Togo First
CEET lowers costs to connect or reconnect prepaid meters, under promotion
Togo’s power utility (CEET) started a promotion campaign throughout the country for people near low-voltage power network.
According to a credible source, the campaign will begin April 23 and end April 26, 2018. It will impact fees for connection to prepaid meters. These were scaled down by about 20%. Prepaid meters concerned Lafia 2 fils, 5 and 10 A with 25m of wire.
In effect, connection of Lafia 2 fils, 5A, 25 m wire meter, with a preload of 5kwh, will now cost 53,614 CFA against 65,542 CFA. To reconnect the latter, a sum of 33,302 CFA is now to be paid, against 40,152 CFA before.
Still in line with the promotion, connection of Lafia 2 fils, 10 A, 25m wire and 5kwh preload will now cost 61,734 CFA, against 75,692 CFA earlier. To reconnect this type of meter, users will be paying CFA41,422 from now on, compared to CFA50,302 previously.
The promotion campaign comes ahead of Togo’s 58th independence anniversary, next April 27th. CEET decided to focus on prepaid meters for this campaign because it wants to democratize the use of this equipment.
Séna Akoda
CEET lowers costs to connect or reconnect prepaid meters, under promotion
Togo’s power utility (CEET) started a promotion campaign throughout the country for people near low-voltage power network.
According to a credible source, the campaign will begin April 23 and end April 26, 2018. It will impact fees for connection to prepaid meters. These were scaled down by about 20%. Prepaid meters concerned Lafia 2 fils, 5 and 10 A with 25m of wire.
In effect, connection of Lafia 2 fils, 5A, 25 m wire meter, with a preload of 5kwh, will now cost 53,614 CFA against 65,542 CFA. To reconnect the latter, a sum of 33,302 CFA is now to be paid, against 40,152 CFA before.
Still in line with the promotion, connection of Lafia 2 fils, 10 A, 25m wire and 5kwh preload will now cost 61,734 CFA, against 75,692 CFA earlier. To reconnect this type of meter, users will be paying CFA41,422 from now on, compared to CFA50,302 previously.
The promotion campaign comes ahead of Togo’s 58th independence anniversary, next April 27th. CEET decided to focus on prepaid meters for this campaign because it wants to democratize the use of this equipment.
Séna Akoda
Togo: Total inaugurates new headquarters in Lomé
Oil major, Total, just inaugurated its new headquarters in Lomé. Present at the ceremony were Togolese trade minister, Bernadette Legzim-Balouki, and France’s ambassador to Togo, Marc Vizy.
The new infrastructure has a great hall of 167m2, a canteen and gymnasium. It will help Total expand its footprint in Togo even further, knowing that it already contributes the most, in terms of taxes, after Togocel.
According to Adrien Béchonnet, MD Total Togo, “the previous headquarters was satisfying and perfectly played its role, but most collaborators felt that it did not reflect the quality of work done at the firm and did not receive customers well enough, and partners not professionally enough”.
Meanwhile, Trade’s minister lauded the firm’s efforts to search and sell innovative products while trying to expand its retail network, for its social commitment, among others.
Leader of Togo’s lubricant market, Total Togo which has been present in the country since 1956 plans to open 6 new gas stations this year and two more next year. This would raise the actual number of its stations in Togo, to 89 and 91, in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
Fiacre E. Kakpo
Togo: Reform related to driving license provision completed at 85%
On the sidelines of a press conference held April 18, the Road and Railway Transports Directorate (DTRF) revealed that the reform related to driving licence’s provision is 85% complete.
“Presently, this reform is at 85% of completion. Our goal is to prevent bribing when applying for a license,” declared Délato Agbokpè (photo), head of DTRF.
Regarding the matriculation of bikes and cars, the process was automatized and now it can be done within two days, enabling more transparency and traceability in the process. “Every person buying a vehicle can have it registered, get the associated card and a plate, all within the said period,” according to M. Agbokpè
“We are now proceeding to a clean-up of driving schools, ensuring that they have the required certifications to operate as optimally as they should,” he added.
Séna Akoda
Togo: Government reduces fees for vehicle matriculation
Togo’s administration, after the reform regarding used cars registration (under 24 hours) at the Port of Lomé, has now initiated a set of measures aiming to speed up services related to car registration, provision or amendment to driving licenses, among others.
This, the government did, by automatizing many processes and adopting innovative payment solutions such as Mobile Money (T-Money and Flooz) to save time and money.
www.mit-dgt-dtrf.tg is a website developed to ease registration of cars and view online results of tests passed to obtain driving licenses.
“Automatization allows not only documents to be traceable and transparent, but speeds up the service,” Kokou Delato Agbokpè, Director of Road and Railway transports (DTRF) told a press conference last Wednesday.
