Togo First
Togo: Authorities extend by a few weeks its program to collect business data in Lomé
The current three-month data collection program targeting businesses in Lomé has been extended by a “few weeks more”, according to a joint statement issued by three ministries including the ministry of economy and finance.
The program which aims to identify registered and unregistered businesses was initiated by the ministry of finance via Togo’s Revenue Office (OTR) in order to update its personal database. Additionally, the census will help update the country’s taxpayers’ registry (by determining addresses, main and secondary businesses…).
In this regard, authorities ask populations to collaborate with the 150 census workers who can be recognized by their badge. They are to provide a warm welcome, reliable and true answers, the joint statement indicates.
In the long term, the program would help Togo get a reliable tax and land registry, as well as improve its business climate.
Togo adopts bills to better fight illicit trafficking of cultural property
Togo’s parliament adopted at the end of last week two bills to fight illicit trafficking of cultural property.
The first bill allows the ratification of the convention that concerns measures to take to ban and prevent illicit import, export and transfer of cultural property; a convention adopted on November 17, 1970, in Paris.
The second bill greenlights Togo’s adhesion to Unidroit’s convention on stolen or illegally exported cultural goods, adopted on June 24, 1995, in Rome.
The first convention which came into effect in 1972, aims to fight illicit trade of cultural property through international cooperation. This should protect national heritage and ensure good ethics in trading cultural property generally, and artwork especially.
Now that this convention has been ratified, Togo should properly combat theft in museums and religious facilities, looting of archeologic sites or scattering of valuable collections. As for Unidroit’s convention, it will ease repatriation of cultural property to their country of origin.
Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé : “Young people need to be reassured and for that they need dedicated spaces”
Last Friday, Togo’s minister of grassroot development, craftsmanship, youth and youth employment, Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé met with various media including Togo First. This was ahead of the International Youth Day, held every August 12th, and which this year was themed “Safe Spaces for Youth”.
Togo First: Why did the United Nations decide to celebrate the International Youth Day?
Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé: The United Nations designated August 12, since 1999, as a day where youth’s full potential would be recognized as well as a day to celebrate youth’s major contribution to the development of our societies, of pacific societies most importantly.
The commemoration’s purpose is to promote youth’s effective participation in decision-taking process in our societies.
T.F: How does the government approach the theme picked for this year’s international youth day ?
V.T-D : This year’s theme is “Safe areas for youth”. First, what we must ask is “why the need for safe space for young people?”
Young people have their own needs, specific needs. They need to meet somewhere to discuss. They have potential and skills, and as a result need dedicated spaces to demonstrate this potential. Therefore, it is quite obvious for us to relate to this theme and encourage our leaders to pay more attention to the creation of spaces especially dedicated to young people.
This theme, for our country, is a true whistleblower urging us to boost strategies related to the creation of such spaces.
Since 2012, Togo’s government has become aware of the need to open spaces for youths. A program was actually launched to this end and it enabled the creation of around 15 youth-dedicated spaces. The latter allows young people to perform socio-educative and civic activities. This in turn helps them grow and easily integrate into socio-professional life.
I would like to congratulate and sincerely thank the country’s top authorities for having quickly apprehended the need to create these spaces and for continuously helping investment to be directed to young people.
Youth centers add to measures established by the government to secure young people’s future and help them become able citizens, active and involved in the country’s development.
T.F : In detail, what is the contribution of these centers to the government’s youth promotion strategy ?
V.T-D : Youth centers are multipurpose facilities aiming to facilitate youth’s flourishing and their socio-economic insertion.
At a youth center, it is possible to do socio-educative, sport and cultural activities.
It exist to make young people full citizens and help them unlock their full potential.
The youth centers of Amadohomé and Kara are good examples of such facilities which were both fully funded by the State.
There are also those of Mango, Dapaong, Sokodé that are being built, or even Tandjouaré, Gando…, and many more. This is a program that is being carried out progressively. We launch various activities at these centers; such as the Vacances Utiles (Useful holidays) program which will begin soon. The government wants actually for such initiatives to be launched throughout the year.
Interview by Octave Aholnko Bruce (Intern)
Official Development Assistance: From 2006 to 2015, Togo raised $3,283 mln
Between 2006 and 2015, Togo received $3,283.54 million of official development assistance (ODA), with an inter-annual variation of $147.53 million. This was disclosed in the ODA report presented on August 9, 2018.
