From our special envoy, Nephthali Messanh Ledy.
Arrived in China on Saturday, Faure Gnassingbe will kill two birds with one stone, even three. Participate in the work of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FCSA) in Beijing, sponsor the business forum of Togo in Xiejang and especially, promote the National Development Plan, the new five-year roadmap of his government.
Togo is strongly represented at the beginning of this month in China as part of this forum, which is held once every three years between the Middle Kingdom and the countries of the African continent. At the head of the delegation, President Faure Gnassingbe made the trip over the weekend, accompanied by his ministers of the economy and finance, Sani Yaya, and foreign affairs, Robert Dussey.
“Togo, as a sister country of China, has been involved since the beginning in the development of this new construction mechanism, the Focac. He is a founding member. It is in this context that Togo will have an active participation at a very high level in the various works planned “, according to the Togolese Presidency. And remember that almost all major bilateral cooperation projects between the two countries were made in the framework of this forum, including the new terminal that required a $ 150 million investment from China Exim Bank.
After the Focac stage, Faure Gnassingbé is announced in Zhiejang Province where Togo is organizing a Business Forum to mobilize financing for Chinese businessmen for the National Development Plan. Before making a visit to the facilities of the e-commerce giant, Alibaba, Hangzou Economic & Technological DevelopmentArea and other companies.
Finally, the Togolese head of state will have to focus on Guangdong Province, the country’s 8th economic province, with a view to forging partnerships in the textile sector.
“We know there are tens of millions of jobs in China that are ready to be relocated. So all companies that can relocate their jobs in Togo are always welcome, “said Faure Gnassingbe in an interview on Chinese television.
CFAF 4622.2 billion over 5 years
Beyond the political framework, these displacements of the Togolese president aim at mobilizing resources for the financing of the National Development Plan (2018-2023) adopted at the beginning of August. Supported by the World Bank in its new partnership framework, the IMF, UNDP, IFC, the International Solar Alliance (ASI), AfDB and BOAD, this new strategy of Togo aims, according to its designers, a rate average economic growth to reach 6.6% and reach 7.6% in 2022.
Faure Gnassingbé’s agenda in China also includes meetings with Chinese financial and state institutions, including the China Merchant Group conglomerate, China Eximbank, China Development Bank and the BRICS Bank. Objectives, find new funding for the five-year plan at a cost of CFAF 4622.2 billion.
But already, Faure Gnassingbé has begun its strategy of identifying investors as part of the realization of the PND. To this end, he met, on Sunday, Zhang Mingfendl CEO of Zhongmei, and Shao Gang, CEO of China Tiesju Civil Engineering Group.
Make Lomé a financial and business platform of first rank in Africa
Through this instrument of “500,000 decent direct jobs”, Lomé’s long-standing ambition is to become a logistics hub of excellence and a world-class business center in the sub-region. “This strategy will focus on improving the infrastructure and procedures at the Port of Lomé, for the moment, the only one in the deep waters of the sub-region, the reinforcement of road infrastructures and the air hub, already very animated by the pan-African airline Asky, partner of Ethiopian Airlines and other major African actors “, according to an official document which Financial Afrik obtained a copy.
In addition, several projects are expected in the digital world. “Key infrastructures should be strengthened to increase the quality of services provided to users in this sector”, says one.
The PND also aims to reveal Togo as a business tourism center and to build Lome as a financial and business platform of first rank in Africa. It will also work to develop agricultural processing, manufacturing and extractive industries poles, and to consolidate social development and strengthen inclusion mechanisms.
