Highlights

• Togo Postal Service receives 2024 Best Customer Service Award for EMS at the 28th UPU Congress in Dubai.
• Award recognizes reliability and efficiency in international mail delivery.
• Recognition highlights Togo among top African postal operators and supports future expansion into financial services.

At the 28th Universal Postal Union (UPU) Congress in Dubai, Togo was honored for excellence in postal services. The Togo Postal Service (La Poste) won the 2024 Best Customer Service Award for its Express Mail Service (EMS), praised for its speed, reliability, and efficiency in international mail delivery.

Kwasi Kwadzo Dzodzro, CEO of La Poste, highlighted the significance of the award: “This distinction reflects the trust of users and the commitment of our teams.”

With 192 member countries, the UPU recognizes only a select group of African postal operators, placing Togo in a distinguished circle.

The award comes at a time when postal services worldwide are adapting to digital transformation and evolving consumer expectations. La Poste aims to leverage its reputation to expand access to financial services, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas, enhancing the visibility and attractiveness of public services across Togo.

Highlights

• New edition launches Sept. 25, 2025, in partnership with Focus Yakou.
  
• Guide covers taxation, regulations, financing, and commercial practices.
  
• Last edition was published in 2020 amid major structural projects.

 The Togo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI-Togo) has updated its Practical Guide to Doing Business in Togo. The new guide, scheduled for release on September 25, 2025, was produced in collaboration with the Focus Yakou agency.

The publication provides updated information on taxation, regulations, financing, and business practices. Its purpose is to serve as a reliable tool for investors and economic operators, helping them navigate procedures and make informed decisions.

The last edition, released in December 2020, was framed around a roundtable discussion on “Opportunities and challenges of ongoing structural and strategic transformation in Togo,” with particular emphasis on flagship projects such as the Adétikopé Industrial Platform (PIA).

Five years on, the 2025 edition comes in a different context—one marked by priorities of consolidating achievements, attracting foreign investment, and adapting to the challenges of digital transformation.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Highlights

• Policy process kicked off Sept. 23 in Lomé.
  
• Goal is to align TVET with AI-driven innovation and SDG 4.
  
• Final strategy expected by early 2026 with OIF support.

Togo has begun drafting a policy to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into its technical education and vocational training (TVET) system. The process was officially launched on Sept. 23 in Lomé, the Ministry of Technical Education announced.

“AI is more than timely and of definite interest: it will enable the TVET system to play its full part in a strong, inclusive, competitive economy that generates decent and sustainable jobs, capable of reducing poverty and vulnerability,” said Minister Isaac Tchiakpé.

According to the ministry, AI could help address key 21st-century education challenges, from modernizing teaching methods to speeding progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 4.

The work will be carried out by a committee of local stakeholders under a participatory approach, with the final document expected in early 2026. The project has financial backing from the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF).

Esaïe Edoh

Highlights

• National Working Group launched to steer Togo’s Forest Landscape Restoration project.
• Goal: restore 1.4 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
• Initiative backed by German and Luxembourg cooperation through Forest4Future.

 Togo has launched a new phase of its Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) project with the creation of a National Working Group (GNT). The body, which will serve as a steering committee, held its first meeting on September 18 in Sokodé to review challenges and accelerate ongoing actions.

The two-day session was organized by the Ministry of the Environment and Forest Resources, with support from the German development agency GIZ under the Forest4Future (F4F) project. Officials and partners assessed progress to date and drafted a roadmap for the operationalization of the GNT.

The FLR project aims to restore 1.4 million hectares of degraded land in the Tchaoudjo prefecture by 2030. It forms part of the broader pan-African AFR100 initiative, targeting the restoration of one billion trees across the continent.

The Forest4Future program, supported by Togo, Germany, and Luxembourg, seeks to integrate reforestation and landscape restoration into national development strategies while strengthening forest governance and coherence across interventions.

Esaïe Edoh

Highlights:

• Togo secures a seat on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board from 2025 to 2027.
• The move strengthens national ambitions in civil nuclear energy, health, and agriculture.
• Challenges remain over regulation, safety, and technical expertise.

Togo has been elected to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the 2025–2027 term, during the Agency’s 69ᵉ General Conference in Vienna, Austria. The country will serve alongside ten others, including Niger, Portugal, and Saudi Arabia, on one of the most influential global nuclear governance bodies.

The IAEA Board examines and approves budgets, work programs, and membership applications, while also validating nuclear safeguards and publishing international safety standards. For Togo, a seat on the Board offers both international visibility and a platform to align national projects with global benchmarks.

At home, the government has stepped up its nuclear agenda. In January 2025, it launched the Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique (CEAT) to drive research, training, and applications of nuclear technologies in health, agriculture, and energy. An agreement with U.S.-based Nano Nuclear Energy further opens the way for deploying micro-reactors for electricity generation.

Despite these ambitions, the country faces major hurdles. These include the lack of a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework, limited technical and technological capacity, and the need to ensure nuclear safety and radiological protection. Adequate funding also remains a critical factor.