Over the same period, the report states that ODA rose from 3.9% in 2006 to 5.5% in 2015. Meanwhile, debt level decreased significantly from 67.49% to 25.6%.
Looking at the figures, Christophe Akpoto, Head of Bilateral Cooperation at the Ministry of Planing, said ODAs have a positive impact on the country’s growth. Lauding the report, he then added: “What we praise here is the fact that we have a study that lets us know where to focus our efforts to raise more funds to finance the national development plan (PND)”
The assessment which was validated after its presentation, highlights strengths and weaknesses of ODAs in regards to the implementation of development strategies (DSRP-C and SCAPE). It also contains some recommendations.
In Togo, ODAs help invest in key areas such as infrastructures, health, agricultural development, food security, as well as to fight social inequalities. In 2017, ODAs were valued at about $373 million or CFA217 billion.
Togo: Government will spend CFA150 million every year to provide health insurance to national volunteers
Togo’s National Agency for Volunteering (ANVT) will allocate to national volunteers all over the country a total of CFA150 million every year to finance health insurance for them and their family members (partner and minor children).
The scheme was launched August 9, 2018 in Lomé by ANVT. In addition was signed a convention for social coverage, by ANVT’s director, Omar Agbangba, and Miriam Dossou who heads the National Health Insurance Institute (INAM). This was done in the presence of Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé, minister of grassroot development, craftsmanship, youth and youth employment.
The project will cover 3,800 people including 2,208 registered in INAM’s insured database.
According to Omar Agbangban, it should drive young volunteers to better commit to their missions. For her part, Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé said the State’s decision to support these volunteers aims to help young Togolese flourish, boost financial inclusion and most importantly provide social coverage to all layers of the population.
The minister however added that beneficiaries should use the insurance responsibly. “Protecting this health insurance is your responsibility in order to prevent any possible abuse. This way, you will make sure the initiative lasts and is efficient,” Tomégah-Dogbé told the volunteers.
Togo: Youth Competency Development Center launches top-class certificate to boost entrepreneurship
Youth Competency Development Center (Youth CDC), launched its Certificate in Development of Innovation Companies (CDIC) in Togo.
According to the press statement that disclosed the information, the top-class certification is a reference tool that will enable the recognition of people with the potential to create, lead or work in a start-up. It will help tackle various entrepreneurship-related challenges, the statement further indicates.
To tackle youth unemployment, entrepreneurship is, for States, one of the most reliable alternative. However, this alternative deals with many obstacles ; first being early financing and another being a poor understanding of markets or distribution channels.
The CDIC, once recognized in Togo, would help overcome this situation. To get it, one would have to enroll for a Youth CDC acceleration program, which is sponsored by promoters and partners such as the National Agency for Employment (ANPE), Kusuntu Partners or Afric’innov.
“Under the program, students, entrepreneurs or chiefs of SMEs, will get top-class trainings over three months,” the statement reveals, highlighting that the trainings “will focus on issues such as fundraising, digital marketing, business strategy and business law”.
Youth CDC fights youth unemployment in Africa by promoting entrepreneurship. Any person interested in its acceleration program can register online at the following address: https://buff.ly/2MThOcP
Mifa’s coordinator visits farmers in Kovié, Agou and Notsè
Noel Bataka, Coordinator of value chains of Mifa (incentive mechanism for agricultural financing) visited last Tuesday three of the eight sites selected in the framework of the project’s pilot phase.
The visit’s purpose was to assess progress made under the mechanism’s implementation as well as meet with farmers and agricultural advisors.
The three sites visited were those of Kovié, Agou and Notsè.
“For us, Mifa is a great innovation”
The first pilot site visited by the coordinator is that of Kovié/Mission Tové (40km from Lomé). Based in the Zio valley, the site which specializes in rice farming already benefited from Mifa’s technical support and will soon get its first check. Mifa should help increase and better regulate rice production in the area, according to Kossi Djifa Adokanou who heads the Zio Valley Rice Farming Area Management Committee. “Up till now, we faced many challenges, the most important being difficulties in selling our yield. The Mifa provides a major solution to this issue as it will provide us many outlets,” he said. “We will start contract-based production which means that even before the farmer produces, he knows the buyer and selling price,” he added. The official continued revealing that in the next two weeks, the valley should benefit from a subsidy of about CFA500 million. This financing will be used to boost output and optimize yield.
