The Coordination Togolaise des Organisations Paysannes et de Producteurs Agricoles (CTOP) and the Union Tunisienne de l’Agriculture et de la Pêche (UTAP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on December 8, 2023. The MoU aims to boost family farming and promote sustainable development in Togo. It will run until 2028.
The deal results from several meetings supported by GIZ as part of the ProComp, a program to make Togo’s private sector more competitive. The signing coincides with the conclusion of the United Nations Decade of Family Farming (UNDAF), a program aimed at supporting small-scale farmers worldwide.
According to the CTOP’s chairperson Ayéfoumi Olou Adara, the new agreement will help Togolese farmers be more competitive in the international market, by providing them with adequate training and financial resources. CTOP has 550,000 members, including farmers, breeders, fishermen, and processors. Women constitute about 30% of the organization’s membership.
Commenting on the partnership with the Togolese Association, UTAP’s President, Noureddine Ben Ayed, said it is a significant milestone towards the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs), especially in the agricultural sector.
The MoU covers various areas, including technical cooperation, capacity building, information exchange, and joint event organization.