Within 48 hours, excluding customs and insurance processes, every citizen can get a plate and a license from now on. In addition, associated costs will also reduce.
Indeed, matriculation of vehicles at DTRF now costs CFA25500 including VAT for used cars with less than 15 horsepower, CFA35,000 for cars with more than 15 horsepower, CFA15,000 for new cars and CFA10,000 for bikes.
Fiacre E. Kakpo
Lomé to host major entrepreneurship conference next May 11
Next May 11, Togo’s leading entrepreneurs will meet at Ecobank’s headquarters in Lomé, in the framework of an international conference on social entrepreneurship. This was disclosed in a statement sent to Togo First.
Jointly organized by U.S. embassy, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) and ALAFFIA, it will regroup entrepreneurs, decision makers, business lawyers, investors, local development actors, and every person interested in social entrepreneurship. Its theme is “Innovate, Impact and Grow in solidarity”.
The conference is “a must in the global entrepreneurship world and Africa, especially”. Other people to be present include officials, diplomats, firm and institutions’ chiefs, from Togo and elsewhere. That day, Ecobank’s CEO, Ade Ayeyemi, will give an inaugural speech.
Talks at the event will focus on the importance of social enterprises for sustainable growth and tackling legal and social challenges. Financial issues faced by most of these businesses will also be discussed, alongside opportunities brought up by technological development.
To participate in the conference, fill the following form: https://lc.cx/W8Pi
For more information, visit: https://conference.socialbusiness.tg/
Fiacre E. Kakpo
Togo : Presidential Youth Forum postponed
Initially scheduled for April 20 and 21, the Presidential Youth Forum has been postponed to an unknown date.
The delay is due to the President, who will be present at the event, being actually busy. “The Head of State wants to be by the youth's side throughout the forum. Unfortunately, his busy schedule does not allow him to,” explains the National Organization Committee.
The forum which is an idea of the President aims to enable him meet with the youth, to discuss their concerns and find answers to those. 1,500 young people are expected to participate.
Prof. Dodzi Kokoroko, head of the organization committee, adds that the forum is “designed for the youth and will be organized by the youth”.
Ahead of the event, there were regional fora which helped draw some suggestions regarding issues faced by Togolese youth.
Séna Akoda
Togo to insure universal electronic communications service
Togo is gradually providing universal electronic communications service to its populations. A draft decree was adopted in this framework on April 18, 2018 and defines rules that applies regarding this universal service.
In effect, the measure aims to, according to the government, “provide all citizens, regardless of their place of residence or level of income, full access to electronic communications”. This involves raising internet’s penetration rate from its current level (21% only) and lowering costs of services provided by telecom operators.
Regarding the latter, the recent launch of Teolis SA and Group Vivendi Africa should contribute significantly. Indeed, it foretells a rise of competition in the telecom sector, with more innovative and affordable offers.
Still in order to boost access to telecom services, Wi-Fi hotspots are being deployed in public spaces all over the country. The project is still at its pilot phase and is so far carried out in Lomé. By 2030, Togo expects that all those with no internet at home would have access to a hotspot nearby; “that is within a 5km range at least”.
Séna Akoda
With agropoles project, loans to farmers should rise from 0.3% to 5% of all bank loans
Agropoles. These are what Togolese authorities are betting on to radically change farmers’ lives. In this framework, they want to raise agricultural loans from 0.3% to 5% of all bank loans granted in the country.
It would be quite an achievement considering that farmers so far were not much favored by lenders in Togo.
To remedy this, government decided to accelerate farmers’ financial inclusion, help them regroup as cooperatives and most importantly ease their access to bank loans. To this end, a guarantee mechanism is planned and agricultural offices will be set up to assess relevant projects seeking funding.
In the long run, agropoles’ development in Togo would foster agricultural transformation, thus creating jobs, wealth and boosting incomes of rural people.
The project, according to forecasts, should impact at least a million farmers by 2021.
Séna Akoda
Cotton : Togo produces 180,000 tons during 2017-2018, against 108,000 the previous season
For the 2017-2018 campaign, Togo’s New Cotton Company (NSCT) eyed an output of 160,000 tons of cottonseed but finally recorded an output of 180,000 tons. This is far above the previous campaign’s output, knowingly 108,000 tons.
The new figure was released during the 11th meeting to review the regional program for integrated cotton production in Africa, organized by NSCT.
The surge in output is attributed to the many initiatives led by the government to improve agricultural productivity. A decision motivated by the fact that the sector contributes to 40% of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), according to the ministry of agriculture, fisheries and husbandry.
Also, it should be noted that cotton generates about 40% of Togo’s export revenues. By 2022, cotton output is expected to reach 200,000 tons, according to NSCT.
Séna Akoda