356 hectares dedicated to rice and maize farming in Agou
Next, Mifa’s coordinator went to Agou where the following four planned farming zones (ZAAP) are located: Gadjagan (106ha of arable lands), Nitoé and Akplolo (spanning 100ha each and dedicated to rice and maize growing respectively), and Avétonou, (50 ha).
At Gadjagan, there are 212 farmers who received 0.5 ha each. These farmers welcomed the Mifa and said they were impatient to benefit from the initiative. Expressing himself regarding the mechanism, their president, Sédo Koffi Séményo, declared: “The mechanism will change a lot of things and this will help us increase our output and better take care of our families, given that it takes insurance into account ”
For his part, Folly Notchron, a farmer from the Agou farming area, active since 1914, says: “The issues we used to face before as we sought loans or provided guarantee cautions are now history with the Mifa. We, the farmers, are extremely pleased. We are insured on all fronts, even in the event of bad weather that hamper our work”.
Those in charge of the Avétonou production sites congratulated Mifa’s coordinator and said they were pleased to see their challenges, regarding sales and financing, solved. The coordinator, during his field-visit also discussed with advisors who have been helping registered and trained farmers on a daily basis.
Last destination: Notsè and its cassava producers
To end his visit, the coordinator and his delegation were at Agotové, a village situated 10km from Notsè. There he met a group of women specialized in cassava farming and gari production. The women who were told a few weeks earlier about Mifa and its advantages thanked the President for the initiative, but also its coordinator for visiting them personally.
However, Dagnowou Ami (photo), secretary of the Miwoè né gnon cooperative took the opportunity to raise an important issue: conflicts with breeders in the region. “The animals destroy the women’s farms” and their yields, the secretary said, asking for authorities’ help to solve the matter.
“The mechanism sparks in producers’ minds dreams that the implementation must make true, for the good of Togo’s agriculture”
Addressing the press at the end of his visit, Mifa’s coordinator expressed his satisfaction regarding efforts made in the framework of the project. “The president of Kovié’s CGP expressed his desire to improve rice farming in his region ; farmers in Agou were very enthusiastic, due to the opportunities resulting from the mechanism, and said they wished to expand the maize-growing areas. As for the women I met in Notsè, they were reassured by the many advantages of the Mifa and the fact that these would help them better sell their cassava. They also rejoiced over the fact that insurance, which is one of the mechanism’s key pillars, would be effective for them,” Noel Bataka said to sum up his visit.
“The government’s goal is to provide outlets to small producers, allowing them to improve their yield and subsequently their living standards,” the coordinator further indicated.
Officially launched on June 25, 2018, by President Faure Gnassingbé, the Mifa aims at facilitating risk-sharing and improving financing for farmers and other agricultural actors across the country, thus making the sector more professional.
Reportage by Octave A. Bruce
Marc Ably-Bidamon: “Togo’s ambition is to provide electricity to its whole population by 2030”
At the close of June 2018, Togo’s government launched a new national electrification strategy for the next 12 years; a strategy backed by major lenders under which authorities plan to provide power to all Togolese by 2030. In this interview with the minister of energy, Marc Ably-Bidamon, more details are provided regarding the electrification strategy which is one of the key axis of Togo’s recently adopted 2018-2022 National Development Plan.
Togo First: How is Togo’s power sector doing?
Marc Ably-Bidamon (MAB): First, I would like to sincerely thank you for your interest in our activities at the ministry of mines and energy. Now, regarding your question, Togo’s power sector is doing well. Led by the President, our government has made access to power for all, a priority. This is in line with the United Nations’ objective to achieve, by 2030, universal access to power ; power that is cheap yet of quality, and mostly that preserves the environment. In this framework, the Togolese government is doing everything to provide populations with better living conditions by ensuring constant power supply. In addition, many projects and initiatives will be launched to boost the local power sector and improve its management.
Togo First: In effect, what are the major actions that are being put in place by the government to achieve this goal?
MAB: The launch of the electrification strategy followed by the meeting of lenders and investors, held June 27 and 28, 2018, I believe, constitutes a good response to the government’s objectives.
Truly, Togo’s electrification strategy contains the government’s vision regarding national electrification by 2030. This vision aligns with SDG7 which aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Togo actually wants to provide all Togolese full access to electricity by 2030.
