Between January and August 2018, around 2032 land titles were issued, against 1034 over the same period the previous year. The rise (+55.8%) was spurred by the various reforms implemented by the Business Climate Cell and measures initiated by the Togolese Revenue Office.

In effect, the improvement is to be attributed to the tax office’s decision to sign up to 100 titles and 150 plot plans every week. In this framework, from September 1 to 13, 2018, 126 land titles were produced, against 75 in 2017, over the same period.

Meanwhile, significant efforts were mustered in regards to the issuance of post-registration acts such as mortgages and property transfers…

Since June, the tax commissioner, as conservator of land and mortgages delegated his signature to Bali Komi, head of Land Conservation, for the issuance of all documents related to post-registration activities.

This decision, he took to speed up processes, optimize revenues and facilitate access to loans for business owners.

For the tax commissioner's office, the adoption of the new tax code voted June 5, paired with purchase of new cadastre and land conservation equipment, paved the way for much more progress in regards to land management.

Fiacre E. Kakpo

In Togo, the national federation of cashew producing cooperatives (FNCPA) expects local cashew output to rise from 20,000 tons currently to 130,000 tons by 2024.

To achieve this target, the FNCPA with the support of the ministry of agriculture, launched in the central region a workshop to train farmers to cashew grafting. Besides, the federation plans to provide the workshop’s participants with quality seedlings and help them shorten seedlings’ productivity cycle.

It will also develop orchards with grafted seeds for which first flowering begins after five months.

Let it be recalled that the government has already disbursed a three-year financing, valued at $5.6 million, for a project that aims to boost sales capacity and sustainability of the cashew and shea nut sector in Togo.  

Séna Akoda

Through the Self Help program, the US embassy in Togo granted on Wednesday $40,000 to ten Togolese civil society organizations so they carry out various community development projects.

Focused on areas such as farming and husbandry, among others, these projects aim to help communities self-promote themselves.

In effect, part of the funding will be used to purchase equipment for mushroom cultivation, mills and cashew seedlings.

Another part will be used to build a poultry house, purchase 500 chicks, guinea fowl eggs, veterinary products and feed to ensure a better production of local poultry, etc.

David Gilmour, US ambassador to Togo declared regarding the new fund: "This new special fund for self-promotion, aims at improving communities’ financial, health and living standards, as well as their social welfare, through projects they will develop themselves". The official stressed on agriculture, husbandry, income-generating activities, as main sectors to benefit from the facility this year.

The self-help fund has been helping communities develop projects since 1964. 

 Séna Akoda

The African Development Bank (AfDB) announced last Tuesday that it will maintain the two pillars of its 2016-2020 country strategy paper for Togo. This decision was spurred by the many structural governance reforms initiated by the Togolese government and the weak operationalization rate of these reforms, due to the political crisis. 

Midway down its five-year intervention plan in Togo, the financial institution is satisfied by its portfolio’s performance but urges local authorities to increase their efforts, to improve disbursement rate which stood at 55.3% over the period reviewed.

By 2020, AfDB plans to invest about CFA80 billion in activities related to the two pillars of Togo’s country strategy paper.

In detail, for the first pillar which is related to the development of inclusive growth and agroindustrial competitive poles, the bank could approve CFA60 billion of financing starting next year.

The second pillar related to the support of financial, sectoral and local governance, for its part, could benefit from about CFA20 billion. 

Beside these, the institution will mostly support economic and sectoral evaluations (debt, local tax, private sector, public investment) and provide counseling.  

Fiacre E. Kakpo

Last Tuesday, the ministers of foreign Affairs of Togo and Gabon, Robert Dussey and Regis Immongault, signed in New York an agreement to suppress Visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and service passports from both countries.

The agreement was initialed on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN general Assembly started September 18.

For Togo, this new arrangement adds to others it already had with Qatar, Morocco and the Central African Republic.

Since the beginning of 2018, Togo’s diplomacy has been engaging other countries’ diplomacy actively.

Beside the agreement to reciprocally suppress their Visas, Lomé and Libreville also announced the signing of an agreement to fight child trafficking.

In 2017, the insurance sector fared well in Togo, according to Claude Daté Gbikpi, chairman of Togo’s Insurers Committee (CAT).

The executive who was expressing himself during celebration of the second edition of CAT days indicated that turnovers of firms operating in the Fire, Accidents, Risks, General and Transport insurances or Non-Life, reached CFA34 billion, against CFA29.7 billion in 2016, thus up 15%.

Same goes for firms operating in the Life sector. Their activity recorded a 6% growth generating CFA27 billion, at the end of 2017.

However, CFA27 billion was paid by insurers in 2017 to cover disasters, Gbikpi added.

Octave A. Bruce

Until September 29, 2018, the European Union will be celebrating the climate diplomacy week. On September 24, the EU delegation in Togo launched the event in Lomé.

Hanses Bruno, Minister-Counsellor of the European Union, Christoph Sanders, German ambassador, and Marc Vizy, French ambassador to Togo, were present at the launching ceremony. From their statements, it appears that the initiative’s vision is to fight climate change.

Marc Vizy lauded efforts made in this regard. These efforts translated into the adoption of a law to promote clean energy which shows that though it is a small polluter, Togo is very conscious of the huge responsibility – shared yet differentiated, as the dedicated formula prescribes – and has decided to tackle the major challenges related to climate change.

Similarly, the national electrification strategy, in which renewable energies hold a prominent place and Togo’s admission to the International Solar Alliance, earned the head of state, an invitation from Emmanuel Macron, the French president, to “One Planet Summit”.

In the European Union, however, though the goal is a 40% decrease by 2030, leading to an automatic integration of the climate change aspect within every project, it is to be noted that some factors, political and economic notably, do not always facilitate the implementation or adoption of some measures in line with that goal, the German ambassador explains.

An OSC-Climate press conference held on September 25 has been held in the framework of the European climate diplomacy week. A radio show with prizes to be given away on Lomé and Kara radio stations, as well as a conference on climate change in Togo, will be organized on September 26-27. To conclude, an ECO Jogging section is planned.