Togo First
Togo: National federation of cashew producing cooperatives eyes 130,000 tons output by 2024
In Togo, the national federation of cashew producing cooperatives (FNCPA) expects local cashew output to rise from 20,000 tons currently to 130,000 tons by 2024.
To achieve this target, the FNCPA with the support of the ministry of agriculture, launched in the central region a workshop to train farmers to cashew grafting. Besides, the federation plans to provide the workshop’s participants with quality seedlings and help them shorten seedlings’ productivity cycle.
It will also develop orchards with grafted seeds for which first flowering begins after five months.
Let it be recalled that the government has already disbursed a three-year financing, valued at $5.6 million, for a project that aims to boost sales capacity and sustainability of the cashew and shea nut sector in Togo.
Séna Akoda
In 2017, Togo received 566,764 tourists, generating CFA44.7bn for hotels
In 2017, Togo received 566,764 tourists, up 33% compared to 2016’s 425,669.
Consequently, hotel earnings surged as well (+17.9%). These rose from CFA37.9 billion in 2016 to CFA44.7 billion last year.
According to the minister of tourism, Ihou Attigbè Yaovi, this performance results from various major international events held in the country.
The official urged various actors engaged in the sector to "leverage on digital tools to develop their businesses". A statement that aligns with the theme "Tourism and digital transformation" picked for the World Tourism Day which is celebrated on September 27th.
To "further boost tourist arrivals in Togo and improve the country’s touristic image", a new promotional website is being developed according to credible sources.
Togo was in 2017, the second African country to record the highest growth in tourist arrivals (+46%), after Egypt, recent data from the World Tourism Organization (WTO) shows.
It should be emphasized that WTO’s figures take into account tourists who registered at "hotels and similar infrastructures".
Octave A. Bruce
Togo: US Self Help program grants civil society organizations $40,000 for community development projects
Through the Self Help program, the US embassy in Togo granted on Wednesday $40,000 to ten Togolese civil society organizations so they carry out various community development projects.
Focused on areas such as farming and husbandry, among others, these projects aim to help communities self-promote themselves.
In effect, part of the funding will be used to purchase equipment for mushroom cultivation, mills and cashew seedlings.
Another part will be used to build a poultry house, purchase 500 chicks, guinea fowl eggs, veterinary products and feed to ensure a better production of local poultry, etc.
David Gilmour, US ambassador to Togo declared regarding the new fund: "This new special fund for self-promotion, aims at improving communities’ financial, health and living standards, as well as their social welfare, through projects they will develop themselves". The official stressed on agriculture, husbandry, income-generating activities, as main sectors to benefit from the facility this year.
The self-help fund has been helping communities develop projects since 1964.
Séna Akoda
AfDB plans to disburse CFA80 billion in Togo by 2020
The African Development Bank (AfDB) announced last Tuesday that it will maintain the two pillars of its 2016-2020 country strategy paper for Togo. This decision was spurred by the many structural governance reforms initiated by the Togolese government and the weak operationalization rate of these reforms, due to the political crisis.
Midway down its five-year intervention plan in Togo, the financial institution is satisfied by its portfolio’s performance but urges local authorities to increase their efforts, to improve disbursement rate which stood at 55.3% over the period reviewed.
By 2020, AfDB plans to invest about CFA80 billion in activities related to the two pillars of Togo’s country strategy paper.
In detail, for the first pillar which is related to the development of inclusive growth and agroindustrial competitive poles, the bank could approve CFA60 billion of financing starting next year.
The second pillar related to the support of financial, sectoral and local governance, for its part, could benefit from about CFA20 billion.
Beside these, the institution will mostly support economic and sectoral evaluations (debt, local tax, private sector, public investment) and provide counseling.
Fiacre E. Kakpo
Togo and Gabon sign an agreement to suppress visa requirements for diplomatic and service passports holders
Last Tuesday, the ministers of foreign Affairs of Togo and Gabon, Robert Dussey and Regis Immongault, signed in New York an agreement to suppress Visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and service passports from both countries.
The agreement was initialed on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN general Assembly started September 18.
For Togo, this new arrangement adds to others it already had with Qatar, Morocco and the Central African Republic.
Since the beginning of 2018, Togo’s diplomacy has been engaging other countries’ diplomacy actively.
Beside the agreement to reciprocally suppress their Visas, Lomé and Libreville also announced the signing of an agreement to fight child trafficking.
Togo: Insurance sector recorded good performances in 2017
In 2017, the insurance sector fared well in Togo, according to Claude Daté Gbikpi, chairman of Togo’s Insurers Committee (CAT).
The executive who was expressing himself during celebration of the second edition of CAT days indicated that turnovers of firms operating in the Fire, Accidents, Risks, General and Transport insurances or Non-Life, reached CFA34 billion, against CFA29.7 billion in 2016, thus up 15%.
Same goes for firms operating in the Life sector. Their activity recorded a 6% growth generating CFA27 billion, at the end of 2017.
However, CFA27 billion was paid by insurers in 2017 to cover disasters, Gbikpi added.
Octave A. Bruce
Energy Generation launches the third edition of its Pan-African challenge
Togo-based Pan-African organization Energy Generation just launched the third edition of its Africa Energy Generation Prize challenge.
Aiming to promote power access in Africa, the contest rewards innovative and entrepreneurial solutions developed by youths living in Africa. This, in a context where 57% of Africans, more than 600 million people, have no access to electricity.
Those interested in applying can have access to information on the challenge’s various steps and application form at : http://www.energy-generation.org/aegp. Application period started on September 15 and will end December 15, 2018 midnight.
Selected applicants will be announced on December 22. They will receive a two-year scholarship at the Energy Generation Academy.
After their scholarship comes to an end, the youths will present their respective projects to win seed-funding valued at : $100,000 for the first prize, $50,000 for the second and $25,000 for the third prize.
The initiative it should be noted is backed by institutions like Schneider Electric, Engie, European Union, EDF, Akon Lighting Africa and SABER.
Séna Akoda
Togo: EU celebrates European climate diplomacy week in Lomé on Sep 24-29
Until September 29, 2018, the European Union will be celebrating the climate diplomacy week. On September 24, the EU delegation in Togo launched the event in Lomé.
Hanses Bruno, Minister-Counsellor of the European Union, Christoph Sanders, German ambassador, and Marc Vizy, French ambassador to Togo, were present at the launching ceremony. From their statements, it appears that the initiative’s vision is to fight climate change.
Marc Vizy lauded efforts made in this regard. These efforts translated into the adoption of a law to promote clean energy which shows that though it is a small polluter, Togo is very conscious of the huge responsibility – shared yet differentiated, as the dedicated formula prescribes – and has decided to tackle the major challenges related to climate change.
Similarly, the national electrification strategy, in which renewable energies hold a prominent place and Togo’s admission to the International Solar Alliance, earned the head of state, an invitation from Emmanuel Macron, the French president, to “One Planet Summit”.
In the European Union, however, though the goal is a 40% decrease by 2030, leading to an automatic integration of the climate change aspect within every project, it is to be noted that some factors, political and economic notably, do not always facilitate the implementation or adoption of some measures in line with that goal, the German ambassador explains.
An OSC-Climate press conference held on September 25 has been held in the framework of the European climate diplomacy week. A radio show with prizes to be given away on Lomé and Kara radio stations, as well as a conference on climate change in Togo, will be organized on September 26-27. To conclude, an ECO Jogging section is planned.
AfDB assesses its 2016-2020 country strategy paper for Togo two years after its launch
On September 25, the African Development Bank (AfDB) held in Lomé a dialogue focusing on the 2018-2022 Country Strategy Paper (CSP) and to assess the performance of the bank’s portfolio in Togo.
Approved in October 2016 for a five-year period, the bank’s strategy in Togo revolved around two pillars which are: developing agro-industrial inclusive and competitive growth poles and supporting financial, sectoral and local governance.
“The major goal of this strategy is to help Togo improve living conditions of its populations in rural areas, via an integrated development of agricultural poles and by improving access to power,” said Kahdidia Diabi, Country Representative of AfDB.
In this framework, during the first two years of this strategy’s implementation, it focused on various axes. Regarding economic development, AfDB financed the Agropole project and another to rehabilitate roads and preserve coasts. Both aimed to improve regional integration and climate resilience of infrastructures and populations of coastal areas.
In the social sector, the institution was engaged in five major projects focusing on youth insertion, employment, inclusion of vulnerable women, training integration (CERFER), constructing markets (Lomé and Kara) and toilets in Sokodé.
These projects brought AfDB’s commitments in the country to about CF190 billion, 55.3% of which have already been disbursed. The transport sector captured 70% of these commitments.
Lauding the integrated vision of the new national development plan, Kahdidia Diabi urged Togolese authorities to increase their efforts to improve disbursements.
If the African Development Bank plans to increase its support to the Togolese economy in the next two years, it will condition this support to progress made in implementing projects to which it is associated.
Among these projects is the CIZO. Olivier Manlan, the bank’s country economist for Togo, AfDB will increase its interventions through counseling support for the implementation of the CSP and other projects, in line with the PND.
Fiacre E. Kakpo
EU commits €5.5M as direct subsidies to fight climate change in Togo
Yesterday, a delegation of the European Union (EU) in Togo signed in Lomé, conventions with organizations and associations engaged in the fight against global warming. Overall, the institution disbursed €5.5 million for first and second axis of the Support Program to Fight Climate Change (PALCC) which is to be managed by non-governmental organizations (NGos) and civil society organizations (CSOs).
Goals: Keep sensitizing political decision-makers about climate change, assess the state of forest resources in the country, and implement measures to mitigate climate change’s impacts.
NGos and CSOs which will benefit from the facility will have to focus on the sustainable management of forest and lands as well as on power efficiency. In this framework, they must achieve 2/3 of goals set under PALCC. These include tackling issues such as the reduction of forest area, carbonisation, coastal erosion, bush fires, etc.
The program is carried out by the ministry of environment and forest resources. André Johnson, who is in charge of this project chaired the ceremony where agreements for the subsidies were signed.
On the other side, Christina Martins-Barreira, head of EU delegation in Togo, urged NGos and civil society organizations to take action regarding the program.
The signing ceremony it should be noted took place ahead of the launch of European week for climate diplomacy.
Séna Akoda