The government of Togo is showing a commitment to the climate agenda with the publication in late March of its first Green Budget, which was quickly followed by the release of tenders for a 25MW solar project.

The Green Budget or Budget Vert integrates climate and environmental priorities into the state budget. It was spurred by the government’s conviction that climate change represents a threat to its fight against poverty and that it needs to facilitate sustainable development in Togo. 

Formerly integrated into development planning, climate resilience and environmental protection will now be a priority for those managing public finances.

The total allocated under the pilot phase of the Green Budget amounts to CFA franc 440.4 billion (US$713.8 million) and represents 26.8% of the state budget. After 2024, this figure is expected to rise to CFA franc 1.2 trillion (US$1.9 billion).

Ultimately, the budget is planned to cover the revenue and expenditure of all ministries and institutions as well as branches of the state that are public administrative establishments, local authorities and social security organisations.

The 2024 Green Budget concerns nine pilot ministries selected for their vulnerability to climate change - healthcare, water, agriculture and urban planning - and their mitigation potential - transport, energy, public works, rural roads and environment.

Six additional ministries are involved with a view to their participation in the Green Budget from 2025, which will cover a total of 20 ministries.

Two of the pilot ministries have specific projects mentioned in the Green Budget – the Ministry of Road, Air and Rail Transport (MTRAF) and the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MDEM).

For MDEM, the Green Budget constitutes 39.8% or CFA franc 23.9 billion (US$38.7 million) of the ministry’s total budget of CFA franc 60 billion (US$97.2 million). 

Togo aims to achieve universal access to electricity by 2030, with renewables constituting 50% of the energy mix, and the budget allocation will support the construction of solar power plants.

Tenders were released in April for construction of a photovoltaic (PV) solar plant in Dapaong as part of the Regional Emergency Solar Power Intervention Project (RESPITE). Located in the Savanes region of northern Togo, the facility will have a capacity of 25MW with a 36 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) and is planned to serve 12,100 households. 

The RESPITE regional project coordination unit has invited bids for the design, supply and installation of the plant and BESS by 4 June. The work also includes about 10km of 20kV connections lines. Construction is expected to take 12-16 months to complete. 

Consultants have until 29 April to express interest in supervising the project as well as the extension of an estimated 183km of medium-voltage lines and 151km of low-voltage lines in 61 rural Togolese localities. The project is being backed with funding from the World Bank.

The project to build two solar plants in the country's central-east-region as part of the World Bank’s Scaling Solar programme is also expected to make progress this year. The government has mobilised concessional financing from the West African Development Bank (BOAD) for the construction of the 42MW Awandjelo plant in the Kozah prefecture and the 60MW Salimde facility in the Tchaoudjo prefecture.

Meanwhile, for the transport ministry, the Green Budget constitutes 5.2% or CFA franc 941,076,000 (US$1.5 million) of its total budget of CFA franc 18 billion (US$29.1 million).

The allocation will support the ongoing modernisation of Niamtougou International airport in northern Togo; completing the rehabilitation of airfields in the interior of the country; providing Togo's airports with aircraft maintenance technologies; developing rail transport; continuing the execution of the Lome-Ouagadougou-Niamey regional economic corridor project; building a car scrapyard; and constructing an interstate bus station.

Togo’s Green Budget was developed by the Ministry of Economy and Finance with the support of the Ministry of Environment and Forest Resources.