In a move to address the high prevalence of cataracts in the country, Togo has launched a new public health campaign targeting the Lacs Prefecture in the southeast. The initiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene, aims to provide free cataract surgery for up to 2,000 people in the locality.

The campaign, launched at the Centre Hospitalier Préfectoral (CHP) d'Aného, follows a national survey on visual deficiencies and is part of the National Eye Health Program (PNOS). The goal is not only to treat the disease but also to raise public awareness about cataracts.

The initiative follows the success of the 'Zero Cataracts' operation, which reached over 10,000 people in the country's five regions by 2022.

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 50% of blindness cases in Africa are attributable to cataracts, an opacification of the crystalline lens that mainly affects populations in rural areas, often deprived of access to adequate care. In Togo alone, some 200,000 cataract sufferers remain untreated.

The campaign is expected to run until July 2024, to treat as many people as possible and reduce the prevalence of untreated cataracts in the Lacs Prefecture.

Togo raised CFA32.11 billion on the WAEMU market on June 24. The country’s treasury secured the funds via a simultaneous issue of fungible bonds (OATs) and fungible bills (BATs). 

In detail, CFA26.2 billion were raised via one-year BATs, while CFA5.9 billion were raised via 3-year and 5-year OATs, at annual interest rates of 6.15% and 6.40% respectively

It is worth noting that Togo’s target for the operation was CFA30 billion. 

So far this year, Lomé raised CFA463 billion on the regional money market, out of an annual goal of CFA607 billion. The funds finance the 2024 budget which stands at CFA2,179 billion.

Esaïe Edoh

In a move to strengthen ties between the two countries, Togo and South Africa have signed an agreement exempting holders of diplomatic and service passports from visa requirements. The measure, effective immediately, aims to facilitate mobility and cooperation between Togo and South Africa.

The Togolese and South African Prime Ministers, Robert Dussey and Naledi Pandor, expressed their shared commitment to improve the relationship between their countries. 

This latest agreement is one of a series of similar steps taken by Togo to bolster cooperation with other countries. A few days earlier, Togo signed a no-visa deal with Sao Tome, targeting holders of diplomatic, service and ordinary passports, for stays not exceeding ninety (90) days. 

Similar agreements were also signed with Gabon, Morocco, Russia, Brazil and Qatar.

Lomé has been hosting a meeting of the subregion's customs directors general since Monday, June 24, 2024, to discuss the deployment of the Interconnected System for the Management of Goods in Transit (SIGMAT) on the Abidjan-Lagos corridor. The work, which is part of the activities of the ECOWAS commission, aims to "discuss the deployment of SIGMAT in member countries," explained Piguendéléwè Akaya, Director of Customs Operations at Lomé-Port, representing the head of the OTR, at the opening of the executives' meeting on June 25.

SIGMAT is a tool that enables the exchange of data and the electronic tracking of goods in transit between the customs administrations of the member states of the West African sub-region, with the effect of reducing the time it takes to pass through the various customs posts on the corridor where it is in force. "The exchange of information through SIGMAT will ultimately promote the securing of goods and merchandise, the fight against fraud, the control of tax and customs revenues, as well as the reliability of statistical data in member states," adds the official.

Mohamed Ibn Chambas, representative of the ECOWAS Commission and its Operational Commission on the Trade Liberalization Scheme, states that "the present meeting should enable us to identify the last administrative and technical obstacles to the deployment of the segments and to provide ideal solutions as soon as possible."

The ECOWAS Commission decided to adopt the transit goods management system since its adoption in Abidjan in 2019, as a standard for implementing these systems. Since then, it has been progressively operationalized in countries such as Togo, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, and Niger.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Bank of Africa Togo, Sunu Bank, and the Ministry of Agriculture sealed on June 19, 2024, a deal to help Togolese farmers secure affordable loans and buy modern equipment. Funds provided under the deal will finance input purchase, mechanization, and irrigation systems. 

BOA Togo will open a leasing line for 50 tractors and accessories over five years. Sunu Bank, for its part, will provide the commercial guarantee for the equipment. Agripreneurs will also be trained to use and maintain new technologies. 

Commenting on the new deal, Antoine Lekpa Gbegbeni, Minister of Agriculture, said his department committed to supporting farmers better–technically and financially–helping them build strong loan application files and providing adequate financial education.

The government welcomes the new partnership, claiming it is part of a wider strategy to boost agricultural productivity through mechanization. Togo plans to build six regional agricultural mechanization centers to support this ambitious initiative.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togo’s technical and financial partners (TFP) injected nearly $3 billion into the country’s development projects between 2018 and 2022.  The figure was disclosed on June 19, during a meeting between the Minister Secretary General of the Presidency, Sandra Ablamba Johnson, and some TFPs.

Socio-economic projects received particular attention, per the government's Togo 2025 Roadmap.

Parties present at the meeting outlined the main roadblocks to the financed projects’ execution. The discussions were aimed at speeding up their execution and optimizing their impact.

"Faced with current funding conditions, Togo has decided to reinvigorate the Intervention Coordination Platform and create all the conditions necessary for accelerated project implementation, in partnership with the various institutions", Sandra Ablamba Johnson said. 

The Togolese official added that the roundtable will help deepen discussions and draw ways to implement development projects in Togo quickly.

Esaïe Edoh

The Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) will start testing on June 22 a new interoperable instant payment system covering all West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) countries. The Bank just announced the launch, stressing its importance for expanding financial services in the Union. 

Instant"transactions"

The new payment system will be online 24/7. It will allow users to carry out instant transactions, regardless of the type of account held, whether with a bank, e-money issuer, microfinance institution, or payment institution. The BCEAO further noted that transfers and payments will also be possible between different financial institutions, guaranteeing immediate availability of funds for beneficiaries.

The system is expected to simplify and accelerate transfers between all banks active in the WAEMU, and between money wallets, such as mobile money.

"Users will be able to make payments at any merchant with an interoperable QR Code or capable of sending a payment request. The provision of financial services to businesses will be standardized", the BCEAO explained. The new system, the lender added, could spur new financial services.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Singaporean Pacific International Lines (PIL) began transshipment operations at Lomé’s port a few days ago. Edem Tengue, Togo’s Minister for Maritime Economy, officially announced this on June 19. 

PIL started operations right after the Kota Tema, one of its latest vessels, docked at the port of Lomé. The launch marks the company's definitive presence in Togo, two years after it entered a partnership with the Plateforme industrielle d'Adetikopé (PIA) for transit logistics operations.

According to Minister Tengue, PIL's presence "reinforces Lomé's strategic role as a hub in West Africa". Indeed, the firm’s arrival should contribute to the development of transshipment and handling at the port of Lomé.

Founded in 1967, PIL is one of the world's leading container shipping companies, with an extensive service network covering over 500 sites in 90 countries.

Esaïe Edoh

Togo was Benin's second-largest net foreign direct investment (FDI) provider in 2022.  This is according to data from the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO). 

China was first and Lebanon was third. Burkina Faso, India, Morocco, Brazil, Congo, and Switzerland followed. 

Net FDI flows represent the difference between inward and outward FDI. Over the period concerned, Benin recorded a net gain of CFA35 billion in this regard. 

The BCEAO’s data shows that Togo mostly invested in Benin’s insurance and intermediation services sector; a total of CFA41 billion exactly. In reverse, Benin invested CFA5.9 billion in Togo in 2022–CFA4.9 billion in trade, CFA564.3 million in manufacturing, CFA406 million in communication, and CFA30 million in transport and warehousing.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi