A total of CFA650 million has been disbursed for the ongoing political campaign ahead of the April 29 regional and legislative elections in Togo. The news was disclosed on April 15 by the Ministry of Territorial Administration, which made the disbursement. 

Of this sum, 325 million FCFA will fuel legislative election campaigns, while the rest will bolster regional contestants. Notably, 65% will be evenly divided among validated candidate lists, with the remaining 35% distributed based on vote shares, favoring lists securing at least 10% of votes.

The Ministry of Territorial Administration and the Ministry of Economy and Finance "assure readiness to facilitate fund disbursements, offering confidence to political players".

 Esaïe Edoh

Togo has launched into a two-week campaign frenzy ahead of its legislative and regional elections, commencing nationwide on April 13.

With over 2,300 candidates contending for the 113 deputy seats and 284 competing for regional council positions, the political landscape is bustling with activity.

The campaign will wrap up on Saturday, April 27th, 2024, 48 hours before the polls on Monday, April 29th, 2024. Notably, the Togolese Armed Forces, security forces, paramilitary forces, and operational reserve will vote early on Friday, April 26th, 2024.

These electoral deadlines were slightly postponed amid discussions surrounding proposed constitutional changes by the National Assembly. These changes aim to transition the country to a fifth republic and a parliamentary system. The revision has undergone national consultations led by Assembly members across the nation, fostering ongoing public discourse.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

At the end of 2023, the implementation status of reforms reflected a physical completion rate of 73.6% and a financial execution rate of 61.9%. These figures were extracted from the national review of reform implementation across ministries and state institutions.

Chaired by Kpowbié Tchasso Akaya (pictured), Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, representing the overseeing minister, the review convened via video conference. It regrouped around one hundred stakeholders including ministerial departments, state institutions, the private sector, civil society, and technical and financial partners.

The assessment zeroed in on priority reforms outlined in the roadmap and the management of public finances.

In percentage terms, the 2023 results represent a marginal dip compared to 2022, where the physical completion rate stood at 75% and the financial execution rate at 68%.

Some of the recommendations made by experts to improve the figures include launching an observatory for the quality of financial services, and better monitoring public companies. The observatory, the experts believe, will ensure compliance with both the cost and quality of services provided to citizens by banks and insurers.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Ecobank, a top Togo-based financial institution, has been crowned the best African bank for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for the third year in a row. This esteemed recognition was awarded by Global Finance during the SME Bank Awards in London, UK, in February, highlighting Ecobank's unwavering commitment to meeting SMEs' needs across the continent. 

Carol Oyedeji, Ecobank's Acting Group Executive Commercial Banking, emphasized the importance of this achievement, stating, "This award underscores Ecobank's strong support for African SMEs, enabling them to flourish and seize intra-African business opportunities under the AfCFTA." 

Ecobank's third consecutive win is a testament to its comprehensive range of banking solutions, payment services, cash management, and financing options tailored to businesses. The bank also offers non-financial support, such as business management training, skills development, and a platform connecting merchants, buyers, sellers, and suppliers across Africa. 

Strategic partnerships, including a $200 million risk-sharing agreement with the African Guarantee Fund and a $32.8 million loan facility with the Eco. Business Fund and the SANAD Fund for SMEs have bolstered Ecobank's lending capacity to meet SMEs' financing needs in recent months.  

This recognition is the latest in a series of accolades awarded to Ecobank, including the Bank of the Year title in multiple countries on several occasions. It solidifies Ecobank's position as a key player in driving sustainable development and financial inclusion in Africa.

Esaïe Edoh

The Togolese government has announced the suspension of the "Express Mode" for visa delivery on entry to the country, effective April 12, 2024. The decision was made by the Minister of Security and Civil Protection, Calixte Madjoulba, who also announced new measures for obtaining visas. 

"All travelers requiring a visa to enter Togo must apply for a visa at least 7 days before the planned date of travel and obtain an electronic visa confirmation code before departure," stated Madjoulba in a statement obtained by Togo First. 

