The 1-km Tingbane-OTR road located in Dapaong, capital of the Savanna region, should be coated as part of the urban development and infrastructure project (PIDU).

The project was renegotiated by the Togolese government with World Bank’s support.

 An environmental impact study was conducted in this framework. According to those in charge of this study, its report will be part of elements attached to the project for its approval by World Bank’s board.

Besides the coating of Tingbane-OTR, PIDU will help develop sanitation projects in many of the town’s areas.

Séna Akoda

Last Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund lauded reforms initiated by Togo’s government, saying it disburse in the coming months another tranche of its 3-year loan to the country. This tranche amounts to $241 million.

In Togo since last March 27, the IMF delegation led by Ivohasina Razafimahefa has deeply assessed reforms undertaken by the Togolese government in the framework of the extended credit facility (ECF) approved in May 2017.

“Results falling in the framework of the three-year program were good. All quantitative performance criteria at the end of December 2017 were met. Similarly, all structural benchmarks were reached,” the delegation concluded.

“Budget goals regarding internal primary balance and internal financing were met by far,” it added.

Economy’s restart depends on crisis end

However, the Fund noted that economic activity in Togo has slowed in H2 2017, due to the sociopolitical crisis that the nation has been experiencing since August, that year. This caused growth to fall to 4.4% this year, from 5.1% in 2017.

Actually, IMF’s delegation leader said economic growth should near 5% in 2018 and stand close to that figure in the long term. By 2020, Togo’s economy should fully restart with growth expected to reach 5.2%. Of course, this is subject to a successful dialogue between Togolese political actors. “Socio-political tensions represent a risk for economic growth and could negatively impact real economy and tax earnings,” the mission’s head intimated.  

According to him, looking at its exports, Togo’s economy should strengthen further but for now, political unrest still threatens that. 

Public debt slumps   

According to IMF, public debt, State firms’ debts and arrears which made up 82% of GDP at the end of 2016, reduced to 77% of GDP at the end of 2017.

This is one of the best performances worldwide, Ivohasina Razafimahefa said. This improvement was spurred by a good control of budget expenditures, despite tax collection being less satisfying than expected.

No budget cuts

In order to keep afloat amid the persistent crisis that impairs results of OTR, the agency in charge of collecting tax and customs revenues, Togo’s government plans to amend 2018 budget which exceeds CFA1,320 billion. In addition, authorities aim to diversify the tax base. In this regard, a land tax reform supported by IMF is being prepared at OTR. And while this suggested some budget cuts, the minister of finance reassured, indicating that the move is just a simple harmonization and rationalization process, and in no way would involve budget cuts.

Fiacre E. Kakpo

Togo and Equatorial Guinea signed last week a memorandum of understanding (MoU) under which the second nation will supply the first liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The MoU was signed by Togo’s minister of energy, Marc Dèdèriwè Abli-Bidamon (photo), and Equatorial Guinea’s minister of oil and gas, Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima.

The agreement falls under the LNG2AFRICA initiative which aims to ensure Africa’s supply in LNG. In this regard, Equatorial Guinea promotes the use of LNG, produced and processed in Africa, for Africa. “LNG can transform Africa and the continent must thus use its own gas,” said the Equatorial Guinean minister.

“It is vital for African nations to monetize their gas resources, and for populations in need of power to benefit from this cheap, cleaner and locally produced resource. Equatorial Guinea has committed to collaborate with its neighbors in the region to find solutions that will benefit all. We hope that our partnership with Togo will be sustainable,” added Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima.

Equatorial Guinea, let’s recall, is one of Africa’s largest LNG producers. It exports 3.4 million tons of LNG every year to various nations around the world.

Fiacre E. Kakpo

From 2012 to 2016, India was Togo’s leading export destination, outside WAEMU. According to the country’s 2017 commercial surveillance report which assesses trade flow between Togo and other countries, India “imports mainly phosphate from the West African nation”.  

Over the four years reviewed, phosphate exports from Togo to the Asian giant soared from 2.9% to 13.6%. Yet, India has imported much more from other nations, with its level of consumption of Togolese phosphate slumping from 23% to 15.7%, over the period reviewed.

