(independantexpress.net)
The year 2019 is coming to an end. Only a few weeks to go until 2020. It is a place to take stock of all that has been done and to highlight the events that have marked this year. In Togo, the news as a whole has been rich in colour. Socially, politically and economically. We will dwell on the social facts in this case.
On the social front, the year was marked mainly by several scandals
Already at the beginning of the year, precisely on 17 January, the case of contaminated rice turned back in Guinea rejected in Togo to land in Côte d’Ivoire, made headlines. The Independent Express read: Trafficking in contaminated products is not ready to end on African shores.
Unfortunately, it is the African populations who are victims of these different traffickings that are harming the food health of those. The impact on local residents remains alive. In Togo, big firms are sure to play this game of dumping unsafe products. This is the case of the unsafe contaminated rice case that the company was about to land.
But the vigilance of some actors, notably the CTA, has helped to block criminal trafficking.
The History of the Gatée Pils
In the same vein, a new scandal arose a few months later. This was the BB Lomé case; one of the biggest scandals of the year. Indeed the case of the spoiled pils has caused a lot of controversy during this year. The pilsner is the most consumed beer by Togolese, so this case has caused a general panic. As a reminder, this scandal involved a large quantity of poor quality Pils drinks dumped on the market. According to the information, some consumers, after opening the bottle, found some anomalies in the beer in question, namely a foam at the end of the bottle, taste and an abnormal smell.
Several bottles tried had the same irregularities. At the level of the sales deposits approved by the Togolese Brewery, the observation was shared. Some depots returned hundreds of beverage lockers, following complaints from retailers. The BB brewery in Lomé, which was involved in this case, did not deign to right the wrongs. Instead, it merely multiplied advertising actions to stifle the scandal. The consequences were not long in coming. Pils has lost customer base, BB Brewery has lost notoriety and BB employees are turning their backs on the brewery for a new beverage company that will start operations next year.
A new beverage manufacturing company will be operational. It is the place to insist on the rigour and professionalism that it must show. It is also the place to call on consumer associations to strengthen the means of action for the well-being of Togolese consumers in the coming year and to be less corrupt in the management of scandals.
The Scandal of the Galilee Project.
In October 2019, our investigations led us to discover the beautiful scam that was hidden under the « projet Galilée »; The project was to sell at an affordable price, a brand new computer branded acer to any student wishing to afford it. But it has been given to find that these computers were of poor quality.
Practically all had similar outages after a few months of use. We discovered that former Minister of Higher Education Minister Octave Nicoué Brooohm was the basis of the deception. The headlines read « Nicoué Broohm at the heart of a 1.5 billion FCFA scandal… The Galileo project scam continues with impunity, even though the new Minister of Higher Education has promised to reframe the project.
The Boulevard of the Armies
The year 2019, socially, was not only scandals, it was also the year of achievements, the year of efforts to achieve a positive outcome. The year 2019 was the adoption of new security measures.
On September 16, we witnessed the official reopening of the « Army Boulevard. » A path that had been neglected without top-down for a very long time. She was finally rehabilitated in the good care of the MNS Group, Midnightsun of Consul Victor Sossou.
The boulevard of armies that starts from the Dove of Peace to the tricolor lights of the Protestant College is a strategic and commercial axis, especially from the roundabout of Ramco.
Strategic especially because it allows to quickly serve the CHU-Sylvanus Olympio (CHU SO) for ambulances and commercial because several companies are installed throughout.
It is all these activities, especially commercial ones, that have suffered during the time of the blocking of the track for the works. Several structures, including banks and department stores, had to terminate leases and move elsewhere.
For ambulances, it takes long detours to reach the CHU-SO. Therefore, this rehabilitation is good news for users and economic operators along this route that serves the city of Lomé.
Road safety
On August 14, 2019, Safety Minister Yark Damehane requires motorcyclists to obtain a Type A driver’s licence with the intention of reducing the risk of traffic accidents often caused by ignorant motorcyclists The codes of the road.
Some had welcomed the news of others not, especially because of the too short time imposed.
All motorcyclists had to obtain their licence by September 20, 2019. Today still no Class A driver’s licence parts have been issued despite the recordings made. And this, for many incoherent reasons.
In a recent press release of 12 December 2019, the Minister of Safety stated that more than 50,000 files had been registered in and around Lomé by the Road and Rail Transport Directorate and that the controls originally planned for the 1st December, will instead begin on April 30.
He also took stock of the year’s road accidents. According to its toll, road accidents resulted in 535 fatalities (January 1 to November 30, 2019), down from 592 in 2018″compared to 2018, we recorded a decrease of: 879 accidents, 52 deaths and 1,048 injuries » he noted.
The figures for 2019 are also down, down, from those recorded in 2017: 580 deaths
So to stay the course and further reduce the cases of accidents and deaths in the future, blood alcohol tests will start from this Monday, he announced.
Another new law, which the Minister says is designed to limit road accidents as a result, the death rate. In reality, it is unemployment that kills the population.
Among the deaths, the year was marked by the death of the famous Togolese artist Jimi Hope, who died in France, repatriated to Togo and buried after an official tribute to him.
Moreover, among the social projects at the government level, the year has seen the same projects without follow-up with a lot of publicity, notably the Telefood project initiated by the Minister of Agriculture, the various initiatives carried out by the ministry development at the grassroots level. Projects that clearly do not have a direct impact on people who continue to live in poverty.
Efforts should focus more on the employability of young people. The creation of new structures that could use them.
The government should benefit young entrepreneurs’ projects in order to encourage them. 2020 must be the year of reforms in all sectors of activity. The urgency is to find important measures so that at least every Togolese can feed, clothe, and treat themselves. That’s the urgency!
www.independantexpress.net
Diane OLOBI