Brussels, 18/09/2008 (Agence Europe) - The conference of Togo's development partners began on Thursday 18 September in Brussels, with the hope expressed by the Togolese authorities and European Commission that the two day meeting would convince donors of mobilising more to help the country's sustainable economic relaunch, which in recent years has made considerable progress by opting for the democratic route and reconciliation, after more than 10 years of political crisis and isolation.
By organising this conference with the support of the Commission and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Lomé authorities are hoping to increase international confidence in the orientation taken by Togo in a new development phase began in August 2006 when the comprehensive political agreement was signed and which brought together all the historic components together from Togolese political life and led to the organisation of free and transparent general elections.
Addressing the press at the opening of the conference, Louis Michel, the European Commissioner for development said that the presentation of the poverty reduction and strategic development programme by the new prime minister, Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo, and his personal commitment would, “naturally convince old and new donors”. He pointed out that Togo had fulfilled the twenty-two conditions set in 2004 by the EU for resuming cooperation (renewed since November 2007 after thirteen years of interruption), Michel made a heartfelt plea for new support for this deserving but recovering country.
“Togo is on its way to becoming a political success story, but its economic and social vulnerability are still there. It is important that the sufficient financial means be released quickly to show the Togolese people they were right to believe in democracy,” the commissioner said. In particular, he welcomed the inclusive government, which counts four women ministers, and the freedom of the press, guarantees of a “modern, open, democratic and prosperous Togo”.
For the period from 2008-2013, Togo can already count on €123 million from the 10th European Development Fund. “We allocated all the previous EDF money and we are speeding up development projects,” Michel said. His priority is quickly to determine the conditions on which budgetary aid for Togo, “one of the most promising countries in terms of governance and cooperation”, will be based. Togo has also been selected as one of the 12 countries to pilot projects for achieving millennium development goals (MDGs).
On behalf of the Togolese people, Houngbo thanked the Commission for its support. The conference was “of huge strategic importance because we want to leave on Friday with a firm commitment, a joint will among all the partners, to relaunch cooperation in this transition phase from fragility,” he said. The Togolese government's priorities are to re-establish basic social services as quickly as possible, to re-create a strong state, able to assume its full role and to continue structural, economic, political and financial reforms. Houngbo acknowledged that there remained much to be done to reassure foreign investors but the Bill on the reform of the investment framework bears witness to its efforts to achieve this end.
When asked about the amount of money needed or cover short-term economic recovery, Houngbo replied that the aim of the conference (which is not a donors' conference) was not to announce millions of euro, but to tally up the efforts made over the last three years to help the partners finalise their support plan. Michel picked this point up, noting that the important thing was not to achieve a “mathematical result”, but to get the country once and for all out of the situation as an aid orphan in which it had found itself for so long. “Sanctions and isolation don't bring great returns. There is nothing as good as political dialogue. France, Germany, the United Kingdom, multilateral institutions have shown confidence. But if the international community does not move when there are so many assets, then we will all bear the responsibility for failure,” he warned. Michel said it was “crucial that pacification and economic recovery can be shown to have taken place” in this very sensitive region of Africa.
Togo has in place an interim poverty reduction strategy for 2008-2010. A full strategy will take its place in 2009. The World Bank, the IMF, the African Development Bank, all represented at the conference, resumed relations with Togo in 2007. (A.N./transl.rh/rt)