Togo: Support to NEPAD

(period June 2001 - June 2002)

Support for NEPAD Priorities (national and/ or sub- regional projects)

For a number of years now, Togo has been according the highest importance to the following NEPAD priorities:

§ Good governance;

§ Human resources development (health, education);

§ Protection of the environment and of forest resources;

§ Agriculture

Togo is focusing not only on NEPAD priorities at the national level through its development policies and programmes (Millennium Development Goals, poverty reduction strategy paper, sectoral development programmes) but is also actively involved in sub regional projects (West African gas pipeline, project for the interconnection of the Togo-Benin-Nigeria electricity grids, road network projects).

Actions taken to facilitate implementation of NEPAD

On the whole, performance in these areas has been relatively modest. Togo has established a focal point within the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Privatization with responsibility for monitoring the implementation of the New Partnership at the national level.

In order for the national focal point to be able to implement NEPAD effectively in all its aspects, its human and institutional capacities need to be strengthened and adequate financial resources must be allocated to it.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the two sub regional economic communities, i.e. the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), are responsible, each in its own area of competence, for the implementation of NEPAD, and it is gratifying to note the integration of the priorities and objectives of the New Partnership into their respective programmes with the participation of Togo. Efforts are being made not only to explain NEPAD to the people at large, the private sector and civil society, including women’s organizations as well as community-based organizations, and to convince them of the reasons for the adoption by Africa’s leaders of the New Partnership, but also to involve all development actors in its implementation. However, much still remains to be done. With regard to promoting and enhancing the role of women in all aspects of the implementation of the New Partnership and in achieving the objectives thereof, the Government is endeavouring to:

§ Promote girls’ and women’s access to education and to continuing training programmes;

§ Promote women’s employment by providing material, technical and financial support;

§ Alleviate the work load of women by creating a decent working environment for them (access to appropriate technologies, freeing mothers from childminding and the chore of fetching water);

§ Improve the nutrition and health of women and children.

Areas of great success and difficulties/obstacles in implementing NEPAD

Despite the shortage of resources, Togo has made some progress in the areas of education, health and the environment. The difficulties encountered in implementing NEPAD are basically financial.

Estimated financial outlay on NEPAD programmes

Currently, it would be difficult to estimate the financial outlay on NEPAD programmes, since most of the measures decided upon have yet to be implemented or are being implemented in pre-NEPAD programmes.

Technical or financial assistance from African Regional Organizations (AU, ECA, ADB) in implementing the NEPAD priorities

No. Togo has not received technical or financial assistance from these regional organizations.

Technical or financial assistance from bilateral donors or multilateral donors (IMF, World Bank IFC or other agencies of the UN system) in support of NEPAD

Yes, Togo has received financial assistance from the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Children’s Fund in preparing the provisional poverty reduction strategy paper and the report on the follow-up of the Millennium Development Goals, which take into account the priorities and objectives of NEPAD.

Overall estimated financial assistance received from donors in support of NEPAD programmes/ projects

As things currently stand, it would be risky to put forward a figure for the overall estimated financial assistance that Togo has received from donors, since no centralized official accounting has been done.

Significance of the African Peer Review Mechanism to the success of NEPAD

The NEPAD initiative is of considerable historic importance. Everyone agreed on the need for Africans themselves to come up with a long-term vision for the continent’s development and on the importance of political leadership. Those two key factors, which form the basis of NEPAD, have now come together, and this constitutes an historic event.

The Government is of the view that the Africa Peer Review Mechanism, which is basically aimed at fostering the adoption of policies, standards and practices designed to bring about political stability, speed up economic growth, sustainable development and economic integration, is proof of Africa’s commitment and a condition for the success of NEPAD.