Lomé, Wednesday 25 November 2020 -

1. The Council of Ministers met today under the chairmanship of His Excellency Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, President of the Republic.

2. The Commission considered two (02) draft Orders in Council and heard six (06) communications.

I. UNDER THE DRAFT DECREES

3. The Council examined a draft decree on the powers and organisation of the Directorate of Financial Affairs (DAF) of the ministries. This draft decree follows the adoption of the programme budget by the Government.

4. The success of this major changeover, the transition to the programme budget, requires a reorganization of the financial function of each ministry. It will be implemented gradually.

5. The Council then examined the draft decree setting out the terms and price of the sale of the State's shares in the share capital of the Nouvelle Société Cotonnière du Togo (NSCT).

6. Following the adoption by the National Assembly of Law No. 2020-008 of 2 July 2020 authorizing the sale of all or part of the State's stake in the capital of the New Cotton Company of Togo, the Government has initiated discussions with the Olam group with a view to bringing this partnership to a successful conclusion through the actual transfer of shares.

7. It is a renowned partner already strongly involved as a buyer of Togolese cotton, whose expertise is recognized and whose presence in several neighbouring countries is successful.

8. The objective of this sale is to double yields, in particular by exploiting the soil fertility map; to modernize the industrial tool throughout the chain from production to processing; to develop the "cotton made in Togo" brand in order to benefit from a price differential compared to quality.

9. In the end, producers, who have also joined this transfer, will have their incomes guaranteed and increased, in particular by the establishment of an income stabilisation mechanism enabling them to have an assured level of income notwithstanding any fluctuation in cotton prices on the international market.

10. In accordance with the 2014 law on the modernisation of state public action in favour of the economy, the Government set up a Privatization Evaluation Commission which evaluated the partner's offer and assessed the price resulting from negotiations with the partner.

11. The Council took note of the report of the Commission d'Évaluation des Privatisations concerning the sale of 51% of the share capital and adopted the decree authorising this sale for an amount of around 22 billion CFA francs.

12. The Council took this opportunity to congratulate the President of the Republic on the completion of this process, which concretizes the desire to transform Togolese agriculture in accordance with axis 2 of the roadmap, which aims to create jobs by relying on the strengths of the economy.

II. UNDER COMMUNICATIONS,

13. The Council heard a first communication on the Government's accompanying measures for the start of the 2020-2021 school year presented by the Minister for Primary, Secondary, Technical and Craft Education.

14. On behalf of the start of the 2020-2021 school year, free registration fees for exams, the cost of which is estimated at 1.9 billion, has become effective. In addition, the school canteen programme is being continued.

15. It should be noted that, in addition to the abolition of tuition fees in 2008-2009 with effective financial compensation from the State, the Government retains, among other things, the continuation of the implementation of the innovative programme called "School Assur". To date, there are 1,916,511 students (one million nine hundred and sixteen thousand five hundred and eleven) supported.

16. In addition, the persistence of the health crisis justifies special support, in particular by the provision of masks at subsidized prices requiring the mobilization of 1 billion CFA francs by the State to increase the price of the mask to 50 CFA francs instead of 260 CFA francs in schools.

17. For the start of the 2020-2021 school year, the Government has mobilized six hundred million (600,000,000) CFA francs for the acquisition of bench tables and computer equipment.

18. The Government calls on stakeholders to continue the dialogue in order to maintain a climate of serenity and find appropriate solutions to the challenges of the school year.

19. The Council heard a second communication on the establishment of the programme of free care for pregnant women in Togo; presented by the Minister Delegate for Universal Access to Care.

20. The main objective of this programme, which gives concrete expression to a commitment by the Head of State, is to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality.

21. Under the programme, which will be implemented mainly in peripheral care units, four (04) categories of benefits will be covered: family planning; prenatal consultation (CPN), childbirth and caesarean section.

22. This program, whose implementation cost is estimated at CFAF 7.140 billion for the year 2021, will start as soon as possible.

23. The Programme will be supported by an active and strengthened family planning campaign with the support of community health workers and the involvement of grassroots populations to encourage birth spacing.

24. This was followed by a communication on the process of adoption of the law on universal health insurance in Togo presented by the Minister Delegate for Universal Access to Care.

25. Since 2012, the introduction of the compulsory health insurance scheme managed by the National Institute of Health Insurance (INAM) facilitates access to essential health care for public officials and persons treated as such and contributes to the improvement of their economic and social well-being.

26. In order to respond to the Government's desire to guarantee universal access to care, the draft law, once adopted, will make it possible to establish a coherent and integrated system of universal health insurance. The beneficiaries will be public officials and assimilated, workers governed by the Labour Code, actors of the informal and agricultural economy, the self-employed, beneficiaries of pensions and annuities as well as indigent, vulnerable or destitute persons.

27. The Council also listened to a communication on spatial planning and spatial planning tools presented by the Minister of State, Territorial Administration, Decentralisation and Territorial Development.

28. The priorities will initially focus on drawing up the national spatial planning plan (SNAT) in order to promote a better location of priority actions and a harmonious development of territories.

29. The development of the SNAT, which will be carried out with the assistance of technical and financial partners and the involvement of local actors, will make it possible to take better account of the ambitions of the roadmap and will contribute to local development.

30. The following communication presented by the Minister in charge of the Maritime Economy relates to the challenges of coastal management and the proposed responses/actions.

31. The importance of the coastline in our country's economy is at the origin of several challenges that require reconciling the development of economic activities with the protection of the natural areas of the coast.

32. The Government must also anticipate needs and put in place protection based on proximity to the shore while involving local populations in the development and enhancement of the coastline.

33. This was followed by a communication on the Programme d'Appui aux Pistes Rurales (PAPR) presented by the Minister for Opening Up and Rural Roads.

34. The PAPR programme implemented with the support of AFD and KFW is part of the Government's ambition to develop and extend 4000 km of rural roads and aims to improve access to inputs and markets for agricultural households and producers through rehabilitation and construction of nearly 2000 km of tracks, particularly in the cotton and coffee-cocoa production areas.

35. The direct beneficiaries of the programme are therefore the exporters of agricultural products, traders and transporters, and the indirect beneficiaries: producers and households in the targeted areas.