At last, Mila Aziable, Togo’s Minister of Energy, commented on the power outages that the country has been experiencing since January 2024. The official gave the real reasons behind the crisis on X (ex-Twitter).
"The energy crisis that has been ongoing since January 2024 in our region, mainly due to a natural gas supply shortage, is causing power cuts and disrupting our economies," Aziable said.
"The demand for natural gas in Togo is 35,000 MM BTU per day, but supplies are insufficient, sometimes nonexistent, resulting in high production costs and frequent outages," she explained following a meeting in Lomé of the West African Gas Pipeline Ministerial Committee (WAGPCo). The crisis takes place in a period of peak temperatures, and it affects Togo and neighbors such as Benin and Ghana.
Questioned on the matter, Olivier de Souza, oil and gas expert at Ecofin Agency, a pan-African economic media, said: “Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a natural gas product. Here, Nigeria supplies gas to Benin, Togo, and Ghana via the WAPCo pipeline since 2010. Unfortunately, recent maintenance works have caused transportation issues.”
“The Nigerian organization N-Gas, which aggregates gas volumes for WAPCo, sometimes fails to gather the necessary volumes to meet demand in the countries traversed by the West African gas pipeline,” the journalist added.
“It's a contractual breach that has been going on for ages, but everyone deals with it. Ironically, Nigeria, sometimes, uses volumes intended for its neighbors since its electricity production fails to meet demand,” De Souza further noted.
Despite these recurring difficulties, ECOWAS states keep relying on the WAGPCo. This year, stressed Minister Aziable, “the WAGPCo will focus on supply security, pipeline inspection, developing a new five-year strategic plan, promoting and managing the WAGP project.” In this regard, our source at Ecofin Agency claimed that “investment in an LNG import and regasification terminal is imperative. Especially for countries traversed by the WAGP: Benin, Togo, and Ghana (underway).” A project of this kind was also announced in Togo in 2018, with Equatorial Guinea, a significant LNG producer.
Diversifying energy sources is a viable solution, but it requires substantial investments in infrastructure, a process that could prove lengthy. Indeed, the WAGP project took over 28 years to materialize, and other similar initiatives have experienced comparable delays, while some are still not operational.
In Côte d’Ivoire, several natural gas reservoirs have been recently discovered. These include the Baleine and Calao reservoirs. Leveraging these discoveries, the country wants to connect to the West African pipeline. Again, this will require substantial investments.
Fiacre E. Kakpo
A total of 4,503 businesses were officially registered in Togo over the past quarter. The figure, compiled by the country’s Center for Business Formalities (CFE) and obtained by Togo First, is 3% less than the number of businesses registered over the same period last year – 4,655.
In detail, CFE data indicates that 1,546 businesses were registered in January 2024, compared to 1,636 in 2023. The next month, 1,470 new businesses were registered, up from 1,420 in February 2023. And last month, the CFE recorded 1,487 new registrations, down from 1,599 in the same month last year.
Of the 4,503 companies launched, 3,810 (85%) were registered by Togolese citizens, compared to 693 registered by foreigners. Additionally, 1,372 or 30% of the businesses registered in Q1 2024 are women-owned.
While the number of newly registered businesses fell slightly over the reviewed period, Togo offers a favorable business climate fostered by several reforms introduced by the government. These reforms include reducing the time and cost of business creation, as well as digitizing formalization procedures, among others.
Esaïe Edoh
The first ECOWAS Investment Forum began today, April 4th, in Lomé. The two-day event gathered over 400 key stakeholders of development, investment, and governance in West Africa. Together, they will discuss major issues the region faces. These include food security, developing sustainable infrastructure, and leveraging the green economy to tackle youth unemployment.
“In a world plagued with tensions and uncertainties, and a sub-region that faces various crises and a surge in extreme violence, our country, Togo, chose to build bridges instead of walls, both politically and financially," declared Victoire Dogbé, Prime Minister of Togo, who attended the opening.
Also present, George Agyekum Donkor, President of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), noted that the forum aims to bolster regional cooperation and foster innovative solutions to the various bottlenecks that hamper the region’s growth. Through the forum, the EBID seeks to secure investments for large ECOWAS projects. The Lomé-based Bank has a clear goal: Bridging an investment deficit estimated at $12 billion per year, vital to support the economic development across all 15 ECOWAS member States. The EBID, it is worth noting, has disbursed $3.69 billion since the end of 2022 to support these countries.
