Togo
Small-scale cross-border traders (SSCBTs) are key economic actors in West Africa. Learn more about our work to understand existing constraints affecting SSCBTs especially women and design interventions to respond to identified constraints and ultimately make trade easier, cheaper, and safer.
NEWS & EVENTS
TFWA Program Trains Technical Committee of Trade Facilitation in Togo
The TFWA Program continues to provide technical assistance to the National Sanitary and Phytosanitary Committee in Togo. In August, the program held two trainings to strengthen the capacity of the border officials responsible for inspecting consignments and verifying possible plant pests at borders—an important safety measure impacting the flow of goods in and out of the country.
The workshops aimed to strengthen the technical and operational skills of 45 phytosanitary inspectors from the Plant Protection Directorate (DPV)—the same inspectors who were sworn in last year with TFWA Program support. These officials oversee the phytosanitary controls that reduce the introduction and spread of harmful pests, which is a cornerstone of safer trade. In this latest training, the inspectors were trained to recognize major quarantine pests, taught different control methods, and guided through essential phytosanitary inspection procedures.
Specifically, the training highlighted procedures and inspection manuals for key products while outlining verification procedures for imports and exports. Regulated pests, phytosanitary risk analysis, different symptoms indicating required quarantine, and pest control methods and strategies also featured heavily in training.
At the end of the sessions, the DPV and the National SPS Committee were encouraged to review the country’s phytosanitary analysis procedures for imported seeds and continue highlighting the importance of phytosanitary considerations among critical stakeholders. The TFWA Program has had tremendous success in encouraging the adoption of SPS procedures in Togo, and it remains committed to advancing these critical safety measures.
TFWA Program Trains SPS Inspectors in Togo
From July 30 to August 2, the TFWA Program organized training sessions for members of the Technical Committee of Trade Facilitation (TCTF). These sessions aimed to support Togo’s efforts to develop action plans that effectively integrate trade facilitation reforms into the government’s sectoral planning and successfully promote trade competitiveness and social cohesion.
The training on “Inclusive Project Management and Mainstreaming Gender to Improve Trade Facilitation Outcomes” is part of broader TFWA Program efforts to empower NTFCs at the governance and technical levels. The three-day session brought together more than 40 members from different institutions (30% women, 76% public sector, 17% private sector, and 1% civil society).
The training strived to empower TCTF members, including members of their respective gender
sub-committee, so they could understand and apply:
● Key concepts and principles of an inclusive project management cycle: identification, planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation;
● Key gender concepts that underpin gender mainstreaming as it relates to the work of the TCTF;
● Best practices to mainstream gender into TCTF operations and policy-making;
● Stakeholder mapping and analysis (Nigeria gender mainstreaming case study);
● Key concepts of gender-sensitive monitoring and evaluation to prioritize steps that promote gender-sensitive monitoring; and
● Techniques for gender-responsive budgeting to promote gender equality.
At the end of the workshop, the TCTF agreed on a timetable and outlined a path focused on developing a monitoring matrix for trade facilitation reforms, integrating good practices and inclusive planning, incorporating monitoring and evaluation tools, and utilizing methods acquired during the workshop.
TFWA Program Advances SPS Planning and Validation
In the agriculture trade sector, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures increase food safety while also protecting human, animal, and plant health. Investing in SPS capacity contributes to agricultural productivity, trade and economic growth, and poverty reduction.
Against this backdrop, the TFWA Program organized a validation workshop in June, gathering more than 60 public and private sector participants, including the Advisor to the President of the Republic and a representative of the Minister of Agriculture. By gathering these key stakeholders, the TFWA Program aimed to support the formulation of a strategic plan to define Togo’s SPS priorities.
The session built on progress realized over the past several years. With TFWA Program support, Togo has made significant improvements in policy coherence and strengthened efforts to build SPS capacity and actively engage SPS expertise. The country is also focusing on improving infrastructure and facilities, such as the laboratories at the Togolese Institute of Agronomical Research (ITRA), to advance the analysis of agricultural and food products to support the effective implementation of SPS measures.
During the session, participants discussed and validated several vital texts and frameworks to implement SPS measures and facilitate safe trade:
● National SPS policy document, including the strategic framework and logical framework;
● Five-year action plan;
● Bill implementing SPS measures in Togo;
● Overall strategic diagnosis of ITRA laboratories;
● Strategic development plan for ITRA laboratories; and
● Draft decree to create a National Food Security and Development Laboratory.
At the end of the session, participants recognized that the training was an important step in advancing SPS measures. The TFWA Program will continue to provide technical support to the relevant Togolese authorities as they make progress in ensuring that SPS reforms deliver measurable improvements for the country.
