Togo’s top 100 most dynamic companies will be revealed next March 16, in Lomé. This will be during the “Gala des 100 entreprises les plus dynamiques du Togo” which will be attended by the country’s best businessmen and women.

The event is organized by Eco Finance Entreprises and the top 100 firms were selected based on four criteria used to conduct a performance assessment.

The criteria are expertise (based on how many years the firm has been active in the country), innovation capacity, market penetration capacity (based on the firm’s positioning in the market) and economic impact (based on how many jobs the firm created and how it impacted other sectors).

Senegal, Benin and Guinea Conakry have already hosted the event in the past. In Togo, it should be chaired by the State summit. Back in 2016 let’s recall, this event listed Togo’s Graduate School of Business, RODIS and Brasserie BB Lomé, among others, as the most dynamic and innovative firms operating in the respective fields.

Séna Akoda

In Togo, a new version of commerce registry and mobile credit database (RCCM) will be released online by the end of March 2019. This was revealed at a workshop on the platform’s update last January.

The database should help the public freely access reliable information relating to their commercial partners’ legal and financial situation, but also their prior commitments.

In effect, the RCCM contains data such as firms’ balance sheets, details on their management, financial commitments, privileges and legal actions affecting them such as bankruptcy, sales, dissolution…  

Adopted as it is now in 2016, the RCCM got OHADA’s support in 2017, with the launch of an integrated software to manage national registries and files.

On Feb 27, 2019, the board of Green Climate Fund (GCF) approved a €100 million financing for the BOAD to boost clean power utilization across the WAEMU, sources close to the regional bank revealed.

In effect, the monies will be used to implement the FP105 project in WAEMU’s six countries. The latter aim at de-carbonizing their energy mix and improving access to clean energy.

Through this project, the BOAD plans to provide least advanced francophone countries in West Africa (Togo, Benin, Burkina-Faso, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger), funds to reinforce their actions relating to the transition from fossil energy to renewables.

For Togo which aims for renewables to contribute 50% of its energy mix by 2030, it should present multiple projects to capture a substantial portion of the GCF facility.   

Séna Akoda

The West African Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) submitted for validation a feasibility study for the creation of clean power development program in Togo. This was during a meeting held on Feb 27, which pooled academics, experts, and administrative authorities.

The end of the validation session comes a year after the process itself began. Dr Kokou Kouami, Head of Research, WASCAL-Togo declared : “There will be three main stages which are scaling, research and training.”  

This process will involve assessing Togo’s resources in terms of clean energy, better handling, storage and distribution, and developing an appropriate economic model.

Trainings projected in the program’s framework concern not only academics, but the public also in order to better equip them to manage renewables more efficiently.

Let’s recall that this program is backed by Germany and should be discussed during bilateral talks between the two countries.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

The Ecobank foundation is sponsoring the “Sembène Ousmane” award, valued at CFA5 billion, at the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) which will end next March 2.  

The foundation of the Lomé-based banking group, through the move, supports African film industry as it tries to emerge.

Carl Manlan, Director of Operations of the institution commented on the initiative saying : “It is a real honor for the Ecobank Foundation to sponsor such an important award.”

 “The African film industry is getting more attention and renowned worldwide, and we give great attention to this event which portrays the best of Africa’s image. The Sembène Ousmane award will be awarded to the movie that best reflects Ecobank’s dignity, honor and good governance values.”   

This year is the 50th anniversary of the FESPACO.  

Séna Akoda   

The Dankpen and Doufelgou prefectures, located in the Kara region (more than 450km north of Lomé) now have 79km of rehabilitated rural roads and a new prefectural market.

The infrastructures built under the Community Development Emergency Program (PUDC) were delivered last Wednesday, in the presence of President Faure Gnassingbé.

Financed by Japan (CFA470 million), the new market has modern infrastructures, hangars and slaughterhouses, as well as electric poles.

Merchants’ representatives welcome the infrastructures which will improve their businesses and boost their profits.

Regarding rehabilitated roads, the works cost CFA2.5 billion and should ease movements between Alloun, Namon, Guérin-Kouka, Kidjaboum, and Katchamba.

Séna Akoda

MIFA SA plans on putting in place a database listing the various actors engaged in Togo’s agricultural sector. This aims at structuring agricultural value chains and comes after the listing of investors involved in the scheme at the end of 2018.

Interested actors are thus urged to express their desire to be listed in the database, via mail or by sending their details to the secretariat of MIFA SA.

These include fertilizer and service providers; those ensuring primary production, collection, transformation and conditioning, in addition to market actors (consumption, industrial, export).

Request for registration should include a form to get the actor’s identity, address, entity and related date of creation, field of activity and sector. Other details related to products or services offered, production and commercialization capacity, location and zone of intervention are also demanded.

Last, part of the form will be filled with challenges faced by actors, the type of support he or she wants, skills and labor they have at their disposal, etc.

Registration will close on March 1, 2019.

Séna Akoda

A new mini solar power plant has been developed in Kountoum, 415km north of Lomé, in the Bassar prefecture.

The infrastructure which has a low tension small distribution network, will power public lighting system.

It was commissioned Feb 26 under the high patronage of President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé. This project falls under the government’s strategy to boost access to power in rural areas.

Indeed, in the past two years, Togo built many similar mini solar plants, namely in Assoukoko (250 kWc), Bavou (150 kWc), and Takpapiéni (100 kWc).

These projects are part of a larger program, the regional program for clean energy development and energy efficiency (PRODERE) which costs CFA2 billion.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togolese populations were recently introduced to the new code on private and state-owned land. This was on the sidelines of the civil society forum on land held last Tuesday, in Atakpamé (161km north east of Lomé).  

Participants learned about the new regulation, in order to prevent future land conflicts and improve land management in the country.

The meeting, its second edition, is organized by ADHD, an Ngo that works for a sustainable rural development, and the ministry of housing. It aligns with national commitment strategies for equal access to land, for rural populations mainly.

Let’s recall that the new code lists 736 articles and considers the various changes that occurred in Togo, in the recent years, in regards to land. This new regulation aims to make land legislation safer, fight speculation, land grabbing and sell-off in rural areas. It was adopted in June 2018.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi