The deputies held, last Thursday at the seat of Parliament in Lomé, the 11e plenary session of the first ordinary session of the year 2022. Led by the President of the National Assembly, Yawa Djigbodi Tsègan, the session was devoted to the vote on two bills. The first relates to decentralization and local freedoms and the second relates to the powers and functioning of the Autonomous District of Greater Lomé (DAGL). It is a question of giving adequate tools to the local authorities, for a functioning and a harmonious and integral development of the whole of the communities on the national territory. The vote on these laws will therefore make it possible to clarify and detail the attributions of the various territorial communities which share the Autonomous District of Greater Lomé. The Minister of State, in charge of Territorial Administration, Decentralization and Territorial Development, Payadowa Boukpessi, took part in the session as government commissioner.
The President of the Assembly, like the deputies present, voted
The National Assembly adopted, last Thursday unanimously by the deputies present, two bills, one relating to decentralization and local freedoms and the other relating to the attributions and functioning of the Autonomous District of Greater Lomé (DAGL). . This is the draft law amending the law of March 13, 2007 relating to decentralization and local freedoms amended by the law of January 31, 2018, the law of June 26 and the law of October 11, 2021 and the draft of law modifying the law relating to the attribution and functioning of the Autonomous District of Greater Lomé”. Examination of these bills has made it possible to provide clarifications and answers to certain questions, with a view to guaranteeing the Togolese population a peaceful, harmonious and sustainable development. The innovations made at the level of the first bill relate to the creation of groups of elected officials within municipal and regional councilors to establish more cohesion among elected officials, as well as the institution of a territorial conference of the public action in the regions, with a view to supporting the concerted execution of powers. The amendments also specify the provisions relating to the dismissal of the mayor and his deputies, the coordination role devolved to the regional councils and reduce the duration of the sessions of the meetings of the municipal and regional councils from fifteen (15) to ten (10) days maximum. per quarter.
The second bill details the attributions of the various local authorities which cohabit on the territory of the Autonomous District of Greater Lomé and settles the question of coordination of certain activities carried out within the framework of the competences exercised by the thirteen (13) municipalities. The new provisions will allow the district to ensure the quality of the execution of tasks, in particular those relating to sanitation throughout the capital, given that the powers of the District are extended to other areas, including support for policies of equality and harmonization of the development of the entire territory of the DAGL.
Minister Payadowa defending the bill
MEPs adhere to development policy
In view of the explanatory memorandum which is in perfect harmony with the policy of good governance so long awaited by the Togolese, the deputies unanimously voted for these two laws. By giving voting instructions to their deputies, all the presidents of parliamentary groups confided that the people, as a whole, called for the clarity necessary for the proper functioning of local authorities. They, to some extent, wanted the operationalization of the national decentralization council and the effective functioning of the DAGL. The leaders of the parliamentary groups also proposed training and sensitization of actors and the population on the foundations of decentralization. In view of the regional elections that began with the establishment of the CENI, when a large number of compatriots do not really know what it means when we talk regarding regional elections, it is essential to communicate and educate around the issue a lot, they added.
One more step towards successful decentralization
For the Minister of State, Minister of Territorial Administration, Decentralization and Territorial Development, Payadowa Boukpessi, the vote that the National Assembly carried out concerns very important reforms which establish the conditions for the execution of shared powers between the State and local authorities. “With regard to the Autonomous District of Greater Lomé, the reforms concern the extension of its competences such as addressing, as well as other competences. The implementation of these new texts will enable us to clarify certain provisions and will enable decentralization to be better understood and to be further strengthened. The government is committed to implementing these laws and we will report to you, regularly, on their implementation,” indicated Minister Boukpessi.
For her part, the president of the hemicycle, the honorable Tsègan, indicated that through the vote of the two laws, the National Assembly brings its guarantee to the harmonious, sustainable development of the communities on the national territory. It also contributes to ensuring a better allocation of mobilized resources in line with the strategic orientations of public policies over the period 2023-2025, the international commitments to which Togo has subscribed, in accordance with the government priorities defined in the government roadmap.
Yankolina M. TINGAENA