Togo’s Council President, Faure Gnassingbé, will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin today Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, during an official visit to Moscow.

Talks will focus on strengthening cooperation, especially in peace, security and development.

The two leaders will look at expanding ties in diplomacy, trade, agriculture, energy, education and food security. They will also discuss international issues of shared concern, including regional security, climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Gnassingbé’s visit comes as Russia steps up its diplomatic activity across Africa. Moscow has shown interest in Togo before, including the visit of Mikhail Bogdanov, Putin’s special representative for Africa, to Lomé in June 2018.

Cooperation between the two countries has grown since then. Education and training remain a key area: Russia awards scholarships to Togolese students every year. Official data shows that 86 scholarships were awarded for the 2024–2025 academic year, up sharply from about ten two years earlier.

On security, Moscow ratified a military cooperation agreement in October 2025 that includes joint exercises, training, intelligence sharing, and emergency medical support.

The meeting is expected to help both countries consolidate existing ties and explore new areas of collaboration.

Esaïe Edoh

• The Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) has launched a public developer sandbox for its API-Business, allowing Togolese companies and IT solution providers to develop new instant payment solutions.

• This testing environment supports the interoperable Instant Payment System (PI-SPI) platform, aiming for transfers in under ten seconds across various financial institutions.

• The initiative seeks to reduce deployment times for new digital uses and support the adoption of instant payments across the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).

The Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) has launched a public developer sandbox for its API-Business. This initiative allows Togolese companies and IT solution providers to access a secure environment. This environment supports the development of solutions built around the interoperable Instant Payment System (PI-SPI) platform.

This testing space offers a secure environment to simulate operations, verify technical compliance, and prepare for the integration of instant payments into financial services.

For fintech startups, the sandbox provides technical documentation, integration guides, and assistance. Companies can test merchant payment solutions, cross-border transfer services, or aggregation products linking mobile money, banks, and microfinance. The long-term objective involves reducing deployment times and supporting the adoption of new digital uses within the Union.

The PI-SPI platform, launched in Dakar in September 2025, aims to enable transfers in less than ten seconds between banks, microfinance institutions, and electronic money services. In Togo, seven financial institutions have already committed to the system. Ecobank, Orabank, BOA, Coris Bank, COFINA, Banque Atlantique, and BIAT are preparing the necessary interconnection to support 24/7 instant payments.

This article was initially published in French by R.E.D.

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum

Togo’s Ministry of Urban Development and the World Bank are preparing the Urban Development Program for Major Urban Areas (DUGAn).

A joint team from both institutions visited Zio 1 in the town of Tsévié last week to identify the program’s first investment priorities. The initiative will cover the cities of Kara, Tsévié and Lomé.

DUGAn has a budget of 100 million dollars, or about 56.7 billion CFA francs, to be implemented over ten years. The program aims to modernize basic infrastructure, sanitation systems, urban mobility and public services in these key cities.

In Tsévié, the delegation met local authorities to assess priority needs. Discussions covered data collection, flood-risk zones, stormwater management and the condition of local infrastructure. The team then visited several sites, including the Adovou basin, the Dévé and Kpatéfi neighborhoods and the city’s markets.

According to the project team, this phase will produce an initial assessment to guide future investment. Preliminary findings were presented at a meeting with government technical departments and municipal officials, who stressed the need for coordination among municipalities, ministries and partners.

The Director General of Urban Infrastructure said a multi-sector team will carry out the next study to determine Zio 1’s specific priorities. The Governor of the Maritime Region welcomed the World Bank’s support and said the work should help strengthen the resilience and appeal of Togo’s cities.

R.E.D

• Fourteen member states open the 54th ministerial session of the EISMV Board in Lomé.
• Delegates review 2024–2025 administrative and financial reports and examine a major expansion project.
• The session highlights Togo’s growing role in agricultural and veterinary training in West Africa.

Fourteen member states of the Inter-State School of Veterinary Sciences and Medicine (EISMV) opened the 54th ministerial session of the institution’s Board on November 17 in Lomé. The expert meeting launched a week of discussions on governance and development priorities for the Dakar-based regional school. Minister Delegate for Higher Education and Scientific Research, Gado Tchangbedji, chaired the opening session.

EISMV Director-General Professor Yalacé Yamba Kaboret said delegates will examine the 2024–2025 administrative and financial reports and assess the school’s expansion and modernization project. He said the initiative aims to strengthen admission capacity and increase the number of veterinarians trained each year. The discussions reflect broader calls to boost veterinary manpower across West and Central Africa.

