Prime Minister Komi Selom Klassou presided on Friday the inauguration ceremony of the 77 members of the Togolese High Council for Foreign Affairs (HCTE) It is obvious that no nation can build itself and ensure its fulfillment if it does not associate all its daughters and sons with the management of the common thing. This is why the Togolese government, in its various strategic plans, has always favored the consideration of the concerns of the Diaspora as one of its priorities, “he said. For his part, Foreign Minister Robert Dussey emphasized that the ceremony was a symbol of renewed trust between the motherland and its sons, who, for various reasons, live abroad. A reaffirmation of the close bond between our country and its Diaspora, an opportunity that reiterates our feeling of belonging to the same national community, hammered the head of diplomacy who piloted the installation of the HCTE. This apolitical High Council aims to unite the Diaspora around national development ambitions. Its elected members represent about 1.5 million Togolese living in 53 countries, in Africa, Europe, North America and elsewhere in the world. The HCTE will be a means to directly involve the Diaspora in the development of Togo, but also to be a link between various associations often disorganized and therefore not audible.
DIPLOMAG N ° 20 IN THE KIOSKS
DiploMag, the magazine of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has just been published. A large place is dedicated to the Diaspora Forum which will take place at the end of November in Lomé; a first. Nearly one and a half million Togolese live abroad. For the authorities, the Diaspora must become a real partner for development. The magazine also devotes a file to the recent election of delegates to the High Council of Togolese Abroad (HCTE).
NIGHT OF DIASPORA’S SUCCESS : WELL-DESERVED REWARD
Five Togolese were rewarded Friday evening for the ”Success Stories Diaspora” trophies. Their journey is very different, but rich in encounters, opportunities and willingness. The winners of the 2019 edition are Kossikouma Victor Agbegnenou is the President of the KA Technologies Group, Simon Worou is Mayor of the municipality of Sainte Juliette (Aveyron, France), Pierre Koffi Alanda is an expert in organic farming, Jean-Claude Homawoo is a venture capital expert André Danonu Lignanmatey Batako is a professor and principal investigator at the University of Liverpool.
A VISIT FOCUSED ON ECONOMIC ISSUES
After an official dinner last night, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa began Friday, December 6, 2019, the economic and diplomatic aspect of his visit to Togo. He went to the port of Lome and was briefed on the operation of this platform, one of the most successful in Africa. Lome is the gateway to landlocked countries like Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. He then went to the training center for peacekeeping operations. Every year, hundreds of peacekeepers are trained before their deployment on different theaters of operation: Mali, Sudan, Haiti … According to the program communicated by the South African presidency, Cyril Ramaphosa and Faure Gnassingbé will hold talks during the day in the presidency. On this occasion, a framework agreement should be signed on agricultural cooperation, port management, mining and energy. The South African economic presence is already a reality in Togo. Ecobank has as reference shareholder Nedbank. ‘The working visits of President Ramaphosa to the sister republics (of Guinea, Ghana and Togo, Ed.) Offer South Africa the opportunity to explore new areas of cooperation with the three partner States and to promote intensification of trade and investment, “said an advisor to the South African head of state. He added that this tour is also an opportunity to discuss issues of mutual interest ‘related to the quest for a peaceful and prosperous continent in Africa, in line with the aspirations of the transformative agenda of the African Union’. The South African delegation includes several ministers: International Relations & Cooperation, Agriculture, Military Veterans, State Security and Trade and Indistria (Deputy Minister).
IN SEEK OF SOUTH AFRICAN PRIVATE INVESTMENT
Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, completed a 24-hour visit to Togo. He said he was very happy to have made this trip. In a press conference with his counterpart Faure Gnassingbé, he praised the good bilateral relations and wants to strengthen them in the sectors of trade, transport, security, agriculture and mining. A framework agreement has been signed. The two men also spoke about the national development plan; strategy that Togo intends to implement to ensure its emergence. It relies on private investment. And South African companies are obviously welcome. ‘We want domestic and foreign investment, but especially foreign investment from Africa. South Africans are important investors and I hope that Togo is also for them an investment land, “said Faure Gnassingbé. He announced the upcoming holding of an economic forum in Johannesburg.