TFWA Program Hosts Phytosanitary Risk Analysis Training
To prevent the entry and spread of pests, countries should identify potential pest risks and propose phytosanitary measures to mitigate these risks. Phytosanitary risk analysis (PRA) is a science-based process used to assess risks posed by pests and identify options to manage those risks.
Against this backdrop, the TFWA Program is supporting the government of Togo in its efforts to strengthen sanitary and phytosanitary procedures and establish a team to conduct a risk analysis. Specifically, the support focuses on Togo’s compliance with the international regulations decreed by the International Plant Protection Convention. To ensure the government is equipped to perform the job, the TFWA Program organized a capacity-building workshop from February 26 to March 1 in Kpalimé, Togo.
The five-day session gathered 34 participants from several key agencies and institutions, including the Universities of Lomé and Kara, Togolese Institute of Agronomic Research, Institute of Consulting and Technical Support, Directorate of Plant Protection, Directorate of Agricultural Seeds and Plants, Directorate of Plant Sectors, Directorate of Livestock, Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture (DPA), Togolese Standardization Agency, National Institute of Hygiene, Directorate of the Environment, Regional Directorate of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development of Plateaux-Ouest, Association of Professional Processors and Exporters of Vegetables and Fruits, and Togolese Consumers Association.
During the workshop, participants learned the methodological bases of the PRA and developed two draft orders:
Establishing the creation, composition, and operation of the PRA National Committee of Experts; and
Appointing members to the PRA National Committee of Experts.
The workshop significantly contributed to a broader understanding of the PRA. At the end of the sessions, the participants called on the Togolese Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development to accelerate the process of adopting the draft texts.
TFWA Program Hosts Border Management Workshop in Cinkansé
In March, the TFWA Program, with support from the Transport GP and Togo’s PIUs, held a workshop for border management agencies and logistics operators from Togo and Burkina Faso. The workshop attracted more than 50 participants, who reviewed a diagnostic of the Cinkansé border, which is located along the Lomé-Ouagadougou corridor, one of the program’s priority corridors. The Cinkansé border connects Togo and Burkina Faso and is an important entry point between the two countries.
In support of the TFWA Program’s efforts to improve border management, the workshop aimed to review and finalize the diagnostic of the Cinkansé border. The finalized report includes a detailed roadmap to improve border- crossing formalities, which will reduce border-crossing time and facilitate faster trade along the corridor. Across the region, trade barriers along corridors and at borders result in procedural delays and long transit times, which continue to raise transaction and logistics costs and negatively impact trade flows. Addressing these challenges can help corridor performance, advance trade facilitation, and increase trade competitiveness. The diagnostic plays an essential step in improving border management at this important trade point.
TFWA Program Supports Phytosanitary Oath Ceremony
International trade is a key driver of economic growth and development. Many countries depend on importing and exporting plants and plant products to sustain their economies. Yet trade introduces and spreads plant pests, which can have serious consequences in the recipient country. To manage these pest risks and ensure safe trade, phytosanitary control posts are situated at the country’s entry points and are staffed by phytosanitary inspectors. These inspectors control transit conditions of the consignments and verify possible risks, in line with the phytosanitary requirements. This is how plants and plant products are controlled upon import or inspected before export.
To effectively carry out their role, phytosanitary inspectors must be technically and legally qualified. To do this, they are continually equipped to conduct phytosanitary risk analysis during controls and inspections at border crossings. Because the law gives them the power to operate legally—with their activity being recognized as a prerequisite for customs clearance procedures for products subject to this requirement— oaths are required.
Togo’s Plant Protection Directorate (DPV) has 45 phytosanitary inspectors located in its 21 phytosanitary control posts. The Ministry of Agriculture of Togo, with technical support from the TFWA Program, organized the swearing-in ceremony for these phytosanitary inspectors. In total, 37 inspectors took the oath in Lomé on October 13, and eight inspectors took the oath in Kara on October 20.
Thanks to the TFWA Program’s technical support, Togo has reviewed its
national SPS procedures and standards, in line with international SPS standards, to facilitate safe trade and gain access to markets.
TFWA Program Delivers Cycle 2 of SSCBT Training
Building on the success of the pilot training for small-scale cross-border traders (SSCBTs) in northern Togo, the TFWA Program initiated a second training cycle from March 27 to May 5. In total, 182 small-scale cross-border traders—about 72% women—were trained on national and regional rules and regulations for cross-border trade.
Over the course of six weeks, this second cycle of training centered on twelve modules designed to empower small-scale traders and improve the flow of goods in the region. From traders’ rights and obligations, to interpersonal communication and negotiation techniques—the coursework was designed to address the technical and behavioral aspects of trade. This second training cycle features a special two-month, post-training coaching to support SSCBTs in the implementation of their personal goals.
The closing of the training was chaired by Colonel Hemou Badibawou Bakali, Prefect of Kozah, in the presence of the Mayor, the Regional Director of Trade, a representative of the UEMOA Commission, and representatives of several other institutions supporting this work
(the Ministry of Security and Civil Protection, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Health, the Togolese Revenue Office, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Togo). The ceremony also benefited from the support of members of the National Office of the SEFECTO association (Solidarité pour l’Epanouissement de la Femme Commerçante du Togo), which helped mobilize participants.
The presence and strong involvement of local authorities and public agents, and the strong commitment of SEFECTO, were critical to the program's success. With positive feedback from participants and calls to expand the program across the country and region, the TFWA Program aims to continue advancing this important work.
New Togolese National Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards
March 2023
Last year, following a request from the Ministry of Agriculture, the TFWA Program team conducted a one-week sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) mission to assess Togo’s national SPS legal, regulatory, and institutional framework in accordance with applicable international standards, including the WTO SPS Agreement and the AfCFTA.
This assessment exposed several gaps, challenges, and inconsistencies between the Togolese SPS practices and international standards, especially related to administrative institutions and organizational capacity. Based on the mission’s findings, an SPS Action Plan was drafted to optimize Togo’s current SPS strategy and its ability to carry out SPS legal,regulatory,and institutional reforms. At the same time, the plan aims to improve Togo’s sanitary, phytosanitary, and zoo-sanitary control and inspection procedures. To meet this need, the team worked with Togolese SPS government officials to draft several legal instruments, including a new SPS law, decrees, an administrative order, and an administrative decision.
From December 12 to 16, the TFWA Program team organized a working group session in Kpalimé, Togo. At the five-day workshop, participants reviewed the revised draft Togolese national SPS standards (including draft laws, decrees, orders, and decisions) to ensure their compliance with the applicable international standards. This reform process is essential to facilitate the exportation of Togolese agriculture products in West Africa and internationally.
Several legal deliverables were finalized:
- The draft decree to create the new Togolese National SPS Committee;
- The draft law on SPS plant and vegetation standards;
- The draft decree governing pesticide management;
- The draft administrative order on phytosanitary inspection and plant quarantine; and
- The draft decision to classify plants, plant products, and other imported merchandise according to phytosanitary risk.
The TFWA Program will continue its work to improve sanitary and phytosanitary measures across the region.
TFWA Launches Video on SSCBT Training in Northern Togo
March 2023
Recently, the Trade Facilitation West Africa (TFWA) Program produced a short video showcasing its efforts to build the technical and behavioral capacity of small-scale cross border traders (SSCBTs), especially women. The initiative was piloted in Kara, a city in Northern Togo that is situated along the Ouagadougou-Lomé trade corridor.
Women traders face a disproportionate number of risks and challenges, including lengthy customs procedures, limited knowledge of border-crossing rules and procedures, and abuse. These challenges can be costly and time consuming, impeding trade.
The TFWA Program’s capacity building initiative is designed to raise trader awareness of rules and regulations. An interactive and participatory approach teaches women traders (in local languages) the key behavioral competencies they need to thrive in trade. The video captures dialogue sessions between traders and border authorities that were designed to build trust and improve communication, ultimately making trade safer, faster and cheaper for SSCBTs.
In total, 209 traders—90% women—were empowered through the initiative. The TFWA Program remains committed to improving conditions for women traders and plans to launch the initiative in other West African countries.
TFWA Program Launches SSCBT Training in Northern Togo
September 2022
The TFWA Program launched an innovative behavioral training and dialogue platform that will enhance small-scale cross-border traders’ (SSCBTs) awareness of trade rules and regulations. At the same time, the training will improve trust and communication with border authorities. These efforts build on the TFWA Program’s Trader Association Mapping conducted in 2020 and Capacity Building Needs Assessment completed in 2021—results showed low trader awareness of trade rules and regulations as a key capacity building need.
To meet this need, the TFWA Program launched an SSCBT training pilot in Kara, a city in Northern Togo that is situated along the Ouagadougou-Lomé trade corridor. The launch, which took place from 5-9 September, began by sensitizing traders on the free circulation of people and goods in the ECOWAS and UEMOA zones, as well as trader rights and obligations. The proceedings were attended by members of both the ECOWAS and UEMOA Commission gender teams, as well as a representative of the UEMOA Trade Directorate. Other activities included a market visit to learn more about the participating traders’ business environment and gather initial feedback on the first two training modules.
The training covered both technical and behavioral content:
- Technical: National and regional trade rules and regulations, as well as trader rights and obligations.
- Behavioral: Key competencies needed for traders to stand up for those rights and meet those obligations by respecting said rules and regulations. These behaviors include personal initiative, communication, confidence, persistence, and resilience. In parallel, dialogue with border authorities will focus on building trusting relationships with traders.
The training will be delivered to 200 traders—more than 90% of whom are women—and take place over six weeks. The training will culminate in a town hall forum with border authorities to share experiences and build trust. This initiative is notable both for delivering capacity building to small-scale operators in a relatively remote, rural location, as well as for being designed and implemented directly by the TFWA Program team.
TFWA Supports OTR Customs with Risk Management
August 2022
From 8-12 August, the TFWA Program organized the second technical workshop for 40 Togolese Customs Officers of the Togo Revenue Authority (OTR). The five-day training was an excellent opportunity for the OTR to strengthen its existing processes and adopt modern, holistic Customs-risk management approaches for future operations. The workshop greatly contributed to a broader understanding of various topics, including techniques to streamline the Customs-clearance process (such as the process used at both the Autonomous Port of Lomé and the Lomé International Airport), while also reducing the time and cost of imported cargo at the Togolese border.
Workshop participants were pleased by the outcome of the training, and the OTR expressed its appreciation of the TFWA Program’s efforts. As next steps, the OTR, with support from the TFWA Program, plans to carry out a Customs risk management mission to Lomé and submit an action plan to guide Togolese Customs Officers in future clearance operations at the Lomé seaport and airport.
TFWA Program and Togo Revenue Authority Train Customs Officials on Customs Risk Management
April 2022
From April 4 to 8, the TFWA Program, in collaboration with the Togo Revenue Authority (OTR), successfully organized a technical training workshop on customs risk management. The hybrid session was attended by 50 Togolese customs officers and facilitated by a TFWA Program customs expert with support from OTR experts in risk management.
Participants benefited from the training, which aimed to improve their capacity in international techniques and best practices governing customs risk management. The training complemented the current OTR initiative to minimize physical inspections of imported cargo at the Togolese border through a variety of customs risk management mechanisms, including IT applications.
As one of the key measures contained in the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), the application of risk management improves efficiency and reduces customs clearance time, while strengthening controls to detect fraud and other offences.
Overall, the participants were pleased with the outcome of the training and requested a follow-up training, with a focus on other customs risk activities, such as the action plan for implementation of risk management and a mapping of cargo transit at the Cinkasse border in August 2022. In fact, the TFWA Program team and the OTR’s management have already met with the Customs/OTR Director of the Lomé Port to agree on a practical approach for this next training.
Togo Embarks to Achieve Full ISO Certification of the OTR, Togo’s Revenue Authority
February 2022
In February, with support from the TFWA Program, the Office of Togolese Revenue / Office Togolais des Recettes (OTR) officially launched a five-week activity to assist the systematic integration of Quality Assurance with the OTR. The TFWA Program has provided technical assistance—including practical tools and recommendations—to support this key public institution as it strengthens its commitment toward enhanced governance and public accountability. Risk mapping processes, reviewing internal audit and internal control architecture, and other competencies support the OTR’s high level of engagement to actively manage and mitigate risks in relation to its management objectives and organizational performance. The OTR is engaged to achieve full ISO certification for all of its processes before the end of 2024.
Optimizing the OTR’s organizational system and shifting the office toward a culture of quality service for all its citizens can change the cross-border trading ecosystem.
The TFWA Program congratulates the government of Togo and the OTR on this exciting development.
NTFC Revises Decree to Incorporate Gender Sensitivity
June 2021
In June 2021, the Togolese NTFC adopted a new draft presidential decree. As a next step, the newly drafted decree will be submitted to the Ministry of Trade/Commerce, where it is expected to be approved. Once the minister has approved the decree, it will be submitted to the president of the republic for adoption.
The Presidential NTFC Decree includes several key new features:
- Aligning the NTFC’s mandate with the trade facilitation objectives of the AfCFTA;
- Expanding the NTFC’s permanent membership to include the Ministry for the Promotion of Women; and
- Creating a gender sub-committee within the NTFC to provide targeted support to small-scale women traders in Togo.