Minister Tchangbedji said the decision to hold the session in Togo underscored the country’s progress in agricultural and veterinary education. He cited institutions such as the Institute of Training in Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Regional Center of Excellence for Poultry Science (CERSA) as examples of Togo’s efforts to modernize the sector.

Created in 1968, EISMV has trained more than 1,600 veterinarians from West and Central Africa and from partner countries including Madagascar and France. Officials will release the conclusions of the ministerial session on November 21.

• Togo opens the 15th Global Entrepreneurship Week with events designed to strengthen SME capacity nationwide.
• The EU mobilises IYBA SEED and IYBA Women Empowerment for Africa to support youth and women-led businesses.
• SMEs represent over 80% of Togo’s economic fabric, making the event a policy tool to deepen inclusion and innovation.

Togo opened the 15th edition of the Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) on Monday, 17 November 2025, during an inaugural press conference in Lomé. Organisers anchor this year’s theme around “Ensemble, construisons” (“Let’s build together”).

GEN-Togo, the Agency for the Development of Very Small and Medium Enterprises (ADTPME) and ON-IJD coorganise the event with support from the European Union and German cooperation agency GIZ. Their partnership aims to strengthen national entrepreneurship infrastructure.

Organisers plan to host workshops, conferences, pitch competitions, training sessions and networking platforms throughout Lomé and regional capitals. They intend to reinforce the entrepreneurial culture and give young project owners practical tools to scale their businesses.

GEN-Togo Director General Pascal Edoh Agbové said the edition “aims to inspire the new generation of entrepreneurs and to recognise the essential role of SMEs in the national economy.” The EU backs the event through two regional programmes: IYBA SEED, which targets financing for youth-led enterprises, and IYBA Women Empowerment for Africa, which supports women’s entrepreneurship.

The government positions GEW as a lever for economic opportunity beyond awareness campaigns. The initiative helps structure Togo’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and promotes local innovation, as SMEs account for more than 80% of the economic fabric and a significant share of formal employment.

Organisers expect the week to deepen the link between policy support, financing tools and grassroots enterprise creation in a market where entrepreneurship drives diversification.

This article was initially published in French by R.E.D

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum

Togo’s livestock feed sector will be exempt from import taxes starting in 2026, according to the draft finance bill adopted by the Council of Ministers late last week. The measure will take effect once both chambers of Parliament give their approval.

The government said the exemption is intended to further encourage local meat production. Livestock feed is one of the largest expenses for livestock and poultry farmers.

The exemption is expected to play a central role in the government’s strategy to strengthen food security and the competitiveness of livestock value chains, particularly as part of efforts to promote local consumption. Lowering import taxes should enable farmers to obtain feed at more affordable prices, improving their margins and helping stabilize operations despite volatile global raw material prices.

The policy is also expected to boost domestic production of meat, eggs, and poultry, which could help lower consumer prices and reduce imports of frozen poultry and other meat products.

This tax relief builds on measures implemented in recent years to support local producers. In addition to training programs for farmers and industry stakeholders, the government reinstated an important requirement in February 2025: an order from the Ministry of Fishery and Animal Resources obliges importers of fish, poultry, and related products to purchase at least 10 percent of their intended shipments in local products before receiving an import license.

Esaïe Edoh

• The OTR extends the 20% discount on clearance fees for vehicles over five years old until December 20, 2025.

• The measure targets “stranded” vehicles under customs control to ease congestion and spur imports ahead of year-end.

• Similar incentives return annually and reached 40% during the Covid-19 period in 2021.

The Togolese Revenue Office (OTR) extended to December 20, 2025, the 20% reduction on clearance fees for vehicles older than five years. The agency initially planned to end the measure on November 15. The extension aims to allow more taxpayers to benefit from the discount during the high-traffic end-of-year period.

The tax relief, in effect since September 1, 2025, targets “stranded” vehicles under customs control. The tax administration says the measure seeks to decongest automotive storage areas and encourage fresh imports ahead of the festive season. The OTR adds that the measure complies with the national Customs Code and supports its broader effort to facilitate taxation and promote the release of vehicles awaiting clearance.

Authorities regularly renew this type of incentive at the end of the year. The discount reached as high as 40% in 2021 as part of measures designed to support taxpayers during the Covid-19 crisis.

This article was initially published in French by Esaïe Edoh

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum