AGP Executive Report

In the last 12 hours, Togo’s financial and business environment featured prominently. Ecobank Togo reported that while 2025 revenue hit a record 45.7 billion CFA francs (+9.9%) and lending grew (+16.8%), net profit fell 9.5% to 14.3 billion CFA francs due to higher taxes and a regulatory fine—yet the bank still proposed a sharply higher dividend. In parallel, BCEAO data cited in the coverage show a sharp deterioration in asset quality: Togo’s gross non-performing loan ratio nearly doubled year-on-year to 13.5% (from 7.2%), with the net NPL ratio rising to 8.2% (from 2.7%) and provisioning coverage dropping from 63.9% to 42.3%. Together, these reports suggest mounting pressure on banks’ risk management even as liquidity remains strong.

Also within the past 12 hours, Togo continued institutional and regional engagement. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI-Togo) inaugurated a Grand Lomé office in Agoè-Nyivé 1 as part of a decentralization drive, aiming to bring administrative support, dispute resolution, export assistance, and a “one-stop service” closer to businesses. Meanwhile, OHADA experts began talks in Lomé on reforming the organization’s funding model—described as the first such effort in nearly two decades—seeking a more sustainable way to finance OHADA’s operations and effectiveness.

Beyond Togo’s domestic developments, the most recent coverage also highlighted regional sector coordination. Key stakeholders in Africa’s cotton industry gathered in Lomé for the 22nd Annual Meetings of the African Cotton Association (ACA), alongside PR-PICA, with discussions focused on climate adaptation, yield consistency, and meeting rising global demands for quality and traceability. In the same broader regional frame, OHADA funding reform and the cotton meetings both point to a continuity of efforts to strengthen governance and competitiveness in sectors that affect livelihoods and trade.

Looking slightly further back (12 to 72 hours), the news mix broadened to include regional infrastructure, security, and policy. ECOWAS and AfDB began joint identification missions with member states on financing the Abidjan–Lagos highway, while ECOWAS parliament leadership repeatedly emphasized that democracy must deliver tangible results and that peace cannot be imposed but must be built through dialogue. Separately, ECOWAS justice ministers endorsed a draft supplementary act to strengthen cooperation against maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea—an issue linked to cross-border prosecution, information sharing, and evidence handling. However, the evidence in the older articles is more thematic than tightly tied to a single new event, so the clearest “change” signal remains concentrated in the last 12 hours around banking risk, local business support, and OHADA funding talks.

In the past 12 hours, the most prominent coverage is legal testimony in Nigeria’s EFCC trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello. Multiple reports describe prosecution witness Shehu Bello (PW14) telling the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja that a property at No. 1 Ikogosi Spring Close was bought for ₦550 million but paid for in US-dollar cash on behalf of Dr. Faruk Bello, an associate linked to the former governor. The witness also described facilitating another property purchase for the same client at Lome Street, Wuse Zone 7 (₦105 million) paid via bank transfer, and discussed prior business dealings with Ali Bello (described as his friend). Together, the repeated details across the latest articles suggest the court is focusing on how transactions were funded and routed, including the use of cash in dollars.

Also in the last 12 hours, Togo hosted a major regional sector meeting: the 22nd Annual Meetings of the African Cotton Association (ACA) opened in Lomé, bringing stakeholders to address cotton challenges and boost productivity and competitiveness. The coverage frames the discussions around adapting to climate change, improving quality and traceability, and optimizing production systems, with the event running alongside a regional program review meeting. In parallel, South Africa’s push to bring Formula 1 back to the continent continues, with reporting that the country is working “methodically” to meet criteria for hosting, including infrastructure and security, and that President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to attend a Grand Prix this season as part of lobbying.

Beyond Togo’s immediate headlines, the broader West Africa policy agenda is visible in older-but-related coverage. ECOWAS parliamentary leadership statements in the 12–72 hour window emphasize democracy and constitutional order amid rising instability, including calls for Guinea-Bissau to restore constitutional governance. Separately, ECOWAS justice ministers (reported in the 3–7 day range) endorsed a draft supplementary act aimed at strengthening regional cooperation against maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea—covering issues like piracy, armed robbery, illegal fishing, and cross-border prosecution mechanisms.

Finally, several development and governance items provide context for ongoing regional reforms. In Togo, there is reporting on municipal digital and administrative initiatives (e.g., Agoè-Nyivé 5 launching a website to improve access to services) and on regulatory tightening in the wider region (e.g., BCEAO lowering microfinance interest rate caps from June 2026, and Togo introducing fixed penalties for traffic offences). However, compared with the dense legal coverage from the last 12 hours, the remaining items are more dispersed and appear more like continuity of policy and institutional work than a single new, decisive event.