The decree materialized after continued dialogue between the Togolese NTFC and the TFWA Program, which encouraged the NTFC to welcome diverse representatives and stakeholders from the Gender Ministry. The TFWA Program looks forward to continued engagements and to further anchoring gender equality and gender mainstreaming into the NTFC’s operations.
Togo Customs Office Participates in Virtual TFWA Mission
March 2021
In early March, the TFWA Program conducted a virtual mission in Togo to support the Togolese Customs Office/ Office Togolais des Recettes (OTR). Despite the ongoing pandemic, this virtual engagement allowed the TFWA team to work with the OTR and help build its performance around good governance and voluntary compliance.
The OTR Commissioner General requested the TFWA Program’s support to review and strengthen OTR operations toward systematically adopting a customer-centric approach to organizational performance. With this in mind, the program aims for an integrated and systemic transformation that will cover:
- governance;
- holistic quality assurance;
- voluntary compliance of economic operators to customs and tax regulations; and
- conforming and increasing partnerships and cooperation with the private sector and with other border agencies. The end goal is to improve OTR operations and engagements with stakeholders.
Based on discussions during the virtual mission, the TFWA team would initially start by assessing and auditing the quality of the administration system. Next, the team would work to improve OTR client management by knowing, managing, and improving communication and client loyalty.
The OTR is a key partner and important focus for the TFWA Program. Optimizing the OTR’s organizational structure and shifting the office toward a culture of service— thus enhancing partnerships and further building OTR staff capacity—can change the cross-border trading ecosystem and catalyze easier, more efficient, and more cost-effective trade facilitation in the sub-region.
Leveraging the power of goods grouping to revive cross-border trade
December 2020
Aside from being an economic lifeline to many, cross-border trade also guarantees food security by channeling food surplus from one region to another. Many cross-border traders source their produce from Togo, then travel to neighboring countries like Benin, Burkina Faso, or Ghana via passenger buses or taxis. Often, several packages are informally, individually transported across the border. To decrease the price of transportation, traders can group their goods into one truck, working together to save money.
Some goods grouping is already practiced by the Bonké bus station in Lomé, a station that conveys packages between Benin, Ghana, and Togo. If adopted more widely, goods grouping could help traders convey goods more frequently, at lower prices, and in safer ways. With the recent movement of people and goods drastically slowed down, and with the aim of alleviating the economic burdens facing many small-scale traders, Togo’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIT) and the National Cooperative of Road Hauliers of Togo (CNATROT) launched the TALDEO-TRANS initiative: a project to pilot goods grouping from Lomé to smaller areas within Togo.
Togolese stakeholders called on the TFWA Program to collaboratively develop a feasibility study assessing the potential market for goods grouping between Lomé and its hinterlands. The study will also look at grouping for cross-border transport between the Togolese capital and Ghana and Benin. The aim is to design the appropriate technical logistics to expand this model.
With TFWA Program support, goods grouping could become an important part of post-pandemic recovery for traders, sparking a wider trend in regional trading that is eventually replicated in other countries. The end goal is for the continued flow of goods and increased food security in this fragile sub-region.
National Approval Committee members in Cabo Verde, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger, and Togo strengthen their skills on ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme approval procedures
October 2020
The TFWA Program supported the ECOWAS Commission Directorate of Customs Union and Taxation (DCUT) to organize a virtual training on ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) approval procedures. The workshops targeted National Approval Committee (NAC) members in in Cabo Verde (5th to 9th October) Guinea (12th to 14th October), Burkina Faso (15th, 16th and 19th October), Benin, Niger, and Togo (9th to 13th November). In total, 102 people completed the workshops, including participants from the Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Regional Integration, Ministry of Finance, Customs Directorate, the Chamber of Commerce and National Export Promotion Body.
One objective of these nine workshops was to strengthen the functioning of the NACs by training their members on the ETLS mechanism. At the same time, the workshops aimed to provide ECOWAS Member States with a good number of trained ETLS resource people to facilitate activities, raise awareness, and train the national business community on ETLS, with a particular emphasis on highlighting the advantages of the scheme and the criteria for approval of companies and products.
The workshops allowed NAC members to master the ETLS mechanism, ensuring that a good number of ETLS resource persons are available in each trained ECOWAS Member State. Through these workshops, the approval process will be facilitated at the national level and the timeline for approval will be drastically reduced. Trainees will lead national awareness, information, and capacity building activities on the ETLS mechanism in order to strengthen regional integration in the ECOWAS region. As a result, the TFWA Program hopes to see a significant increase in the number of submissions of applications for approval to the scheme from these countries. Following the workshops, trainee-led national activities will also strengthen regional ETLS integration in the ECOWAS region.