Togo is the seventh Least Developed Country (LDC) to join the WTO Chairs Programme, after Benin, Lesotho, Nepal, Rwanda, Senegal and Tanzania, and home to one of the five institutions recently added to the Chairs Network to increase representation of under-represented regions.

At the launch event, the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Trade, Koffi Mensah, noted that joining the Programme confirmed Togo's strategic positioning in regional and global trade and the high academic standards of Togolese higher education institutions. “Today, trade is no longer a matter of tariffs and quotas,” he said. “It is a field of knowledge, strategy and economic sovereignty. To invest in trade knowledge is to invest in our ability to master the rules of the international game, to transform our economies, and to better position our young people and women for the world of tomorrow."

The Minister of Higher Education, Kanka-Malik Natchaba, said, “As it did when submitting the candidacy of the University of Lomé, the Government undertakes to provide additional support to the Chair of the University of Lomé wherever necessary.”

Recalling that the University of Lomé had already been selected twice to host the WTO regional trade policy course, the Chancellor of the University, Adama Mawulé Kpodar, said, “The University would not have been chosen without the support of the country's highest authorities. The University of Lomé undertakes to further reflect on the role of economic growth in tackling poverty effectively. The objective is to produce results that will help to facilitate decision-making on trade facilitation in Togo and the subregion. The University of Lomé will, as it always does, spare no effort to deliver all of the annual work programme effectively.”

The academic staff is led by Professor Akoété Ega Agbodji.

The Permanent Representative of France to the WTO, Emmanuelle Ivanov-Durand, said that current developments in the world order required the redoubling of efforts to reform and defend multilateralism in order to meet the challenges of the 21^st century. “I would like to reiterate France's support for the WTO Chairs Programme, which, going beyond pure research, must absolutely seek to build bridges between academia and political decision-makers. If research is to be carried out with complete independence and following a strict scientific approach, it is important that the results can then inform decision-makers. And this is not always easy. I therefore encourage you, as part of your work, to anticipate this and to find ways to promote your analysis and make it widely known.”

The Programme is also supported by Austria. The Director General of the Federal Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism of Austria, Cynthia Zimmermann, said, “The emphasis you place on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), in particular its impact on agricultural value chains and regional integration, is a high priority for many countries on the continent. The Chairs Programme is closely aligned with our international development cooperation priorities, particularly promoting regional integration and sustainable value chains in sub-Saharan Africa. Your interest in key sectors, such as cotton, rice, fish and poultry, is essential for local livelihoods, food security, and economic diversification.”

At the inaugural session, the various stakeholders discussed the alignment of economic policies, value chains, and structural transformation. The first round table brought together ministries of trade, agriculture, economy and finance, and planning, the West African Development Bank, and researchers from the Universities of Lomé and Kara. The second comprised representatives of the Ministry of Trade, the Association of Large Corporations of Togo, the National Agency for Grass-roots Development Support, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Togo, and the Economic Community of West African States Bank for Investment and Development, as well as academics.