This change aims to streamline the visa application process and ensure that all necessary checks are completed before travelers arrive in the country. The Togolese government has advised airlines and other travel companies to ensure that all passengers have obtained the necessary visas before boarding flights to Togo. 

The "Express Mode" system was introduced in 2022 to facilitate visa applications for travelers who submitted their requests less than seven days before arriving in Togo. However, the Togolese government has now decided to suspend this system and require all travelers to apply for visas in advance.

Esaïe Edoh

A technical committee was launched in Togo on April 12, 2024, to monitor product marking. The fruit of a contract between the Togolese government and SICPA.SA, the new committee aims to ensure the quality of imported consumer products like water, tobacco, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. 

The committee comprises experts from the Togolese Revenue Office, the tax authority, and the Ministry of Trade. Its mission is to combat false declarations, and unfair competition, and encourage economic actors to adhere to established standards. 

Since July 2023, Togo has established a commission to oversee the contract with SICPA SA. The technical committee supports this commission in implementing legal provisions and monitoring the reform. 

"The technical committee is the crutch of the commission. It will ensure that the commission can fully play its role," emphasized Essowavana Adoyi, former tax commissioner at the OTR and president of the Commission, as quoted by Togo Presse. "Behind this reform, one must consider the population's good health, as the government ensures that citizens consume good quality food," he added. 

In Togo, eliminating contraband, counterfeit, falsified, and expired products remains challenging for regulatory authorities, particularly in the food consumption sector. According to a study from 2021, 80% of beer and 40% of tobacco products imported and marketed in Togo escaped the tax administration's scrutiny.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togo raised CFA33 billion on the WAEMU market for its first issue in Q1 2024. Lomé raised CFA3 billion more than it targeted.

In detail, the country collected CFA27.5 billion on fungible treasury bills (BATs). These securities mature over 91 and 364 days and carry multiple interest rates. The remaining CFA5.5 billion was raised on fungible treasury bonds (OATs). They will mature over five years at an annual interest rate of 6.40%.

Additionally, the operation’s report notes that 37 investors subscribed to the simultaneous issue. They mobilized CFA46.5 billion, representing a 155.3% coverage rate for the operation.

Adding the latest operation, Togo has raised CFA227 billion on the regional financial market so far, this year. This is out of an annual target of CFA607 billion.

Esaïe Edoh

The Togolese Ministry of Rural Access and Rural Roads seeks civil engineering engineers and technicians to work on a project to build 21 modular mixed steel-concrete bridges of the Unibridge type. The Ministry launched a call for applications to select 25 agents.

At the end of the process, the ministry plans to recruit 3 QHSE engineers (Quality of Work Execution - Health - Safety - Environment), two surveyor/topographer technicians, 7 works managers, 7 assistant works managers, and 6 assistant metal structure assemblers. 

The selected agents will undergo a three-year skill transfer program which will enable them to work on the project. 

The works will be overseen by the French firm MATIERE which is active on the project.

According to the recruitment notice, applications are accepted until May 10, 2024.

Starting from May 1, 2024, land operations within the territorial jurisdictions of the Golfe and Agoè-Nyivé prefectures in Greater Lomé will be carried out at the Single Land Office (GFU) at the headquarters of the Togolese Revenue Office (OTR). 

In a recently disclosed notice, the OTR pointed out that the move should help simplify and streamline procedures, subsequently consolidating requests for information, submissions, monitoring, and retrieval of various land documents at a single counter.

The land documents include parcel plans, registration requisitions, subdivision extracts, land delineation, topographic surveys, and land appraisals.

According to the tax office, this transition to the Single Land Office is a major improvement in land management in Togo. It complements other land reforms implemented by the OTR, including the elimination of second and third stamps and the digitization of land title and parcel plan submissions. All these reforms aim to make land-related procedures safer, ultimately reducing land disputes nationwide.

 Esaïe Edoh