To this end, we plan to combine on-grid and off-grid (mini solar grids and solar kits) power sources.
There are also various projects that are being implemented or about to be, all over the country. The CIZO project is an example of such projects. Initiated by the President himself, this project aims to provide power to more than two million Togolese by 2022, supplying them solar kits. Another example is a project that will see 185 communities electrified.
Togo First: What is your review of the previously mentioned roundtable?
MAB: The roundtable which gathered global actors focused on assessing Togo’s electrification strategy. I would like to emphasize that it was the Head of State, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, who was the main initiator of the electrification strategy’s elaboration, its official launch as well as the model drawn to raise the funds needed for its effective implementation. I now get back to your question which was my assessment of this roundtable. Straight forward, I can say it was a true success, in regards to its organization; goals were met and regarding its benefits, we already recorded some, such as AfDB’s financial support but also commitments from other development partners. Testimonies from national and international participants have proven how successful the event was. Full of experience and skill sharing, this meeting is one that is highly satisfactory.
Togo First: Do you believe Togo can achieve universal power access by 2030?
MAB: This is something that the government has committed to and intends to achieve using all appropriate and necessary means. That is why we are calling our technical and financial partners, and any other willing parties, to support us in the process. These partners’ trust and the President’s own involvement are factors that reassure us and make us strongly believe that this ambition will become a reality.
Togo First: Under its new electrification strategy, Togo bets on clean energy. In fact, the roadmap plans for this type of energy to contribute 50% of its mix by 2030. What assets would you say Togo can currently leverage on to develop renewable energies?
MAB: Our first asset, I would say, is a strong sunshine exposure; this eases the exploitation of solar facilities such as individual kits and solar mini grids. The other main asset is the availability of water bodies which can host hydropower dams.
In addition to these, there is again the electrification strategy and the clean energy law which also is a key tool to ensure the emergence of energy infrastructures.
Togo First: You just mentioned that Togo adopted a law to promote and develop clean energy. What opportunities does this new law offer?
MAB: This law sets the general legal framework related to projects that will help generate power from clean sources, be it for self-use or export.
It gives the government a reliable legal tool that focuses on the management of the clean energy sector in Togo. It also is a lever that will help, efficiently and effectively, implement the various components of the national electrification strategy, launched last June 27. This strategy is based on a public-private partnership in which local private investors play a significant role.
This law will help implement our power strategy as this one relies strongly on clean energies, especially solar and hydropower, while ensuring environmental protection, in accordance with the seventh sustainable development goal.
Its application will facilitate power supply, in a significant manner, to vulnerable populations.
Interview by Fiacre E. Kakpo
Since it was launched, Coton 4+ project has helped train more than 500 farmers in Togo
Initiated by Brazil, the Coton 4 + Togo project aims to provide producers and other actors of Togo’s cotton sector with key information and quality training.
Since it was launched, more than 500 Togolese farmers have benefited from the project and had their skills regarding improved seeds cultivation techniques strengthened. This was disclosed on August 6, 2018, during the opening of the third meeting of actors involved in the project, in Lomé. It was also revealed that the project enabled the introduction of resilient tested crops in Togo.
In terms of prospects, it aims to enhance technology transfer, as well as foster experience sharing and good practices between the sector’s various actors. In the long term, it will enable the mobilization of $5.5 million which will be used by benefiting countries to improve the quality and volume of their respective cotton output. It also aligns with Togo’s strategic plan for the cotton sector.
According to the minister of agriculture, Ouro-Koura Agadazi, the “Coton4+ project whose goal is to help sustainably improve cotton production and competitiveness, aligns with the strategic plan for the sector that falls under the National Development Plan (PND)”.
Meanwhile, Antonio Carlos De Salles Menezes, Brazil’s ambassador to Togo, praised Togo’s efforts to boost the quality and quantity of its cotton production.
During the meeting which will last five days, key actors of the cotton sector of various nations benefiting from the project will review the 2017-2018 crop year and define new prospects to boost cotton output.
In line with its agricultural development strategy, Togo eyes a cotton output of 200,000 metric tons by 2022.
Séna Akoda and Caleb Akponou (Intern)
Togo adopts a new national development plan (PND 2018-2022)
Last Friday during a ministers’ council, Togo’s government adopted a new five-year roadmap which is the 2018-2020 National Development Plan (PND 2018-2020 in French). The document will replace the SCAPE which helped the nation initiate deep economic transformations, such as modernizing infrastructures.
