Togo Roundup: Niger-bound containers, electricity debt, suspended prison sentence

40-day grace period for Niger-bound containers at Port of Lomé

Togo has introduced a 40-day grace period for containers bound for Niger at the Port of Lomé. This move, according to Togo's maritime Minister Edem Tengue, is a component of continuing reforms in the marine industry aimed at streamlining operations at the Port of Lomé for landlocked nations.  The West African nation introduced earlier initiatives, like the elimination of statistics fees on products declared in transit to member countries of the Alliance of the Sahel States (AES), such as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, and arriving by sea at the Port of Lomé, Togo First reports.

Electricity debt

Nigeria's electricity regulator reports that Benin, Togo, and Niger owe a total of $51.26 million for electricity exported in 2023. The debtors include special and cross-border customers who have not remitted payments, and bilateral customers who purchased electricity directly from generating companies without paying their invoices, the New Telegraph Nigeria reports.

Survey to attract women journalists for training fellowships

A new survey has been launched to attract women journalists for training fellowships in Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Togo. The Africa Women Journalism Project is conducting research with the goal of launching a new journalism fellowship in these countries to create a pan-African network of women journalists covering women’s issues, according to Global Voices. The programme aims to create a curriculum to teach fellows journalism skills and unite women journalists in francophone West Africa through a new online community.

Togo and Japan sign agric-financing deal

Togo and Japan have signed a financing agreement for agricultural and civil engineering equipment worth 1.2 billion CFA francs (almost $2 million). The equipment will support Togo's agricultural development, focusing on rice cultivation and aiding vulnerable producers, according to Togo First. The agreement complements Japan's initiatives in Togo's agricultural sector, such as rice shipments under the Kennedy Round project.

Suspended prison sentence for two TikTokers for criticism of new constitution

Two Togolese TikTokers were given a 6-month suspended prison sentence for criticising the nation’s new constitution on TikTok. They called on Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé to realise the impact of the change and were charged with contempt of public authorities. They will be able to return home to their families after their arrest on May 15, 2024, local media Télégramme228 reports.