In Togo, a bold initiative is reshaping the tech landscape for women. Togolaises In Science (TIS), a business club focused on empowering women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), officially launched at the Onomo Hotel on March 29, 2025. The network seeks to close the gender gap in science and technology while showcasing female expertise in Togo and its diaspora.

Djamila Kerim founded TIS, which already boasts over 100 members, including researchers, engineers, actuaries, cybersecurity experts, and entrepreneurs. These women are determined to challenge stereotypes. The club plans to serve as a hub for exchange, mentoring, and training, aiming to establish a network of 100 mentors by the end of 2025. By 2030, TIS intends to train 1,000 women in digital skills and boost Togolese women’s representation in STEM by 20%.

The launch event featured a panel discussion addressing barriers that hinder inspiring future generations. As the first chapter of the pan-African Africaines In Tech initiative, TIS relies on partnerships with businesses, NGOs, and institutions to drive its mission forward.

March’s focus on women’s rights in Togo set the stage for this launch. Activities throughout the month celebrated progress in gender equality and emphasized advancing women’s roles in science and technology.

Togo is breaking into Africa's elite technology hubs for investors as 2025 begins. The platform Africa: The Big Deal ranks the West African nation among the top five African countries where startups secured the most funding.

Gozem, a Togo-based scale-up specializing in mobility and financial services, drove this achievement with a $30 million fundraising effort.

Togo's rise stands out amid a continent-wide funding slowdown. African start-ups raised just $460 million in Q1 2025, down from $486 million in the same period last year. Gozem alone captured 6.5% of Africa’s total funding volume. Its February 2025 fundraising, backed by MSC Group and Al Mada Ventures, aims to fuel its expansion across French-speaking Africa.

This success places Togo alongside African powerhouses like Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Egypt in Q1’s rankings.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

During the first three months of this year, 4,262 new businesses were registered at Togo’s Center for Business Formalities (Centre de Formalités des Entreprises–CFE). Year-on-year, the figure is down by 5%.

Nationals led the charge, accounting for 81% of new business start-ups. Women played a significant role, making up 28.6% of these new ventures. 

January was the busiest month for business start-ups, with 1,498 new entities emerging. This was followed by 1,314 in February and 1,450 in March.

The dynamism is the fruit of various reforms implemented over the past decade to streamline business formalities and foster registration. 

Coming quarters will determine whether the 5% decrease marks a structural slowdown or just a cyclical downturn. For perspective, 14,921 businesses were registered in Togo throughout 2024. More than 10% of them were registered in January.

President Faure Gnassingbé of Togo attended the Global AI Summit on Africa in Kigali, Rwanda. The two-day summit, held on April 3 and 4, convenes political leaders, tech experts, and investors to discuss Africa’s role in the artificial intelligence (AI) economy.

The event’s theme was Artificial Intelligence and Africa's Demographic Dividend. It was co-organized by the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the World Economic Forum (WEF). Discussions focused on how AI can transform employment, data governance, and entrepreneurship across the continent.

Togo’s participation signals its intent to leverage AI as a transformative tool. “The presence of the Head of State in Kigali reflects Togo's strong commitment to anticipating the future and fully integrating artificial intelligence into an inclusive, responsible approach geared towards youth employment,” the Togolese Ministry of Finance stated.

The country has already launched projects like Novissi, a pandemic-era program that used data to distribute targeted aid. Other initiatives include Data Lab, House of AI, and a national AI strategy nearing completion.

These efforts align with Togo’s ambition to become a sub-regional digital hub by fostering innovation and growing its digital economy.

On April 2, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new wave of customs duties targeting imports from several African countries, including Togo. Togo will face a basic tariff of 10% on all its exports, effective on April 5, 2025.

This measure will particularly impact Togo's agricultural exports, such as coffee, cocoa, shea butter, and soya beans, which are crucial under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The increased tariffs could slow the growth of Togolese exports to the U.S. market, which have risen significantly from $20 million in 2021 to over $90 million in 2023 and $97 million in 2024, according to UN data.

