- Communes are encouraged to improve local resource management amid rising state funding.
- The FACT fund grew from CFA2.63 billion in 2020 to CFA9.5 billion in 2025.
- The initiative supports decentralization and local development efforts.
Togolese communes have been urged to strengthen the mobilization and management of local resources as state funding for municipalities continues to increase under the country’s decentralization and governance reform agenda.
The call was made during the first National Day of Togolese Communes (JNCT), opened on November 5, 2025, in Lomé. Discussions focused on resource mobilization and strategies to help local authorities fully play their role as drivers of local development.
According to Minister of Territorial Administration Hodabalo Awaté, the Local Authorities Support Fund (FACT)—the main financing mechanism for the decentralization process—has grown steadily since 2020. Initially endowed with CFA2.63 billion, the fund now totals CFA9.5 billion in 2025. Its resources have financed essential infrastructure, including health, education, road, and water projects, while helping reduce territorial disparities.
The Faîtière des Communes du Togo (FCT), organizer of the event with support from German cooperation (GIZ/ProDeG IV) and the French Embassy, also called for stronger mobilization of both domestic and external financing.
According to FCT President Yawa Kouigan, fiscal decentralization remains key to enabling communes to implement local development plans and achieve Sustainable Development Goals related to urban governance and resilience.
Around 300 participants from Togo and other African countries attended this first edition of the JNCT.