With this new position at the IAEA, Togo hopes to attract external investment, secure technical partnerships, and gain influence in shaping the future of civil nuclear power.

Highlights:

• Prof. Houzou Mouzou Grâce Prénam named President of the University of Kara.
• Milestone for female representation in academic leadership.
• Prof. Kossivi Hounakey takes over at the University of Lomé.

For the first time in Togo’s history, a woman has been appointed to head a public university. Professor Houzou Mouzou Grâce Prénam, a lieutenant colonel physician and rheumatologist, is now the President of the University of Kara. She also becomes the institution’s first-ever president.

Professor Grâce Prénam has led the rheumatology department at Kara University Hospital since 2012. In her new role, she plans to expand research, foster international cooperation, and make the university more attractive to students from across the region. Her appointment is seen as a landmark for women in academic leadership in Togo.

At the University of Lomé, the country’s largest higher education institution with more than 60,000 students, Professor Kossivi Hounakey has been named president. A public law scholar and former Minister of Commerce, he succeeds Professor Adama Mawulé Kpodar after serving in office for two years. His priorities include strengthening governance, improving teaching quality, and deepening partnerships with the private sector and international institutions.

Both appointments come as Togo pushes to modernize higher education and align it with national development goals. Education takes more than 10% of the state budget, reflecting its role in competitiveness, innovation, and regional integration.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Highlights:

• Access channel deepened to 18.6m, turning circle widened to 550m.
  
• Part of €120m investment plan to raise capacity to 2.5m TEUs by 2027.
  
• Port seeks to stay ahead of growing Gulf of Guinea competition.
  

The Lomé Container Terminal (LCT) has completed dredging works worth €7.5 million ($8m), enabling the port to handle fully loaded vessels of up to 24,000 TEUs. An official ceremony to celebrate the completion was held on September 19, 2025, attended by port officials, customs representatives, and government delegates.

The project, carried out from July 31 to September 16, deepened the access channel to 18.6 meters and expanded the turning circle to 550 meters.

LCT, a joint venture between China Merchants Port Holdings and MSC’s Terminal Investment Limited, said the dredging is part of a €120 million infrastructure and equipment program running through 2027. The plan also includes dock reinforcement, upgraded fendering systems, and two new ship-to-shore cranes.

“These works are part of an €80 billion CFA franc investment program designed to handle new-generation ships and raise annual capacity from 2 million to 2.5 million TEUs,” said Tim Vancampen, Managing Director of LCT.

The expansion is expected to generate 150 direct jobs while strengthening Lomé’s position as a transshipment hub.

The investments come amid mounting competition in the Gulf of Guinea, where Tema, Abidjan, Lagos and Lekki are vying for traffic. Analysts note that Lomé retains an edge in depth and transshipment, but long-term differentiation will depend on faster port calls, efficient customs systems and stronger feeder links to the Sahel.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Highlights:

• New system blocks tariff benefits without verified certificates of origin.
• Measure aims to secure state revenues and uphold trade commitments.
• OTR stresses transparency and traceability in customs procedures.

The Togolese Revenue Office (OTR) has introduced stricter controls on the origin of imported goods. Commissioner General Philippe Tchodie announced the measure in a note to customs agents, importers, exporters and consignees.

The change adds a blocking field in the ASYCUDA system, preventing traders from applying preferential tariff codes without first proving the goods’ origin. Declarations must now include a valid certificate of origin and its reference number. If not, the system blocks the customs procedure automatically.

The OTR said the measure will help ensure fair tax collection, safeguard the economy, and limit counterfeit or prohibited imports. It also aligns with Togo’s international trade obligations.

“By controlling seriously, the OTR limits fraud and secures the tax revenues that finance the State budget,” the institution noted, stressing the importance of transparency in tariff regimes.

Esaïe Edoh

Highlights:

• 25 Togolese trainees pursue ECOWAS solar skills certification in Lomé.
• Program part of GIZ-funded project linking water, energy and food security.
• Training supports Togo’s goal of 50% renewable energy share by 2030.

ECOWAS is backing a training program in Lomé this week to certify 25 Togolese electro-solar technicians under its regional ECSES scheme. The session, held Sept. 22–26 and hosted by Kya Energy Group, is the first of its kind in Togo. Trainees from all five regions are preparing for exams on domestic solar photovoltaic systems.

The initiative falls under the GIZ-financed Nexus Water-Energy-Food Security project, overseen by the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE). It aims to strengthen local expertise in installing, maintaining, and troubleshooting solar systems.

Kya Energy Group’s director, Yao Azoumah, said, “Training a new generation of qualified technicians will guarantee the sustainability of solar projects and the autonomy of communities.” 

The ECSES program standardizes renewable energy skills across the region, with Level 1 for off-grid installers and Level 2 for mini-grid specialists.

The effort aligns with Togo’s plan to raise renewable energy’s share to 50% by 2030, with 400 MW of solar capacity targeted, much of it off-grid to expand electricity access.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi