Highlights

• National Working Group launched to steer Togo’s Forest Landscape Restoration project.
• Goal: restore 1.4 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
• Initiative backed by German and Luxembourg cooperation through Forest4Future.

 Togo has launched a new phase of its Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) project with the creation of a National Working Group (GNT). The body, which will serve as a steering committee, held its first meeting on September 18 in Sokodé to review challenges and accelerate ongoing actions.

The two-day session was organized by the Ministry of the Environment and Forest Resources, with support from the German development agency GIZ under the Forest4Future (F4F) project. Officials and partners assessed progress to date and drafted a roadmap for the operationalization of the GNT.

The FLR project aims to restore 1.4 million hectares of degraded land in the Tchaoudjo prefecture by 2030. It forms part of the broader pan-African AFR100 initiative, targeting the restoration of one billion trees across the continent.

The Forest4Future program, supported by Togo, Germany, and Luxembourg, seeks to integrate reforestation and landscape restoration into national development strategies while strengthening forest governance and coherence across interventions.

Esaïe Edoh

Highlights:

• Togo secures a seat on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board from 2025 to 2027.
• The move strengthens national ambitions in civil nuclear energy, health, and agriculture.
• Challenges remain over regulation, safety, and technical expertise.

Togo has been elected to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the 2025–2027 term, during the Agency’s 69ᵉ General Conference in Vienna, Austria. The country will serve alongside ten others, including Niger, Portugal, and Saudi Arabia, on one of the most influential global nuclear governance bodies.

The IAEA Board examines and approves budgets, work programs, and membership applications, while also validating nuclear safeguards and publishing international safety standards. For Togo, a seat on the Board offers both international visibility and a platform to align national projects with global benchmarks.

At home, the government has stepped up its nuclear agenda. In January 2025, it launched the Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique (CEAT) to drive research, training, and applications of nuclear technologies in health, agriculture, and energy. An agreement with U.S.-based Nano Nuclear Energy further opens the way for deploying micro-reactors for electricity generation.

Despite these ambitions, the country faces major hurdles. These include the lack of a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework, limited technical and technological capacity, and the need to ensure nuclear safety and radiological protection. Adequate funding also remains a critical factor.

With this new position at the IAEA, Togo hopes to attract external investment, secure technical partnerships, and gain influence in shaping the future of civil nuclear power.

Highlights:

• Prof. Houzou Mouzou Grâce Prénam named President of the University of Kara.
• Milestone for female representation in academic leadership.
• Prof. Kossivi Hounakey takes over at the University of Lomé.

For the first time in Togo’s history, a woman has been appointed to head a public university. Professor Houzou Mouzou Grâce Prénam, a lieutenant colonel physician and rheumatologist, is now the President of the University of Kara. She also becomes the institution’s first-ever president.

Professor Grâce Prénam has led the rheumatology department at Kara University Hospital since 2012. In her new role, she plans to expand research, foster international cooperation, and make the university more attractive to students from across the region. Her appointment is seen as a landmark for women in academic leadership in Togo.

At the University of Lomé, the country’s largest higher education institution with more than 60,000 students, Professor Kossivi Hounakey has been named president. A public law scholar and former Minister of Commerce, he succeeds Professor Adama Mawulé Kpodar after serving in office for two years. His priorities include strengthening governance, improving teaching quality, and deepening partnerships with the private sector and international institutions.

Both appointments come as Togo pushes to modernize higher education and align it with national development goals. Education takes more than 10% of the state budget, reflecting its role in competitiveness, innovation, and regional integration.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Highlights:

• Access channel deepened to 18.6m, turning circle widened to 550m.
  
• Part of €120m investment plan to raise capacity to 2.5m TEUs by 2027.
  
• Port seeks to stay ahead of growing Gulf of Guinea competition.
  

The Lomé Container Terminal (LCT) has completed dredging works worth €7.5 million ($8m), enabling the port to handle fully loaded vessels of up to 24,000 TEUs. An official ceremony to celebrate the completion was held on September 19, 2025, attended by port officials, customs representatives, and government delegates.

The project, carried out from July 31 to September 16, deepened the access channel to 18.6 meters and expanded the turning circle to 550 meters.

LCT, a joint venture between China Merchants Port Holdings and MSC’s Terminal Investment Limited, said the dredging is part of a €120 million infrastructure and equipment program running through 2027. The plan also includes dock reinforcement, upgraded fendering systems, and two new ship-to-shore cranes.

“These works are part of an €80 billion CFA franc investment program designed to handle new-generation ships and raise annual capacity from 2 million to 2.5 million TEUs,” said Tim Vancampen, Managing Director of LCT.

The expansion is expected to generate 150 direct jobs while strengthening Lomé’s position as a transshipment hub.

The investments come amid mounting competition in the Gulf of Guinea, where Tema, Abidjan, Lagos and Lekki are vying for traffic. Analysts note that Lomé retains an edge in depth and transshipment, but long-term differentiation will depend on faster port calls, efficient customs systems and stronger feeder links to the Sahel.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Highlights:

• New system blocks tariff benefits without verified certificates of origin.
• Measure aims to secure state revenues and uphold trade commitments.
• OTR stresses transparency and traceability in customs procedures.

