Lomé, October 7, 2019- Thirty health professionals and statistical experts from five African countries, Benin, Cameroon, Guinea, Mali and Togo are being trained in Lome, on analyzing the protection against financial risk in health.
Organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), the meeting aims to strengthen national capacities of countries in monitoring progress in the implementation of universal health coverage (CSU). This is for WHO to form a pool of national experts in the use of estimates of financial protection in health indicators methods.
The meeting, which ends this Friday, October 4 will allow participants to review the concepts, methodology and techniques used to analyze health expenditure using the basics of statistics and software suitable for the operation of investigations latest lines from households. This should enable a better understanding of these risks, in order to contain and optimize people’s access to care systems.
The aim ultimately is to contribute to achieving Universal Health Coverage (CSU), the World Health Organization has included in its general program of work adopted in 2018. This priority will indeed make so a billion more people benefit from the coverage.
Universal coverage health has a direct impact on the health of the population, said the director of cabinet of the Minister of Health, MIDAMEGBE Akakpo the opening of the meeting. She said access to health services allows people to be more productive and contribute more actively in family and community life. It also allows children to go to school and learn. ”
In doing so, the “protection against financial risk avoids cornering people to poverty if they have to pay for services out of their pockets,” said Dr Fatoumata Diallo, resident representative of WHO in Togo for which protection is also an essential pillar of universal health coverage to which all Member States have subscribed and which is included in the Sustainable Development Goal ODD
For states, the goal is to avoid that, people falling into extreme poverty each year because of health expenditures left in their care, and that the population spends at least 10% of their budget to pay for care health. Universal coverage is an essential component of sustainable development and the fight against poverty, the experts meeting in Lomé will help their countries to the CSU, a key element of any effort to reduce social inequalities.
Economic growth rate of Togo is projected at 5.3% by the end of 2019
Meanwhile, the National Credit Council (NCC) held this Thursday, October 3, 2019 in Lomé, the third session of the year 2019. The work of the meeting was chaired by the Minister of Development Planning and cooperation Demba Y. TIGNONKPA.The economic growth rate of Togo is projected at 5.3% by the end of 2019, according to Minister of Planning
The NCC’s mission is to study the conditions of the banking and financial system and to evaluate the performance of the national economy. Overall, the available data on the nine (9) months of the year indicate that economic activity was dynamic in a context of low inflation.
According to the Minister of Planning, the growth rate should be for the purpose, to 5.3% in 2019, an increase of 0.2% percentage compared to the initial forecast, against 4.9% in 2018 . This growth would be driven by all sectors, especially the tertiary sector with a contribution of 3.4% and the secondary sector with renewed dynamism that has enhanced its contribution to economic growth to 1.2%.
As for fiscal indicators, they remain in improvement. The budget deficit would be contained, for the 3rd consecutive year in the community standard of 3% of gross domestic product, thanks to government revenue collection efforts and control of budget spending.
Regarding the financing of the economy, it is clear from this session, an upward trend of lending to the economy, in a context of declining credit costs. Indeed, outstanding credit to the economy grew annually by 4.9% at end-June 2019, from 4.2% at March 31, 2019 and 4.1% at end December 2018. This dynamism brought the credit ratio in the economy on gross domestic product to 40% at June 30, 2019.
As for the average lending rate of bank loans, it was down 7.65% at June 30, 2019, against 8.52% a year earlier, a decline of 87 basis points. For the minister, these developments are encouraging. However, she says, when examining the new set up credit, they were down 8.1% on the six (6) months of the year, compared to the situation observed during the same 2018 period.
In addition, it was noted in previous sessions, that funding remains little-oriented housing and agriculture, despite the importance of these sectors in the economic and social development. As an illustration, in late June 2019, housing loans and agriculture account for only 4.3% and 0.2%, respectively, of total bank funding.
“In response, the session today believes it must work to raise the level of new loans in place and change the financing structure in favor of holders of inclusive growth sectors, especially sectors housing and agriculture, “she said.
Regarding the consolidation of banks, the Minister of Development Planning and Cooperation informed the Council that the Government is firmly committed to sell its holdings or open the majority of capital BTCI and the UTB to strategic investors with strong financial and banking skills.
A pre-qualification notice was issued to this effect on 23 September. The culmination of this process should enable the two (2) banks to achieve their full potential, especially in terms of sound financing of the economy.