Togo's textile industry, which recently began shipping garments to the U.S. from the Plateforme Industrielle d'Adétikopé (PIA), is also likely to be affected.

While Togo faces a 10% tariff, Lesotho is hit with a 50% rate, making it the worst-affected country on the continent.

This announcement comes as the future of AGOA remains uncertain, with its expiration set for September 2025. African countries are pushing for a 10-year extension, but Trump's tariffs could complicate this effort.

In response, Togo might strengthen ties with China, which has abolished customs duties on 98% of products from Togo and eight other African countries (Central African Republic, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Guinea, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Sudan) since September 2022.

This article was initially published in French by Esaïe Edoh

Edited in English by Ange Jason Quenum

Togo produced 2,515,000 tonnes of tubers in 2024, against 2,406,614 tonnes in 2023. The Ministry of Agriculture reported this data in the Citizens’ Budget, highlighting a steady upward trend since 2022, when production rose by 7.5% to 2,238,529 tonnes.

The Plateaux and Centrale regions produced the most, 768,864 tonnes and 519,708 tonnes, respectively.

The increased output coincides with Lomé’s 2024-2028 plan to develop the root and tuber sector. Under this plan, the government seeks to raise CFA2.34 billion to fund development actions.

The Ministry of Agriculture and the Interprofessional Council for the Root and Tuber Plant Sector (CIFPRT) developed the four-year strategy. It was validated in 2023.

This article was initially published in French by Esaïe Edoh

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho

Togo’s first Senate concluded its inaugural session on 2 April 2025, by electing its officers. Barry Moussa Barqué, a prominent figure in Togolese politics, secured the position of president of the Senate for a six-year term.

Barqué will lead the bureau, which counts nine members. After yesterday’s session, senators adopted their rules of procedure, laying the groundwork for future legislative activities.

The 61 senators—41 elected and 20 appointed by President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé—are holding their first ordinary session today, April 3.

The leadership team includes Barry Moussa Barqué as President; Mrs. Kouvahey Amoko Holadem as 1st Vice-Chairman; Diogo Koudjolou as 2nd Vice-Chairman; Olympio Adeblewo Kossi as 3rd Vice-Chairman; Mally Komlan as 1st Quaestor; Mrs. Banybah Afiwavi Vicenzia as 2nd Quaestor; Mrs. Abougnima K. Molgah as 1st Parliamentary Secretary; Tchassona Traoré Mouhamed as 2nd Parliamentary Secretary; and Amelete Bawoumondom as 3rd Parliamentary Secretary.

Lomé, the capital of Togo, will host the first Space Forum Africa from April 7 to 9. African Geospace and TRL Space are organizing this international event to promote space cooperation.

The forum will center discussions on climate regulation, smart agriculture, disaster prevention, and modernizing public policies through space technologies. Organizers aim to position Africa as a key player in global space governance, bringing together decision-makers, researchers, entrepreneurs, donors, and investors.

The event also seeks to build stronger partnerships between African nations and global stakeholders to establish a sovereign and sustainable space industry. Richard Folly, founder of African Geospace, views space as a powerful tool for Africa’s economic development. He believes hosting the forum in Lomé offers Togo a strategic opportunity for technological transformation.

This article was initially published in French by Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Edited in English by Ange Jason Quenum

Togo will revise its electoral roll for the 2025 municipal elections from April 7 to April 23. Authorities announced the operation on April 1 through a presidential decree outlining its terms.

During this period, citizens who have not registered can do so, especially those who recently turned 18. Voters who have changed residence or lost their voter registration cards can also update their information at designated centers.

The revision will follow the existing electoral division framework. Centers will operate daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., allowing voters to complete necessary procedures.

Ahead of the revision, the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) trained personnel responsible for updating the electoral roll. In Lomé, 324 trainers prepared nearly 6,000 data entry operators for fieldwork.

This revision comes one year after the last electoral census in April 2024, conducted for legislative and regional elections. The CENI had registered over 4.2 million voters at the time.

This article was initially published in French by Esaïe Edoh

Edited in French by Ange Jason Quenum