Togo: Gilbert Bawara, ‘Togo is now in a good position among its neighbours with the increase of the minimum wage’.

The Guaranteed Interprofessional Minimum Wage in Togo is set at 302.89 FCFA/Hour or 52,500FCFA per month throughout the national territory and for all branches of economic activity as of 1 January 2023. The Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Dialogue, Gilbert Bawara, explained the process that led to this decision and its impact on society.

According to the Minister Gilbert Bawara, with this increase in the minimum wage, Togo is now in a good position among its neighbours in French-speaking West Africa, particularly those of the WAEMU. “I think we should be in third or fourth place; you have Côte d’Ivoire which has a fairly substantial minimum wage, then Senegal and Togo. It is an exceptional and significant effort that has just been made. I don’t know of any country that has done better than us in terms of rate and progressiveness,” he said.

The increase has two objectives. The first is that the workers’ unions, companies and employers, together with the government, are concerned with densifying and massifying the economic fabric. “This means in clear terms that we need existing companies to continue to develop their activities and create jobs for Togolese people and we need to attract other investments and other investors to come and invest in our country, create activities and create jobs for Togolese people,” the Minister of Labour said.

The second is to encourage businesses operating in the informal sector to register in order to benefit from the reduction of certain charges, including the exemption of business contributions for health insurance announced by the Head of State.

“In a context where the informal economy is quite important, it is to encourage and bring those who are in the informal to come out of their hiding place, to better structure themselves by making the formalities of registration to form a company and benefit from a number of facilities and accompanying measures including in terms of exemptions but also will contribute much more visibly to the economy,” commented Gilbert Bawara.

It should be noted that the last increase in the guaranteed minimum wage in Togo dates from 2011. From 35,000 FCFA, these entities have reached an agreement on the figure of 52500 FCFA.

Miss OLY