Held on August 3, 2018, under the supervision of Faure Gnassingbé, Togo’s president, the ministerial council issued a decree for the creation of a national committee coordinating activities against money laundering and the financing of terrorism (CONAC).

The creation of CONAC, which is to replace the interministerial council supervising the anti-money laundering and the financing of terrorism, will provide Togo with the appropriate tools to fight against this issue the country and its neighbors are confronted with.  

Constituted of representatives of various ministerial departments as well as private and public institutions, CONAC will take appropriate measures to identify, review and alleviate the threat of money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Placed under the supervision of the finance and economy minister, it will also coordinate the country’s actions in that fight.

On August 2, 2018, in Lomé, Togo’s trade and private sector’s development ministry, in partnership with BCEAO, kicked off the national launch of a scheme, aimed at supporting the financing of WAEMU’s SMEs and SMIs.  

Initiated by BCEAO, “ Dispositif Pme”, which should be implemented in each of WAEMU member countries, is aimed at setting an ecosystem favorable to SMEs’ funding by banks in order to improve their contribution to GDP and their job creation capacity.

This scheme provides an appropriate solution to SMEs’ funding problems, via incentives offered by BCEAO to credit institutions. “When credits are offered to eligible companies, BCEAO can, in return, refinance those credits to the banks at more attractive conditions”,  Kossi Ténou, BCEAO’s resident representative in Togo, explained.

The goals of this scheme are to promote SMEs by improving their management and refinance eligible companies’ loans as well as diversify the financial instruments adapted to their needs.

To be eligible for that scheme, the company should be a non-financial institution producing market goods or services with less than CFA1 billion as operating capital. The company must also fulfill the legal obligations to publish financial reports according to WAEMU’s rules.

The Togolese ministry of trade and private sector development Bernadette Legzim-Balouki informs that the government will take all the required measures to allow the operationalization of this scheme in Togo.

Let’s remind that this scheme falls in line with the permission granted to the Central Bank in 2012 by WAEMU heads of States in the framework of the action plan to finance the union’s economies.

Séna Akoda

From 2008 to 2017, Togo’s rice output soared by more than 64%, from 85,637 metric tons to 140,519 metric tons (Mt). This was revealed July 31, 2018, during a meeting gathering various actors of the sector.

On this occasion, the actors set output target for 2018 at 232,750 Mt, including 139,650 Mt of milled rice.

In order to achieve this goal, sown areas would be increased. Meanwhile, producers are asking for tax exemptions on agricultural equipment and inputs as well as better access to bank loans.  

Actors present at the meeting recommended the use of rice varieties that are more suited to rainfed farming and a better organization of the sector.

Séna Akoda

World Bank will finance the creation of an agricultural research centre in West Africa. This was announced by Pierre Laporte, the institution’s director of operations in Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire, last week during a press conference in Abidjan.

The centre which will cost $70 million should help countries in the region to better develop their agricultural policy, and “better address farming issues”, Laporte indicated.

In the long term, the project would help modernize farming and improve farmer’s connectivity, via e-farming. The latter aims to boost farmers’ visibility, both physically and virtually, thus allowing them to sell their products more easily.

In line with its vision to support Africa’s development, the World Bank actively intervenes in key sectors such as agriculture and education. The institution in Togo is engaged in many projects and plans under its new 2017-2020 partnership framework to boost its support to the country, knowingly by investing more in agriculture.

During the just-ended Conference of Ecowas Heads of States and Governments held in Lomé last Tuesday, various recommendations were adopted to ensure the end of political crises in Togo.

First, the conference congratulated the crisis’ facilitators, namely Ghana and Guinea’s Presidents, Nana Akufo-Addo and Alpha Condé, for their achievements in the framework of the mission they were trusted with during the previous meeting held on April 14, 2018. It also lauded commitments of the various parties concerned, in regards to the resolution of the crisis. However, it urges Togo’s government to continue making efforts to boost trust and appease tensions, by accelerating legal procedures related to those arrested during past political protests. The conference recommends that the government looks at additional measures to favor the detained, all to ensure peace and stability in Togo.

The Conference also condemns acts of violence, urging protesters to return all weapons stolen from the police and other security forces. Still to ensure sustainable peace, the conference requested that political actors and civil society refrain from issuing any statements or taking any action that might spark new conflicts, thus impairing efforts made so far.

Similarly, Ecowas heads of States and governments’ summit “calls security forces to remain professional while working to protect goods and people”. Another point the summit insists on is the full revision of the electoral registry. It has actually urged the government to proceed to this revision before the next legislative elections on December 20, 2018.

Regarding constitutional reforms, the summit calls all political actors and the government to work to adopt the two-turn election model for Presidential elections, reduce to two the maximum number of presidential mandates, recompose the Constitutional Court, set a maximum number of terms for its members and improving electoral process.

Concerning elections, African heads of States and governments say they are happy with the “measures planned by Togo’s government” in the framework of their preparations, organization and conduct. The leaders believe the polls will take place in transparent, credible and open conditions.

Some of these measures include accelerating and finalizing electoral census to get a reliable voters list, enabling Togolese living outside the country to vote during coming elections and deploying election observers.

Ecowas leaders also congratulated opposition in Togo for its openness and sense of responsibility and for having agreed to discuss ways to meet its claims. Same goes for President Gnassingbé whom the conference applauded for collaborating with all competent authorities and institutions to end the crisis, peacefully.

Still in order to solve what Togo is going through at the moment, these leaders urged all involved parties to respect the constitution in place. To this end, the Summit requested, via a public statement, Ecowas’ support and technical expertise in the coming elections.

Ecowas leaders again pledged their support to the mediators of the political dialogue in Togo while asking these mediators to keep on going with their efforts and submit a report of their progress at the next session of the conference.

To ensure that these recommendations are followed, a follow-up committee regrouping representatives of the mediators, of the ruling party, of the opposition (a coalition of 14 parties) and of the Ecowas commission, will be set up.  

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) announced its support to Togo’s national electrification strategy which aims to achieve universal access to power by 2030.

This strategy provides a roadmap to tackle issues that slow the expansion of Togo’s power grid, in remote areas especially. It also plans to involve alternative power sources such as off-grid.

It also recommends that private and viable investment projects are developed to this end. It promotes public-private partnerships and seeks to identify how public and mixed funds can be better allocated.

It should be noted that currently, only 40% of Togo’s population has access to electricity. In rural areas, this figure stands below 10%.

The new strategy was approved during a meeting held under the patronage of Togo’s Prime Minister. The document was also backed by Ségolène Royal, Special envoy of the French president’s International Solar Alliance.

According to IFC’s representative in Togo, Ronke-Amoni Ogunsulire, “Togo’s vision regarding universal power access is a first of a kind in Africa”. “This is because it integrates off-grid solutions and involves the private sector. It allows the government to create markets by identifying zones with a strong potential for mini-grids and by attracting top-class power providers”, she added.

In line with the government’s new vision, the power sector’s regulatory framework is being reformed. This will help organize a first tender for the installation of 60 mini solar grids before the end of 2020. These facilities will in turn allow 10,000 households to have access to power via a public-private partnership.

On July 30, 2018, Togo’s minister of social action, Tchabinandi Yentcharé, urged all Togolese women to get more involved in the country’s development as this would consolidate and preserve peace. 

The call was issued ahead of the 56^th African Women’s Day the following day. The event was themed: “Women, election and peace for a sustainable development”

According to the minister, “the theme is well chosen as it responds to a major concern of the government which is to get women to contribute more to national development, especially to public governance”.

“Gender equality is vital for efficient growth, and is not only a matter of fairness to women or political correctness. Many examples show that when men and women are treated equally, economies grow faster, poverty recedes more rapidly and welfare of men, women and children improves,” she said.