The Togolese government is poised to start a new chapter with Niger in the area of maritime cooperation. Edem Tengue, Togo’s Minister of Maritime Economy, voiced the ambition during a recent high-level visit by a Nigerien official delegation. 

"Together, we want to start a new chapter of maritime collaboration, streamlining trade exchanges between Togo and Niger," said Tengue.

The move aims to bolster trade and enhance goods flow between the two nations. This strategic shift comes amidst ongoing recalibrations in the sub-region, notably with the emergence of the Alliance of Sahel States (AoSS), comprising Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

A few days before the recent visit, Minister Tengue stressed Togo’s ambition "to ensure seamless trade exchanges between the two nations, facilitating market access for Niger and enhancing export opportunities for Togo."

The efforts are geared towards optimizing economic synergies and promoting shared development objectives. For Togo, this strategic move towards Sahelian countries, particularly Niger, aligns with its strategic position as a pivotal trade hub in the region.

Recent trade data highlights the significant role of Sahelian nations, with Burkina Faso and Mali ranking among Togo's top trading partners. Niger, though ranking ninth in terms of imports from Togo, underscores its importance in the regional trade landscape.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

In Togo, the government’s “School Canteen” program benefited 218,395 students in public primary schools during the 2022-2023 school year. The figure was disclosed on March 1 by the National Agency for Support to Grassroots Development (ANADEB).

Compared to the previous academic year, the program impacted 65% more students. That year, it had impacted 132,153 students. Similarly, more schools were covered, 1,284 against 906 in 2021-2022. Last year, the program helped serve around 22 million meals.

Beyond meal provision, Togo, with support from the World Food Programme (WFP), has developed a national school feeding program and policy. Through these, the ANADEB has trained 3,288 "canteen moms" in hygiene and meal preparation.

The School Canteen program was launched in 2008. The ANADEB has run the program since it launched, but it plans on transferring it to local authorities. 

The program is financially and technically backed by the World Bank. The Group has invested CFA22 billion in the initiative. Lomé expects the program to cover 300,000 students by the end of this year.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo will soon receive a grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GC7) for the 2024-2026 cycle, as well as from the COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM). Victoire Tomegah-Dogbe, Togo’s Prime Minister, announced the news on February 28, in Lomé. 

The new grant amounts to €112.8 million (CFA74 billion) or 14% more than for the previous cycle. An additional €19.37 million (CFA12.7 billion) for reinvestment has also been approved for the 2024-2025 period. The previous grant cycle spanned over the 2021-2023 period and amounted to €98.9 million (around CFA64.9 billion).

Lomé will use the new facility to bolster its health programs, to fight HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, as well as finance the National Centre for Purchasing of Essential and Generic Medicines (CAMEG-TOGO).

Togo is both a recipient and contributor to the Global Fund. So far, it has contributed $2 million to the Global Fund, with an additional pledge of $1.5 million for the seventh replenishment period of the Fund for 2023-2025.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Parcel plans can be registered online henceforth in Togo. The shift became effective today, March 1, according to the Togolese Revenue Office (OTR).

The parcel plan is a document that defines the limits of a parcel. Dematerializing its registration aligns with the government’s efforts to save time for third parties, among others. 

Similar efforts include online application and issuance of land deeds, the reduction of fees to obtain parcel plans, and the duration to issue construction permits. 

The recent measure supports Lomé’s greater ambition to digitize 75% of administrative procedures by 2025. The government also set up and launched a national e-portal for public services to this end.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo wants to reinforce its policy to reduce methane, a major greenhouse gas. Lomé, the capital, hosted on February 28 a meeting in this framework. The meeting regrouped various local experts who discussed ways to bolster Togo’s methane reduction capacity. The Ministry of the Environment and Forest Resources and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition were the organizers. 

The project is coordinated by Sankoucha Boulouwè. At the meeting, he recalled that "Togo joined the Global Methane Pledge, which is a global methane commitment platform, to reduce methane by 30% by 2030”. The adhesion, Boulouwè explained, spurred the project “which aims to build the capacity of national experts on the LEAP-IBC tool (an integrated modeling and scenario planning tool to help governments jointly assess the potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and climate pollutants, ed. note), which will enable them to measure methane emissions.”

There are three sectors with a high potential for methane emissions: waste, agriculture, and energy, we add.

Two entities will be responsible for implementing the project and mitigation action for this climate pollutant, namely the Stockholm Institute and the Ministry of the Environment and Forest Networks. "The Stockholm Institute is responsible for training experts on LEAP-IBC, and the Ministry of Environment will be in charge of developing the methane roadmap on three key sectors with high emission potential. These sectors are agriculture, energy, and waste," adds the coordinator of the initiative in Togo.

In addition, the government, through the Ministry of Environment, is also expected to draw up a portfolio of three key projects, which will be submitted for funding.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

The World Trade Organization (WTO) held its 13th Ministerial Conference from February 26 to 29, 2024, in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Togo was virtually represented at the meeting by its Minister of Trade, Rose Kayi Mivedor.  On the occasion, the official lauded the WTO’s inclusive multilateral trading system, especially relative to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Mivedor said Togo values the "inclusive, fair and equitable rules-based multilateral trading system, following the relevant provisions contained in the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO)." 

 "Togo calls for the revitalization of the work of the Committee on Trade and Environment to help developing and least-developed countries address environmental challenges in the context of trade," said the minister.

In this regard, Togo called for in-depth assessments with other institutions with mandates in e-commerce, towards reducing the country’s digital bill and protecting its consumers.

At the conference’s opening, nine WTO member States, including Togo, presented their acceptance documents for the WTO Agreement on Fishing Subsidies. The latter was adopted at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference (CM12), held from July 12 to 17, 2022, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Esaïe Edoh

The Surgeons Association of Togo (STOCHIR) held its third congress last week, February 22 and 23. The meeting focused on how the physicians could best contribute to the government’s Universal Health Insurance (UHI) program. 

The event was themed "Surgery's Contribution to Universal Healthcare".  Its main goal was to find solutions that support the UHI’s implementation.

On the occasion, Prof. Komla Akakpo-Numado, President of the SOTOCHIR, stressed that the UHI should help make medical equipment more accessible nationwide, among others. The program is already being rolled out. 

The surgeons present discussed the lack of surgeons in the country, in remote areas in particular, and the need for better surgery training and equipment.

In response to these bottlenecks, Prof. Akakpo-Numado proposed five key actions: continuing education, supporting specialization, increasing the number of teacher-researchers, equipping departments, and improving accessibility to surgical care.

The President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé, and the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, met on February 27, 2024. The meeting focused on mobilizing funds to implement the RN1 Unity Highway (Lomé-Cinkassé) project. The RN1 Unity Highway project requires a $2.9 billion investment. The AfDB and its partners will provide the funds. 

Gnassingbé and Adesina explored strategies to attract investors to the project. The project should bolster Togo's position as a logistics hub and a corridor for economic development, with significant benefits extending to the countries of the hinterland. In line with this goal, the AfDB has committed to investing in healthcare infrastructure, industrialization, and socio-economic development in Togo.

The AfDB is already actively engaged in various projects in Togo, including agro-poles, the development of agro-food processing industries, road rehabilitation, and renewable energy initiatives.

As of October 15, 2023, the AfDB's current portfolio in Togo stood at 211.33 billion CFA francs, covering 18 operations, four regional projects, and one private project. 

Last November, the two parties had overlooked the project in Marrakech, Morocco, at the 2023 Africa Investment Forum (AIF)

Esaïe Edoh