Major projects
The PND aims to make Togo an economic reference in West Africa. It results from a process that involved key actors of the public administration, private sector, civil society, regional leaders but also technical and financial partners.
The 5-year program will be used as a guiding reference for government’s actions and all interactions with Togo’s partners. It will, according to relevant sources, help make the country a top-class logistics and business hub.
Under its first axis, this new strategy will focus on improving infrastructures and processes at the Port of Lomé, which is currently the only deep-water port in West Africa, as well as boost road infrastructures and aviation. Regarding the latter, Asky, which is partners with Ethiopian Airlines and other major African airlines, is quite active in the sector. Moreover, many projects are expected in the digital industry. Some will help improve key infrastructures subsequently raising quality of services provided to users in the sector.
The National Development Plan also aims to make Togo a business and tourism hub and turn Lomé, which already hosts headquarters of major financial institutions (BOAD, BIDC, Orabank, Ecobank, African Guarantee Fund), into a top-class business centre in Africa.
Under its second axis, the plan will focus on creating poles for agricultural processing, manufacturing and mining in various parts of Togo. The following align with this objective: the agropoles project backed by South Korea, BOAD, AfDB; the industrial parks project; the national electrification strategy under which the country intends to achieve 50% and 75% electrification rates by 2020 and 2025 respectively; reviving mining industry, promoting artisanal entrepreneurship and all sorts of businesses.
Finally, the government’s new action plan seeks to consolidate social development and boost inclusion mechanisms.
The third axis will focus on improving educational system and professional training, but also the provision of basic social services (health, water and power), youth employment, financial inclusion, gender equity, social and environmental protection.
Over five years, the plan will require about $8.3 billion (4,622.2 billion CFA) to make Togo’s economy more resilient, sustainable, inclusive and robust while creating more jobs and improving populations’ social welfare.
Target: A 7.6% growth rate and 500,000 direct and decent jobs
With the PND, the government expects economic growth to rise to 7.6% in 2022, from 6.6% now. This should, according to authorities, create more jobs, redistribute national wealth and thus significantly reduce poverty and help the country achieve a greater human development level, mainly by improving access to basic services as mentioned earlier.
In detail, the PND should help provide more than 500,000 people with a stable and decent job. Meanwhile, as the economy will become more competitive and productive, per capita income is expected to rise by 9.7% to $670, with a better distribution.
Togo, let’s note, wishes to rise 10 places on the Mo Ibrahim Governance Index which already identifies the country as the second African nation to have implemented reforms the most after Côte d’Ivoire in the past 10 years. On World Bank’s Doing Business Index, Togo aims to rise 10 ranks every year throughout the PND’s implementation period. To this end, the government created at the end of 2017 the business climate cell (CCA) which coordinates various reforms that aim to improve Togo’s business climate.
Private sector, greatest contributor
As said previously, the PND will require $8.3 billion. Private sector will contribute greatly to this amount; $5.4 billion (CFA2, 999.1 billion) or 65% of the overall projected financing to be exact. The government will provide remaining 35% ($2.9 billion).
According to the statement released by the minister’s council following the PND’s adoption, President Faure Gnassingbé “has urged the government to strengthen dialogue with all key actors of the Togolese society, namely private sector, political actors, syndicates and civil society organizations, in order to promote a better appropriation of the PND and to ensure their participation in its implementation and the achievement of desired goals”.
A strong support
Given its quite ambitious nature, the PND is getting supports from various entities. The World Bank for example is one of those, along with the IMF. Indeed, while the first announced under its new partnership framework that it will increase its support to Togo to back the PND, the second, pleased with the roadmap’s finalization, raised the country’s economic outlook in its latest review. The PNUD also lauded the plan and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) which is the World Bank’s arm in charge of private sector, with the International Solar Alliance (ISA) both said Togo’s 2030 electrification strategy, which aligns with the PND, is quite realistic and “the first of a kind in Africa”. In addition to all these are AfDB and BOAD which support Togo’s new incentive scheme for agricultural funding (MIFA) in addition to the agropole creation project.
More partners, such as Afreximbank and China could join current backers once the PND is effectively on track.
Fiacre E. Kakpo