation techniques.
Following this, the firm will produce a guide that will be used to draw a plan for the management, closure and rehabilitation of all mines across the country. Using this guide as base, the authorities will rehabilitate some mines and close others, mostly sand quarries.
Séna Akoda
Togo invited to upcoming Invest in Africa forum in Congo Brazzaville
Togo has been invited to attend the fifth Invest in Africa Forum that will take place on September 10-12, 2019, in Congo Brazzaville.
This was during a meeting between President Gnassingbé and Jean Jacques Bouya, president of the forum’s organization committee.
“For investments to grow across the continent, we must ensure that trade increases and I believe that is a matter which is dear to the Togolese President,” he declared speaking on behalf of President Denis Sassou Nguesso.
Let’s recall that the Togolese government is currently seeking massive investments for its 2018-2022 national development plan. In this framework, a delegation from the West African nation was recently in Japan for the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7).
The Invest in Africa forum is organized in partnership with the World Bank and China. It takes place in Africa and China, alternately.
Séna Akoda
Togo: A 10-day workshop to better support young entrepreneurs ongoing in Tsévié
On September 3, the Informal Sector Organization Delegation (DOSI), began a 10-day workshop for business consultants and trainers associated with the national project to promote entrepreneurship in rural areas (PNPER). The training session is taking place in Tsévié, 36km from Lomé.
The meeting which is backed by the International Labour Bureau (ILB) aims to boost capacities of participants relative to indispensable mechanisms for business management and creation, and also to increase business revenues. They will acquire the tools necessary to help young entrepreneurs grow and succeed in their business ventures.
Launched in 2014, the PNPER’s main objectives is to reduce poverty and improve living standards in rural areas. This project focuses primarily on young entrepreneurs and women.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
In 2018, bilateral trade between Togo and Nigeria exceeded $1 billion, in favor of Lagos
Recently, Nigeria closed its borders with Benin. One of the reasons advanced by the West African giant to explain the move is its desire to end massive smuggling of products like rice to its neighbor. According to President Buhari, this jeopardizes Nigeria’s hardly achieved food sufficiency.
The door between Nigeria and Benin (the Sèmè border) being on the Abidjan-Lagos axis which also passes through Lomé, is important to assess trade between Nigeria and Togo.
According to the Togolese Statistics Office (INSEED), Nigeria is Togo’s 7th import partner. Over the first quarter of this year, Lomé purchased more than XOF10 billion worth of goods (free-on-board, including transportation fees). This is 14.8% more than the previous year, over the same period.
Moreover, Lagos is Togo’s first supplier within ECOWAS (35.7% of regional imports in Q1 2019). Nigeria, in this regard, comes before Ghana (27%), Côte d’Ivoire (12.6%) and is far ahead of Senegal (7.8%).
According to UN’s Comtrade aggregator, in 2018, bilateral trade between Togo and Nigeria exceeded $1.1 billion. The lion’s share of these exchanges was for Nigeria which imported only $31 million of goods from Togo. From its eastern neighbor, Lomé bought mostly oil products and derivatives ($1.1 billion in 2018).
Ayi Renaud Dossavi