On the sidelines of the 2018 Video Game and Electronics Festival of Abidjan (FEJA), Togolese top gamers are planning a big event gathering all video game lovers from September 22 to November 22.

The event is set as a qualifying tournament with the objective to get prepared for FEJA scheduled from 23 to 25 November 2018. It will last for 3 days during which gamers from Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo and Cameroon will compete.

During the fair initiated by Paradise Game, participants will attend final phases of the eSport tournaments, which include FIFA, PES, Fortnite, Street Fighters, Tekken, Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Clash of Clans and Candy Crush games. The jackpot is valued at nearly CFA13 million (€20,000).

Inscription for FEJA began September 12 on www.feja.ci and will end on November 22. Let’s point out that through the event themed “video game industry and job creation”, Paradise Game intends to promote video game-related jobs as to offer African youth new opportunities. Focus jobs include game designers, programmers, pro-gamers, etc.

Fiacre E. Kakpo 

From now on, the government will financially support any public or private initiative that will contribute to Togo’s industrial and technological development. This was announced September 13 by Yaovi Attigbé Ihou, minister of industry and tourism, on the sidelines of the African Day for Technology and Intellectual Property.

On this occasion, both the State and civil society will discuss one of the continent’s major issues, that of industrial development. According to the minister, “various studies have shown that the level of industrial development of a given country is related to its capacity to develop and use inventions that help create industrial processes and products”.

The official hence urged various partners to better support research and inventors in Togo, in order to ensure a strong, sustainable, resilient and inclusive growth. This aligns directly with the government’s goal to make innovative SME/SMI development one of the main axis of the economy’s structural transformation.

“I encourage every national and international institution in charge of promoting or financing technological inventions, to support inventors and research centres, in order to boost our country’s industrial sector,” the minister said.

Let it be noted that the African Organization for Intellectual Property (AOIP) which celebrates its anniversary every September 13 will organize from October 24 to 27, 2018, the seventh edition of the African fair for technological invention and innovation (SAIIT).

Soon, there will be a movie theatre in the Agoè Nyivè prefecture. Financed by the Vivendi group, the infrastructure will be located in the Bluezone Cacaveli where various sociocultural activities already take place.

Guy Madjé Lorenzo, minister of culture, recently visited the site to assess progress achieved on the project.

The theatre which will be powered with solar energy is built by the Bolloré Group and is the second of its kind in the country.

Séna Akoda

After falling last year, the CPIA score of the 38 African countries eligible for the International Development Association’s (IDA) loans is steady this year. This is disclosed in World Bank’s 2017 CPIA report released on Wednesday 12, 2017.

Overall, these countries scored 3.1 with sub-Saharan Africa getting a slightly better score than other nations benefiting from IDA’s support. Average score for the latter was 3.2.

With a 3.1 score, up 0.1pt in 2017, Togo is among African countries eligible for IDA’s loans that have improved the quality of their policies and public institutions.

Released yearly, the CPIA report rates every country that can benefit from IDA grants. The scores reflect quality of policies and institutions in the concerned countries. The CPIA consists of 16 criteria grouped in four equally weighted clusters: Economic Management, Structural Policies, Policies for Social Inclusion and Equity, and Public Sector Management and Institutions.

These are Togo’s ratings for each of these clusters: 3.2 pt, 3.2 pt, 3.4 pt and 2.8 pt.

Compared to 2016’s ratings, this is a good performance, which is to be attributed to the many reforms put in place by the government to improve the country’s macroeconomic environment.

Looking at economic management’s score, it improved by 0.4. Structural policies were stable, the same goes for policies for social inclusion and equity. Last is the public sector management whose score rose by 0.1 pt.  

Economic Management : Carrot and stick

Though its score for economic management is the same as average for sub-Saharan African nations (3.2), Togo will have to improve its policy and debt management. Truly, the country’s debt soared significantly in 2016. And though the CPIA report notes a 0.5 pt improvement of its ratings in 2017, other major actions should be taken to fix things. Actually, a few months ago, the World Bank said it would send a mission to Lomé to help the government better manage its debt.  

Concerning public sector management and institutions, Togo also needs to improve. In effect, this year, concrete actions were taken to raise the countries’ indicators. Such reforms include a new land code, a new tax code to come into force in 2019; a new custom code was also adopted by the parliament. These reforms could help the country improve its results for the next CPIA report.

