Does the State plan to takeover, once again, management of IBIS hotel?

According to local media which reported the news, citing Rédacteur Libre, Ibis’ concessionaire was notified of non-renewal of the hotel’s 15-year lease by its sponsors.

Takeover is expected on April 18, 2018. The hotel’s sponsors are said to “have delayed renovations and exploited the site beyond its capacities”. So far, no official denied the information.

Established since 1960 and trusted to Accor which run it since 2002 under the name Ibis, the complex was inaugurated during the independence and renamed Lebenin, which in Ewe means “caretaking”. It has 108 air-conditioned rooms, a restaurant, a bar, a pool and a large garden.

Fiacre E. Kakpo

This should end “brandless management” of the 2 Février hotel after Radisson’s exit.

According to Focus Infos, local newspaper, this hotel will now be managed by Emaar Hospitality Group, a reference in the sectors of hospitality, real estate and leisure, in Dubai (United Arab Emirates).

The group will boost the activity of the hotel; a good news, considering that this activity has slumped over the past year. It should also attract more tourists and investing firms, like Emirate Airline, in the country.

The newspaper added that the hotel group plans to open its regional headquarters in Lomé. German Marcel Brekelsman was appointed to restructure the hotel. 

Séna Akoda

Launched in 2013, with BOAD’s support, the support program for grassroot development (PRADEB) has recorded many achievements since then.

In its framework, at Dec. 31, 2017, 2100 direct and indirect jobs were created, 800 loans totaling CFA1.9 billion were used to provide technical and financial support to projects led by 3402 young graduates and artisans.

Projects supported spread across major socio-economic sectors such as craftsmanship where 933 new jobs were created, animal production (357 jobs), retail and trade (312), crop production (267). Meanwhile, services and processing each recorded 189 and 42 new jobs respectively, over the past four years.

In terms of financing, craftsmanship got the most loans, CFA851 million to be exact. Next is agriculture with 604 million, while trade and services, respectively got 275 million and 170 million CFA, since PRADEB began.

Regionally, it is the Plateaux that benefited most from the initiative with 878 youths trained and 298 loans secured, thus creating 816 jobs.

Fiacre E. Kakpo

Togo has banned import and sales of Total’s herbicide. According to the minister of agriculture, fisheries and husbandry, Ouro-Koura Agadazi, the product contains Glyphosate which is dangerous for human and animal health and the environment as well.  

The measure was taken to “protect not only the environment but the health of humans and animals also”.

The ministry of agriculture recalls that the n°96-007/PR of July 3, 1996 for plant protection does not allow the use of the controversial pesticide.

To prevent any conflict with businesses in the agricultural sector, the minister in charge of the sector said that “importing any pesticide in the country is subject to professional approval and an import certification, provided that it is compliant with Togo’s phytosanitary regulation”.

Random checks will be carried out and any person infringing the new measure “will be sanctioned under law”, the minister warns.

Séna Akoda

In Togo, the School Assur project actually benefits 1,468,391 pupils spread across of the country’s economic regions. This project aims at providing free health insurance to pupils and high school students in all of Togo’s public schools and was launched August 30, 2017.

In detail, 184,693 students benefit from the scheme in the Central region ; in Kara, they are 288,776 ; in Plateaux, they are 380,693 ; in the Savannas region, they are 233,338.

Combined students in the Lomé-Commune and Maritime regions are 441,539 overall to benefit from the initiative: 189,023 and 252,516 respectively.

It should be indicated that the project is still at its pilot stage and will see each beneficiary get CFA30,000 during 2017-18 academic year.

The School Assur project is financed by the government (CFA3.5 billion) which implements it in partnership with insurance firms NSIA and Ogar.

According to Prof. Moustapha Mijiyawa, it should enable a “40% coverage of population”.

Séna Akoda

Togo could, according to Prof. Komlan Batawila, build a 25MW wind park, to tackle its current power issues. This, he said during a regional workshop on “renewables’ challenges in West Africa”, organized by the University of Lomé, and West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL).  

According to the lecturer, the project would greatly fulfill its 2012 commitment to reduce CO₂ emissions under its energy plan. It would be the country’s first wind park despite having large space and strong sea winds.

However, Togo has opted for solar power. One of the project involving this technology is the CI-ZO project, which benefited recently from a $40 million grant from India, on the sidelines of the International Solar Alliance (ASI) in New Delhi. Under this project, Togo will have its access to electricity boosted through the provision of PV solar kits.

In 2017, Lomé’s port received about 19.32 million tons of oil and gas. This is against around 13.99 million tons, according to data from ministry of transports.

Over the past year, number of oil tankers that brought the resources to Togo also soared, rising from 1311 in 2016, to 1375.

Regardless of this improvements, one major challenge is security at the Autonomous port of Lomé, which by the way helps landlocked States access the sea. The increase in activity at the port comes with some risks indeed, mainly related to the handling of oil and gas as these are flammable. “An oil spill would have drastic consequences on our marine and coastal ecosystem, as well as our seaside tourism, artisanal fishery and port activities,” said maritime prefect, Colonel Takougnadi Neyo.

Under its plans for public securities issuance in Q2 2018, Togo’s public treasury will try next April 20, to raise CFA15 billion of fungible treasury bonds (FTB). It will be the country’s first issuance on the regional market this quarter. Overall, it plans to raise up to CFA50 billion throughout the quarter.

The sum will be mobilized, in detail, through two FTBs of CFA15 billion each, planned respectively for April 20 and June 8, 2018, and the issuance of fungible treasury bills, on May 11, worth CFA20 billion.

April 20’s transaction, according to UMOA-Titres is stipulated to have a 3-year maturity, thus maturing at April 23, 2021. Its proceeds will be divided into securities having a nominal value of CFA10000 per unit. Interest rate was set on 6.25% and value date was set on April 23, 2018.

June 8’s issuance will also mature over three years while May 11’s will be over a year.

Let’s recall that out of CFA90 billion it aimed to raise during Q1 2018, the nation mobilized nearly CFA77 billion on the regional debt market. This, in an unfavorable political context. For its latest issuance, it recorded a 108.59% coverage rate raising 21.7 billion over CFA20 billion targeted.  

Séna Akoda