Togo

National Focal Point

• Ministry of the Environment and Forest Resources (MERF)

National Strategic Documents and Timeframe

• NDC: 2020 – 2030
• National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) for climate change
• National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP)
• National Environmental Management Programme (NEMP)
• National Sustainable Development Strategy (December 2011)
• National Environmental Management Capacity-building Strategy (October 2008)
• National Programme for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+): 2010 – 2050
• National Strategy for Reducing the Risk of Catastrophes in Togo (December 2009)
• National Medium Term Priority Framework (NMTPF) for Togo: 2010 – 2015
• National Action Plan for Marine and Coastal Environmental Resource Management

Priorities and Needs

Togo’s NDC sets out the objectives of its NAPA as being:

• The protection of human lives and livelihoods, resources, infrastructure and the environment
• The identification of grassroots communities’ urgent, immediate needs for adaptation to the harmful impacts of climate change and variability
• The incorporation of adaptation measures and objectives into sectoral policies and national planning

The NDC sets out the impacts of climate change on the main sectors considered to be sensitive:

• Energy: increasingly scarce wood resources leading to nutritional and food insecurity and increase in poverty
• Water resources: decreased water supply due to global warming and heavy pollution of drinking water reserves as a result of flooding, salt water intrusion and water encroachment
• Agriculture, forestry and land use: decline in the supply of vegetables, meats and fish, a loss of income for producers, land degradation, loss of biodiversity, pest invasions of crops, livestock and fishing yields, wood shortages and the disappearance of wetlands
• Human settlements and health: expenses associated with rehousing disaster victims, massive rural exodus and the spread of illnesses like malaria, diarrhoea, cardiovascular and respiratory disease
• Coastal zones: erosion threatening the entire coastal zone, where more than 90% of the country’s industrial units are located

The NDC goes on to set out its needs in relation to these priority areas, in the form of measures:

• Reinforcing actions in favour of energy efficiency and carbon-lead technologies
• Promoting integrated, sustainable water resources management
• Strengthening the resilience of production systems and means in the agricultural sector
• Building the capacities of human settlements to adapt to climate change
• Protecting the coastal zone

Current and Planned Adaptation Efforts

Togo’s NDC sets out a number of priority adaptation measures/projects by sector, as follows:

• Energy sector: development of renewable energies (target of 4% of the energy mix); sustainable management of traditional energy sources (firewood and charcoal); implementation of electricity-saving strategies; development of mini hybrid networks for rural electrification; promotion of low-carbon transport modes; promotion of new, clean technologies in the building sector. Cost: USD 176 million
• Agriculture sector: promotion of efficient varieties resistant to climate change; strengthening of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM); establishing transhumance zones and corridors; development of reservoirs for micro-irrigation and livestock watering; mapping of areas vulnerable to climate change; dissemination of good agro-ecological practices; and promotion of low-water consumption and low-GHG emission rice production systems. Cost: USD 186 million
• Human Settlements Sector: improved sanitation and drainage; improvement of roads; promotion of urban forestry; sustainable waste management; harmonious spatial development of urban centres; strengthening health and environment institutional and regulatory frameworks; establishing monitoring and evaluation mechanisms; and protection against disaster risks. Cost: USD 540 million
• Water Resources Sector: improvement of knowledge; protection of water resources; improvement of agricultural water management; conservation of rainwater and reuse of wastewater; improvement of groundwater management; and study of the coastal sedimentary basin and its resilience to climate change. Cost: USD 191.3 million
• Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry Sector: mapping and orientation of human activity to adapt to environmental needs; building up meteorological services; reforestation and protection of zones with fragile ecosystems; promotion of the Ecological Awareness (Ecologie et Conscience) Programme in schools; and the preparation of the national regional development plan and implementation of pilot operations. Cost: USD 236.5 million

Requirements for Additional Planning, Financial and Technical Capacities

Togo’s NDC includes a section on implementation methods, which identifies its requirements as follows:

• Capacity building: capacities will need to be built up to remedy insufficient reliable climate data; weak technical institutional and legal capacities; and a shortage of financial resources. Cost: US $0.4 billion
• Technology transfer: needs are summarised as producing and popularising energy-efficient stoves among all of the country’s social strata; promoting renewable energies by facilitating access to those technologies and training the populations on how to use and manage them; and promote internal expertise and good practices for safeguarding the forest cover and fighting bush fires. Cost: US $0.5 billion
• Financial support: the total funding required for the adaptation component is estimated at approximately US$1.54 billion between 2020 and 2030.