COMMUNIQUE FROM THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS WEDNESDAY 15 MARCH 2023
The Council of Ministers met this Wednesday, March 15, 2023 under the chairmanship of His Excellency Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, President of the Republic. The council examined two (02) draft decrees and listened to five (05) communications.
I. Under the draft decrees,
The council reviewed and adopted a draft decree relating to carbon management mechanisms.
To cope with climate change due in particular to the increase in global temperature, an incentive mechanism has been established at international level in the form of monetary exchange of greenhouse gas emission rights, expressed in tonnes carbon equivalent.
This carbon management mechanism is an opportunity to mobilize funding in order to strengthen the resilience of populations in the face of climate change.
The adoption of this text, which sets the rules relating to carbon management mechanisms, will stimulate carbon storage while contributing to compliance with Togo’s international commitments in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The council then examined a draft decree on the creation, powers, organization and operation of the National Observatory of the Demographic Dividend.
With a view to better exploiting the demographic dividend in Togo, a project to set up the National Demographic Dividend Observatory was initiated, which represents an information monitoring tool.
The demographic dividend can be defined as the increase in per capita wealth resulting from an increase in the share of the working population. It occurs mainly due to changes in the age structure and the improvement in productivity conditioned by investments in health, women’s empowerment, education and youth employment.
The establishment of this national observatory will make it possible to refine the demographic analyzes in connection with the projects and programs of the 2020-2025 government roadmap.
II. In terms of communications,
The council listened to a first communication relating to the updating of the national mechanism for early warning and response to security risks; presented by the Minister of Security and Civil Protection.
In a sub-regional context marked, among other things, by the rise of violent extremism and terrorism, Togo has embarked on a process of updating its national mechanism for early warning and response to security risks.
The purpose of the communication is to report to the Board on the actions undertaken as part of the strengthening of this alert mechanism in order to adapt it to the evolution of the security context.
The council listened to a second communication relating to the school map; presented by the Minister of Primary, Secondary, Technical Education and Crafts.
The purpose of this communication is to report on the current state of the school map, the pilot phase of its updating and the simulation of future needs in terms of school infrastructure and teachers.
Indeed, in 2021-2022, Togo recorded in preschool, all orders combined, a total of 228,223 enrolled, 51% of whom were girls. In primary school, the number of pupils enrolled over the same period, all levels of education combined, amounts to 1,672,475, 49% of whom are girls. In secondary 1, 633,358 students were counted, of which 71% in 987 in public general education colleges. In secondary 2, 188,479 enrolled with the majority in public establishments.
Drawing up a school map requires projecting the number of pupils to be educated in order to anticipate needs, in particular the construction of infrastructure, the number
additional teachers to be recruited and to plan the costs.
The council instructed to deepen reflection at a strategic level on the choices to be made in order to ensure sustainable equitable access to quality education.
The council listened to a third communication relating to the results of the national reforestation campaign; presented by Minister of the Environment and Forest Resources.
In order to restore the degraded ecosystems of Togo and fight once morest climate change to guarantee the well-being of the populations, the government has included reforestation among the national priorities.
The stakeholder mobilization strategy adopted on behalf of the 2022 national reforestation campaign led to the reforestation of 5,207,250 plants over 8,256 ha compared to 3,300,000 plants over an area of 4,500 ha for the 2021 campaign.
As part of the 2023 campaign, it is planned to plant 14,000,000 plants over an area of approximately 11,000 ha, including 2,000,000 plants for the single day of June 1, 2023.
The council welcomed the strong support of all the actors during this reforestation campaign and encouraged them to maintain the momentum for even more beneficial results for our country.
The council listened to a fourth communication relating to the results of the Autonomous Port of Lomé from 2018 to 2022; presented by the Minister for the Maritime Economy, Fisheries and Coastal Protection.
This communication aims to present the significant improvements in the operational and financial performance of the Autonomous Port of Lomé (PAL) from 2018 to 2022. Indeed, for several years, the government has been committed to an ambitious program to modernize infrastructure and services of the Autonomous Port of Lomé (PAL).
Over the 2018-2022 period, the overall maritime service has increased. Overall traffic grew by 34.6%, rising from 22 million tonnes to almost 30 million tonnes. Furthermore, PAL is ranked 4th in terms of container traffic in Africa.
Welcoming the encouraging results obtained, the council drew attention to the need to continue improving the services offered to port customers in order to maintain the competitiveness and leadership of our country as a logistics hub in accordance with the ambitions
of the government roadmap.
The council listened to a last communication relating to the project of professionalization of Togolese football; presented by the Minister of Sports and Recreation.
This communication emphasized the need for the professionalization of Togolese football through a better organization of the teams; improved infrastructure and new standards of economic management.
These reforms are part of the government’s desire to make sport in general and football in particular a vehicle for creating wealth and social cohesion.
31. The council instructed for the continuation of the reflections in order to consider the implementation through a pilot phase allowing to better define the conditions of success of the professionalization for the benefit of national football.
Done in Lomé, March 15, 2023
The Council of Ministers
