Last Friday, Togo’s government, during a ministers’ council, issued a bill to improve cybersecurity.

Through the bill, Lomé wishes to put in place an appropriate legal and institutional framework to tackle cybercrime, a global issue.

Once adopted by the parliament, the bill would “ensure that cybercrime is effectively and efficiently dealt with across Togo”, statement from the ministers’ council reveals.

The newly reached milestone translates a will to adapt Togo’s penal system, through the restructuring of legal procedures in the digital industry as well as the modernization of traditional penal rules.

In this framework, the bill plans for the creation of a national cybersecurity agency and a Cybersecurity Support Fund.

In the same vein, the government announced the upcoming creation of a cybercrime national agency and the establishment of a computer Emergency Response Team.

Séna Akoda

Sani Yaya, Togo’s minister of economy and finances, and Christian Adovèlandé, President of BOAD, signed on October 12, 2018, three funding agreements worth a total value of CFA21.3 billion. 

The first loan, approved in June 2018, amounts to CFA10 billion. It is to be injected in the Togo Agrofood Processing Project (PTA-Togo). The latter will help operationalize Togo’s new agricultural policy, focused on developing agropoles, especially the one in Kara.

The second loan, approved in September, has the same value and will be used to supply drinking water to 89 semi-urban centres across Togo. 

As for the third financing, CFA1.3 billion, it will be used to finance the project to hybridize diesel engines of multipurpose platforms with solar energy. This project consists in setting PV solar equipment on the multipurpose platforms installed by the Grassroot Support Development Program (PRADEB). The facility comes in the form of a grant provided by FEM and managed by BOAD. It should help “improve access to clean power and modern power services in fifty villages across Togo, by using and developing solar power technologies,” BOAD said.  

All these schemes fall under the country’s 2018-2022 national development plan (PND), which according to BOAD represents a reference framework for mid and long term actions. “I would like to reaffirm BOAD’s desire to support the Togolese government throughout the implementation of its 2018-2022 national development plan, in order to significantly reduce poverty, foster a low carbon-induced development, and boost the country’s resilience against climate change effects”, declared Christian Adovèlandé. 

Fiacre E. Kakpo

Following the collapse of the Malanville bridge in Benin, Niger’s leading port supplier (70% of traffic), which caused losses for Nigerien importers and carriers, the latter is considering diversifying their port partners. Togo thus seeks to become an alternative solution.

In this wake, a Togolese delegation composed of officials from the Ministry of Transport, Customs and Port of Lomé authorities presented opportunities offered by the Lomé-Ouaga-Niamey corridor to transport sector stakeholders and the Nigerien transport minister, during a visit to the country.

“The port authorities have managed to reduce the distance on this 1,200-km corridor to the equivalent of that of the Cotonou-Niamey corridor, via Ponio, on the border of Togo and Burkina Faso,”  said an executive of  Nigerien Ministry of Transport’s cabinet, according to comments relayed by Niamey et les 2 jours.

Nigerien authorities said thanks to the “fruitful collaboration” between Niger, Togo and Burkina Faso, abnormal practices along the corridor will no longer occur and road safety is now improved.

“Only one ISRT (Inter-Sates Road Transit) carnet is required for the entire section from Lomé to Niamey. Ponio's point is already operational. The Burkinabe authorities have given their agreement in principle to this regional traffic facilitation project on the corridor. A joint mission will soon go to Ouagadougou to sign a memorandum of customs interconnection between our three States,” stated the Nigerien Minister of Transport.

“This notches the end of hassles on this section which is now safe for carriers heading for our country,” he concluded.

Fiacre E. Kakpo

In Togo, the agriculture support project (Projet d’Appui au Secteur de l’Agriculture-PASA) received an additional CFA1 billion support.

After a first phase during which CFA1.2 billion was raised for 59 small ruminants and poultry farmers, this program (Programme National d’Investissement Agricole et de Sécurité Alimentaire -PNIASA), is in its second phase and should be implemented in 2017-2020.

The funding received as grant from Togo’s government should help 304 breeders selected in the country, boost their activities that are in line with the 2018-2022 national development plan.

Among the 304 breeders selected, 48 have just received  CFA3.5 million each. On the occasion, Ouro-Koura Agadazi (photo), the agriculture minister, declared: “Rural people have shown the world their ability to transform their environment by engaging in some activities for which the government is constantly providing multi-faceted support. This is, therefore, reassuring for young people coming from training centers, be them in or out of the country, who in fact are real entrepreneurs”.

 Séna Akoda

Between July and September 2018, 2,564 companies were created in Togo. This is 25.5% more than the 2,043 recorded last year over the same period.

The recent increase is a continuation of a trend started since the beginning of this year. Indeed, from January to March 2018, 2,934 new businesses were registered, against 2,583 in Q1 2017, thus up 13.5%. From April to June, the figure stood at 2,462, against 2,055 newly registered firms a year before.

Overall, 7,960 new firms have been registered over the first three quarters of this year, representing a surge of 19.4% compared to the same period, in 2017.

The rise was spurred by the many reforms implemented by the government, via its Business Climate Cell, to ease creation of companies and make them more sustainable, especially LLCs.

Indeed, among these incentives there is the reduction of fees required to register a business and delay to do so, liberalization of social capital for LLCs, reduction of fees and delay related to connection to power grid. Also, it is now possible to register a business online.

Let’s recall that last month, 773 new firms were registered. This is against 579 in September 2017 (+33.5%).

Fiacre E. Kakpo

By mid-2019, 70,000 public workers will get a professional email address with a gouv.tg domain name, credible sources reveal.

This decision falls under a government project to secure and rationalize mail exchanges.

Led by the ministry of posts and digital economy, this project aims at improving the reliability of the exchanges as well as productivity of the administration, while facilitating communication and collaboration.

The new messaging system is indeed more reliable, safe and convenient, with various functionalities integrated, such as management of mails, contacts, calendars, files and other work tools like instant messaging or online videoconference.

Pilot stage of the project, launched in 2015, has already led to the creation of 150 accounts, for the staff of Presidency, heads of institutions, government members and their secretaries, as well as their ambassadors.

Let’s note that in line with their objective to modernize the country’s administration and boost its visibility online, Togolese authorities created a web portal regrouping all sites of governmental institutions, and another regrouping all the government’s procedures and administrative formalities.

Octave A. Bruce

From three, the number of flights served by Brussels Airlines to Lomé increased to five, respectively on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. By the end of this month, the decision will be made official.

In this framework, Pierre-Yves  Buysscahert, Director of Brussels Airlines Togo, met on October 11 with Prime Minister, Komi Sélom Klassou.

On this occasion, he informed the official of the new change, explaining that the decision aligns with Togolese authorities’ will to “make Togo a transit hub in the region”. “Brussels Airlines wishes to contribute, in a way or the other, to Togo’s development by providing the nation its services, thus ultimately helping promote Togo and its tourism industry using its aircrafts,” Buysscahert added.

Séna Akoda