"The forum serves as a platform for investors and promoters to converge, collaborate, and deliver transformative projects that inspire economic growth and position the ECOWAS region as a preferred investment destination. Investing in developing economies is not just about generating profits; it's about creating sustainable growth, reducing poverty, and building a better future for all," added George Agyekum Donkor.
PM Dogbe, for her part, further noted that "regional institutions, often perceived by the population as distant from realities, seem to play a limited role in people's daily lives, at least according to this perception". She then lauded the “new dynamic emerging” through this inaugural forum.
"We reiterate our commitment to significantly support this dynamic, especially by sharing our experience and highlighting the strong influence of His Excellency, the President of the Republic," the Togolese official added.
It is worth pointing out that three countries, knowingly Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali, recently left the ECOWAS block to form the Sahel States Alliance countries.
Fiacre Enagnon Kakpo
Togo wants to secure CFA30 billion for its inaugural operation on the WAEMU market this quarter. The operation involves a simultaneous issuance of fungible treasury bonds (OATs) and fungible treasury bills (BATs), with the closing date set for April 12.
Specifically, the country seeks to raise CFA15 billion through BATs and an equal amount through OATs. The BATs have a par value of CFA1 million, mature over periods of 91 days and 364 days, and feature various interest rates. On the other hand, OATs have a par value of CFA10,000, mature over five years, and offer a fixed interest rate of 6.40% per annum.
The proceeds will finance the country’s 2024 income and expenditure budget, which totals CFA2,179 billion.
Lomé plans to raise CFA195 billion on the regional market this quarter, up by one billion compared to the previous quarter.
Esaïe Edoh
The government of Togo has postponed the coming legislative and regional polls. Intuitively scheduled for April 20, the elections are “slightly” delayed, according to the government.
"The government will proceed with a slight adjustment of the schedule for the legislative and regional elections originally scheduled for April 20, 2024," the authorities said after a meeting between President Faure Gnassingbé and the National Assembly Bureau.
The polls were delayed amidst criticisms regarding the recent adoption, by the parliament, of a law that would transition Togo into a parliamentary system. President Gnassingbé halted the process last week, calling for a second reading of the law. According to the presidency, the leader called "deputies to listen to all stakeholders and take stock of all contributions that could enrich the Constitution."
The new schedule for the polls is yet to be known.
Togo plans to raise CFA195 billion on the WAEMU market this quarter to fund its budget.
In detail, the Togolese treasury scheduled a dual issue for April 12: an issue of fungible treasury bills (BAT) and an issue of fungible treasury bonds (OAT). The former securities mature over three months and the latter over five years. Togo hopes to raise CFA30 billion through the operations, and CFA15 billion respectively.
Two weeks later, on April 26, Lomé plans another simultaneous issue. Again, it will seek CFA30 billion in this operation-CFA15 billion by issuing 1-year BATs and CFA15 billion with 3-year OATs.
The next issue, again a simultaneous issue, is scheduled for May 10, 2024. Lomé will issue 3-month BATs and 3-year OATs. This time, however, the country expects CFA10 billion from the former and CFA15 billion from the latter.
On May 23, Togo plans to auction three securities - a 12-month BAT and two OATs, one for three years and the other for five years, totaling CFA45 billion.
On June 7, the Togolese Treasury will seek CFA35 billion through three auctions. Through the first two, it will issue BATs with respective maturities of six and 12 months. Lomé expects respectively CFA15 billion from these operations. Through the last, the treasury will issue OATs set to mature over seven years, in the hope of raising CFA10 billion.
To close the quarter, the treasury plans to issue, simultaneously, BATs and OATs that mature over six months and five years, respectively. Through the BATs, the country hopes to mobilize CFA15 billion. And through the OATs, it expects CFA15 billion.
It is worth noting that Togo’s public debt has been going up, nearing the 70% threshold set within WAEMU. This is mainly attributable to debt costs rising over the past two years on the regional market.
Over the past quarter, Togo secured CFA194 billion on the WAEMU financial market. This is about 32% of its goal for the year CFA607 billion. The funds raised finance the country’s annual budget.