Social and environment : Positive evolution

In regards to social and environmental conditions, Togo’s results are better. Indeed, World Bank’s report gave the nation a score of 3.4 for social inclusion and equity while average for the sub-Saharan African region was 3.2. The World Bank lauded Togolese authorities for the multiple reforms implemented over the recent years to increase ecologic sustainability. Also, for the equity in use of public resources, the report gave Togo a score of 3.5, against 3.2 for the SSA region. Regardless, once again, the country still has to fix various issues related to the valorization of its human resources, since it keeps lagging behind its neighbors in this aspect.

Structural policies

In regards to structural policies, Togo scored 3.2 as a result of regional standards imposed in the WAEMU and ECOWAS which the country is part of. The 2017 CPIA report assesses all reforms implemented in the Togolese trade industry up to 2017. Under these, measures aiming to simplify procedures related to external trade were well seen by the World Bank. Same goes for monetary and exchange policies, which are also strengthened due to Togo’s appurtenance to the above-mentioned communities.

A look at the past decade

From 2008 to 2017, Togo’s CPIA scores grew by 0.4 pt, driven by progress made in economic management, social inclusion and equity, public sector management and institutions. However, over the period, according to the World Bank, structural policies stagnated.

In the CPIA ranking, Rwanda still remains at the top, both across the region and worldwide, with a score of 4. Other well placed nations in the region include Senegal (3.8), Cape Verde, Kenya and Tanzania (3.7 each). 

Let’s recall that the CPIA is a tool that allows the World Bank, through the IDA, to increase the amount of concessional loans it grants. It is also a great tool to develop public policies.

Fiacre E. Kakpo

Togo’s minister of trade and private sector promotion, Bernadette Essossimna Legzim-Balouki, recently launched in Kara (in the northern region) a project to boost cashew and shea nuts sales and make them more sustainable (PRODAK).   

Developed by the ministry of trade, the project will improve the “quality of shea and cashew nuts, and their derivatives, making the products, which have a great economic potential, more competitive and profitable in regards to exports”. The launch ceremony took place September 7, in the presence of the regional director for agriculture, who represented the minister of agriculture, husbandry and fishery.

“This ceremony marks, for the country’s various economic operators, the start of a new, huge project which aims at making cashew and shea nuts, as well as their derivatives, more competitive, by improving related processing and commercialization conditions, in the local, regional and international markets,” said Ouro-Koura Agadazi, minister of agriculture.

The project, let it be emphasized, falls under the national development plan’s second axis. The latter aims to create in the country, agricultural, manufacturing and mining processing poles.

About 120 people, operating in the cashew and shea sectors, partners and actors of both private and public sectors were present at the ceremony.

Séna Akoda

On Sept 10, six African countries, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Mali, Niger and Togo, officially launched a global initiative to raise funds, under the International Solar Alliance.

The initiative which is steered by the presidents of the mentioned nations falls under the Affordable Finance at Scale program. The latter’s purpose is to boost investments in solar energy.

According to the official statement disclosing the news, the program aligns with priorities set during the last New Delhi Summit. It was finalized during a meeting held in Lomé, on August 23 and 24, between the president’s advisors.

Commenting on the project, Togo’s president, Faure Gnassingbé, said : “Through this initiative, African nations wish to get engaged in the solar revolution, both in Africa and the World.”

For his part, Mali’s leader, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, added that the initiative will help “lift legal, regulatory and institutional roadblocks preventing massive investments and innovative financing solutions.” 

Last is Benin’s president, Patrice Talon who said : “This initiative will help implement more projects, faster, at a lower cost, and in a way that better fit our needs and interests.”

Nations involved will meet at the end of September for a second work session.

Let’s recall that since 2013, ECOWAS member-States have had their own clean energy development strategy.

The International Solar Alliance was established by India and France during the COP21. It aims to gather all 121 countries of the intertropical zone, leveraging their great solar potential to impact the sector, significantly. 

Octave A. Bruce

The young Togolese Bemah Gado, head of Green Industry Plast Togo, is ranked among the 35 most influential young people in the Francophone world in 2018, a report from Francophone 3535 revealed.

The plastic waste recycling promoter is the only one selected within “Environment” category. Like the 34 other young people aged 18-35 from various nationalities, he will receive his award in Abidjan during a meeting from 09 to 11 November 2018.

The “Prix Jeunesse Francophone 3535” makes it possible to bring together young innovators selected among the most inspiring and influential ones to participate in all activities initiated by Francophone 3535.

Target categories include agriculture and agri-business; arts, culture and fashion; blog, digital influence and media innovation; business leader; education; entrepreneurship; environment; film performance; music; internet personality, radio and media personality; civil society advocacy.

This year, in addition to the 35 prizes, there will be special prizes called “Elan pour la Jeunesse” granted to Francophones of all ages whose actions benefit young Francophones.

Séna Akoda