Ahead of the Togo-China Business Forum taking place today, in Hangzhou (China), Togo’s president, Faure Gnassingbé, chaired Sept 6 a roundtable gathering Chinese and Togolese business operators.

Present at the meeting was the chairman of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products. There were also the president and vice-president of Togo’s chamber of commerce and industry (CCIT), as well as managing director of Togo Invest Corporation.

At the end of the meeting, CCIT and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products signed a partnership agreement to attract private investments from China for the 2018-2022 national development plan (PND). The move aligns with the government’s ambition to raise 65% of funds required for the PND from private sector. The agreement will also spur skill transfer between Chinese and Togolese business operators.

The China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products has more than 10,000 members and regroups various major commercial and manufacturing companies, as well as firms engaged in electronics and mechanical industries.

On September 6, President Faure Gnassingbé signed with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping various bilateral cooperation agreements. The signing ceremony was held in Beijing and comes at the end of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Gnassingbé took this occasion to congratulate Jinping for having successfully organized FOCAC. The African leader lauded the eight initiatives that Beijing announced it would engage in Africa.

For his part, Xi Jinping invited Togo to take part in the Belt and Road project. He also said his nation is ready to boost cooperation with Togo in sectors such as agriculture, energy and infrastructures.

Togo’s President is now in Hangzhou where a Business Forum is being held.

Vlisco, the Dutch Wax Hollandais manufacturer has launched its yearly competition VLISCO FASHION FUND  aimed at emerging African fashion designers. The competition is open to passionate young designers with less than three years experience.

At the end of this competition, the jury will choose the seven most creative and innovative designers who will receive funding equivalent to €5,000 (CFA3 million) each and fly for a two-week masterclass at “Meester Coupeur”, a renowned Amsterdam-based fashion designing school where big names of the Dutch fashion industry had been trained.

With this competition, Vlisco which also owns Woodin, Uniwax, and GTP wants to support African fashion designers, provide them an increased visibility internationally and ultimately help them promote their fashion label.

Registration is open till September 16, 2018, on this link:

https://www.vlisco.com/fashionfund/pitch/

Ahead of the Business Forum in China, President Faure Gnassingbé met various business moguls from the Middle Empire.

On Wednesday September 5, 2018, the leader met CEO of China Merchant Group Holdings, which holds 50% of Lomé Container Terminal (LCT). According to the communication cell of Togo’s presidency, the Chinese firm has most of port management assets in China, but its operations in Togo, Nigeria, Djibouti, Sri Lanka and Turkey are not marginal. Actually, operations in these nations recently grew by 5.7%.

During the meeting, both parties agreed to extend their partnership to the industrial sector. This would generate many jobs for the Togolese youth, among others.

Besides China Merchant Group Holdings, Togo’s president met on the same day with top executives of China Construction Bank, China’s second largest bank, to discuss potential investments in Togo, related to ore transportation infrastructures.

Meanwhile, a ministerial delegation from Togo met Yunfeng Diao, Vice President of Haier. The various parties discussed mainly about the modernization of industry and education, in Togo.

Séna Akoda

On September 5, Togo’s chamber of commerce and industry (CCIT) launched the very first edition of the 'Quinzaine commerciale des vacances', in Baguida (24km from Lomé).

The event is a trade fair and its opening was chaired by Johnson Kuéku-Banka, managing director of Togo’s center for expositions and fairs as well as representative of the minister of trade and private sector promotion.

Initiated by the CCIT in line with its vision to extend fairs to towns around Lomé and other parts of Togo, the current fair aims at boosting trade and helping business owners get more customers.

In his opening speech, Kuéka-Banka declared: “This fair shows the government’s will to boost economic integration via intra-community exchanges. It will be a real brainstorming platform that could lead to great partnerships”.

Togolese construction firm Gelloq-Togo has opened a subsidiary in Niamey, Niger.

The new branch will focus on activites such as studies, public works, civil engineering, construction, maintenance and rehabilitation of buildings, roads and hydraulic infrastructures.

The firm is interested in sanitization, siding, maintenance, painting, plumbing and electricity; import-export, trading and transportation, namely transportation of industrial equipment and raw materials, by road across West Africa.

Last July 19, a file containing the firm’s statutes was submitted to the clerk of Niamey’s Commercial court where Gelloq’s subsidiary is registered.

In Togo, the ministry of infrastructures plans to rehabilitate or build regional directorates of public works and sectors, as well as the rural roads directorate.

Leveraging a credit line falling under the 2018 State budget, the ministry seeks to hire a contractor who will carry out technical studies and elaborate bidding documents for targeted works. 

The ministry has in this regard addressed registered youths and women-entrepreneurs active in technical studies sector. This aligns with the government’s decision to set aside 20% of procurements to this group of individuals.

Overall, 31 entrepreneurs are called to bid to the tender. Tenders documents is grouped in a single lot. According to well-informed sources, the hired consultant will be chosen based on the quality of its services and the value of its offer.

For 2018, provisional amount of procurements reserved for this group of entrepreneurs is CFA40 billion.

Séna Akoda

On September 3, Togo’s President, Faure Gnassingbé, met Liang Bin, CEO China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group to discuss the Lomé-Cinkassé railway project.

According to a statement released by the Togolese presidency, this meeting aligns with the President Gnassingbé’s will to make his country a logistics hub, and “identify all investment opportunities” in order to build the 600km-long railway.   

Liang Bin, during the meeting, said he was interested in the project which falls under Togo’s 2018-2022 National Development Plan (PND 2018-2022). In fact, the executive plans to visit Lomé soon in order to conclude talks with Togolese authorities.

Séna Akoda