Togo First
Togo : Government wants to extend health coverage to informal sector
Many years after health insurance was made compulsory for all State workers, authorities are now thinking of extending health coverage to the informal sector in Togo.
In fact a workshop focused on this topic is taking place on Feb 7 and 8, 2018. The meeting regroups officials from the ministries of health, civil service, labour and administrative reforms, as well as representatives of the USAID.
Present at the meeting’s opening, the State secretary to the Presidency, also in charge of inclusive finance and informal sector, rejoiced over the government’s decision to provide health coverage to this sector.
Actually, it could provide many advantages to the latter. Indeed without health insurance, those working in the informal sector often have trouble providing good health services to their families. This drives them to usually rely on smuggled drugs. Also, they tend to self-medicate more.
It should be noted regarding the government’s plan that, the main issue with its implementation is the fact that there is no reliable data on the number of workers operating in the informal sector. Other concerns also include the cost at which the insurance will be provided. Will it be actually accessible?
All these are concerns that will be examined to insure that health coverage in Togo’s informal sector becomes a reality.
By 2027, Tourism will generate 86,000 jobs in Togo (WTO)
By 2027, Togo’s tourism industry should generate 86,000 direct and indirect jobs, up 0.7% or 8,000 jobs, compared to 2016. The figure would represent 5.9% of all jobs generated by the economy, according to the latest report of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) on tourism’s impact on Togo’s economy.
According to the report, the sector of tourism and travels should generate 38,000 direct jobs by 2027, against 34,500 in 2016 (3.1% of total jobs), thus a 5% per annum increase on average. These jobs will be generated in details, in the sectors of hospitality, catering, leisure, airlines and other transport services (excluding shuttle services).
Though it presents moderate perspectives, WTO believes Togo’s tourism will record a yearly growth of 2.9% average over the next ten years. The tourism-travel segment will be driven mostly by business travels which should grow by 2% over the considered period, contributing CFA140.8 billion to GDP, in 2027. Expenditures in the luxury travel segment should for their part rise by 3.3% reaching CFA109.9 billion in 2027.
Currently, the government is making efforts to revive the sector, by modernizing road and airport infrastructures. A major plan to revitalize the sector is actually being designed by authorities in this framework.
Fiacre E. Kakpo
Togo : Three consulting firms to conduct financial and organizational audit of various towns
Three consulting firms, of which two are Togolese, were selected following the international tender launched at the end of June 2017 to assess financial and organizational capacities of seven Togolese cities. The firms concerned are Conseils-Réunis et Audit & Conseils-Réunis, Poly Consult Togo, and SONED-Afrique Sénégal & ECU CANADA. The latter is a Senegal-Canada-Togo consortium.
The decision was disclosed in a provisional award notice from the ministry of urbanism, housing and living conditions.
According to the notice, the activities to be carried out by the firms fall under the new Infrastructure and Urban Development Project (PIDU) financed by World Bank. They include financial and organizational audit of Lomé, Tsévié, Kpalimé, Atakpamé, Sokodé, Kara and Dapaong.
In this framework, the consulting firms will elaborate content of the Municipal Development Plan (PDM), orient investment decisions, and assess the towns’ performances based on various indicators, among others.
The audit should enable towns to first know exactly all about challenges to decentralization and rural development. Secondly, they will be subjected to an organizational diagnostic that takes into account many elements, such as how efficient their organization and management capacities are. Last, they will be subjected to a financial diagnostic that will help assess their financial status.