The Togolese Revenue Office (OTR) has introduced stricter controls on the origin of imported goods. Commissioner General Philippe Tchodie announced the measure in a note to customs agents, importers, exporters and consignees.

The change adds a blocking field in the ASYCUDA system, preventing traders from applying preferential tariff codes without first proving the goods’ origin. Declarations must now include a valid certificate of origin and its reference number. If not, the system blocks the customs procedure automatically.

The OTR said the measure will help ensure fair tax collection, safeguard the economy, and limit counterfeit or prohibited imports. It also aligns with Togo’s international trade obligations.

“By controlling seriously, the OTR limits fraud and secures the tax revenues that finance the State budget,” the institution noted, stressing the importance of transparency in tariff regimes.

Esaïe Edoh

Highlights:

• 25 Togolese trainees pursue ECOWAS solar skills certification in Lomé.
• Program part of GIZ-funded project linking water, energy and food security.
• Training supports Togo’s goal of 50% renewable energy share by 2030.

ECOWAS is backing a training program in Lomé this week to certify 25 Togolese electro-solar technicians under its regional ECSES scheme. The session, held Sept. 22–26 and hosted by Kya Energy Group, is the first of its kind in Togo. Trainees from all five regions are preparing for exams on domestic solar photovoltaic systems.

The initiative falls under the GIZ-financed Nexus Water-Energy-Food Security project, overseen by the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE). It aims to strengthen local expertise in installing, maintaining, and troubleshooting solar systems.

Kya Energy Group’s director, Yao Azoumah, said, “Training a new generation of qualified technicians will guarantee the sustainability of solar projects and the autonomy of communities.” 

The ECSES program standardizes renewable energy skills across the region, with Level 1 for off-grid installers and Level 2 for mini-grid specialists.

The effort aligns with Togo’s plan to raise renewable energy’s share to 50% by 2030, with 400 MW of solar capacity targeted, much of it off-grid to expand electricity access.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Highlights

• Togo marked African Technology and Intellectual Property Day, joining other OAPI member states in celebrating innovation.
  
• Minister of Industry stressed IP as a driver of growth and industrial transformation, urging African nations to turn knowledge into opportunity.
  
• Togo has invested in IP infrastructure, including a documentation center and training programs, to strengthen national innovation capacity.
  

Togo joined fellow members of the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) last Saturday to celebrate the 26th African Technology and Intellectual Property Day. The event coincided with OAPI’s 63rd anniversary.

In an official message, Manuella Santos, Togo’s Minister of Industry and Investment Promotion — also OAPI’s administrator for Togo — underscored the importance of intellectual property (IP) as a lever for economic growth and industrial transformation.

This year’s theme, “Intellectual Property, Human Resources and Africa’s Technological Development,” highlighted the role of innovation in shaping Africa’s future.

A Regional Advantage for Innovators

OAPI brings together 17 African countries under a single framework. Today, any patent, trademark, or design filed through OAPI is automatically recognized across all member states, significantly reducing costs for inventors and businesses.

“Our countries must rely on their knowledge and talents to build a dynamic industrial sector,” Santos said, calling for every idea to be transformed into opportunity and every invention into shared wealth.

Togo’s Investments in IP Infrastructure

Since 2020, Togo has operated an Intellectual Property Documentation Center, financed by OAPI for 500 million CFA francs. The center provides researchers and entrepreneurs with technical and legal resources to support innovation.

The Minister also highlighted the African Academy of Intellectual Property, which has been training new generations of specialists for two decades, and praised the contributions of Togolese graduates.

Making IP Part of National Strategy

Sustainable technological development, the Minister noted, requires the integration of IP into education, research, industrialization, and investment policies. She emphasized that under President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé’s leadership, Togo has sought to place IP at the center of its development strategy to boost competitiveness at both regional and international levels.

Finally, Santos called for stronger international cooperation to foster “a creative and prosperous economy” and to make Africa “a land of innovation that shines in the world.”

Highlights

• Togo has launched its preparations for COP30, set for November 2025 in Belém, Brazil.
  
• Environment Minister Foli-Bazi Katari met with six international partners, including UN agencies and the German Embassy, to mobilize support.
  
• An inter-ministerial committee will draft Togo’s priority framework, to be validated with partners before submission.

As the countdown to the 30th UN Climate Conference (COP30) begins, Togo has started shaping its position. From September 8 to 12, Environment Minister Foli-Bazi Katari held a series of meetings in Lomé with six international partners to secure backing for the country’s proposals.

The institutions included the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), UNICEF, World Health Organization (WHO), World Food Program (WFP), and the German Embassy. Discussions centered on the priorities Togo plans to present at COP30 and on strategies to strengthen its negotiating position.

“Going to or returning from the COP,  empty-handed, is not an option,” Katari stressed.

The input collected during the consultations will be reviewed by an inter-ministerial committee tasked with drafting a framework document. This paper will group the main priorities Togo intends to defend in Belém.

Once finalized, the draft will be shared in a follow-up session with development partners for validation, ensuring broad alignment before the international negotiations.

Scheduled for November 10–21, 2025 in Belém, COP30 will gather global leaders to negotiate climate action and financing. For Togo, the process now underway is designed to guarantee that the country enters the talks with clear priorities, partner support, and a stronger chance of securing tangible commitments.

Esaïe Edoh