With the 13.6% mentioned previously, Togo has exported more phosphate to India than Ghana (13.2%) which is its second largest phosphate buyer, outside WAEMU, and the first in ECOWAS, followed by Nigeria with 12.9%.

The report shows that France is the sixth country to import most goods from Togo, at a marginal (almost) average rate of 3.3%.

Meanwhile, China over the same period, was the country’s 7th customer and first supplier, outside the sub-region. The Middle Empire indeed assured 20.4% of Togo’s imports, followed by France (9.4%), outside WAEMU.

Séna Akoda

It is now possible, the business climate cell (CCA) revealed, for a litigant to track how his or her business case is handled at the Lomé Appeal Court.

To do so, the litigant can either seek the relevant information via SMS by texting his case’s roll number to 93 55 98 30, or he can do that online by going to www.chambrescommerciales.tg/documentations.

The new reform will boost transparency with regards to business case management. It will also save time to litigant since he or she would no longer need to move in person to obtain information.

Commercial chambers, let’s recall, were created to handle commercial conflicts, rapidly and efficiently, thus contributing to the improvement of business climate. As a result, business cases were separated from civil cases and a clerk was appointed to take care of each, separately.

To the same end, special commercial chambers were also established. Their responsibility however is to exclusively manage conflicts involving amounts ranging from zero to one million CFA.

Séna Akoda

In the 2018-2022 national development plan, regional potentialities to valorize cultural and touristic heritage will be taken care of. 

In the Plateaux-Est region, the ministry of planning targets radio Kamina’s site, heritage of German colonization and Nangbéto which hosts the eponymous hydropower dam. “These sites have to be valorized, at least to boost tourism. This can contribute to the growth of local economy. By developing a tourism centre, this will boost both national and regional economies,” said one of the ministry’s officials.

“Each actor is invited, each in his domain of activity, to identify and observe principles that will help valorize potential sites in order to somehow contribute to local, regional or national development,” the official continued.

The project should over the NDP’s implementation period, by valorizing the two sites mentioned earlier, lead to a rise in tourism revenues of the country and especially that of the Plateaux region.  It will also create many direct jobs for those that will take on operation and administration of the sites; indirect jobs also probably for local artisans and sellers.

Séna Akoda

To better connect populations and increase internet’s penetration rate, Togo’s government has opened up various public WiFi hotspots all over the nation.

The capital city, Lomé, is the first recipient of the project with public spaces, institutions and major monuments, according to OpenStreetMap mapping system which is available on the website of the digital technology’s ministry.

Carrefour Deckon, a famous area of Lomé, the directorate of the Lomé autonomous port, the university of Lomé, the Place de l’Indépendance, Sarakawa, Ibis, 2 février (formally Radisson Blu) hotels as well as some bars and restaurants are some of the places where users will be able to enjoy the Wi-Fi , for CFA200 per hour and CFA800 for five.

After Lomé, the ministry in charge will extend the project to the inner part of the country, installing the hotspots within a 5km radius from inhabited areas.

Thus, in the next months, the following towns will benefit from the project: Aného, Tsévié, Kpalimé, Atakpamé, Sokodé, Kara and Dapaong, according to Togo Matin.

Fiacre E Kakpo

German cooperation GIZ has launched in Lomé, Togo’s capital, ProEnergie, a rural electrification program that promotes renewables. Funding for the project comes from Germany’s ministry of economic cooperation and development, and German development bank (KfW).

The project will spur various efforts mustered by the government to boost power access in the country’s rural areas.

Besides providing power to non-electrified villages, the project aims most importantly to help Togo easily attract new investors in the renewable industry.

To achieve a maximum electrification of the territory over the next five years, Togolese government wants to adopt more renewable energies, like solar. This is as, according to the minister of energy and mines, Marc Ably-Bidamon, only 6% of all of Togo’s rural zones is electrified.

To boost this rates, knowing that connection to national grid is virtually impossible in those areas, the CI-ZO presidential scheme aims to provide individual solar kits to two million people living in rural areas, by 2022.

Let’s also recall that the country recently secured from India, a US$40 million financing which it plans to use for the same purpose. This was after participating in the International Solar Alliance summit held in India last 10-12 March.

Séna Akoda