Context
Togo organised its first regional elections in 2024. This milestone had been preceded by local elections in 2019.
The decentralisation process transfers decision-making authority and tasks from national to local governments to enable the state to organise public services more efficiently and ensure better citizen involvement. To back up this process, Togo is also pursuing a policy of deconcentration, under which state competencies are transferred to regions and municipalities.
Although progress has been made, the Ministry of Territorial Administration, Decentralisation and Customary Chieftaincy still does not have the financial and human resources it needs to advise the municipalities, steer local development, and support the people who have acquired new responsibilities.
Objective
Decentralisation and deconcentration improve good local governance, which in turn advances local development.
Approach
The fourth phase of the project has the following priorities:
•It advises the national ministries responsible on creating the legal, institutional and political conditions needed for decentralisation, local taxation systems and deconcentration.
•It also trains representatives of the municipalities, civil society and people involved in the national reforms.
•The project is advising 15 municipalities on local finances, development planning, citizen participation and economic development.
•It also supports digital literacy, offering online training, financial administration software and digital communication strategies.
•It organises dialogue among the municipalities in order to expand best practices.