From January 28 to 30, 2019, Guinea Conakry hosted the West Africa regional meeting of the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI). Abass Aboulaye, Togo’s director of energy, represented his country at the event.

At this occasion, the AfDB which organized the meeting presented to participants available financing tools revolving around climate or energy, especially in regards to access to sustainable energy for all.

The pan-African bank reaffirmed its support to actors involved in the various African initiatives aiming at ensuring the continent’s energetic transition. In line with the meeting’s goals, the bank urges concerned actors to strive towards an even development of renewables and better access to sustainable energy for all.

In the related communiqué, the Togolese representative mentioned progress made by his nation in terms of renewable energy. He also presented the country’s energy policy, highlighting strong points of its electrification strategy.

Besides Togo, representatives of 14 other West African nations, AREI’s institutional partners (IRENA, ECOWAS, ENDA), and West Africa’s regional entities attended the event. There were also representatives of multilateral organizations and initiatives operating in the clean power sector, representatives of the private sector, etc.

Let’s note that the AREI received from international partners a €10 billion financing covering the 2015-2020 period, in addition to a €1.5 billion subsidy.

Séna Akoda

Togo has adopted a new legal framework for its clean power sector. This was during the recent council of ministers held last Wednesday.

In effect, under the third and fourth decrees passed at the council, Togo wants to “tackle the various challenges related to power insufficiency”, increase power supply and reduce power dependency by diversifying sources of energy. These require an “appropriate legal framework”.

Therefore, “production, transport, distribution and commercialization of power generated from renewable sources”, will now be “subjected to a concession agreement”. Similarly, production thresholds will be set under the “various legal regimes regulating clean power projects”.

According to the ministry of mines and energy, Togo’s electrification rate rose to 45% in 2018, spurred by new connections by Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo (CEET), and BBOXX operations which led to the electrification (with domestic solar units) of close to 10,000 homes.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) just provided Togo a CFA12 billion financing for its drinking water supply project in Kara (414km north of Lomé) and its surroundings.

The related signing ceremony took place on January 31, 2019, in the presence of Sani Yaya, Togo’s minister of economy and finances, and Nedhal A. Al-Olayan, Managing Director of KFAED.

The concerned project aims at meeting the needs of the people of Kara and improving their living standards. In the long run, it should help mobilize 10,000 m3/day from close sources and bring daily supply capacity from 7,500 m3 to 17,500 m3, the minister indicated.

The project should thus have a “positive impact on water supply level”, which currently stands at 47%. In effect, “80% of the population in the project area should have access to drinking water by 2030”.

The minister then recalled that the project is part of “a set of key programs initiated by the government under its national development plan (PND)”.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togo aims to have 28% of business owners operating in the country by 2022 to be women, in line with its gender equity promotion strategy.

Compared to 2015, this would represent a 6% increase and a 3% increase compared to 2018 where this percentage was 25%.

In terms of access to loans for women, this rate is forecast at 60% by 2022, against around 45% in 2015.

The various financial inclusion mechanisms put in place, for example the FNFI which targets youths and women, should play a significant role in this process. Over the same period, womens’ access to land should also improve.

According to a recent report of Afrobaromètre, Togo is on the right path in regards to gender equity. 

Séna Akoda

Moov-Togo will soon carry out an identification/re-identification campaign targeting its users.

While the campaign’s period is yet to be revealed, documents needed in its framework include : a national ID card, a driving license, a passport or a voter’s ID card.

For foreign residents, they will need a resident permit. Any person lacking these documents will have to visit a Moov agency, with any ID document accompanied by his or her referrer.

The new campaign which follows a similar one carried out some years ago aims to make more reliable ID data of users and update Moov’s subscriber database.

For users to know if they are already registered or not, they can access related information via the following USSD code: *202#. Doing so, the user will not only know his or her status but also know if the registered profile is actually his or her own.

Séna Akoda

Support the creation of 4,200 artisanal businesses by 2022, and make them competitive as well as wealth and job generators. That is Togo’s ambition for the craftsmanship sector, in the framework of the 2018-2022 national development plan (PND 2018-2022).

Leveraging the sector’s performance – it employs nearly a million people and contributes 18% of GDP – the State wishes to turn its artisans into professionals, by establishing a social protection system that will cover them, and reinforcing resource centres in all prefectures.

In addition, fairs and similar events will be organized yearly across the country’s five regions which may turn into artisanal hubs. Finally, an adequate financing mechanism will be put in place to this end.

In this framework, Togo intends to improve both the institutional and organizational framework related to the promotion of artisanal businesses, reinforce the system of learning, training and perfecting craftsmen, and lastly reinforce the system supporting craftsmanship.

Let it be recalled that all these ambitions fall under the second axis of the PND which aims at developing agro-processing, manufacturing and mining poles in the country.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

In 2018, the leading taxpayers of the Togolese Revenue Office (OTR) were Total’s local subsidiary and Brasserie du Bénin (BB).

These firms were distinguished during the second edition of the taxpayer day for their exemplary tax and duty payments.

Total Togo was the country’s largest taxpayer last year, and together with BB, they led this ranking ahead of a hundred other firms.

The awards granted to the two firms were to recognize partnership between the OTR and taxpayers. They also aim to reward the best taxpayers to ensure the good trend is sustained and stimulated.

Séna Akoda

Togo should soon sign the agreement regarding the creation of the African Trade Insurance Agency (ACA), an institution whose purpose is to support trade and investment in Africa.

Indeed, a bill was adopted on January 30 in this framework during the first Council of Ministers of the new Togolese government.

According the council’s statement, adhering to the agency’s creation will provide Togo “socio-economic advantages, especially in regards to poverty reduction”, through “a better partnership between African States, multilateral development institutions and the private sector”.

ACA is an African multilateral institution which aims at tackling the lack of insurance on political risks, commercial or not, and subsequently boost financing for investments in Africa and contribute to the growth of external trade, including intra-African trade.

Besides the recently adopted bill, the council of ministers have adopted five other decrees.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

In Togo, two commercial courts will be created to appropriately deal with business conflicts.

The related decision was taken during a council of ministers held last Wednesday, a statement released by Foli-Bazi Katari, spokesperson of the government and minister of communication revealed.

The two new courts, the first of which will be in Lomé and the second in Kara (414 km North of Lomé), respectively cover the maritime and Kara regions.

The decision to establish the two courts aims at “adapting procedural business law to the transformation of this sector”, in addition to efficiently meet needs, by transferring “commercial cases to specialized jurisdictions”.

The two new courts are the first in many to come. Indeed, “many other similar jurisdictions will be created to gradually cover the whole country and finalize the process started”, reads the statement.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi