Sixty-five youths from the Support Fund for Youth-led Economic Initiatives (FAIEJ) and Lions Club International, are currently taking part in a workshop for young entrepreneurs in Lomé where they are trained in methods of creating and designing business plans. 

The workshop on October 1 lasted two weeks. In effect, the trainees will build up their leadership skills to better identify and manage opportunities. “It is a place to train these young people,” said FAIEJ’s director general, Sahouda Gbadamassi-Mivedor. 

The workshop focuses on three main pillars, knowingly: helping youths overcome challenges, build their skills and help them master markets. 

FAIEJ is a mechanism put in place by the ministry of grassroots development, craftsmanship, youth and youth employment. It promotes entrepreneurship and youths’ economic insertion.

Bolloré will invest about CFA127.1 million in the construction of Kovié market (Zio prefecture).

Total cost for the infrastructure is about CFA240 million. The State will inject the remaining sum. Related works commenced last September 28 with the first stone laid by the minister of grassroots development, Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé.

Construction of this new market, which will replace the old one, falls under the Program to support community-oriented micro-projects (PSMICO), led by the national agency for grassroots development support (Anadeb).

It will have 15 sheds, 7 of which will have 28 places, four storage warehouses, 2 blocks of WCs, 1 administrative block, a slaughter house and a photovoltaic well, among others.

In Togo, it should be recalled, Bolloré has already constructed various sanitary, socio-educational and cultural facilities.

Octave A. Bruce

Togo’s government plans to build waste management centres in Dapaong and Atakpamé, capitals of the Savanes and Plateaux regions. This move aligns with the authorities will to coordinate decentralized management of domestic waste.

According to a document obtained by Togo First, the projected centres are intermediate recollection centres (IRC) and waste storage infrastructures, and others to treat faecal sludge and finally end treatment and valorization centres.

In detail Atakpamé and Dapaong will respectively get seven and five IRCs. The two towns will also be equipped with a watch post, a shared building, a car park, and a multipurpose metallic hangar. Technical landfills, composting spaces, effluent treatment plants are also projected.

All the infrastructures will be funded by the 11th European Development Fund, in line with phase 1 of Togo’s Water and Sanitation project (PEAT-1).

The project will be managed by the ministry of development planning which is seeking qualified firms to carry out projected works. A tender was launched to this end.

For a more efficient management of urban waste, a modern technical landfill centre was established in the Zanguera district, which is located on the outskirts of Lomé. 

Séna Akoda

Tsévié (35 km from Lomé) is the first place where the sensitization campaign begins for the 2018-2022 National Development Plan (PND 2018-2022). This tour started on October 1. 

Supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the European Union’s delegation in Togo, this tour aims to promote the document which is to serve as the country’s economic and social strategy over the next five years.

After Tsévié, the next places that will be covered are Atakpamé, Sokodé, Kara, and Dapaong.

Adopted last August to replace the SCAPE, the PND revolves around three main axes. The first of these aims to make Togo a logistics hub, as well as a top-class business centre in the region. The second aims to establish poles for agro-processing, manufacturing, and extractive industries across the country. As for the last, it aims to improve social development and reinforce inclusion mechanisms.  

In the long run, the plan aims to transform the Togolese economy, structurally, for a strong, sustainable and inclusive growth; one that creates jobs.

Octave A. Bruce

In Togo, Total launched a new card for purchasing their products called Oasys+. It adds to the already present Oasis classic and Fat’ka cards launched in 2003 and 2016 respectively by the French giant.

While the first two ranges are processed only in Lomé, at Total’s headquarters, the recent one aims to enable total’s customers have access to all of its products and services even after traditional working hours. This was disclosed by Cyrille Kokou Dos-Reis, Deputy Managing Director Total Togo.

“Oasys+ is an innovative product that is dedicated to the mass and it can be topped up at stations. It is issued and activated in less than ten minutes in all Total stations, but for the moment, it is only available in 25 stations spread across the country,” he added.

“This card also takes into consideration users’ security concerns. This card is protected with a code that only its owner or user knows,” the executive said in this regard, highlighting that “it must be renewed after five years of use”.

For a user to acquire an Oasys+ card, he or she should come to a Total station with an ID document, fill an adhesion form which costs CFA3,500 and load the card with an initial minimum amount of CFA5,000.

With this card, the customer can access the history of his or her purchases and check his or her balance.

Séna Akoda

Togo, backed by the University of Lomé, is one of 17 nations selected across Europe, Asia and Africa to be part of the EdiCitiNet project. Togo’s capital is actually the only sub-Saharan African city to take part in the project which is funded by the European Union (EU).

EdiCitiNet aims to foster the use of urban landscapes to produce food products for transformation, consumption or commercialization. It will also accelerate a global movement of Edible Cities; that is cities where agriculture, nature, among others, are valorized.

Products, activities and services of these Edible Cities regrouped under the Edible City Solutions (ECS) banner will empower local communities to overcome social challenges they usually face while creating new green businesses and jobs.

In effect, a release on the European Commission’s website indicates, “five Front Runner Cities (FRC), supported by a highly interdisciplinary consortium of city authorities, SMEs, NGOs and academia, will demonstrate their unique experience with ‘own Living Labs’ and transfer their knowledge to seven dedicated Follower Cities (FC)”. Lomé falls under the second group (FC).

Séna Akoda 

On September 28th, Togo’s public treasury raised CFA16.925 billion on the regional stock market. The country however initially sought CFA20 billion through the fundraising. 

The funds will be used to finance State expenditures.

This recent bond issuance is Togo's first during Q3, 2018 after an extremely profitable second quarter. Indeed during the second quarter, the government proceeded to three bond issuances, two of which were oversubscribed.

Fiacre E. Kakpo