Fiacre E. Kakpo
The Mother and Child Hospital in Bè (south suburb of Lomé) should soon be completed. The Togolese Minister and secretary-general of the Government, Sandra Ablamba Johnson, visited the site last weekend, taking stock of the work’s progress.
According to district chief, Mawuko Déla Aklassou, the works are 95% complete. They should be finished before the set deadline, according to Yawo Agbessi Tsogbe, CEO of TTTI (Togolese for All Engineering Works), the firm in charge of the project.
Launched in December 2021, the project spans 1,200 m2 at the heart of the Bè district. It will house two specialized services, specifically maternity and pediatrics. With a capacity of 100 beds, "this hospital will contribute to improving the quality of care for mothers and children and relieve congestion at the current Bè hospital," said Azobua Abewou-Adzeoda, the director-general of the Bè hospital.
More Mother and Child hospitals are being built across Togo’s five administrative regions. The overarching goal of the projects is to boost hospitals’ technical capacities in pediatric and neonatal resuscitation, thus ensuring optimal care for mothers and children.
Steered by the National Health Insurance Institute (INAM), the initiative falls within the framework of a public-private partnership. It aligns with the government’s vision for universal healthcare in Togo.
Esaïe Edoh
Togo produced around 64,000 tons of ginger per year on average in the past few years. According to the Ministry of Agriculture which disclosed the figure, most of the output comes from the Plateaux and Centrale regions, with an average yield of 10 to 20 tons per hectare of fresh rhizomes. In total, nearly 10,000 agricultural households are involved in its cultivation, mainly in these two regions (which respectively account for 66.39% and 20.36% of the total workforce).
Among the many partners that support the industry are the German cooperation and the MIFA. Several projects, such as the Kara Agropole, were set up to bolster the sector, and they helped push the total cultivated area from 930 hectares in 2021 to 1,218 hectares in 2023.
Despite this expansion, the size of the farms remains modest, with most farmers operating less than 0.25 hectares. In comparison, the number of large producers is estimated at around 250 across the entire territory. Such a situation impacts overall productivity and highlights the sector's potential for improvement.
In 2019, Togo exported a little over two tons (2,029 kg) of ginger, mostly to the European Union, the US, and Japan. These exports represented less than 1% of the global market. Meanwhile, the West African nation imported 197.6 t of ginger that same year.
Last February, an investment strategy for the sector was approved. Drawn by the Ministry of Agriculture, the strategy aims to better structure the sector and allow stakeholders to readily access lucrative markets. Ultimately, the goal is to ramp up the country’s output to 150,000 tons by 2028, with at least 75% of this volume processed.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
The people of Agou and Blitta (respectively 66km and 266km away from Lome) recently welcomed new drinking water facilities. The facilities, which fall under the government’s water supply system reinforcement and extension project, were handed over last weekend by the Minister responsible for village hydraulics, Damehame Yark.
In Agou, specifically in Gadzepe, the infrastructure consists of two submersible pumps, each capable of delivering 40 cubic meters per hour. The pumps are connected to the Zio River in Kati, where they receive treated water from a treatment plant with a capacity of 1,700 m3/day. A 160 m3 intermediate reservoir was also set up in the locality, along a 12.6 km pumping network, and 62 water fountains. The Ministry of Rural Hydraulics said the facilities cost about CFA13 billion to set up.
In Blitta, specifically in Blitta Gare and Blitta Village, whole potable water supply systems were set up. They include wells, reservoirs, pumping networks, distribution networks, and 62 water fountains.
According to Damehane Yark, the facilities support Togo’s goal of achieving universal access to potable water by 2030. Several other projects are currently underway, with more planned for the coming years, with the primary objective of meeting the challenge of nationwide water coverage.
Esaïe Edoh
Togo’s poultry output reached 35.7 million heads in 2023. The figure was disclosed in the recently released Citizen's Budget of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Year on year, the figure is up by 8%. Indeed, in 2022, the country produced 33.12 million heads.
The Plateaux region mainly contributed to the increase, with a production of 12 million heads last year (35% of the total). The same region had produced slightly over 11 million heads the year before.
The second-most productive region was the Savanes region. It produced 8 million heads in 2023, against 7 million in 2022.
The Central and Kara regions produced a little over 5 million heads, respectively, and the Maritime region produced 4 million heads.
This year, the country’s poultry output is expected to pass 38 million heads.
Esaïe Edoh