The Togolese Federation of Soybean Cooperatives (Fédération Nationale des Coopératives Productrices de Soja –FNCPS-Togo) has a new president. Elected during a general meeting on August 26, Daloli Mimbouab replaced former chairman Kadzakadè Komlan. He will lead a nine-member board for a three-year term.

Under the previous president, soybean production increased from about 40,000 tonnes in 2018 to nearly 300,000 tonnes today. Cited by Agence Togolaise de Presse (ATOP), Mimbouab expressed gratitude for the trust placed in her and promised to address producers' concerns and strengthen the industry. The new board will receive support from a supervisory board led by Tibé Bassinani.

Monday’s general meeting concluded with an agreement between the FNCPS-Togo and the Togolese Association of Soybean Processors (ATTS) to ensure the availability of seed soybeans for processing units. The partnership aims to enhance the agro-industry in Togo.

Established on March 18, 2018, the FNCPS-Togo aims to boost soybean production and sales in collaboration with key players like the Conseil Interprofessionnel de la Filière Soja du Togo (CIFS-Togo). The FNCPS helps its members get inputs, credit, and training in good production practices while promoting group sales of their products.

The universities of Lomé and Kara are embarking on a process to facilitate student transfer between them. A brainstorming workshop in Lomé, ending August 28, 2024, focuses on harmonizing curricula and student mobility within Togo's public universities.

The goal is to standardize teaching unit content and establish harmonized diploma criteria. At the end of this process, the universities will adopt a common LMD (Licence (Bachelor) - Master (Master's) - Doctorat (PhD)) procedures manual, map training offerings, and develop a pedagogical framework using new technologies.

In addition, the institutions will identify fundamental teaching units for academic paths, assessment forms, and syllabus writing guides. They will formulate proposals to facilitate bachelor's student mobility and develop harmonized syllabi.

Togo's public universities hope to revise texts to allow student supervision by a university lecturer to count at the home institution.

According to Professor Komlan Batawila, 1st Vice President of the University of Lomé, "the importance of this initiative is to guarantee the degree equivalence and recognition while offering students new  academic exchange opportunities."

Professor Kokou Tchariè, President of the University of Kara, emphasized the need to draw on the University of Lomé's expertise to improve training quality. Professor Adama Mawulé Kpodar, President of the University of Lomé, affirmed this harmonization reflects both institutions' commitment to meeting contemporary employment, digitalization, and globalization challenges. It aligns with Togo's authorities' desire to pool resources at the public university level.

Esaïe Edoh

The municipalities of Cinkassé 1 and Tandjoaré 1, northern Togo, have updated their Communal Development Plans (CDP). This decision came on August 26, 2024, in Cinkassé, located 650 km north of Lomé.

Previously, the CDPs did not address security issues but now they do. The revision incorporated insights from the National Strategy to Prevent and Combat Violent Extremism (NSPCVE).

The revised CDPs will focus on municipalities’ vulnerabilities and include actions to prevent and combat violent extremism. Plan International, with support from the European Union, will provide technical and financial assistance through the "Pillar Rapid Response" project. 

The latter aims to better prevent violent extremism, promote social cohesion, and improve community resilience in the Savanes region.

Other municipalities, including Kpendjal 1, Kpendjal 2, Kpendjal Ouest 1, Oti 2, and Oti Sud 2, will also revise their CDPs to address similar security threats.

Esaïe Edoh

The Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor Foundation (SEA), in partnership with UNDP, supplied startup kits to 30 young Togolese agripreneurs last weekend. The kits were donated at the SEA’s headquarters in Lavié (140 km northwest of Lomé).

With the kits, beneficiaries will be able to start their business, and consequently create jobs. 

Before receiving the kits, the agripreneurs underwent two months of intensive training at the SEA’s headquarters. They acquired skills in market gardening, poultry and small ruminant rearing, and cassava production and processing. They were also trained in farm management techniques, business plan writing, and investor advocacy.

Besides these, the Foundation and its partners will conduct regular on-site visits to monitor the beneficiaries' activities and identify their needs and prospects.

