About 100 authorizing officers and treasury officials from Togo’s Plateaux, Maritime and Greater Lomé regions have begun a five-day training program in Kpalimé aimed at strengthening municipal financial management as the country’s decentralization process expands.
Participants are receiving training on preparing credible and sustainable local budgets, managing public spending, overseeing cash flow and strengthening internal controls. The program follows an initial session held in Kara for officials from the Savanes, Kara and Centrale regions.
At the opening of the session, Apollinaire Elanyo Emegnimo, Deputy Director of the Treasury and Public Accounting Department, representing the Minister of Finance and Budget, said local governments were best placed to identify local needs.
He said this responsibility requires greater competence, rigor, transparency and accountability. Participants will be assessed on their ability to improve revenue collection, increase spending efficiency, enhance the quality of financial reporting and strengthen public accountability.
The second training session also aims to clarify the respective responsibilities of authorizing officers and treasury officials, prevent budgetary irregularities and foster a culture of performance within local administrations. Ultimately, local governments are expected to be able to produce budgets that are better aligned with local development priorities.
Supporting Decentralization
The initiative forms part of Togo’s national decentralization strategy. The government has earmarked nearly 35 billion CFA francs for decentralization in 2026, representing 94% of the budget allocated to the ministry responsible for territorial administration. The funding is intended to support the country’s 117 municipalities, regional councils and governorates as powers are progressively transferred and local governance is strengthened.
At the same time, the government is continuing efforts to strengthen the skills of locally elected officials. In 2025, the National Agency for the Training of Local Governments (ANFCT) launched an online learning platform covering financial management, development planning and resource mobilization. According to the agency, the platform could enable the government to save more than 3 billion CFA francs a year in training costs.
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