The recent support between SEA and UNDP aims to boost youth employment in Togo's agricultural sector. Also, it aligns with Adebayor’s vision of leveraging agribusiness to drive youth employment across the country.

Esaïe Edoh

A few months ago, Nigeria stopped accepting degrees issued by Togolese and Beninese universities. A move resulting from a shocking investigation.

The University of Lomé, Kara, and the Catholic University of West Africa (UCAO) are the only three Togolese universities issuing degrees recognized by the Nigerian government. 

Before the recent disclosure, Nigeria had stopped accepting degrees issued by all Togolese and Beninese universities; a decision taken after an investigation found that over 22,000 fake degrees had been issued to Nigerians studying in Benin and Togo–21,000 in Benin and 1,000 in Togo.

According to Nigerian Education Minister, Tahir Mamman, the ban has been partially lifted. Now, he said degrees from only eight universities (three in Togo and five in Benin) are accepted. Meanwhile, Kenya, Uganda, and Niger also face scrutiny from Nigeria.

Togo's higher education authorities are yet to comment on these developments. A few months ago, soon after the investigation’s findings were made public, Togolese authorities started negotiations with the Nigerian side. At the time, Togo blamed non-accredited or closed private universities that issued false diplomas.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Togo's High Authority for the Prevention and Fight against Corruption (HAPLUCIA) has launched regional workshops to reduce corruption in the public procurement process. The workshops kicked off on August 26, 2024, in Lomé, during a two-day meeting themed "Role and responsibilities of members of public procurement management bodies in preventing and combating corruption in public procurement ". The HAPLUCIA teamed up with the procurement regulation authority for this project.

In detail, the workshops aim to educate officials about their roles and responsibilities, by better acquainting them with anti-corruption laws.

According to HAPLUCIA’s President, Kimelabalou Agba, insufficient knowledge of the laws in place is a major cause for persistent corruption. “Despite the efforts made by the various States, corruption persists in all sectors. This situation can be explained by ignorance of the texts…the fight against corruption in public procurement requires action at several levels. Some of the actors most likely to be corrupted are those managing public procurement deals,” the official said.

Dagba also said public officials must have integrity, be impartial, and refuse bribes.

Ahead of the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), scheduled for 2025, Togolese Foreign Minister, Robert Dussey, attended a preparatory ministerial meeting in Japan from August 21 to 25.

The meeting aimed to outline key discussion points for the upcoming conference. Among others, participants discussed current and future challenges facing the African continent. They also addressed relations between Japan and Africa, innovative solutions, and economic, security, and environmental issues. 

On the sidelines of the meeting, Dussey lectured at Sophia University in Tokyo. He spoke about peace and security in Africa and Togo's role in mediation. He then met with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa. They discussed Togo's roadmap (TOGO 2025) and its ambition to become a sub-regional hub.

TICAD 9 will center on "co-creating innovative solutions with the African continent." The forum should help Togo get closer to Japan.

Togo and Japan became diplomatic partners in 1960. Since then, they have developed a fruitful partnership–especially in agriculture, health, and education. Japan supports several development projects in Togo, including projects to boost food security and infrastructure.

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Enrollment at the IFAD training centers for the 2024-2025 academic year has been pushed back to September 13. The Agence Education-Développement (AED), which manages the centers, recently announced the extension. The prior deadline for enrolling was August 8.

This extension provides a new opportunity for young Togolese aged between 16 and 29 to apply for the training courses. Applicants must hold at least the Brevet d'Études du Premier Cycle (BEPC) and can choose from three areas: aquaculture (IFAD Elavagnon), livestock (IFAD Barkoissi), and building trades (IFAD Lomé).

Students can apply online, on the AED’s website, or on-site, at any IFAD. Successful applicants will receive a 3-year training course, culminating in a Professional Baccalaureate. They will acquire practical and specialized skills tailored to the needs of the Togolese job market, as expressed by the Togolese authorities through the creation of IFADs.

The goal is to train qualified human resources to meet the country's development requirements.